10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 12:55
Simplify US Equity PLUS QIS ETF
SPQ
a series of Simplify Exchange Traded Funds
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
November 1, 2024
Advised by: Simplify Asset Management Inc. 10845 Griffith Peak Drive 2/F Las Vegas, NV 89135 |
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www.simplify.us/etfs | phone: 1 (855) 772-8488 |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. The Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information dated November 1, 2024, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can obtain these documents and other information about the Fund online at www.simplify.us/etfs or by calling 1-855-772-8488.
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, Inc.
FUND SUMMARY - SIMPLIFY US EQUITY PLUS QIS ETF
Investment Objective: The Simplify US Equity PLUS QIS ETF (the "Fund" or "SPQ") seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries on the purchase and sale of Fund shares, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
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Management Fees | 0.50% |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.00% |
Other Expenses(1) | 0.06% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(2) | 0.01% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.57% |
(1) | Other Expenses includes interest expenses of 0.06%. |
(2) | Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The operating expenses in this fee table do not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund. |
Example: This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
$58 | $183 | $318 | $714 |
Portfolio Turnover: The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the period November 13, 2023 (commencement of operations) through June 30, 2024, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 88% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies:
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy that, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of U.S. entities. The Fund defines equity securities as common stock, preferred stock, and futures on common stock. Additionally, the Fund defines U.S. entities as those organized in the U.S.; having a class of securities whose principal securities market is in the U.S.; or deriving more than 50% of its total revenues or earnings from goods produced, sales made, or services provided in the U.S., or maintaining more than 50% of its employees, assets, investments, operations, or other business activity in the U.S.
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The Adviser believes that, based upon its historical research, allocations to a combination of US equity strategies and multiple quantitative investment strategies (or "QIS") across equity, fixed income, commodity, currency, and volatility markets may achieve long-term capital appreciation and mitigate asset-class and single-strategy risks. QIS are quantitative investment strategies that provide model portfolios directly accessed by the Fund or indirectly by investing in the Simplify Multi-QIS Alternative ETF (the "QIS Fund").
The Fund is designed to provide exposure to U.S. equities "plus" QIS as further described below.
US Equity Strategies
The Adviser believes that, based upon its historical research, a base allocation to equities will make a significant contribution to long-term capital appreciation, while providing dividend income to help offset Fund operating expenses. The Fund invests in equity securities of U.S. entities primarily through (i) equity securities of U.S. companies, (ii) ETFs that primarily invest in the equity securities of U.S. companies, and (iii) exchange-traded equity futures contracts. The Fund invests in companies without restriction as to capitalization. The Adviser evaluates expected return, expenses, management, and leveraging effects when initially choosing between specific stocks, ETFs, and futures and evaluates allocations among these instruments on an ongoing basis to determine whether any adjustments to the allocations would provide better returns. Through a combination of securities and futures, the Adviser targets an allocation equivalent to 100% of Fund net assets to the US equity strategy. The Adviser reduces equity exposure when it believes the QIS strategy will produce higher returns and changes allocations among specific stocks, ETFs, and futures to those with the highest expected return.
QIS Strategies (i.e. multiple quantitative investment strategies)
This component of the Fund's strategy is designed to identify the optimal allocation among quantitative investment strategies to achieve positive returns and mitigate asset-class and single-strategy risks. The Adviser evaluates multiple strategies and selects the individual strategies based on multiple qualitative and quantitative considerations, including portfolio diversification, scalability, expected risk adjusted returns and correlation to one another. The Adviser evaluates these strategies on a quarterly basis and makes adjustments to the strategy allocations when the Adviser believes an alternative strategy would provide better returns. The Adviser executes the QIS strategy primarily by investing in the Simplify Multi-QIS Alternative ETF (the "QIS Fund"), which is a US domiciled and US exchange-traded fund managed by the Adviser. The Fund looks through the QIS Fund to measure its contribution to the Fund's 80% investment policy. Through the QIS Fund, the Fund may indirectly invest in foreign issuers (including emerging markets), on foreign exchanges, and in debt of any quality.
The QIS Fund invests in multiple quantitative investment strategies across equity, fixed income, commodity, currency, and volatility markets. The quantitative investment strategies in which the QIS Fund invests are third-party investment strategies that analyse historical quantitative data and use models to identify investments that, based on historical results, can provide attractive risk adjusted returns. When it believes conditions are favorable for the QIS strategy, the Adviser may allocate up to 50% of the Fund's net assets to the QIS Fund. When the Adviser believes conditions are unfavorable for the QIS strategy, the Adviser will sell all or a portion of its assets allocated to the QIS Fund. The Adviser rebalances the Fund's portfolio between U.S. equities and the QIS Fund at least quarterly.
