Investment objective & strategy
As of Jan. 28, 2026 · prospectusObjective. The Rayliant SMDAM Japan Equity ETF (SMDAM Japan Equity ETF or the Fund) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Strategy. The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities of issuers located in Japan. This investment policy may be changed by the Fund upon 60 days prior written notice to shareholders. The Funds sub-adviser, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company, Ltd, doing business as SMDAM (the Sub-Adviser or SMDAM), considers an issuer to be located in Japan if it meets one or more of the following criteria: (i) the issuer is organized under the laws of, or has its principal office in Japan; (ii) the issuer has the primary trading markets for its securities in Japan; (iii) the issuer derives at least 50% of its revenue or … The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes in equity securities of issuers located in Japan. This investment policy may be changed by the Fund upon 60 days prior written notice to shareholders. The Funds sub-adviser, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company, Ltd, doing business as SMDAM (the Sub-Adviser or SMDAM), considers an issuer to be located in Japan if it meets one or more of the following criteria: (i) the issuer is organized under the laws of, or has its principal office in Japan; (ii) the issuer has the primary trading markets for its securities in Japan; (iii) the issuer derives at least 50% of its revenue or profits from goods or services sold or performed, or investments made, in Japan; or (iv) the issuer has at least 50% of its assets in Japan. For clarity, the Sub-Adviser may rely on only one criterion to determine an issuers location even if other criteria may indicate a different location. The equity securities in which the Fund primarily invests are common stock and preferred stock. The Funds portfolio allocations to common and preferred stocks are determined by the Sub-Adviser based upon current and relative yield and the potential total return of these securities relative to their investable universe. The Fund may invest in securities of companies with any market capitalization. The Funds equity investments may also include derivatives, principally futures contracts, which will be used primarily by the Fund for hedging purposes, to equitize cash positions in the Funds portfolio, or to otherwise gain exposure to an instrument without investing in such instrument directly. The Fund will utilize futures contracts because they not only provide equity exposure to the Funds cash balance, but also provide increased flexibility in responding to client cash flow needs (e.g., redemptions). Additionally, because it can be less expensive to trade a list of securities as a package or program trade rather than as a group of individual orders, futures provide a means through which transaction costs can be reduced. The Fund possesses the discretion to allocate investments across various sectors; however, the execution of the Funds investment strategy may lead to a substantial portion of its net assets being invested in one or more sectors at any particular juncture. The selection of these sectors is contingent upon prevailing market demand. No predetermined sectors exist, as the Fund engages in entirely bottom-up fundamental research, potentially resulting in the Fund focusing on one or more sectors from time to time. For instance, the Fund may allocate a substantial portion of its assets to a particular sector based on the high conviction of its portfolio managers, or as a result of stock selection. Subject to the Advisers oversight, the Sub-Adviser makes investment decisions regarding which securities to buy and sell for the Fund. In identifying securities to purchase for the Funds portfolio, the Sub-Adviser focuses on companies that it believes demonstrate sustainable earnings growth, based on the Sub-Advisers fundamental analysis of individual companies. In the Sub-Advisers view, companies that have sustainable earnings growth are companies that (i) establish competitive and advantageous positions in growing markets and segments where demand is rapidly rising; (ii) have distinctive business models that create new markets where the Sub-Adviser determines that competition does not exist and enjoy substantial marginal profits; and (iii) are able to ignite new demand by developing new products and services which the Sub-Adviser determines did not exist previously. Other fundamental characteristics are also considered when evaluating companies to be included in the Funds portfolio, including but not limited to (i) size, stability and trajectory of cash flows; (ii) managements experience, capability and depth; (iii) marketing strategies; (iv) current and future products or services; (v) corporate governance; and (vi) financial health. A determination to sell a company is typically triggered by either (i) negative change on company fundamentals; or (ii) stock price volatility. Due to its investment strategy, the Fund may buy and sell securities frequently. The Fund is classified as non-diversified, which means that it may invest a larger percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Top holdings
As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI UFJ F | — | $1.28M | 5.93% |
| FUJIKURA LTD | — | $1.19M | 5.53% |
| FOOD LIFE COS LTD | 3563 JP | $1.04M | 4.83% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORP | — | $1.03M | 4.80% |
| RESONAC HOLDINGS | — | $1.02M | 4.74% |
| TOYOTA TSUSHO | — | $911.07K | 4.23% |
| ASICS CORP | — | $865.68K | 4.02% |
| FAST RETAILING CO LTD | — | $837.54K | 3.89% |
| RYOHIN KEIKAKU | — | $821.40K | 3.81% |
| KAWASAKI HVY IND | — | $815.80K | 3.79% |
Portfolio moves
Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Matthews Japan Active ETF · JPAN | 32% | 0.79% |
| Matthews Japan Fund · MJFOX, MIJFX | 32% | 1.08% |
| Fidelity SAI Japan Stock Index Fund · FSJPX | 24% | 0.12% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| Rayliant Asset Management | Adviser |
| SUMITOMO MITSUI DS ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LIMITED | Sub-adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of January 28, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. As reported in the fund's prospectus performance bar chart.
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