Item 1. Financial Statements
Item 1. Financial Statements.
Index
Documents
Page
Statements of Financial Condition, Schedule of Investments, Statements of Operations, Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity, and Statements of Cash Flows:
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
F-5
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
F-8
VS Trust
F-12
Notes to Financial Statements
F-12
- 1 -
VS Trust
Statements of Assets and Liabilities
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
For the
Period Ended
For the
Period Ended
For the
For the
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2024
Year Ended
December 31,
Year Ended
December 31,
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
2023
2023
ASSETS
Cash
$ 3,366,089
$ 3,333,399
$ 5,032,398
$ -
Investments in securities, at value *
25,019,145
18,139,314
14,917,099
8,009,153
Interest receivable
135,952
91,821
117,866
58,172
Prepaid expenses and other assets
24,273
35,799
16,781
31,493
Deposits at Broker for Futures and Options Contracts
64,648,511
54,518,327
115,003,174
61,750,311
Variation margin receivable
-
2,247,997
-
148,593
Other receivable
-
-
2,839
-
Total Assets
93,193,970
78,366,657
135,090,157
69,997,722
LIABILITIES
Payables
Variation margin payable
1,419,057
-
204,703
-
Fund shares redeemed
-
-
9,447,400
-
Payable to Sponsor
121,348
102,265
147,790
106,270
Administrative, accounting and custodian fees payable
22,035
26,638
28,065
25,429
Professional fees payable
193,301
195,537
154,412
133,724
Licensing and registration fees payable
52,394
72,333
50,368
67,303
Payable to Broker
-
-
-
-
Total Liabilities
1,808,135
396,773
10,032,738
332,726
NET ASSETS
$ 91,385,835
$ 77,969,884
$ 125,057,419
$ 69,664,996
NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:
Paid-in capital
$ ( 44,890,593 )
$ 462,649,666
$ 4,558,124
$ 424,281,739
Total distributable earnings (accumulated deficit)
136,276,428
( 384,679,782 )
120,499,295
( 354,616,743 )
Net Assets
$ 91,385,835
$ 77,969,884
$ 125,057,419
$ 69,664,996
Net Asset Value (unlimited shares authorized):
Class I (unlimited shares authorized):
Net Assets
$ 91,385,835
$ 77,969,884
$ 125,057,419
$ 69,664,996
Shares Outstanding^
2,150,000
8,984,975
3,310,000
5,074,975
Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price per Share
$ 42.51
$ 8.68
$ 37.78
$ 13.73
Market Value per Share (Note 2)
$ 42.36
$ 8.75
$ 37.73
$ 13.73
*Investments in securities, at cost
$ 25,041,492
$ 18,139,314
$ 15,728,432
$ 8,009,153
^ No
Par Value
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
F- 1
VS Trust
Statements of Operations
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2023
March 31,
2023
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
INVESTMENT INCOME
Income:
Interest income
$ 383,780
$ 216,466
$ 46,731
$ 132,436
Total Income
383,780
216,466
46,731
132,436
Expenses:
Management fees
432,414
286,632
169,505
397,849
Administrative, accounting and custodian fees
31,784
32,984
22,081
29,015
Professional fees
73,854
95,753
78,907
79,670
Licensing and registration fees
7,886
4,840
18,365
20,429
Other
973
973
-
-
Broker interest expense
-
-
3,151
280
Total Expenses
546,911
421,182
292,009
527,243
Net Investment loss
( 163,131 )
( 204,716 )
( 245,278 )
( 394,807 )
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENTS AND FUTURES CONTRACTS
Net realized gain (loss) on:
Options
( 3,534,146 )
-
-
-
Futures
23,041,068
( 30,744,766 )
5,287,054
( 43,229,755 )
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:
Options
788,986
-
-
-
Futures
( 4,355,644 )
886,443
6,173,774
( 6,212,853 )
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments and futures contracts
15,940,264
( 29,858,323 )
11,460,828
( 49,442,608 )
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS
$ 15,777,133
$ ( 30,063,039 )
$ 11,215,550
$ ( 49,837,415 )
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F- 2
VS Trust
Statements of Changes in Net Assets
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2023
March 31,
2023
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS:
OPERATIONS
Net investment loss
$ ( 163,131 )
$ ( 204,716 )
$ ( 245,278 )
$ ( 394,807 )
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and futures contracts
19,506,922
( 30,744,766 )
5,287,054
( 43,229,755 )
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and futures contracts
( 3,566,658 )
886,443
6,173,774
( 6,212,853 )
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations
15,777,133
( 30,063,039 )
11,215,550
( 49,837,415 )
CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS
Shares sold
47,147,706
59,004,987
84,650,595
103,497,183
Shares redeemed
( 96,596,423 )
( 20,637,060 )
( 67,603,286 )
( 72,110,675 )
Net increase (decrease) in net assets from capital share transactions
( 49,448,717 )
38,367,927
17,047,309
31,386,508
Total increase (decrease) in net assets
( 33,671,584 )
8,304,888
28,262,859
( 18,450,907 )
NET ASSETS
Beginning of Period
125,057,419
69,664,996
46,378,603
125,488,766
End of Period
$ 91,385,835
$ 77,969,884
$ 74,641,462
$ 107,037,859
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
F- 3
VS Trust
Statements of Cash Flows
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
-1x Short VIX
Futures ETF
2x Long VIX
Futures ETF
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
For the
Quarter Ended
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2024
March 31,
2023
March 31,
2023
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations
$ 15,777,133
$ ( 30,063,039 )
$ 11,215,550
$ ( 49,837,415 )
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Purchase of investments
( 156,934,689 )
( 81,845,257 )
( 109,145,715 )
( 138,973,307 )
Proceeds from sales or maturities of investments held
144,087,483
71,715,096
103,705,158
131,289,488
Net realized gain/loss on investments in options
3,534,146
-
-
-
Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments in options
( 788,986 )
-
-
-
Decrease (Increase) in Deposits at broker for futures and options contracts
50,354,663
7,231,984
( 32,650,815 )
40,821,870
Decrease (Increase) in Variation margin receivable
-
( 2,099,404 )
( 464,126 )
830,840
Decrease (Increase) in interest receivable
( 18,086 )
( 33,649 )
( 19,912 )
( 24,114 )
Decrease (Increase) in other receivables
2,839
-
( 175 )
( 1,756 )
Decrease (Increase) In Prepaid expenses and other assets
( 7,492 )
( 4,306 )
( 10,850 )
832
Decrease (Increase) in Due from Other
-
-
( 26 )
-
Increase (Decrease) in Due to Custodian
-
-
4,109,713
383,409
Increase (Decrease) in Variation margin payable
1,214,354
-
( 187,030 )
1,240,927
Increase (Decrease) in Payable to Sponsor
( 26,442 )
( 4,005 )
23,182
( 42,007 )
Increase (Decrease) in Administrative, accounting and custodian fees payable
( 6,030 )
1,209
( 7,894 )
( 3,537 )
Increase (Decrease) in Professional fees payable
38,889
61,813
29,772
29,864
Increase (Decrease) in Licensing and registration fees payable
2,026
5,030
5,818
11,976
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
57,229,808
( 35,034,528 )
( 23,397,350 )
( 14,272,930 )
CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from shares sold, net of cost from shares purchased
47,147,706
59,004,987
84,650,595
86,383,605
Cost of shares redeemed
( 106,043,823 )
( 20,637,060 )
( 61,757,845 )
( 72,110,675 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
( 58,896,117 )
38,367,927
22,892,750
14,272,930
NET INCREASE IN CASH
( 1,666,309 )
3,333,399
( 504,600 )
-
Beginning of Period
$ 5,032,398
$ -
$ 504,600
$ -
End of Period
$ 3,366,089
$ 3,333,399
$ -
$ -
See accompanying notes to the financial statements.
F- 4
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Investments
as of March 31, 2024 (Unaudited)
Notional
Amount
Contracts
Value
PURCHASED OPTIONS - 1.0% (a)(b)
Call Options - 1.0%
$ –
CBOE Volatility Index, Expiration: 05/22/2024 ; Exercise Price: $ 25.00
24,068,500
18,500
$ 906,500
TOTAL PURCHASED OPTIONS (Cost $ 928,847 )
906,500
Shares
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS - 26.4%
Money Market Funds - 26.4%
First American Government Obligations Fund, 5.23 % (d)
24,112,645
24,112,645
TOTAL SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Cost $ 24,112,645 )
24,112,645
TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 27.4 % (Cost $ 25,041,492 )
$ 25,019,145
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities - 72.6 % (c)
66,366,690
TOTAL NET ASSETS - 100.0%
$ 91,385,835
Percentages are stated as a percent of net assets.
