INDEX METHODOLOGY
The Index methodology is published at www.zacks.com. The Index selection methodology is designed to identify securities with potentially superior risk-return profiles as determined by Zacks. The Index seeks to select a group of securities with the potential to outperform indices such as the Russell Midcap Index or the S&P MidCap 400 Index and other benchmark indices on a risk-adjusted basis.
The Index constituent selection methodology utilizes multi-factor proprietary selection rules to identify those securities that offer the greatest potential from a risk/return perspective. The approach is specifically designed to enhance investment applications and investability. The Index is adjusted quarterly.
INDEX CONSTRUCTION
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Potential Index constituents include all common stocks, ADRs and MLPs listed on major domestic exchanges. The universe is limited to the mid-capitalization universe as defined by Zacks, which consists of those securities that rank between the 7th percentile and 25th percentile of an ordinal ranking of all domestic equities based on descending market capitalization (which currently translates to a range from approximately $1 billion in market capitalization to $10 billion in market capitalization).
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Each security is ranked using a quantitative rules-based methodology that includes broker recommendation changes, valuation, liquidity, contrarian indicators, and other factors and is sorted from highest to lowest. The constituent selection methodology was developed by Zacks as a quantitative approach to identifying those securities that offer the greatest return potential on a risk-adjusted basis.
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The Index is comprised of the 100 highest-ranking securities chosen using a rules-based quantitative ranking methodology proprietary to Zacks. The constituents are weighted based on relative market capitalization.
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The constituent selection process as well as the ranking, reconstitution, and rebalancing of the Index is repeated quarterly.
RISKS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
*Morningstar category is based on the underlying securities of the ETF and not the objective. The Morningstar Rating™ is provided for those exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) with at least a three-year history. Ratings are based on the ETF’s Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure which accounts for variation in monthly performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. An ETF’s risk-adjusted return includes a brokerage commission estimate. This estimate is intended to reflect what an average investor would pay when buying or selling an ETF. PLEASE NOTE, this estimate is subject to change and the actual brokerage commission an investor pays may be higher or lower than this estimate. Morningstar compares each ETF’s risk-adjusted return to the open-end mutual fund rating breakpoints for that category. Consistent with the open-end mutual fund ratings, the top 10% of ETFs in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The overall rating for an ETF is based on a weighted average of the time-period ratings (e.g., the ETF’s 3-, 5-, and 10-year rating). The determination of an ETF’s rating does not affect the retail open end mutual fund data published by Morningstar. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Risks and Other Considerations Investors should consider the following risk factors and special considerations associated with investing in the fund, which may cause you to lose money, including the entire principal amount that you invest.
Equity Risk: The value of the equity securities held by the fund will fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the fund participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the fund invests.
Foreign Investment Risk: The fund’s investments in non-U.S. issuers, although generally limited to ADRs, may involve unique risks compared to investing in securities of U.S. issuers, including less market liquidity, generally greater market volatility than U.S. securities and less complete financial information than for U.S. issuers.
Financial Services Sector Risk: The financial services industries are subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets since late 2007 generally has caused an adverse impact in a broad range of markets, including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets.
Medium-Sized Company Risk: Investing in securities of these companies involves greater risk as their securities may be more volatile and less liquid than investing in more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall stock market.
MLP Risk: Investments in securities of MLPs involve risks that differ from an investment in common stock. Holders of the units of MLPs have more limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership. There are also certain tax risks associated with an investment in units of MLPs.
Risks of Investing In Other Investment Companies: Investments in securities of other investment companies involve risks, including, among others, the fact that shares of other investment companies are subject to the management fees and other expenses of those companies, and the purchase of shares of some investment companies (in the case of closed-end investment companies) may sometimes require the payment of premiums above the value of such companies’ portfolio securities or net asset values.
Risk of Investing in BDC s: There are certain risks inherent in investing in BDCs, whose principal business is to invest in and lend capital to privately held companies.
Portfolio Turnover Risk: The fund may engage in active and frequent trading in connection with the rebalancing of the Index, and therefore the fund’s investments. A portfolio turnover rate of 200%, for example, is equivalent to the fund buying and selling all of its securities two times during the course of the year. A high portfolio turnover rate (for example, over 100%) could result in high brokerage costs and could result in an increase in taxable capital gains distributions to the fund’s shareholders. The fund will seek to utilize the creation and redemption in-kind mechanism to help minimize capital gains to the extent possible.
Concentration Risk: If the Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries the fund’s investments will be concentrated accordingly. In such event, the value of the fund’s shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. In addition the fund is subject to Non-Correlation Risk, Replication Management Risk and Issuer-Specific Changes.
The Fund’s Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective. An investment in the Fund has not been guaranteed, sponsored, recommended, or approved by the United States, or any agency, instrumentality or officer of the United States, has not been insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and is not guaranteed by and is not otherwise an obligation of any bank or insured depository institution.
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment will be taxed. The tax information contained in the prospectus is provided as general information. Investors should consult their own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment as Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, does not offer tax advice.
The Fund will issue and redeem Shares at NAV only in a large specified number of Shares called a “Creation Unit” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units principally in-kind. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund. Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV.
Investors buying or selling ETF shares on the secondary market may incur brokerage costs and other transactional fees. Shares of ETFs may fluctuate in price due to daily changes in trading volume. At times, shares may not have a high volume of trading.
The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Zacks Investment Research, Inc. ("Zacks"). Zacks makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund particularly or the ability of the Index to track general market performance. Zacks’ only relationship to Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC is the licensing of the Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Zacks without regard to Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC or the Fund. Zacks has no obligation to take the needs of Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC or the owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. Zacks shall not be liable to any person for any error in the Index nor shall it be under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein.
© 2013 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC, an affiliate of Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, serves as the investment adviser.