10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 12:38
Simplify Volatility Premium ETF
SVOL
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 VOLATILITY PREMIUM ETF
Investment Objective: The Simplify Volatility Premium ETF (the "Fund" or "SVOL") seeks to provide investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to approximately one-fifth to three-tenths the inverse (-0.2x to -0.3x) of the performance of a short-term volatility futures index while also seeking to mitigate extreme volatility.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund: This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, sell, and hold 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) | 0.15% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses(2) | 0.07% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.72% |
(1) | Other Expenses include interest expenses of 0.15%. |
(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 |
$74 | $230 | $401 | $894 |
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 most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 97% of the average of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies: The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund ("ETF") that seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to approximately one-fifth to three-tenths the inverse (-0.2x to -0.3x) of the performance of a short-term volatility futures index (the "Index") for a single day, not for any other period. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund primarily purchases or sells futures contracts, call options, and put options on VIX futures. The Fund holds cash, cash-like instruments or high-quality fixed income securities (collectively, "Collateral"). The Collateral may consist of income-producing (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; (4) collateralized repurchase agreements; and/or (5) 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. The Fund seeks to engage in reverse repurchase agreements and use the proceeds for investment purposes. Reverse repurchase agreements are contracts in which a seller of securities, for example, U.S. government securities or other money market instruments, agrees to buy the securities back at a specified time and price. Reverse repurchase agreements are primarily used by the Fund as an indirect means of borrowing. The Fund also applies an option overlay strategy in seeking to mitigate against extreme volatility.
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Option Overlay Strategy
Up to twenty percent of the Fund's net assets will be subject to the Fund's option overlay to mitigate against extreme volatility. Volatility is when a security experiences periods of unpredictable, and sometimes sharp, price movements. The option overlay strategy consists of purchasing exchange-traded and over-the-counter ("OTC") put and call options on the Index or Index-linked exchange traded products. When the Fund purchases a call option, the Fund has the right, but not the obligation, to buy a stock or other asset at a specified price (strike price) within a specific time period. When the Fund purchases a put option, the Fund has the right, but not the obligation, to sell a stock or other asset at a specified price (strike price) within a specific time period.
The option overlay is a strategic, persistent exposure meant to hedge against market moves and to add convexity to the Fund. If the market goes up, the Fund's returns may outperform the market because the Adviser will sell or exercise the call options. If the market goes down, the Fund's returns may fall less than the market because the Adviser will sell or exercise the put options. The Adviser selects options based upon its evaluation of relative value based on cost, strike price (price that the option can be bought or sold by the option holder) and maturity (the last date the option contract is valid) and will exercise or close the options based on maturity or portfolio rebalancing requirements. The Fund anticipates purchasing and selling options on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, depending upon the Fund's rebalancing requirements and the individual option expiration dates. However, the Fund may rebalance its option portfolio on a more frequent basis for a number of reasons such as if market volatility renders the protection provided by the option strategy ineffective or an option position has appreciated to the point that it is prudent to decrease the Fund's exposure and realize gains for the Fund's shareholders. While the option overlay is intended to improve the Fund's performance, there is no guarantee that it will do so.
The Fund's returns are intended to possess convexity because the relationship between the Fund's returns and market returns is not designed to be linear. That is, if market returns go up and down in a linear fashion, the Fund's returns are expected to rise faster than the market in positive markets; while declining less than the market in negative markets. The value of the Fund's call options is expected to rise in proportion to the rise in value of the underlying assets, but the amount by which the Fund's options increase or decrease in value depends on how far the market has moved from the time the options position was initiated. The value of the Fund's call options is expected to rise faster than the market if the Adviser successfully selects options that appreciate in value. The value of the Fund's put options are expected to decrease in proportion to the decrease in the value of the underlying assets, but the amount by which the Fund's put options decrease in value depends on how far the market has moved since from the time the position was initiated.