(a) Exchange-traded.
(b) 100
shares per contract.
(c) $64,648,511
of cash is pledged as collateral for futures and options contracts.
(d) The
rate shown represents the 7-day effective yield as of March 31, 2024.
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Open Futures Contracts
as of March 31, 2024 (Unaudited)
Description
Contracts
Sold
Expiration
Date
Notional
Value / Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
CBOE Volatility Index
( 3,925 )
04/17/2024
$ 56,245,250
$ 3,530,614
CBOE Volatility Index
( 2,289 )
05/22/2024
35,204,820
94,426
$ 3,625,040
Total Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)
$ 3,625,040
F- 5
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Investments
December 31, 2023
Notional
Amount
Contracts
Value
PURCHASED OPTIONS - 0.29% (a)(b)
Call Options - 0.29%
CBOE Volatility Index, Expiration: 01/17/2024 ; Strike Price: $ 26
29,880,000
24,000
$ 360,000
TOTAL PURCHASED OPTIONS (Cost $ 1,171,333 )
360,000
Shares
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT - 11.64%
Money Market Funds - 11.64%
First American Government Obligations Fund, 5.28 % (d)
14,557,099
14,557,099
TOTAL SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT (Cost $ 14,557,099 )
14,557,099
TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 11.93 % (Cost $ 15,728,432 )
$ 14,917,099
Other Assets in Excess of
Liabilities - 88.07 % (c)
110,140,320
TOTAL NET ASSETS - 100.00 %
$ 125,057,419
Percentages are stated as a percent of net assets.
(a) Exchange-traded.
(b) 100
shares per contract.
(c) $115,003,174
of cash is pledged as collateral for futures and options contracts.
(d) The
rate shown represents the 7-day effective yield as of December 31, 2023.
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F- 6
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Short Futures Contracts
December 31, 2023
Description
Contracts
Purchased
Expiration
Date
Notional
Value/
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
CBOE Volatility Index
( 5,055 )
1/17/2024
$ 70,972,200
$ 5,749,910
CBOE Volatility Index
( 3,538 )
2/14/2024
54,096,020
2,230,774
$ 7,980,684
Total Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)
$ 7,980,684
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F- 7
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Investments
as of March 31, 2024 (Unaudited)
Shares
Value
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS - 23.3%
Money Market Funds - 23.3%
First American Government Obligations Fund, 5.23 % (a)
18,139,314
$ 18,139,314
TOTAL SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Cost $ 18,139,314 )
18,139,314
TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 23.3 % (Cost $ 18,139,314 )
$ 18,139,314
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities - 76.7 % (b)
59,830,570
TOTAL NET ASSETS - 100.0 %
$ 77,969,884
Percentages are stated as a percent of net assets.
(a) The rate shown represents the 7-day effective yield as of March 31, 2024.
(b) $54,518,327 of cash is pledged as collateral for futures contracts.
F- 8
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Open Futures Contracts
as of March 31, 2024 (Unaudited)
Description
Contracts
Purchased
Expiration
Date
Notional
Value /
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
CBOE Volatility Index
6,695
04/17/2024
$ 95,939,350
$ ( 6,902,700 )
CBOE Volatility Index
3,905
05/22/2024
60,058,900
( 388,475 )
$ ( 7,291,175 )
Total Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)
$ ( 7,291,175 )
F- 9
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Investments
as of December 31, 2023
Shares
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT - 11.50%
Money Market Funds - 11.50%
First American Government Obligations Fund, 5.28 % (a)
8,009,153
$ 8,009,153
TOTAL SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT (Cost $8,009,153)
8,009,153
TOTAL INVESTMENTS - (Cost $ 8,009,153 ) 11.50 %
$ 8,009,153
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities - 88.50 % (b)
61,655,843
TOTAL NET ASSETS - 100.00 %
$ 69,664,996
Percentages are stated as a percent of net assets.
(a) The rate shown represents the 7-day effective yield as of December
31, 2023.
(b) $61,750,311 of cash is pledged as collateral for futures contracts.
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F- 10
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Schedule of Open Futures Contracts
as of December 31, 2023
Description
Contracts
Purchased
Expiration
Date
Notional
Value/
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
CBOE Volatility Index
5,633
1/17/2024
$ 79,087,320
$ ( 5,616,125 )
CBOE Volatility Index
3,943
2/14/2024
60,288,470
( 2,561,493 )
$ ( 8,177,618 )
Total Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)
$ ( 8,177,618 )
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
F- 11
VS Trust
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
March 31, 2024 (unaudited)
NOTE 1 – ORGANIZATION
VS Trust (the “Trust”)
is a Delaware statutory trust formed on October 24, 2019, and is currently organized into separate series (each, a “Fund”
and collectively, the “Funds”). As of March 31, 2024, the following two series of the Trust have commenced investment operations:
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF (“SVIX”) and 2x Long VIX Futures ETF (“UVIX”). Each of the Funds listed above issues
common units of beneficial interest (“Shares”), which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership
of only that Fund. The Shares of each Fund are listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange (“Cboe BZX”).
The Funds’ inception of operation
was March 28, 2022. Neither the Trust nor the Funds had any operations prior to March 28, 2022, other than matters relating to its organization
and the registration of each series under the Securities Act of 1933.
Each Fund’s investment exposure
to VIX futures contracts will cause each to be deemed a commodity pool, thereby subjecting each Fund to regulation under the Commodity
Exchange Act of 1934 (“CEA”) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) rules. The Sponsor is registered
as a Commodity Pool Operator (“CPO”) and the Fund will be operated in accordance with applicable CFTC rules. Registration
as a CPO imposes additional compliance obligations on the Sponsor and the Funds related to additional laws, regulations, and enforcement
policies, which could increase compliance costs and may affect the operations and financial performance of the Funds.
Volatility Shares LLC (the “Sponsor”)
is the sponsor of the Trust and the Funds. The Sponsor also will serve as the Trust’s commodity pool operator. The Funds are commodity
pools, as defined under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”), and the applicable regulations of the CFTC and are operated
by the Sponsor, which is registered as a commodity pool operator with the CFTC. The Trust is not an investment company registered under
the Investment Company Act of 1940.
NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Each Fund is an investment company,
as defined by Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946
“Financial Services — Investment Companies.” As such, the Funds follow the investment company accounting and reporting
guidance. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by each Fund, as applicable, in preparation of its financial
statements. These policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
The accompanying unaudited financial
statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and the rules
and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, all material adjustments,
consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair statement of the interim period financial statements
have been made. Interim period results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full-year period.
Emerging growth company
The Trust is an “emerging
growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. It will remain an emerging growth company until
the earlier of (1) the beginning of the first fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of its initial public offering, (2) the beginning
of the first fiscal year after annual gross revenue is $ 1.235 billion (subject to adjustment for inflation) or more, (3) the date on which
the Fund has, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $ 1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities and (4) as of the
end of any fiscal year in which the market value of common equity held by non-affiliates exceeded $ 700 million as of the end of the second
quarter of that fiscal year.
For as long as the Trust remains
an “emerging growth company,” it may take advantage of certain exemptions from the various reporting requirements that are
applicable to public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required
to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding
executive compensation and financial statements in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of
holding a nonbinding advisory vote to approve executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously
approved. The Trust will take advantage of these reporting exemptions until it is no longer an “emerging growth company.”
Use of Estimates & Indemnifications
The preparation of financial
statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues
and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
In the normal course of business, the
Trust enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations which provide general indemnifications. The Trust’s maximum
exposure under these arrangements cannot be known; however, the Trust expects any risk of loss to be remote.
F- 12
Basis of Presentation
Pursuant to rules and regulations
of the SEC, these financial statements are presented for the Trust as a whole, as the SEC registrant, and for each Fund individually.
The debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to a particular Fund shall
be enforceable only against the assets of such Fund and not against the assets of the Trust generally or any other Fund. Accordingly,
the assets of each Fund of the Trust include only those funds and other assets that are paid to, held by or distributed to the Trust for
the purchase of Shares in that Fund.
The cash amount shown in the Statements
of Cash Flows is the amount reported as cash in the Statements of Financial Condition dated March 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023, and
represents cash, but does not include short-term investments.
