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Critical Facts You Need to Know About Preferred Stocks
Have you ever wished for the safety of bonds, but the return potential...
Name
As of 11/27/2024Price
Aum/Mkt Cap
YIELD
Exp Ratio
Watchlist
YTD Return
-13.3%
1 yr return
-9.4%
3 Yr Avg Return
N/A
5 Yr Avg Return
N/A
Net Assets
$2.38 M
Holdings in Top 10
65.6%
Expense Ratio 0.79%
Front Load N/A
Deferred Load N/A
Turnover N/A
Redemption Fee N/A
Standard (Taxable)
N/A
IRA
N/A
Fund Type
Exchange Traded Fund
Name
As of 11/27/2024Price
Aum/Mkt Cap
YIELD
Exp Ratio
Watchlist
The Fund seeks to provide broad exposure to commodities across three different sustainability focused themes: agriculture, renewable energy and electrification. In order to provide such exposure, the Fund will invest primarily in derivatives instruments for which the underlying assets are commodities (“Commodities Derivatives”) and equity securities that are economically tied (as further described below) to particular commodities (“Commodities Equities,” together with Commodities Derivatives, “Commodities Investments”). The Fund’s exposure to each of the three sustainability themes will be approximately equally weighted.
Selection Methodology
The Adviser uses a proprietary multi-factor quantitative methodology to select the Commodities Investments. The proprietary methodology first considers the universe of commodities across each theme: agricultural commodities, renewable energy sources, and electrification (as each is further described below). Then, for a given theme, the methodology considers factors such as: the primary use of a specific commodity, the secondary and potential other uses of such commodity, and each commodity’s environmental impact. The methodology attempts to provide exposure to commodities in amounts that generally correspond to each commodity’s relative demand in connection with one of the sustainable themes described above. This means that the Fund will invest more heavily in those commodities that have a higher percentage of their total demand derived from sustainable uses.
Because Commodities Derivatives have the highest correlation to the prices of their underlying commodities, the methodology selects Commodities Derivatives when suitable derivatives are available. Suitable derivatives include exchange-traded and over-the-counter futures and swaps contracts on commodities. If these contracts are traded on an exchange, liquidity relative to the Fund’s size and trading needs are also considered in determining if a Commodities Derivative is suitable. Futures traded on U.S. or international exchanges with sufficient liquidity are prioritized. Swaps are used for any commodity that does not have a futures contract with sufficient liquidity. The Fund may also use options and forwards to supplement its futures and swaps positions or if adequate futures and swaps are not available.
To the extent suitable Commodities Derivatives are not available to provide exposure to a commodity to which the Adviser desires to gain exposure, the Adviser’s methodology selects equities issued by companies that are economically tied to such commodity. The Adviser considers a company to be “economically tied” to a particular commodity if it generates at least 50% of its revenues from the production, extraction, use, distribution or other activities related to the commodity, or has projects that have the potential for the company to generate at least 50% of its revenues from these activities when developed. The Adviser will use publicly available information distributed by the company or reputable industry publications in order to determine if a particular company meets the 50% revenue (or potential revenue) threshold. Once a company is selected for inclusion in the Fund by meeting the above criteria, it must continue to generate at least 25% of its revenues from activities related to the commodity or have projects with the potential for the company to generate at least 25% of its revenues from these activities when developed, in order to remain in the Fund. The Fund may not have exposure to every commodity used in agriculture, renewable energy, and electrification because there may not be a suitable derivative or equity security tied to each commodity across those themes. The Adviser’s proprietary methodology will also exclude commodities that have only a de minimis connection to agriculture, renewable energy, or electrification. The Adviser will assess each Commodities Investment’s inclusion in the methodology on an annual basis.