The return of the 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 Fund's stated multiple times the return of the Index for the same period. These differences can be significant. Daily compounding of the investment return of the Fund can dramatically and adversely affect its longer-term performance, especially during periods of high volatility. Volatility has a negative impact on the Fund's performance and the volatility of the Index may be at least as important to the returns of the Fund as the return of the Index. A "single day" is measured from the time the Fund calculates its net asset value ("NAV") to the time of the Fund's next NAV calculation. The NAV calculation time for the Fund typically is 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
The Index is a non-investable index that measures the implied volatility of the S&P 500. For these purposes, "implied volatility" is a measure of the expected volatility (i.e., the rate and magnitude of variations in performance) of the S&P 500 over the next 30 days. The Index does not represent the actual volatility of the S&P 500. The Index is calculated based on the prices of a constantly changing portfolio of S&P 500 put and call options.
The Fund may engage in daily rebalancing to position its portfolio so that its exposure to the Index is consistent with its daily investment objective (-0.2x to -0.3x). The impact of changes to the value of the Index each day will affect whether the Fund's portfolio needs to be rebalanced. For example, if the level of
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the Index has risen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should fall (assuming there were no Creation Units issued). As a result, inverse exposure may need to be decreased. Conversely, if the level of the Index has fallen on a given day, net assets of the Fund should rise (assuming there were no Creation Unit redemptions). As a result, inverse exposure may need to be increased. The time and manner in which the Fund rebalances its portfolio may vary from day to day depending upon market conditions and other circumstances at the discretion of the Adviser.
The Fund invests in certain futures markets (such as VIX futures) indirectly by investing up to 25% of its total assets (measured at the time of investment) in a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary. These investments are designed to enhance the ability of the Fund to obtain exposure to the futures market consistent with the limits of the U.S. federal tax law requirements applicable to registered investment companies. The returns from the investments in the Fund's subsidiary are income to the Fund and the shareholders. Unlike the Fund, the Subsidiary may invest without limitation indirectly in certain futures-linked derivatives investments, however, the Subsidiary will comply with the same Investment Company Act of 1940 asset coverage requirements, when viewed on a consolidated basis with the Fund, with respect to its investments in derivatives.
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 NAV 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.
VIX Futures Risk. VIX futures contracts can be highly volatile and the Fund may experience sudden and large losses when buying, selling or holding such instruments; you can lose all or a portion of your investment within a single day. Investments linked to equity market volatility, including VIX futures contracts, can be highly volatile and may experience sudden, large and unexpected losses. VIX futures contracts are unlike traditional futures contracts and are not based on a tradable reference asset. The Index is not directly investable, and the settlement price of a VIX futures contract is based on the calculation that determines the level of the VIX. As a result, the behaviour of a VIX futures contract may be different from a traditional futures contract whose settlement price is based on a specific tradable asset and may differ from an investor's expectations. The market for VIX futures contracts may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors including changes in overall market movements, political and economic events and policies, wars, acts of terrorism, natural disasters (including disease, epidemics and pandemics), changes in interest rates or inflation rates. High volatility may have an adverse impact on the performance of the Fund. An investor in any of the Fund could potentially lose the full principal of his or her investment within a single day.
Daily Rebalancing Risk. The daily rebalancing of the futures contracts underlying the Index may impact trading in such futures contracts. For example, such trading may cause futures commission merchants to adjust their hedges. The trading activity associated with such transactions will contribute to the existing trading volume of the underlying futures contracts and may adversely affect the market price of such underlying futures contracts and in turn the level of the Index.
Short-Term Investment Risk. Investors holding shares of the Fund over longer-term periods may be subject to increased risk of loss. The Fund is intended to be used only for short-term investment horizons. An investor in the Fund can lose all or a substantial portion of his or her investment within a single day. The longer an investor's holding period in the Fund, the greater the potential for loss.
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. The adviser's overlay strategy will not fully protect the Fund from declines in the market.
Borrowing Risk. The Fund may borrow for investment purposes indirectly using reverse repurchase agreements. The cost of borrowing may reduce the Fund's return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions under adverse market conditions to satisfy its repayment obligations. Borrowing increases the risk of loss and may increase the volatility of the Fund.
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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.