Final Net Asset Value for Fiscal Period
The cut-off times and the times
of the calculation of the Funds’ final net asset value for creation and redemption of fund Shares for the three months ended March
31, 2024, were typically as follows. All times are Eastern Standard Time:
Fund
Create/Redeem
Cut-off* (EST)
NAV
Calculation
Time (EST)
NAV
Calculation Date
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF and
2:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
March 31, 2024
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
2:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
March 31, 2024
* Although the Funds’ shares may continue to trade on secondary
markets subsequent to the calculation of the final NAV, these times represent the final opportunity to transact in creation or redemption
units for the three months ended March 31, 2024.
Market value per Share is determined at the close of Cboe
BZX and may be later than when the Funds’ NAV per Share is calculated.
For financial reporting purposes,
the Funds value transactions based upon the final closing price in their primary markets. Accordingly, the investment valuations in these
financial statements may differ from those used in the calculation of certain of the Funds’ final creation/redemption NAV for the
three months ended March 31, 2024.
Investment Valuation
Short-term investments are valued
at amortized cost which approximates fair value for daily NAV purposes. For financial reporting purposes, short- term investments are
valued at their market price using information provided by a third-party pricing service or market quotations. In each of these situations,
valuations are typically categorized as Level I in the fair value hierarchy.
VIX futures contracts are valued
using the Time Weighted Average Price (TWAP) of the futures during the last 15 minutes of NYSE’s regular trading session, rather
than solely from the VIX futures’ settlement price. The value of a Fund’s non-exchange-traded Financial Instruments typically
is determined by applying the then-current disseminated levels for the Index to the terms of the Fund’s non-exchange-traded Financial
Instruments.
In certain circumstances
(e.g., if the Sponsor believes market quotations do not accurately reflect the fair value of a Fund’s investment, or a trading halt
closes an exchange or market early), the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, choose to determine a fair value price as the basis for
determining the market value of such investment for such day. Such fair value prices would generally be determined based on available
inputs about the current value of the underlying VIX futures contract and would be based on principles that the Sponsor deems fair and
equitable.
The Funds may use a variety of money market instruments.
Money market instruments generally will be valued using market prices or at amortized cost.
Fair value pricing may require
subjective determinations about the value of an investment. While the Funds’ policies are intended to result in a calculation of
its respective Fund’s NAV that fairly reflects investment values as of the time of pricing, such Fund cannot ensure that fair values
determined by the Sponsor or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that a Fund could obtain for an investment
if it were to dispose of that investment as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by
such Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the investments were sold and the differences could be material to the financial
statements.
Options are valued using the last traded price as of the close of regular trading hours on the CBOE Options Exchange.
F- 13
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Funds disclose the fair value of
their investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The disclosure requirements
establish a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between: (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained
from sources independent of the Funds (observable inputs); and (2) the Funds’ own assumptions about market participant assumptions
developed based on the best information available under the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The three levels defined by the disclosure
requirements hierarchy are as follows:
Level I – Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets
for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date.
Level II – Inputs other than quoted prices
included within Level I that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level II assets include the following:
quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets
that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived principally
from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means (market-corroborated inputs).
Level III – Unobservable pricing input at the measurement
date for the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs shall be used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not
available.
In some instances, the inputs used
to measure fair value might fall in different levels of the fair value hierarchy. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the
fair value measurement in its entirety falls is determined based on the lowest input level that is significant to the fair value measurement
in its entirety.
Fair value measurements also require
additional disclosure when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased, as well as when circumstances
indicate that a transaction is not orderly.
The following table summarizes
the valuation of investments at March 31, 2024 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2023 using the fair value hierarchy:
March
31, 2024 (Unaudited)
December
31, 2023
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Total
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Total
Investments
Purchased
Options*
$ 906,500
$ –
$ –
$ 906,500
$ 360,000
$ –
$ –
$ 360,000
Short-Term
Investment
24,112,645
-
-
24,112,645
14,557,099
-
-
$ 14,557,099
Total
Investments
$ 25,019,145
$ -
$ -
$ 25,019,145
$ 14,917,099
$ -
$ -
$ 14,917,099
Other
Financial Instruments
Assets
Short
Futures Contracts*
$ –
$ 3,625,040
$ –
$ 3,625,040
$ –
$ 7,980,684
$ –
$ 7,980,684
Total
Other Financial Instruments
$ –
$ 3,625,040
$ -
$ 3,625,040
$ -
$ 7,980,684
$ -
$ 7,980,684
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Total
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Total
Investments
Short-Term
Investments
$ 18,139,314
$ -
$ -
$ 18,139,314
$ 8,009,153
$ -
$ -
$ 8,009,153
Total
Investments
$ 18,139,314
$ -
$ -
$ 18,139,314
$ 8,009,153
$ -
$ -
$ 8,009,153
Other
Financial Instruments
Liabilities
Long
Futures Contracts*
$ -
$ ( 7,291,175 )
$ -
$ ( 7,291,175 )
$ -
$ ( 8,177,618 )
$ -
$ ( 8,177,618 )
Total
Other Financial Instruments
$ –
$ ( 7,291,175 )
$ -
$ ( 7,291,175 )
$ -
$ ( 8,177,618 )
$ -
$ ( 8,177,618 )
* The tables above are based on market values or unrealized appreciation/(depreciation)
rather than the notional amounts of derivatives. The uncertainties surrounding the valuation inputs for a derivative are likely to be
more significant to a Fund’s NAV than the uncertainties surrounding inputs for a non-derivative security with the same market value.
The inputs or methodology used for
valuing investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Investment Transactions and Related Income
Investment
transactions are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily.
Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on open contracts are reflected in the Statements of Financial Condition and changes in the unrealized
appreciation (depreciation) between periods are reflected in the Statements of Operations.
Interest income is recognized on an
accrual basis and includes, where applicable, the amortization of premium or discount, and is reflected as Interest Income in the Statement
of Operations.
F- 14
Brokerage Commissions and Futures Account Fees
Each Fund pays its respective brokerage commissions,
including applicable exchange fees, National Futures Association (“NFA”) fees, give-up fees, pit brokerage fees and other
transaction related fees and expenses charged in connection with trading activities for each Fund’s investment in U.S. Commodity
Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulated investments. The effects of trading spreads, financing costs/fees associated
with Financial Instruments, and costs relating to the purchase of U.S. Treasury securities or similar high credit quality short-term
fixed-income would also be borne by the Funds. Brokerage commissions on futures contracts are recognized on a half-turn basis (e.g.,
the first half is recognized when the contract is purchased (opened) and the second half is recognized when the transaction is closed).
Federal Income Tax
Each Fund is registered as a series
of a Delaware statutory trust and is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, no Fund expects to incur
U.S. federal income tax liability; rather, each beneficial owner of a Fund’s Shares is required to take into account its allocable
share of its Fund’s income, gain, loss, deductions and other items for its Fund’s taxable year ending with or within the beneficial
owner’s taxable year.
Management of the Funds has reviewed
all open tax years and major jurisdictions (i.e., the last four tax year ends and the interim tax period since then, as applicable) and
concluded that there is no tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain income tax positions taken or
expected to be taken in future tax returns. The Funds are also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that
the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months. On an ongoing basis, management monitors
its tax positions taken under the interpretation to determine if adjustments to conclusions are necessary based on factors including,
but not limited to, on-going analysis of tax law, regulation, and interpretations thereof.
NOTE 3 – INVESTMENTS
Short-Term Investments
The Funds may purchase U.S. Treasury
Bills, agency securities, and other high-credit quality short-term fixed income or similar securities with original maturities of one
year or less. A portion of these investments may be posted as collateral in connection with swap agreements, futures, and/or forward contracts.
Accounting for Derivative Instruments
In seeking to achieve each Fund’s
investment objective, the Sponsor uses a mathematical approach to investing. Using this approach, the Sponsor determines the type, quantity
and mix of investment positions, including derivative positions, which the Sponsor believes in combination, should produce returns consistent
with a Fund’s objective.
All open derivative positions
at period end are reflected on each respective Fund’s Schedule of Investments. Certain Funds utilized a varying level of derivative
instruments in conjunction with investment securities in seeking to meet their investment objectives during the period. While the volume
of open positions may vary on a daily basis as each Fund transacts derivatives contracts in order to achieve the appropriate exposure
to meet its investment objective, the volume of these open positions relative to the net assets of each respective Fund at the date of
this report is generally representative of open positions throughout the reporting period.
