Commodity Monthly Monitor Defensives gain as ”Trumpflation” fades Your reference guide to commodity markets. Includes the latest outlook for each commodity sector and major developments for individual commodities.
Summary
• Agricultural prices under pressure from rising global output.
• Industrial metals saw their prices plummet as “Trumpflation” is fading away.
• Crude oil gains as market remains optimistic on an OPEC deal extension.
• The rise of geopolitical risks after US air strikes against Syria boost precious metals.
Globally, economic growth is becoming more broad-based, although growth rates remain well below their 40 year average in the developed world. US interest rates are beginning a steady rate hike path. Core inflationary pressures in the rest of the developed world are broadly rising, suggesting other central banks will have to follow the Federal Reserve or risk “falling behind the curve”. We question if interest rate normalisation can occur with so much government debt and such low productivity, and consequently see central banks having to strike a very fine balance between the twin dangers of inflation and recession. Increasing commodity prices have been a primary driver of inflation in recent years. The rise of populism and potential reversal of globalisation could further stoke inflationary pressures, but these trends are contingent on the delivery of political campaign promises, which look increasingly difficult. We see central bankers beginning to adopt a form of dovish monetary policy tightening, preferring to allow inflation to run above target. Sentiment towards commodities has just come off all-time highs, highlighting “peak bullishness”. In a broader context for commodities, given that prices are generally below the marginal cost of production, global growth continues to improve and we are seeing the early signs of supply side destruction, the fundamentals remain intact. It just maybe worth waiting for speculative positioning to cool down a little bit.
Agricultural prices under pressure from rising global output. Soft commodities, sugarand cocoa, led the declines in the agricultural sector as favourable growing conditions in South America (for sugar) and Africa (for cocoa) prompted better crop harvest. The trend looks set to continue.
Industrial metals saw their prices plummet as “Trumpflation” is fading away. Market participants are acknowledging the divergence between the US President’s promises during his campaign and what he is able to deliver. The Sentix Sentiment on US economy expectations started to fade recently. We however remain positive on the complex in the longer run on robust fundamentals and the enforcement of China environmental policy.
Crude oil gains as market remains optimistic on an OPEC deal extension. Following strong compliance by individual member countries toward the deal to cut production, the market is optimistic that the deal will be extended. With poor compliance from non-member countries and surging US production, we are more pessimistic than the market.
The rise of geopolitical risks after US air strikes against Syria boost precious metals. Goldand silverrebounded by 5% on average over the past month as investors poured money into safe haven assets. The tensions between the US and Russia, and the US and North Korea should continue to support gold prices in the near term
For followers of our CONTRARIAN MODEL we have the following signals this month.
ETF Securities Research team ETF Securities (UK) Limited T +44 (0) 207 448 4336 E info@etfsecurities.com
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The analyses in the above tables are purely for information purposes. They do not reflect the performance of any ETF Securities’ products . The futures and roll returns are not necessarily investable.
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Profit taking in precious metals but contrarian inflows into cocoa and oil
ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Profit taking in precious metals but contrarian inflows into cocoa and oil
Profit taking on precious metals after last week’s strong rally.
Opportunistic inflows into crude oil ETPs as oil prices corrected last week.
8th straight week into cocoa ETPs as spot prices hit a 4-year low USD shorts are building.
Profit taking in precious metals. With gold almost reaching our target price for the year (US$1,300/oz by mid-year), we saw outflows of US$-30 mn from gold ETPs. The escalation of tensions in Syria, North Korea as well as uncertainty of the outcome of the French elections have driven inflows in previous weeks. Year-to-date, we have seen more than US$600mn into our gold ETPs, with almost US$80mn in the last month. Gold prices could continue to see support as the market probability for further Federal Reserve (Fed) action in June has fallen below 50% and inflation expectations / bond yields continue to fall.
USD shorts are building. Following recent disappointment in both US soft data (such as manufacturing PMIs) and hard data (CPI inflation), as well as the lack of any forecast upgrades from the latest Fed meeting, we have seen inflows into short USD ETPs of US$16mn over the last one month.
Crude ETPs receive inflows as oil prices fell on disappointing US inventory data. U.S. oil prices fell nearly -4% last Wednesday to US$50.28 per barrel as US inventories declined less than expected. On the back of this we saw US$14mn inflows into crude oil ETPs. We continue to see oil range bound: expectations that OPEC could announce another production cut at their 25th May meeting could provide support, however, the continued backlog of crude in the US is likely to exert downward pressure.
Continued selling of European equities and buying of EUR. Similar to last week’s flows, we saw buying of long EUR ETPs (US$ 5mn) despite the French elections over the weekend. In the equity space, we also saw buying of FTSE100 ETPs (US$ 5 inflows) as UK equities corrected last week following the announcement of a snap General election in June.