Agriculture
The Adviser believes that the global push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions coupled with global population growth will increase the demand for agricultural commodities that can be produced sustainably (i.e., provide the most amount of product by weight or calories/protein with the least amount of emissions and other adverse environmental impacts). For example, the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted to produce a certain amount (by weight or calories/protein) of beef, lamb, or shellfish is much higher than the amount emitted to produce the same amount (by weight or calories/protein) of grains, legumes or nuts. Using the Adviser’s selection methodology, and specifically considering factors such as water usage, chemical and fertilizer usage, and the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions to weight or calories/protein produced, the Adviser seeks to provide exposure to agricultural commodities that it believes can be produced sustainably. As such, the Fund will primarily invest in Commodities Derivatives tied to grain crops and oilseeds (which include soybeans, hemp and various nuts and legumes), and to a lesser extent in cotton, sugar and coffee. Because of the broad availability of suitable derivatives tied to the agricultural theme, the agriculture portion of the Fund will consist primarily of Commodities Derivatives. To the extent the Adviser seeks to gain exposure to a particular agricultural commodity for which a suitable derivative is not available, the Adviser will invest in the equity securities of issuers that are economically tied to that commodity.
Renewable Energy
The Adviser believes that global demand for renewable energy will continue to increase as countries across the globe seek more sustainable ways to produce power and implement rules and regulations that encourage renewable energy production. The Adviser broadly defines renewable energy as energy from a renewable source (i.e., not depleted when used), such as wind, solar, water, and biomass (i.e., organic material derived from plants and animals).
While certain renewable energy sources are unable to be commoditized (such as the wind or the sun), governments and organizations across the globe have created programs that commoditize the use of renewable energy sources through renewable energy certificate programs. For example, under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Renewable Fuel Standard program, refiners and importers of gasoline or diesel fuel can generate renewable identification numbers (“RINs”) when they produce a gallon of renewable fuel (such as ethanol, which is made from biomass). Similar to RINs, various regional organizations in the United States (such as the New England Power Pool Generation Information System) issue and track renewable energy certificates (“RECs”), which are generated when one megawatt-hour of electricity is produced from a renewable source. The Fund may also invest in carbon credits tied to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (“LCFS Credits”). RINs, RECs and LCFS Credits can be used by fuel and electricity producers and generators to certify compliance with certain regulatory requirements related to renewable energy production, but they can also be traded on secondary markets.
Because there may not be broad availability of suitable derivatives tied to the renewable energy sources that the Fund seeks exposure to, the renewable energy portion of the Fund will consist of a mix of Commodities Derivatives and Commodities Equities, as determined by the selection methodology described above. Commodities Derivatives will consist of renewable commodity futures (such as ethanol futures and biomass futures, to the extent suitable options are or become available). Commodities Derivatives will also include RIN futures, REC futures and LCFS Credit futures. Commodities Equities will be equity securities of issuers that are economically tied to a particular renewable energy source.
Electrification
“Electrification” refers to the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels with technologies that use electricity as a source of energy. The Adviser believes that the global desire to reduce fossil fuel consumption will continue to increase the rate of electrification. The process of electrification is heavily reliant on the production and development of batteries that contain certain industrial metals, precious metals, and rare earth metals (“Metals”). The Fund’s metals investments will initially include metals such as aluminum, cobalt, copper, graphite, iron ore, lithium, nickel, silver, zinc and other metals currently used in electrification. Specific metals may be added or removed as eligible metals when changes occur in the evolution of battery and electrification technology, and when exposure to these metals can be obtained. Because of the broad availability of suitable derivatives tied to the electrification theme, the Adviser will primarily invest in Commodities Derivatives tied to Metals as determined by the selection methodology described above. To the extent the Adviser seeks to gain exposure to a particular Metal for which a suitable derivative is not available, the Adviser will invest in the equity securities of issuers that are economically tied to a particular Metal.
While the Fund is small, the Fund may pursue its electrification theme indirectly by investing in shares of the USCF Sustainable Battery Metals Strategy Fund. The Adviser will waive any advisory fees received as a result of an investment in an affiliated fund.
Collateral Requirements
The portion of the Fund’s assets that are not invested in Commodities Investments or Carbon Offset Investments (as defined below), will be primarily invested, directly or indirectly through the Subsidiary (as defined below), in cash, cash equivalents, money market funds, or short maturity fixed-income investments or a combination thereof. The primary purpose of such investments will be to meet collateral requirements associated with the Fund’s Commodities Derivatives.