Following is a description of the derivative
instruments used by the Funds during the reporting period, including the primary underlying risk exposures related to each instrument
type.
Futures Contracts
The Funds may enter into futures
contracts to gain exposure to changes in the value of, or as a substitute for investing directly in (or shorting), an underlying benchmark.
A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to accept) the future delivery of a specified quantity and type
of asset at a specified time and place. The contractual obligations of a buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by taking or making
physical delivery of the underlying commodity, if applicable, or by making an offsetting sale or purchase of an identical futures contract
on the same or linked exchange before the designated date of delivery, or by cash settlement at expiration of contract.
Upon entering into a futures contract,
each Fund is required to deposit and maintain as collateral at least such initial margin as required by the exchange on which the transaction
is affected. The initial margin is segregated as cash and/or securities balances with brokers for futures contracts, as disclosed in the
Statements of Financial Condition, and is restricted as to its use. The Funds that enter into futures contracts maintain collateral at
the broker in the form of cash and/or securities. Pursuant to the futures contract, each Fund generally agrees to receive from or pay
to the broker(s) an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in value of the futures contract. Such receipts or payments are known
as variation margin and are recorded by each Fund as unrealized gains or losses. Each Fund will realize a gain or loss upon closing of
a futures transaction.
F- 15
Futures contracts involve, to
varying degrees, elements of market risk (specifically exchange rate sensitivity, commodity price risk or equity market volatility risk)
and exposure to loss in excess of the amount of variation margin. The face or contract amounts reflect the extent of the total exposure
each Fund has in the particular classes of instruments. Additional risks associated with the use of futures contracts are imperfect correlation
between movements in the price of the futures contracts and the market value of the underlying Index or commodity and the possibility
of an illiquid market for a futures contract. With futures contracts, there is minimal but some counterparty risk to the Funds since futures
contracts are exchange-traded and the credit risk resides with the Funds’ clearing broker or clearinghouse itself. Many futures
exchanges and boards of trade limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. Once the
daily limit has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond that limit or trading may be suspended
for specified times during the trading day. Futures contracts prices could move to the limit for several consecutive trading days with
little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and potentially subjecting a Fund to substantial losses.
If trading is not possible, or if a Fund determines not to close a futures position in anticipation of adverse price movements, the Fund
will be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. The risk the Fund will be unable to close out a futures position will
be minimized by entering into such transactions on a national exchange with an active and liquid secondary market.
Option Contracts
An option is a contract that gives
the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specified quantity of a commodity or other instrument at a specific (or
strike) price within a specified period of time, regardless of the market price of that instrument. There are two types of options: calls
and puts. A call option conveys to the option buyer the right to purchase a particular futures contract at a stated price at any time
during the life of the option. A put option conveys to the option buyer the right to sell a particular futures contract at a stated price
at any time during the life of the option. Options written by a Fund may be wholly or partially covered (meaning that the Fund holds an
offsetting position) or uncovered. In the case of the purchase of an option, the risk of loss of an investor’s entire investment
(i.e., the premium paid plus transaction charges) reflects the nature of an option as a wasting asset that may become worthless when the
option expires. Where an option is written or granted (i.e., sold) uncovered, the seller may be liable to pay substantial additional margin,
and the risk of loss is unlimited, as the seller will be obligated to deliver, or take delivery of, an asset at a predetermined price
which may, upon exercise of the option, be significantly different from the market value.
When a Fund writes a call or put,
an amount equal to the premium received is recorded and subsequently marked to market to reflect the current value of the option written.
Premiums received from writing options which expire are treated as realized gains. Premiums received from writing options which are exercised
or closed are added to the proceeds or offset against amounts paid on the underlying futures, swap or security transaction to determine
the realized gain (loss).
When a Fund purchases an option,
the Fund pays a premium which is included as an asset on the Statement of Financial Condition and subsequently marked to market to reflect
the current value of the option. Premiums paid for purchasing options which expire are treated as realized losses. The risk associated
with purchasing put and call options is limited to the premium paid. Premiums paid for purchasing options which are exercised or closed
are added to the amounts paid or offset against the proceeds on the underlying investment transaction to determine the realized gain (loss)
when the underlying transaction is executed.
Certain options transactions may
subject the writer (seller) to unlimited risk of loss in the event of an increase in the price of the contract to be purchased or delivered.
The value of a Fund’s options transactions, if any, will be affected by, among other things, changes in the value of a Fund’s
underlying benchmark relative to the strike price, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual and implied volatility of the Fund’s
underlying benchmark, and the remaining time until the options expire, or any combination thereof. The value of the options should not
be expected to increase or decrease at the same rate as the level of the Fund’s underlying benchmark, which may contribute to tracking
error. Options may be less liquid than certain other securities. A Fund’s ability to trade options will be dependent on the willingness
of counterparties to trade such options with the Fund. In a less liquid market for options, a Fund may have difficulty closing out certain
option positions at desired times and prices. A Fund may experience substantial downside from specific option positions and certain option
positions may expire worthless. Over-the-counter options generally are not assignable except by agreement between the parties concerned,
and no party or purchaser has any obligation to permit such assignments. The over-the-counter market for options is relatively illiquid,
particularly for relatively small transactions. The use of options transactions exposes a Fund to liquidity risk and counterparty credit
risk, and in certain circumstances may expose the Fund to unlimited risk of loss. The Funds may buy and sell options on futures contracts,
which may present even greater volatility and risk of loss.
Swap Agreements
The Funds may enter into swap
agreements for purposes of pursuing their investment objectives or as a substitute for investing directly in (or shorting) an underlying
Index or to create an economic hedge against a position. Swap agreements are two-party contracts that have traditionally been entered
into primarily with institutional investors in over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets for a specified period, ranging from a day
to more than one year. However, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) provides
for significant reforms of the OTC derivative markets, including a requirement to execute certain swap transactions on a CFTC-regulated
market and/or to clear such transactions through a CFTC-regulated central clearing organization. In a standard swap transaction, two parties
agree to exchange the returns earned or realized on a particular predetermined investment, instrument or Index in exchange for a fixed
or floating rate of return in respect of a predetermined notional amount. Transaction or commission costs are reflected in the benchmark
level at which the transaction is entered into. The gross returns to be exchanged are calculated with respect to a notional amount and
the benchmark returns to which the swap is linked. Swap agreements do not involve the delivery of underlying instruments.
F- 16
Generally, swap agreements
entered into by the Funds calculate and settle the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis” with a single
payment. Consequently, each Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net
amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of such obligations (or rights) (the “net amount”).
In a typical swap agreement entered into by UVIX, the would be entitled to settlement payments in the event the level of the benchmark
increases and would be required to make payments to the swap counterparties in the event the level of the benchmark decreases, adjusted
for any transaction costs or trading spreads on the notional amount the Funds may pay. In a typical swap agreement entered into by SVIX,
the Fund would be required to make payments to the swap counterparties in the event the level of the benchmark increases and would be
entitled to settlement payments in the event the level of the benchmark decreases, adjusted for any transaction costs or trading spreads
on the notional amount the Funds may pay.
The net amount of the excess,
if any, of each Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each OTC swap agreement is accrued on a daily basis and
an amount of cash and/or securities having an aggregate value at least equal to such accrued excess is maintained for the benefit of the
counterparty in a segregated account by the Funds’ Custodian. The net amount of the excess, if any, of each Fund’s entitlements
over its obligations with respect to each OTC swap agreement is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash and/or securities having
an aggregate value at least equal to such accrued excess is maintained for the benefit of the Fund in a segregated account by a third
party custodian. Until a swap agreement is settled in cash, the gain or loss on the notional amount less any transaction costs or trading
spreads payable by each Fund on the notional amount are recorded as “unrealized appreciation or depreciation on swap agreements”
and, when cash is exchanged, the gain or loss realized is recorded as “realized gains or losses on swap agreements.” Swap
agreements are generally valued at the last settled price of the benchmark referenced asset.
Swap agreements contain various
conditions, events of default, termination events, covenants and representations. The triggering of certain events or the default on certain
terms of the agreement could allow a party to terminate a transaction under the agreement and request immediate payment in an amount equal
to the net positions owed to the party under the agreement. This could cause a Fund to have to enter into a new transaction with the same
counterparty, enter into a transaction with a different counterparty or seek to achieve its investment objective through any number of
different investments or investment techniques.
