Investment objective & strategy
As of Sept. 6, 2022 · prospectusObjective. The investment objective of Emerge EMPWR Sustainable Emerging Markets Equity ETF (the Fund) is to seek long-term growth of capital.
Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in equity securities of issuers located in emerging markets countries that, at the time of investment, meet the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria established by Emerge Capital Management Inc. (Emerge or the Advisor). The Fund considers a countrys market to be an emerging market if it is defined as an emerging or developing economy by any of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (i.e., the World Bank), the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations or its authorities. Additionally, the Fund, for purposes of its investments, may consider a country included in JP Morgan, MSCI or FTSE … Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in equity securities of issuers located in emerging markets countries that, at the time of investment, meet the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria established by Emerge Capital Management Inc. (Emerge or the Advisor). The Fund considers a countrys market to be an emerging market if it is defined as an emerging or developing economy by any of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (i.e., the World Bank), the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations or its authorities. Additionally, the Fund, for purposes of its investments, may consider a country included in JP Morgan, MSCI or FTSE emerging markets indices to be an emerging market country. The Funds Sub-Advisor, Channing Global Advisors, LLC (Channing Global or the Sub-Advisor) may consider a company to be in an emerging market country if the company has been organized under the laws of, has its principal offices in, or has its securities principally traded in, an emerging market country, or if the company derives at least 50% of revenues or net profits from, or has at least 50% of assets or production capacities in, an emerging market country. The countries included in this definition will change over time. The Fund invests predominantly in equity securities. Equity securities include common stock (including real estate investment trusts), preferred stock, securities convertible into common stock, depositary receipts, or securities or other instruments whose price is linked to the value of common stock. The Fund may invest in the securities of issuers of all capitalization sizes. The Fund, from time to time, may have significant investments in one or more countries, including China. Investments in Chinese companies may be made through a special structure known as a variable interest entity (VIE) that is designed to provide foreign investors with exposure to Chinese companies that operate in certain sectors in which China restricts or prohibits foreign investments. In a VIE structure, instead of directly owning the equity interests in a Chinese company, the listed company has contractual arrangements with the Chinese company. The Fund is non-diversified, which means it can invest a greater percentage of its assets in a small group of issuers or any one issuer than a diversified fund can. In selecting companies, Channing Global Advisors, LLC (Channing Global or the Sub-Advisor) uses proprietary fundamental data screening and fundamental research to identify companies that the Sub-Advisor believes present attractive growth opportunities, based on certain characteristics that, in the Sub-Advisors view, position the company to benefit from secular and tactical themes. In identifying companies that offer attractive thematic growth opportunities, the Sub-Advisor seeks to identify favorable secular and tactical themes resulting from country and sector. These secular and tactical themes could include changes in commodities pricing, interest rates, exchange rates, or regulation. Through fundamental research, the Sub-Advisor then seeks to identify what the Sub-Advisor believes are high quality growth companies that, in the Sub-Advisors view, are undervalued relative to their estimated earnings and cash-flow growth and poised to deliver excess returns. For purposes of the Sub-Advisors selection process, quality includes measurements such as trading volume, balance sheet, income statement, cash flow, and sustainable growth; and growth includes measurements such as net income and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. The Sub-Advisor may recommend selling securities for several reasons, including when there are more attractive opportunities or where the original investment thesis for a company is no longer valid. Emerge considers ESG factors within its securities selection process for each equity security for the Fund. Emerge assesses whether a company meets the Funds ESG standards based on its proprietary ESG framework. Emerge uses ESG research, ratings, and analytics from independent third-party data providers to screen investments based on ESG criteria determined by Emerge. The Fund may hold securities of issuers for which third-party data is not available. Where an issuer has not been assigned a rating by the third-party data provider, Emerges ESG analysis incorporates publicly available data. Emerge has the right to change the third-party data providers that support its ESG framework at any time. In determining whether an issuer meets Emerges ESG investment criteria, Emerge considers: (i) negative screening criteria to eliminate certain types of issuers in light of social and environmental considerations; and (ii) governance-related risk ratings published by third party data providers, including Sustainalytics, designed to measure the degree to which a companys economic value is at risk driven by the magnitude of a companys unmanaged ESG risks. As of the date of this Prospectus, Emerge applies a negative screen to exclude companies for investment that derive 20% or more of their revenues from biological and chemical weapons, thermal coal extraction, gambling, adult entertainment, tobacco production, and recreational cannabis. Emerge may modify the above list of negative screens at any time, without prior shareholder approval or notice. ESG risk ratings data compiled by third-party data providers forms the basis for Emerges governance-related risk assessment and screening. Emerge may consider excluding, reducing or eliminating exposure to issuers with high ESG risk ratings, as determined by one or more third-party data providers. The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) that does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index.
Top holdings
As of April 28, 2023 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Fields Ltd SPONSORED ADR | GFI US | $45.72K | 8.97% |
| TAIWAN SEMIC MFG CO LTD SP ADR | — | $24.19K | 4.75% |
| WALMART DE MEXIC | — | $23.76K | 4.66% |
| PETROLEO BRASILEIRO SPONS ADR | — | $22.62K | 4.44% |
| HDFC BANK LTD SPON ADR | — | $22.27K | 4.37% |
| SABESP(CIA SANEAM BASIC)SP ADR | SBS US | $22.06K | 4.33% |
| TENARIS SA SPON ADR | TS | $21.96K | 4.31% |
| SAMSUNG ELEC VTG GDR REGS | SSNHZ US | $20.98K | 4.12% |
| Southern Copper Corporation COM USD0.01 | SCCO US | $19.82K | 3.89% |
| TENCENT HOLDINGS LTD | — | $17.55K | 3.44% |
Portfolio moves
Jan 31, 2023 → Apr 28, 2023How 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. |
|---|---|---|
| Emerging Markets Fund | 23% | 1.15% |
| Emerging Markets Great Consumer Fund | 19% | 1.15% |
| Virtus SGA Emerging Markets Growth Fund | 19% | 1.05% |
Footnotes
- Net assets and holdings count as of April 28, 2023, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
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