The Fund also holds cash and invests in cash-like instruments or high-quality short term fixed income securities as collateral for futures. The collateral may consist of (1) U.S. Government securities, such as bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury; (2) money market funds; (3) fixed income ETFs; and/or (4) corporate debt securities, such as commercial paper and other short-term unsecured promissory notes issued by companies that are rated investment grade or of comparable quality.
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Principal Investment Risks: As with all funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund. Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and price of shares and performance.
The following describes the principal risks the Fund bears with respect to its investments. As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its goal.
Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value. The equity securities held by the Fund may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value.
Underlying ETF Risk. ETFs in which the Fund invests are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. As a result, the cost of investing in the Fund will be higher than the cost of investing directly in the ETFs and may be higher than other funds that invest directly in stocks and bonds. Each of the ETFs is subject to its own specific risks, but the adviser expects the principal investments risks of such ETFs will be similar to the risks of investing in the Fund.
Affiliated ETF Risk. The Fund may invest in the QIS Fund, an affiliated underlying fund. The adviser, therefore, is subject to conflicts of interest in allocating the Fund's assets among the QIS Fund and other assets. The adviser will receive more revenue to the extent it selects the QIS Fund rather than an unaffiliated fund or other investment vehicle for inclusion in the Fund's portfolio.
Derivatives Risk. Trading derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities. Leverage inherent in derivatives will tend to magnify the Fund's losses if the derivative strategy is ineffective. These risks arise from direct investment in derivatives and indirect investment by investing in the QIS Fund.
● | Total Return Swap Risk. Leverage inherent in derivatives such as total return swaps will tend to magnify the Fund's losses if the reference asset or assets declines in price. |
● | Futures Risk. The Fund's use of futures involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) leverage risk (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the futures contract may not correlate perfectly with the underlying index. Investments in futures involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in futures can have a disproportionately large impact on the Fund. This risk could cause the Fund to lose more than the principal amount invested. Futures contracts may become mispriced or improperly valued when compared to the adviser's expectation and may not produce the desired investment results. Additionally, changes in the value of futures contracts may not track or correlate perfectly with the underlying index because of temporary, or even long-term, supply and demand imbalances and because futures do not pay dividends unlike the stocks upon which they are based. |
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● | Counterparty Risk. Total return swaps and other derivative instruments are made with counterparties that are privately negotiated in the over-the-counter market. These contracts involve exposure to credit risk because contract performance depends, in part, on the financial condition of the counterparty. If the creditworthiness of the counterparty declines, the Fund may not receive payments owed under the contract, or such payments may be delayed and the value of agreements with the counterparty can be expected to decline, potentially resulting in losses to the Fund. |
Leverage Risk. The use of leverage by the Fund will cause the Fund to incur additional expenses and magnify the Fund's gains or losses.
Active Management Risk. The Fund is subject to the risk that the investment management strategy may not produce the intended results and may negatively impact Fund performance.
Cash or Cash Equivalents Risk. At any time, the Fund may have significant investments in cash or cash equivalents. When a substantial portion of a portfolio is held in cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time. Additionally, in rising markets, holding cash or cash equivalents may adversely affect the Fund's performance and the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Commodity Risk. Investments linked to commodity derivatives can be highly volatile compared to investments in traditional securities, and funds holding instruments linked to commodity derivatives may experience large losses. The value of instruments linked to commodity derivatives may be affected by market movements, commodity benchmarks, volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry, or commodity.
Early Close/Trading Halt Risk. An exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may prevent the Fund from buying or selling certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its investments and may incur substantial trading losses.
Emerging Markets Risk. Investing in emerging markets involves not only the risks described below with respect to investing in foreign securities, but also other risks, including exposure to economic structures that are generally less diverse and mature, limited availability and reliability of information material to an investment decision, and exposure to political systems that can be expected to have less stability than those of developed countries.