Swap agreements involve, to varying
degrees, elements of market risk and exposure to loss in excess of the unrealized gain/loss reflected. The notional amounts reflect the
extent of the total investment exposure each Fund has under the swap agreement, which may exceed the NAV of each Fund. Additional risks
associated with the use of swap agreements are imperfect correlations between movements in the notional amount and the price of the underlying
reference Index and the inability of counterparties to perform. Each Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received
under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. A Fund will typically enter into swap
agreements only with major global financial institutions. The creditworthiness of each of the firms that is a party to a swap agreement
is monitored by the Sponsor. The Sponsor may use various techniques to minimize credit risk including early termination and payment, using
different counterparties, limiting the net amount due from any individual counterparty and generally requiring collateral to be posted
by the counterparty in an amount approximately equal to that owed to the Funds. Outstanding swap agreements contractually terminate within
one month but may be terminated without penalty by either party at any time. Upon termination, the Fund is obligated to pay or receive
the “unrealized appreciation or depreciation” amount.
The Funds, as applicable, collateralize
swap agreements by segregating or designating cash and/or certain securities as indicated on the Statements of Financial Condition or
Schedules of Investments. As noted above, collateral posted in connection with OTC derivative transactions is held for the benefit of
the counterparty in a segregated tri-party account at the Custodian to protect the counterparty against non-payment by the Funds. The
collateral held in this account is restricted as to its use. In the event of a default by the counterparty, the Funds will seek withdrawal
of this collateral from the segregated account and may incur certain costs in exercising its right with respect to the collateral. If
a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the Funds may experience
significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganizational proceeding. The Funds may obtain only limited recovery
or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances.
The Funds remain subject
to credit risk with respect to the amount they expect to receive from counterparties. However, the Funds have sought to mitigate these
risks in connection with OTC swaps by generally requiring that the counterparties for each Fund agree to post collateral for the benefit
of the Fund, marked to market daily, in an amount approximately equal to what the counterparty owes the Fund, subject to certain minimum
thresholds. In the event of a bankruptcy of a counterparty, such Fund will have direct access to the collateral received from the counterparty,
generally as of the day prior to the bankruptcy, because there is a one day time lag between the Fund’s request for collateral and
the delivery of such collateral. To the extent any such collateral is insufficient, the Funds will be exposed to counterparty risk as
described above, including the possible delays in recovering amounts as a result of bankruptcy proceedings.
The counterparty/credit risk for
cleared derivative transactions is generally lower than for OTC derivatives since generally a clearing organization becomes substituted
for each counterparty to a cleared derivative contract and, in effect, guarantees the parties’ performance under the contract as
each party to a trade looks only to the clearing organization for performance of financial obligations. In addition, cleared derivative
transactions benefit from daily marking- to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries.
F- 17
Statements of Assets and Liabilities
Fair values of derivative instruments as of March 31, 2024
(Unaudited):
Statements
of Assets and Liabilities Location
Fair
Value
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
Assets
Liabilities
Purchased
Option Contracts:
Index
Investments, at value
$ 906,500
$ -
Short
Futures Contracts:
Index
Unrealized Appreciation*
3,625,040
-
Total
fair values of derivative instruments
$ 4,531,540
$ -
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
Assets
Liabilities
Long
Futures Contracts:
Index
Unrealized Appreciation*
$ -
$ ( 7,291,175 )
Total
fair values of derivative instruments
$ -
$ ( 7,291,175 )
* Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) of futures contracts
as reported in the Schedule of Investments. Only current day's variation margin is reported within the Statements of Financial Condition
in receivable/payable on open futures.
Statements of Operations
The effect of derivative instruments on the Statement of
Operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (Unaudited):
Net
Realized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Short
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts
Contracts
Total
Index
Contracts
$ ( 3,534,146 )
$ 23,041,068
$ 19,506,922
Total
$ ( 3,534,146 )
$ 23,041,068
$ 19,506,922
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Long
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts
Contracts
Total
Index
Contracts
$ -
$ ( 30,744,766 )
$ ( 30,744,766 )
Total
$ -
$ ( 30,744,766 )
$ ( 30,744,766 )
Net
Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Derivatives
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Short
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts
Contracts
Total
Index
Contracts
$ 788,986
$ ( 4,355,644 )
$ ( 3,566,658 )
Total
$ 788,986
$ ( 4,355,644 )
$ ( 3,566,658 )
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Long
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts
Contracts
Total
Index
Contracts
$ -
$ 886,443
$ 886,443
Total
$ -
$ 886,443
$ 886,443
The following table indicates the average volume when in
use for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (Unaudited):
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
Average
notional value of long futures contracts
$ -
$ 147,687,020
Average
notional value of short futures contracts
( 108,259,145 )
-
The following table indicates the average volume when in
use for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (Unaudited):
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
Average
notional value of purchased options contracts
$ 32,218,375
$ -
F- 18
Statements of Assets and Liabilities
Fair values of derivative instruments as of March 31, 2023 (Unaudited):
Statements of Assets and Liabilities Location
Fair Value
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Assets
Liabilities
Purchased Option Contracts:
Index
Investments, at value
$ -
$ -
Short Futures Contracts:
Index
Unrealized Appreciation*
7,329,880
-
Total fair values of derivative instruments
$ 7,329,880
$ -
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Assets
Liabilities
Long Futures Contracts:
Index
Unrealized Appreciation*
$ -
$ ( 15,416,375 )
Total fair values of derivative instruments
$ -
$ ( 15,416,375 )
* Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) of futures contracts
as reported in the Schedule of Investments. Only current day's variation margin is reported within the Statements of Financial Condition
in receivable/payable on open futures.
Statements of Operations
The effect of derivative instruments on the Statement of
Operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 (Unaudited):
Net Realized Gain (Loss) on Derivatives
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Short
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts*
Contracts
Total
Index Contracts
$ -
$ 5,287,054
$ 5,287,054
Total
$ -
$ 5,287,054
$ 5,287,054
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Long
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts*
Contracts
Total
Index Contracts
$ -
$ ( 43,229,755 )
$ ( 43,229,755 )
Total
$ -
$ ( 43,229,755 )
$ ( 43,229,755 )
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Derivatives
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Short
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts**
Contracts
Total
Index Contracts
$ -
$ 6,173,774
$ 6,173,774
Total
$ -
$ 6,173,774
$ 6,173,774
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Purchased
Long
Option
Futures
Derivatives
Contracts**
Contracts
Total
Index Contracts
$ -
$ 6,212,853
$ 6,212,853
Total
$ -
$ 6,212,853
$ 6,212,853
* The amounts disclosed are included in the realized gain (loss)
on investments.
** The amounts disclosed are included in the change in unrealized
appreciation (depreciation) on investments.
The following table indicates the average
volume when in use for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 (Unaudited):
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Average notional value of long futures contracts
$ -
$ 232,641,730
Average notional value of short futures contracts
( 60,520,705 )
-
There were no transactions in purchased option contracts during the quarter ended March 31, 2023.
F- 19
Offsetting Assets and Liabilities
Each Fund is subject to master
netting agreements or similar arrangements that allow for amounts owed between each Fund and the counterparty to be netted upon an early
termination. The party that has the larger payable pays the excess of the larger amount over the smaller amount to the other party. The
master netting agreements or similar arrangements do not apply to amounts owed to/from different counterparties. As described above, the
Funds utilize derivative instruments to achieve their investment objective during the year. The amounts shown in the Statements of Financial
Condition do not take into consideration the effects of legally enforceable master netting agreements or similar arrangements.
For financial reporting purposes,
the Funds do not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements in the Statements of Financial
Condition. The following table presents each Fund’s derivatives by investment type and by counterparty net of amounts available
for offset under a master netting agreement and the related collateral received or pledged by the Funds as of March 31, 2024 and December
31, 2023.