Compounding Risk. The return of the 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 Fund's stated multiple times the return of the Index for the same period.
Counterparty Risk. Reverse repurchase agreements involve entering into contracts with third parties (i.e., counterparties). The use of reverse repurchase agreements involves risks that are different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The Fund will be subject to credit risk (i.e., the risk that a counterparty is or is perceived to be unwilling or unable to meet its contractual obligations) with respect to the security it expects to receive back from a counterparty. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or fails to perform its obligations, or if any collateral posted by the counterparty for the benefit of the Fund is insufficient or there are delays in the Fund's ability to access such collateral, the value of an investment in the Fund may decline.
Derivatives Risk. Options are a derivative investment. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. These risks include (i) the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfil its contractual obligations; (ii) risk of mispricing or improper valuation; and (iii) the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. Derivative prices are highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially during a short period of time. Such prices are influenced by numerous factors that affect the markets, including, but not limited to: changing supply and demand relationships; government programs and policies; national and international political and economic events, changes in interest rates, inflation and deflation and changes in supply and demand relationships. Trading derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities.
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.
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 ("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 the 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). These risks could affect the value of a particular investment by the Fund, possibly causing the Fund's share price and total return to be reduced and fluctuate more than other types of investments.
Inverse Correlation Risk. Investors will lose money when the Index rises a result that is the opposite from traditional funds.
Leverage Risk. The use of leverage by the Fund, such as borrowing money to purchase securities or the use of options, will cause the Fund to incur additional expenses and magnify the Fund's gains or losses.
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 portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, climate change or climate related events, natural disasters, 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.
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Option Risk. As the buyer of a put or call option, the Fund risks losing the entire premium invested in the option if the Fund does not exercise the option.
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.
Reverse Repurchase Agreement Risk. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment, and involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner, or at all, resulting in losses to the Fund.
Turnover Rate Risk. The Fund may have portfolio turnover rates significantly in excess of 100%. Increased portfolio turnover causes the Fund to incur higher brokerage costs, which may adversely affect the Fund's performance and may produce increased taxable distributions.
Volatility Risk. Significant short-term price movements could adversely impact the performance of the Fund. Market conditions in which significant price movements develop, but then repeatedly reverse, could cause substantial losses due to prices moving against the Fund's long or short positions (which are based on prior trends). The performance of the Fund is based in part on the prices of one or more of the VIX Futures in which the Fund invests. Each of the equity securities held by the Fund and the VIX Futures are affected by a variety of factors and may change unpredictably, affecting the value of such equity securities and VIX Futures and, consequently, the value and the market price of the Fund's Shares.
Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Risk. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could result in the inability of the Fund and/or Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. Your cost of investing in the Fund will be higher because you indirectly bear the expenses of the Subsidiary.
Performance: The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund's performance from year to year. The table shows how the Fund's average annual total returns compare to those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) 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.
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During the periods shown in the bar chart above, the Fund's highest quarterly return was 10.09% (quarter ended June 30, 2023) and the Fund's lowest quarterly return was -6.95% (quarter ended March 31, 2022). The calendar year-to-date total return of the Fund as of September 30, 2024 was 8.97%.
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2023
1 Year |
Since Inception (5/12/21) |
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Return Before Taxes | 23.05 | % | 11.82 | % | ||||
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 14.99 | % | 6.74 | % | ||||
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 13.19 | % | 6.78 | % | ||||
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 26.29 | % | 7.08 | % |
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Investment Adviser: Simplify Asset Management Inc. (the "Adviser")
Portfolio Managers: David Berns, Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser; Shailesh Gupta, Portfolio Manager and Head of Trading for the Adviser; and Jeff Schwarte, Chief Equity Strategist of the Adviser serve as portfolio managers of the Fund. Dr. Berns and Mr. Gupta have each served the Fund as a portfolio manager since it commenced operations in May 2021. Mr. Schwarte has served the Fund as a portfolio manager since November 2024. Dr. Berns, Mr. Gupta, and Mr. Schwarte 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 NYSE Arca, Inc. 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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