ETF Structure Risks. The Fund is structured as an ETF and will invest in underlying ETFs. As a result, the Fund is subject to special risks, including:
● | Not Individually Redeemable. The Fund's shares ("Shares") are not redeemable by retail investors and may be redeemed only by Authorized Participants at net asset value ("NAV") and only in Creation Units. A retail investor generally incurs brokerage costs when selling shares. |
● | Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the "Exchange") may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable, such as extraordinary market volatility. There can be no assurance that Shares will continue to meet the listing requirements of the Exchange which may result in the Shares being delisted. An active trading market for the Shares may not be developed or maintained. If the Shares are traded outside a collateralized settlement system, the number of financial institutions that can act as Authorized Participants that can post collateral on an agency basis is limited, which may limit the market for the Shares. |
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● | Market Price Variance Risk. The market prices of Shares will fluctuate in response to changes in NAV and supply and demand for Shares and will include a "bid-ask spread" charged by the exchange specialists, market makers or other participants that trade the Shares. There may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. This means that Shares may trade at a discount to NAV. |
○ | In times of market stress, market makers may step away from their role market making in the Shares and in executing trades, which can lead to differences between the market value of the Shares and the Fund's NAV. |
○ | The market price of the Shares may deviate from the Fund's NAV, particularly during times of market stress, with the result that investors may pay significantly more or significantly less for the Shares than the Fund's NAV, which is reflected in the bid and ask price for the Shares or in the closing price. |
○ | In stressed market conditions, the market for the Shares may become less liquid in response to the deteriorating liquidity of the Fund's portfolio. This adverse effect on the liquidity of the Shares may, in turn, lead to differences between the market value of the Shares and the Fund's NAV. |
● | Authorized Participant Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as an Authorized Participant on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and possibly face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes. |
Fixed Income Securities Risk. When the Fund invests in fixed income securities, the value of your investment in the Fund will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the value of fixed income securities owned by the Fund. In general, the market price of fixed income securities with longer maturities will increase or decrease more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. Other risk factors include credit risk (the debtor may default), extension risk (an issuer may exercise its right to repay principal on a fixed rate obligation held by the Fund later than expected), and prepayment risk (the debtor may pay its obligation early, reducing the amount of interest payments).
Foreign Currency Risk. The Fund holds investments that provide exposure to non-U.S. currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund's investment and the value of Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and your investment in the Fund may experience losses.
Large Capitalization Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.
Limited History Risk. The Fund is a new ETF has a limited history of operations for investor to evaluate.
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Market and Geopolitical Risk. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund's portfolios may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate change or climate-related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets.
Over-the-Counter Market Risk. Securities and options traded in over-the-counter markets may trade less frequently and in limited volumes and thus exhibit more volatility and liquidity risk, and the prices paid by the Fund in over-the-counter transactions may include an undisclosed dealer markup. The Fund is also exposed to default by the over-the-counter option writer who may be unwilling or unable to perform its contractual obligations to the Fund.
Small and Medium Capitalization Risk. The earnings and prospects of small and medium sized companies are more volatile than larger companies and may experience higher failure rates than larger companies. Small and medium sized companies normally have a lower trading volume than larger companies, which may tend to make their market price fall more disproportionately than larger companies in response to selling pressures and may have limited markets, product lines, or financial resources and lack management experience.
Volatility Risk. Significant short-term price movements could adversely impact the performance of the Fund. The Fund's performance may be volatile, which means that the Fund's performance may be subject to substantial short-term changes up or down.
Performance: Performance information will be available in the prospectus after the Fund has been in operation for one full calendar year. Past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.simplify.us/etfs or by calling 1 (855) 772-8488.
Investment Adviser: Simplify Asset Management Inc. (the "Adviser").
Portfolio Managers: David Berns, Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser; David Jackson, Vice President of Portfolio Management of the Adviser; Roxton McNeal, Head QIS Portfolio Manager of the Adviser; and Paisley Nardini, Asset Allocation Strategist of the Adviser serve as portfolio managers of the Fund. Dr. Berns, and Mr. Jackson have each served the Fund as a portfolio manager since it commenced operations in November 2023. Mr. McNeal has served the Fund as a portfolio manager since July 2024. Ms. Nardini has served the Fund as a portfolio manager since November 2024. Dr. Berns, Mr. Jackson, Mr. McNeal, and Ms. Nardini are jointly and primarily responsible for the management of the Fund.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares: The Fund will issue and redeem Shares at NAV only in large blocks of 25,000 Shares (each block of Shares is called a "Creation Unit"). Creation Units are issued and redeemed primarily in-kind for securities but may include cash. Individual Shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Except when aggregated in Creation Units in transactions with Authorized Participants, the Shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange and trade at market prices rather than NAV. Shares of the Fund may trade at a price that is greater than, at, or less than NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market. Recent information on the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available at www.simplify.us/etfs.
Tax Information: The Fund's distributions generally will be taxable as ordinary income or long-term capital gains. A sale of Shares may result in capital gain or loss.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries: If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
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