Fair Values of Derivative Instruments as of March 31, 2024 (Unaudited)
Assets
Liabilities
Fund
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Gross Amounts Offset in the Statements of Financial Condition
Net Amounts of Assets presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Gross Amounts Offset in the Statements of Financial Condition
Net Amounts of Liabilities presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ 1,419,057
$ -
$ 1,419,057
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
2,247,997
-
2,247,997
-
-
-
Fair Values of Derivative Instruments as of December 31, 2023
Assets
Liabilities
Fund
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Gross Amounts Offset in the Statements of Financial Condition
Net Amounts of Assets presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Gross Amounts Offset in the Statements of Financial Condition
Net Amounts of Liabilities presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
$ -
$ -
$ -
$ 204,703
$ -
$ 204,703
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
148,593
-
148,593
-
-
-
Asset (Liability) amounts shown
in the table below represent amounts owed to (by) the Funds for the derivative-related investments at March 31, 2024 and December 31,
2023. These amounts may be collateralized by cash or financial instruments, segregated for the benefit of the Funds or the counterparties,
depending on whether the related contracts are in an appreciated or depreciated position at period end. Amounts shown in the column labeled
“Net Amount” represent the uncollateralized portions of these amounts at period end. These amounts may be un-collateralized
due to timing differences related to market movements or due to minimum thresholds for collateral movement, as further described above
under the caption “Accounting for Derivative Instruments”.
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statements of Financial Condition as of March 31, 2024 (Unaudited)
Fund
Amounts of Recognized Assets / (Liabilities) presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Financial Instruments for the Benefit of (the Funds) / the Counterparties
Cash Collateral for the Benefit of (the Funds) / the Counterparties
Net Amount
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
$ ( 1,419,057 )
$ -
$ -
$ ( 1,419,057 )
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
2,247,997
-
-
2,247,997
F- 20
Gross
Amounts Not Offset in the Statements of Financial Condition as of December 31, 2023
Fund
Amounts
of Recognized Assets / (Liabilities) presented in the Statements of Financial Condition
Financial
Instruments for the Benefit of (the Funds) / the Counterparties
Cash
Collateral for the Benefit of (the Funds) / the Counterparties
Net
Amount
-1x
Short VIX Futures ETF
$ ( 204,703 )
$ -
$ -
$ ( 204,703 )
2x
Long VIX Futures ETF
148,593
-
-
148,593
NOTE 4 – AGREEMENTS
SVIX pays the Sponsor a management
fee (the “Management Fee”), monthly in arrears, in an amount equal to 1.35 % per annum of its average daily net assets.
UVIX pays the Sponsor a Management Fee, monthly in arrears, in an amount equal to 1.65 % per annum of its average daily net assets.
“Average daily net assets” is calculated by dividing the month-end net assets of each Fund by the number of calendar days
in such month.
No other Management Fee is paid by
the Funds. The Management Fee is paid in consideration of the Sponsor’s trading advisory services and the other services provided
to the Fund that the Sponsor pays directly.
Pursuant to the Sponsor Agreement
between Sponsor and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, the Sponsor oversees and pays Penserra Capital Management, LLC. (“Commodity
Sub-Adviser”) for its services as Commodity Sub-Adviser. The Commodity Sub-Adviser is paid by the Sponsor an annual sub-advisory
fee of 0.20 % based on each Fund’s average daily net assets (total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities).
The Funds do not directly pay the Commodity Sub-Adviser.
Non-Recurring Fees and Expenses
Each Fund pays all its non-recurring
and unusual fees and expenses, if any, as determined by the Sponsor. Non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses are fees and expenses
that are unexpected or unusual in nature, such as legal claims and liabilities, litigation costs or indemnification or other material
expenses which are not currently anticipated obligations of the Funds.
The Administrator, Transfer Agent and Custodian
U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC,
doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services (“Fund Services”), an indirect subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, serves as the
Fund’s fund accountant, administrator and transfer agent pursuant to certain fund accounting servicing, fund administration servicing
and transfer agent servicing agreements. U.S. Bank National Association, a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp and parent company of Fund Services,
intends to serve as the Fund’s custodian pursuant to a custody agreement.
The Marketing Agent
Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the
“Marketing Agent”) serves as the Marketing Agent of the Funds. Its principal duties are: (i) to work with the Transfer Agent
to review and approve orders placed by Authorized Participants and transmitted to the Transfer Agent; (ii) maintain copies of confirmations
of Creation Unit creation and redemption order acceptances; (iii) maintain telephonic, facsimile and/or access to direct computer communications
links with the Transfer Agent; and (iv) review and approve, prior to use, all Trust marketing materials for compliance with applicable
SEC and FINRA advertising rules.
The Marketing Agent retains all marketing materials separately
for the Funds, at their offices located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100 Portland, Maine
04101.
As compensation for the services it provides, the Marketing
Agent receives a fee from the Funds.
NOTE 5 – OFFERING COSTS
Offering costs will be amortized by
the Funds over a twelve month period on a straight-line basis beginning once the fund commences operations. The Sponsor will not charge
its Management Fee in the first year of operations of a Fund in an amount equal to the offering costs. Normal and expected expenses incurred
in connection with the continuous offering of Shares of a Fund after the commencement of its trading operations will be paid by the Sponsor.
NOTE 6 – CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
Each Fund issues and redeems shares
from time to time, but only in one or more Creation Units. A Creation Unit is a block of at least 10,000 Shares of a Fund. Creation Units
may be created or redeemed only by Authorized Participants.
Except when aggregated in Creation
Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities. Retail investors, therefore, generally will not be able to purchase or redeem Shares
directly from or with a Fund. Rather, most retail investors will purchase or sell Shares in the secondary market with the assistance of
a broker. Thus, some of the information contained in these Notes to Financial Statements—such as references to the Transaction Fees
imposed on purchases and redemptions is not relevant to retail investors.
F- 21
Transaction Fees on Creation and Redemption Transactions
The manner by which Creation Units
are purchased or redeemed is governed by the terms of the Authorized Participant Agreement and Authorized Participant Procedures Handbook.
By placing a purchase order, an Authorized Participant agrees to: (1) deposit cash with the Custodian; and (2) if permitted by the Sponsor
in its sole discretion, enter into or arrange for an exchange of futures contract for related position or block trade with the relevant
fund whereby the Authorized Participant would also transfer to such Fund a number and type of exchange-traded futures contracts at or
near the closing settlement price for such contracts on the purchase order date.
Authorized Participants may pay a
fee up to 0.03 % of the value of each order they place with each order to create or redeem a Creation Unit in order to compensate the Administrator,
the Custodian and the Transfer Agent of each Fund and its Shares, for services in processing the creation and redemption of Creation Units
and to offset the costs of increasing or decreasing derivative positions, unless the transaction fee is waived or otherwise adjusted by
the Sponsor.
The Sponsor provides such Authorized
Participant with prompt notice in advance of any such waiver or adjustment of the transaction fee. Authorized Participants may sell the
Shares included in the Creation Units they purchase from the Funds to other investors in the secondary market.
Transaction Fees for the three months ended March
31, 2024 (Unaudited) and March 31, 2023 (Unaudited) were as follows:
Fund
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
2024
(Unaudited)
Three Months
Ended
March 31,
2023
(Unaudited)
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
$ 43,110
$ 45,662
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
23,886
52,667
$ 66,996
$ 98,329
NOTE 7 – FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Selected data is for a Share
outstanding throughout the three months ended March 31, 2024 (Unaudited) and March 31, 2023 (Unaudited):
VS Trust
Financial Highlights
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
-1x Short VIX Futures ETF
2x Long VIX Futures ETF
Quarter Ended
Quarter Ended
Quarter Ended
Quarter Ended
March 31,
2024
(Unaudited)
March 31,
2024
(Unaudited)
March 31,
2023
(Unaudited)
March 31,
2023
(Unaudited)
Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period
$ 37.78
$ 13.73
$ 14.63
$ 29.25
Net investment loss (1)
( 0.05 )
( 0.03 )
( 0.08 )
( 0.08 )
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments and Futures Contracts (2)
4.78
( 5.02 )
2.00
( 13.29 )
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Asset Value Resulting from Operations
4.73
( 5.05 )
1.92
( 13.37 )
Net Asset Value, End of Period
$ 42.51
$ 8.68
$ 16.55
$ 15.88
Market
Value Per Share (3)
$ 42.36
$ 8.75
$ 16.51
$ 15.98
Total Return at Net Asset Value (4)
12.52 %
- 36.78 %
13.12 %
- 45.71 %
Total Return at Market Value (4)
12.27 %
- 36.31 %
12.62 %
- 45.09 %
Ratios to Average Net Assets: (5)
Expense ratio (6)
1.71 %
2.42 %
2.33 %
2.19 %
Net Investment Loss
- 0.51 %
- 1.18 %
- 1.95 %
- 1.64 %
(1) Net investment loss per share represents net investment loss
divided by the daily average shares of beneficial interest outstanding during the period.