Sustainable Strategy
The Fund understands that the production of certain agricultural products and the extraction, production and distribution of Metals required for Electrification are carbon-intensive processes. As such, an important component of the Fund’s sustainable strategy involves purchasing carbon offset investments (“Carbon Offset Investments”) in an amount equal to the estimated aggregate carbon emissions of the Fund’s holdings. By purchasing Carbon Offset Investments, the Fund seeks to mitigate the carbon-intensive nature of certain of the Fund’s Commodities Investments.
After all the Commodities Investments have been selected, the Adviser estimates the carbon emissions associated with each Commodities Investment. The Adviser relies on data published by governmental or multi-national organizations, scientific studies, investment bank/financial service companies, and internationally recognized environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) research firms to make such estimates. The Adviser then calculates the aggregate carbon emissions from all Commodities Investments in the portfolio and the Fund purchases Carbon Offset Investments in the form of carbon credit futures contracts in an amount equal to the net emissions. Carbon emissions estimates will be updated annually.
Additional Investment Criteria
The Fund’s investments are not restricted in terms of geography. As such, the Fund may invest in both U.S. and non-U.S. companies, including companies located in emerging markets, and in instruments denominated in both U.S. dollars and foreign currencies. There is no limit to the percentage of the Fund’s equity investments that may be invested in emerging markets investments. In fact, to the extent the Fund invests in Commodities Equities related to the Fund’s electrification theme, a material portion of those investments will be issued by Chinese companies because globally, the majority of companies that derive their revenues from Metals are Chinese companies. The Fund will invest in Commodities Equities with a minimum capitalization of $100 million at the time of initial investment. Because many of the companies that are “economically tied” to Commodities used in agriculture, renewable energy, and electrification are smaller companies, it is expected that the Fund will invest in companies that would generally be classified as small- or mid-cap based on how such terms are defined by widely used indices. The Fund is “non-diversified” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
The Subsidiary
Although the Fund may invest in Commodities Derivatives directly, the Fund invests in Commodities Derivatives primarily through a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund incorporated in the Cayman Islands, USCF Cayman Commodity 7 (the “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is advised by the Adviser and has the same investment objective as the Fund. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in the Subsidiary.
Period | ZSC Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
YTD | -13.3% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1 Yr | -9.4% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
3 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
5 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
10 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* Annualized
Period | ZSC Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2019 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Period | ZSC Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
YTD | -13.3% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1 Yr | -9.4% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
3 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
5 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
10 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* Annualized
Period | ZSC Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
2019 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC | Category Low | Category High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Net Assets | 2.38 M | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Number of Holdings | 65 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Net Assets in Top 10 | 1.61 M | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Weighting of Top 10 | 65.64% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stocks | 57.06% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Bonds | 24.44% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Cash | 17.91% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Other | 0.59% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Preferred Stocks | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Convertible Bonds | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Utilities | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Technology | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Real Estate | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Industrials | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Healthcare | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Financial Services | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Energy | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Communication Services | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Consumer Defense | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Consumer Cyclical | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Basic Materials | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | 38.54% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Non US | 18.52% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Derivative | 0.59% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Cash & Equivalents | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Securitized | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Corporate | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Municipal | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Government | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | 24.44% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Non US | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Expense Ratio | 0.79% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Management Fee | 0.79% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
12b-1 Fee | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Administrative Fee | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Front Load | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Deferred Load | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Max Redemption Fee | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Turnover provides investors a proxy for the trading fees incurred by mutual fund managers who frequently adjust position allocations. Higher turnover means higher trading fees.
ZSC Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turnover | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC | Category Low | Category High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dividend Yield | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC | Category Low | Category High | Category Mod | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dividend Distribution Frequency | None |
ZSC | Category Low | Category High | ZSC % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Net Income Ratio | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
ZSC | Category Low | Category High | Capital Mode | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Capital Gain Distribution Frequency |
Dividend Investing Ideas Center
Have you ever wished for the safety of bonds, but the return potential...
Dividend Investing Ideas Center
If you are reaching retirement age, there is a good chance that you...
Dividend Investing Ideas Center
If you are reaching retirement age, there is a good chance that you...