The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes (if any), in the securities of the Global X Infrastructure Development ex-U.S. Index (the "Underlying Index"), which may include common stocks, American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") and Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") based on the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund's 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and requires 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed.
The Underlying Index is owned and was developed by Global X Management Company LLC (the “Index Provider”), an affiliate of the Fund and the Fund's investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Underlying Index is administered and calculated by Mirae Asset Global Indices Pvt. Ltd. (the “Index Administrator”), an affiliate of the Index Provider.
The Underlying Index is designed to provide exposure to equity securities listed and domiciled in international markets, including developed and emerging markets but excluding the U.S., that provide exposure to infrastructure development, including companies involved in engineering and construction services; production of infrastructure raw materials and composites; producers and distributors of heavy construction equipment and products; infrastructure transportation; and manufacturers and/or distributors of smart grid components, (collectively, "International Infrastructure Development Companies"). “International Infrastructure Development Companies” are those companies that derive at least 50% of their
revenues from one or more of the following business activities in aggregate outside of the U.S., as determined by the Index Administrator:
•Engineering and Construction Services: Companies that provide engineering, consulting, design, procurement, maintenance, dredging, and construction services for large-scale infrastructure projects such as energy generation/distribution, transportation (e.g., roads, bridges, tunnels, rail), water/wastewater, telecommunications, seaports, and airports.
•Raw and Composite Materials: Companies that produce and supply composite and raw materials (e.g., aluminum, steel, copper, nickel, tin, concrete, asphalt, cement, and specialty chemicals) that are utilized in the development and construction of infrastructure projects.
•Construction Equipment and Products: Companies that manufacture, distribute, sell, and/or rent heavy construction equipment, electric and fiber optic cables, pipes, cranes, pumps, and other products or equipment utilized in large-scale infrastructure projects.
•Infrastructure Transportation: Companies that transport infrastructure raw materials and equipment, such as the materials used in the other business activities described in the other sub-themes, as well as aggregates, alumina, base metals, bauxite, coal, coke, iron ore, lumber, steel, and panels (solar and construction panels, etc.).
•Smart Grid Components: Companies that manufacture or sell electrical components, energy storage devices, EV charging equipment, smart meters and other applications related to smart grid construction.
In constructing the Underlying Index, the Index Administrator first identifies FactSet Industries related to International Infrastructure Development. FactSet is a leading financial data provider that maintains a comprehensive structured taxonomy designed to offer precise classification of global companies and their individual business units. Companies within these FactSet Industries, as of the selection date, are further reviewed by the Index Administrator on the basis of revenue related to International Infrastructure Development, as defined above.
To be a part of the eligible universe of the Underlying Index, certain minimum market capitalization and liquidity criteria, as defined by the Index Administrator, must be met. As of July 22, 2024, companies must have a minimum market capitalization of $200 million and a minimum average daily turnover for the last 6 months greater than or equal to $2 million in order to be eligible for initial inclusion in the Underlying Index. As of July 22, 2024, companies listed in the following countries were eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The Underlying Index is weighted according to a modified capitalization weighting methodology and is reconstituted and re-weighted semi-annually. Modified capitalization weighting seeks to weight constituents primarily based on free-float market capitalization, but subject to caps on the weights of the individual securities. Free-float market capitalization measures a company’s market capitalization discounted by the percentage of its shares readily available to be traded by the general public in the open market (“free float”). At each rebalance, the maximum weight of a company is capped at 3%. Generally speaking, modified capitalization weighting will limit the amount of concentration in the largest market capitalization companies. The Underlying Index may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, and components primarily include industrials companies. As of July 22, 2024, the Underlying Index had 100 constituents. The Fund's investment objective and Underlying Index may be changed without shareholder approval.
The Underlying Index is created and sponsored by the Index Provider. Any determinations related to the constituents of the Underlying Index are made by the Index Administrator and are independent of the Fund's portfolio managers. The Index Administrator determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.
The Adviser uses a "passive" or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund's investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to outperform the Underlying Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. The Fund generally will use a replication strategy. A replication strategy is an indexing strategy that involves investing in the securities of the Underlying Index in approximately the same proportions as in the Underlying Index. However, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy with respect to the Underlying Index when a replication strategy might be detrimental or disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when there are practical difficulties or
substantial costs involved in compiling a portfolio of equity securities to replicate the Underlying Index, in instances in which a security in the Underlying Index becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations (such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not the Underlying Index.
The Adviser expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund's performance and that of the Underlying Index, before fees and expenses, will exceed 95%. A correlation percentage of 100% would indicate perfect correlation. If the Fund uses a replication strategy, it can be expected to have greater correlation to the Underlying Index than if it uses a representative sampling strategy.
The Fund concentrates its investments (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. As of July 22, 2024, the Underlying Index was concentrated in the industrials and materials sectors. The Fund is classified as “non-diversified,” which means it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.