(2) Due to timing of capital share transactions, per share amounts
may not compare with amounts appearing elsewhere within these Financial Statements.
(3) Market values are determined at the close of the applicable
primary listing exchange, which may be later than when the Funds' net asset value is calculated.
(4) Percentages are not annualized.
(5) Percentages are annualized.
(6) The expense ratio would be 2.30 % and 2.19 % respectively,
for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 if brokerage commissions and futures and futures account fees were excluded.
F- 22
NOTE 8 – RISK
Correlation and Compounding Risk
The Funds do not seek to achieve their stated investment
objective over a period of time greater than a single day (as measured from NAV calculation time to NAV calculation time). The return
of a Fund for a period longer than a single day is the result of its return for each day compounded over the period and usually will differ
in amount and possibly even direction from the inverse (-1x) or two times (2x) the return of the Fund’s benchmark for the period.
A Fund will lose money if its benchmark performance is flat over time, and it is possible for a Fund to lose money over time even if the
performance of its benchmark increases in the case of UVIX (or decreases in the case of SVIX), as a result of daily rebalancing, the benchmark’s
volatility, compounding, and other factors. Compounding is the cumulative effect of applying investment gains and losses and income to
the principal amount invested over time. Gains or losses experienced over a given period will increase or reduce the principal amount
invested from which the subsequent period’s returns are calculated. The effects of compounding will likely cause the performance
of a Fund to differ from the Fund’s stated multiple times the return of its benchmark for the same period. The effect of compounding
becomes more pronounced as benchmark volatility and holding period increase. The impact of compounding will impact each shareholder differently
depending on the period of time an investment in a Fund is held and the volatility of the benchmark during the holding period of an investment
in the Fund. Longer holding periods, higher benchmark volatility, inverse exposure and greater leverage each affect the impact of compounding
on a Fund’s returns. Daily compounding of a Fund’s investment returns can dramatically and adversely affect its longer-term
performance during periods of high volatility. Volatility may be at least as important to a Fund’s return for a period as the return
of the Fund’s underlying benchmark.
Each Fund uses leverage and should produce daily
returns that are more volatile than that of its benchmark. For example, the daily return of UVIX should be approximately two times as
volatile on a daily basis as is the return of a fund with an objective of matching the same benchmark. The daily return of SVIX is designed
to return the inverse (-1x) of the return that would be expected of a fund with an objective of matching the same benchmark. The
Funds are not appropriate for all investors and present significant risks not applicable to other types of funds. The Funds use
leverage and are riskier than similarly benchmarked exchange-traded funds that do not use leverage. An investor should only consider an
investment in a Fund if he or she understands the consequences of seeking daily leveraged or daily inverse investment results. Shareholders
who invest in the Funds should actively manage and monitor their investments, as frequently as daily.
While the Funds seek to meet their investment objectives,
there is no guarantee they will do so. Factors that may affect a Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective include: (1) the
Sponsor’s ability to purchase and sell Financial Instruments in a manner that correlates to a Fund’s objective; (2) an imperfect
correlation between the performance of Financial Instruments held by a Fund and the performance of the applicable benchmark; (3) bid-ask
spreads on such Financial Instruments; (4) fees, expenses, transaction costs, financing costs associated with the use of Financial Instruments
and commission costs; (5) holding or trading instruments in a market that has become illiquid or disrupted; (6) a Fund’s Share prices
being rounded to the nearest cent and/or valuation methodology; (7) changes to a benchmark Index that are not disseminated in advance;
(8) the need to conform a Fund’s portfolio holdings to comply with investment restrictions or policies or regulatory or tax law
requirements; (9) early and unanticipated closings of the markets on which the holdings of a Fund trade, resulting in the inability of
the Fund to execute intended portfolio transactions; (10) accounting standards; and (11) differences caused by a Fund obtaining exposure
to only a representative sample of the components of a benchmark, over weighting or under weighting certain components of a benchmark
or obtaining exposure to assets that are not included in a benchmark.
A number of factors may affect a Fund’s ability
to achieve a high degree of correlation with its benchmark, and there can be no guarantee that a Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation.
Failure to achieve a high degree of correlation may prevent a Fund from achieving its investment objective. In order to achieve a high
degree of correlation with their underlying benchmarks, the Funds seek to rebalance their portfolios daily to keep exposure consistent
with their investment objectives. Being materially under- or over-exposed to the benchmark may prevent such Funds from achieving a high
degree of correlation with such benchmark. Market disruptions or closure, large amounts of assets into or out of the Funds, regulatory
restrictions, extreme market volatility, and other factors will adversely affect such Funds’ ability to adjust exposure to requisite
levels. The target amount of portfolio exposure is impacted dynamically by the benchmarks’ movements during each day. Other things
being equal, more significant movement in the value of its benchmark up or down will require more significant adjustments to a Fund’s
portfolio. Because of this, it is unlikely that the Funds will be perfectly exposed (i.e., --1x, -2x, as applicable) to its benchmark
at the end of each day, and the likelihood of being materially under- or over-exposed is higher on days when the benchmark levels are
volatile near the close of the trading day.
F- 23
Each Fund seeks to rebalance its portfolio on a
daily basis. The time and manner in which a Fund rebalances its portfolio may vary from day to day depending upon market conditions and
other circumstances at the discretion of the Sponsor. Unlike other funds that do not rebalance their portfolios as frequently, each Fund
may be subject to increased trading costs associated with daily portfolio rebalancing in order to maintain appropriate exposure to the
underlying benchmarks.
Counterparty Risk
Each Fund may use derivatives such as swap agreements
and forward contracts (collectively referred to herein as “derivatives”) in the manner described herein as a means to achieve
their respective investment objectives. The use of derivatives by a Fund exposes the Fund to counterparty risks.
Regulatory Treatment
Derivatives are generally traded in OTC markets
and have only recently become subject to comprehensive regulation in the United States. Cash-settled forwards are generally regulated
as “swaps”, whereas physically settled forwards are generally not subject to regulation (in the case of commodities other
than currencies) or subject to the federal securities laws (in the case of securities). Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act (“Title
VII”) created a regulatory regime for derivatives, with the CFTC responsible for the regulation of swaps and the SEC responsible
for the regulation of “security-based swaps.” The SEC requirements have largely yet to be made effective, but the CFTC requirements
are largely in place. The CFTC requirements have included rules for some of the types of transactions in which the Funds will engage,
including mandatory clearing and exchange trading, reporting, and margin for OTC swaps. Title VII also created new categories of regulated
market participants, such as “swap dealers,” “security-based swap dealers,” “major swap participants,”
and “major security-based swap participants” who are, or will be, subject to significant new capital, registration, recordkeeping,
reporting, disclosure, business conduct and other regulatory requirements. The regulatory requirements under Title VII continue to be
developed and there may be further modifications that could materially and adversely impact the Funds, the markets in which a Fund trades
and the counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions.
As noted, the CFTC rules may not apply to all of
the swap agreements and forward contracts entered into by the Funds. Investors, therefore, may not receive the protection of CFTC regulation
or the statutory scheme of the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”) in connection with each Fund’s swap agreements or
forward contracts. The lack of regulation in these markets could expose investors to significant losses under certain circumstances, including
in the event of trading abuses or financial failure by participants.
Counterparty Credit Risk
The Funds will be subject to the credit risk of
the counterparties to the derivatives. In the case of cleared derivatives, the Funds will have credit risk to the clearing corporation
in a similar manner as the Funds would for futures contracts. In the case of OTC derivatives, the Funds will be subject to the credit
risk of the counterparty to the transaction – typically a single bank or financial institution. As a result, a Fund is subject to
increased credit risk with respect to the amount it expects to receive from counterparties to OTC derivatives entered into as part of
that Fund’s principal investment strategy. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due
to financial difficulties, a Fund could suffer significant losses on these contracts and the value of an investor’s investment in
a Fund may decline.
The Funds have sought to mitigate these risks by
generally requiring that the counterparties for each Fund agree to post collateral for the benefit of the Fund, marked to market daily,
subject to certain minimum thresholds. However, there are no limitations on the percentage of assets each Fund may invest in swap agreements
or forward contracts with a particular counterparty. To the extent any such collateral is insufficient or there are delays in accessing
the collateral, the Funds will be exposed to counterparty risk as described above, including possible delays in recovering amounts as
a result of bankruptcy proceedings. The Funds typically enter into transactions only with major global financial institutions.
F- 24
OTC derivatives of the type that may be utilized
by the Funds are generally less liquid than futures contracts because they are not traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and
conditions, and are generally entered into based upon the creditworthiness of the parties and the availability of credit support, such
as collateral, and in general, are not transferable without the consent of the counterparty. These agreements contain various conditions,
events of default, termination events, covenants and representations. The triggering of certain events or the default on certain terms
of the agreement could allow a party to terminate a transaction under the agreement and request immediate payment in an amount equal to
the net positions owed to the party under the agreement. For example, if the level of the Fund’s benchmark has a dramatic intraday
move that would cause a material decline in the Fund’s NAV, the terms of the swap may permit the counterparty to immediately close
out the transaction with the Fund. In that event, it may not be possible for the Fund to enter into another swap or to invest in other
Financial Instruments necessary to achieve the desired exposure consistent with the Fund’s objective. This, in turn, may prevent
the Fund from achieving its investment objective, particularly if the level of the Fund’s benchmark reverses all or part of its
intraday move by the end of the day.
In addition, cleared derivatives benefit from daily
marking-to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries. To the extent the Fund
enters into cleared swap transactions, the Fund will deposit collateral with a FCM in cleared swaps customer accounts, which are required
by CFTC regulations to be separate from its proprietary collateral posted for cleared swaps transactions. Cleared swap customer collateral
is subject to regulations that closely parallel the regulations governing customer segregated funds for futures transactions but provide
certain additional protections to cleared swaps collateral in the event of a clearing broker or clearing broker customer default. For
example, in the event of a default of both the clearing broker and a customer of the clearing broker, a clearing house is only permitted
to access the cleared swaps collateral in the legally separate (but operationally comingled) account of the defaulting cleared swap customer
of the clearing broker, as opposed to the treatment of customer segregated funds, under which the clearing house may access all of the
commingled customer segregated funds of a defaulting clearing broker. Derivatives entered into directly between two counterparties do
not necessarily benefit from such protections, particularly if entered into with an entity that is not registered as a “swap dealer”
with the CFTC. This exposes the Funds to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction in accordance with its terms and conditions
because of a dispute over the terms of the contract (whether or not bona fide) or because of a credit or liquidity problem, thus causing
the Funds to suffer a loss.
The Sponsor regularly reviews the performance of
its counterparties for, among other things, creditworthiness and execution quality. In addition, the Sponsor periodically considers the
addition of new counterparties and the counterparties used by a Fund may change at any time. Each day, the Funds disclose their portfolio
holdings as of the prior Business Day. Each Fund’s portfolio holdings identifies its counterparties, as applicable. This portfolio
holdings information may be accessed through the web on the Sponsor’s website at www.volatilityshares.com.
Each counterparty and/or any of its affiliates
may be an Authorized Participant or shareholder of a Fund, subject to applicable law.
The counterparty risk for cleared derivatives transactions
is generally lower than for OTC derivatives. Once a transaction is cleared, the clearing organization is substituted and is a Fund’s
counterparty on the derivative. The clearing organization guarantees the performance of the other side of the derivative. Nevertheless,
some risk remains, as there is no assurance that the clearing organization, or its members, will satisfy its obligations to a Fund.
Leverage Risk
The Funds may utilize leverage in seeking to achieve
their respective investment objectives and will lose more money in market environments adverse to their respective daily investment objectives
than funds that do not employ leverage. The use of leveraged and/or inverse leveraged positions increases the risk of total loss of an
investor’s investment, even over periods as short as a single day.
For example, because UVIX includes a two times
(2x) multiplier, a single-day movement in the relevant benchmark approaching 50 % at any point in the day could result in the total loss
or almost total loss of an investor’s investment if that movement is contrary to the investment objective of the Fund in which an
investor has invested, even if such Fund’s benchmark subsequently moves in an opposite direction, eliminating all or a portion of
the movement. This would be the case with downward single-day or intraday movements in the underlying benchmark of a Fund or upward single-day
or intraday movements in the benchmark of a Fund, even if the underlying benchmark maintains a level greater than zero at all times.
F- 25
Liquidity Risk
Financial Instruments 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 can also make it difficult to liquidate a position or find a swap or forward contract counterparty at
a reasonable cost. Market illiquidity may cause losses for the Funds. The large size of the positions which the Funds may acquire increases
the risk of illiquidity by both making their positions more difficult to liquidate and increasing the losses incurred while trying to
do so. Any type of disruption or illiquidity will potentially be exacerbated due to the fact that the Funds will typically invest in Financial
Instruments related to one benchmark, which in many cases is highly concentrated.
“Contango” and “Backwardation” Risk
The Funds typically hold futures contracts. As
the futures contracts near expiration, they are generally replaced by contracts that have a later expiration. Thus, for example, a contract
purchased and held in November 2019 may specify a January 2020 expiration. As that contract nears expiration, it may be replaced by selling
the January 2020 contract and purchasing the contract expiring in March 2020. This process is referred to as “rolling.” Rolling
may have a positive or negative impact on performance. For example, historically, the prices of certain types of futures contracts have
frequently been higher for contracts with shorter-term expirations than for contracts with longer-term expirations, which is referred
to as “backwardation.” In these circumstances, absent other factors, the sale of the January 2020 contract would take place
at a price that is higher than the price at which the March 2020 contract is purchased, thereby creating a gain in connection with rolling.
While certain types of futures contracts have historically exhibited consistent periods of backwardation, backwardation will likely not
exist in these markets at all times.
Since the introduction of VIX futures contracts,
there have frequently been periods where VIX futures prices reflect higher expected volatility levels further out in time. This can result
in a loss from “rolling” the VIX futures to maintain the constant weighted average maturity of the applicable Fund benchmark.
Losses from exchanging a lower priced VIX future for a higher priced longer-term future in the rolling process could adversely affect
the value of a Fund and, accordingly, decrease the return of a Fund.
Natural Disaster/Epidemic Risk
Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes,
fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread disease, including pandemics
and epidemics (for example, the novel coronavirus COVID-19), have been and can be highly disruptive to economies and markets and have
recently led, and may continue to lead, to increased market volatility and significant market losses. Such natural disaster and health
crises could exacerbate political, social, and economic risks previously mentioned, and result in significant breakdowns, delays, shutdowns,
social isolation, and other disruptions to important global, local and regional supply chains affected, with potential corresponding results
on the operating performance of the Funds and their investments. A climate of uncertainty and panic, including the contagion of infectious
viruses or diseases, may adversely affect global, regional, and local economies and reduce the availability of potential investment opportunities,
and increases the difficulty of performing due diligence and modeling market conditions, potentially reducing the accuracy of financial
projections. Under these circumstances, the Funds may have difficulty achieving their investment objectives which may adversely impact
performance. Further, such events can be highly disruptive to economies and markets, significantly disrupt the operations of individual
companies (including, but not limited to, the Funds’ Sponsor and third party service providers), sectors, industries, markets, securities
and commodity exchanges, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the
value of the Funds’ investments. These factors can cause substantial market volatility, exchange trading suspensions and closures
and can impact the ability of the Funds to complete redemptions and otherwise affect Fund performance and Fund trading in the secondary
market. A widespread crisis may also affect the global economy in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the current time. How long
such events will last and whether they will continue or recur cannot be predicted. Impacts from these events could have significant impact
on a Fund’s performance, resulting in losses to your investment.
Risk that Current Assumptions and Expectations Could Become Outdated
As a Result of Global Economic Shocks
The onset of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has
caused significant shocks to global financial markets and economies, with many governments taking extreme actions to slow and contain
the spread of COVID-19. These actions have had, and likely will continue to have, a severe economic impact on global economies as economic
activity in some instances has essentially ceased. Financial markets across the globe are experiencing severe distress at least equal
to what was experienced during the global financial crisis in 2008. In March 2020, U.S. equity markets entered a bear market in the fastest
such move in the history of U.S. financial markets. Contemporaneous with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, oil experienced
shocks to supply and demand, impacting the price and volatility of oil. The global economic shocks being experienced as of the date hereof
may cause the underlying assumptions and expectations of the Funds to become outdated quickly or inaccurate, resulting in significant
losses.
NOTE 9 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In preparing these financial statements, management has evaluated Fund related events and transactions
for potential recognition or disclosure through the date the financial statements were issued. There were no other events or translations
that occurred during the year that materially impacted the amounts or disclosures in the Funds’ financial statements.
F- 26
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.