8th straight week of inflows into cocoa ETPs: US$60mn inflows YTD Cocoa hit a fresh 4-year low in both London and New York last week. The rise in the UK currency on the general election announcement last week contributed to the selling as cocoa traded in London is priced in sterling. Worries about supplies in the Ivory Coast, the leading producer, also weighed on prices. Cocoa’s 42 percent slump over the last 12 months makes it one of the worst performing commodities this year, however, investor sentiment may be getting less bearish as speculative net short positions on CFTC exchange have fallen.
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ETF Securities Research team ETF Securities (UK) Limited T +44 (0) 207 448 4336 E info@etfsecurities.com
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Chocolate makers to benefit from cheaper cocoa prices
Cocoa is expected to go back into a supply surplus this year. The surplus will be highest in six years and will weigh on prices. Confectioners, who only last year were reducing the chocolate content of their bars, may be less thrifty this year. Chocolate makers to benefit from cheaper cocoa prices
Favourable weather has promoted a good cocoa crop this year in Africa. 70% of global cocoa comes from Africa. The main crop, which contributes to about 80% of the total annual harvest in Africa is be complete in March. The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) yesterday released its supply and demand forecast for 2016/17, showing a return to a production surplus. Seasonal ‘Harmattan’ winds that threaten to damage the crop failed to materialise and its absence has reversed the supply deficit that the market had initially assumed. Cocoa prices have fallen by 40% and speculative positioning has fallen to an all-time low.
The ICCO forecasts that supply will increase by 14.8% to an all-time high of 4.6 million tonnes in 2016/17. Meanwhile demand will only rise 2.9% to 4.2 million tonnes.
Near-term pressures remain on cocoa prices. While port deliveries of cocoa at Ivory Coast have not risen substantially yet, that is due to a disruption with exporters. A number of local exporters who bought cocoa – expecting its price to rise – have defaulted on contracts. That cocoa is piled in warehouses, waiting to be re-auctioned. Once that cocoa is sold the elevated output is likely to enter global supply.
Following the dramatic 40% decline in cocoa prices since August 2016, we believe that demand could make a stronger comeback this year than the ICCO anticipates. In 2016, a number of confectioners reduced the cocoa content of their chocolates in an effort to reduce their costs amid high cocoa prices. Now that cocoa prices have declined, we could see a reversal of that strategy. Consumers concerned that that their Easter eggs will be light on chocolate need not worry with prices this low.
(Click to enlarge)
Nitesh Shah, Research Analyst at ETF Securities
Niteshis a Commodities Strategist at ETF Securities. Nitesh has 13 years of experience as an economist and strategist, covering a wide range of markets and asset classes. Prior to joining ETF Securities, Nitesh was an economist covering the European structured finance markets at Moody’s Investors Service and was a member of Moody’s global macroeconomics team. Before that he was an economist at the Pension Protection Fund and an equity strategist at Decision Economics. He started his career at HSBC Investment Bank. Nitesh holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University (USA).
Aggregate net speculative positioning across all commodities hit a record high last month, highlighting the strength of bullish sentiment toward the asset class.Consumer price inflation in the US surprised to the upside last month and we believe will continue to remain elevated as higher energy prices today will place upward pressure on the consumption basket.
Fed fund futures indicate the market does not share the Fed’s view that there will be three rate hikes this year (market is pricing in two hikes). We are likely to see real interest rates remain low if not negative in such an environment. That will be positive for gold and silver, which are negatively correlated with real interest rates.
The US dollar is likely to remain soft in the first half of the year, which is positive for the broader commodity complex. Global manufacturing PMIs are at 34-month high, providing a strong tailwind for industrial commodities. With less than a 5% further gain in the index, PMIs could reach a 6-year high.
Meanwhile supply of several industrial metals are threatened by policy changes and strikes. It is not surprising that industrial and precious metals have lead the commodity complex higher this month.
Oil continues to trade at the top of the trading range despite the strong supply response we have seen from the United States. The market has been encouraged by a 90% compliance rate toward the production cut from OPEC countries, but more than a 100% compliance rate would be needed to sufficiently absorb the overhang of inventory. We believe that risks remain skewed to the downside for oil prices in the short-term.
Important Information
The analyses in the above tables are purely for information purposes. They do not reflect the performance of any ETF Securities’ products . The futures and roll returns are not necessarily investable.
General
This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (“ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”).
This communication is only targeted at qualified or professional investors.
The information contained in this communication is for your general information only and is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investments may go down in value.
This document is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares or securities in the United States or any province or territory thereof. Neither this document nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States.
This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. Although ETFS UK endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the content in this communication, ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee its accuracy or correctness. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data. Where ETFS UK has expressed its own opinions related to product or market activity, these views may change. Neither ETFS UK, nor any affiliate, nor any of their respective, officers, directors, partners, or employees accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this publication or its contents.
ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.
Your reference guide to commodity markets. Includes the latest outlook for each commodity sector and major developments for individual commodities.
The surprise Trump presidential victory had a resounding impact on global markets leading to a wide divergence in the performance of precious and industrial metals. Mr Trump’s policy on infrastructure spending boosted industrial metal prices and we continue to see optimism in futures market positioning. While the ‘risk-on’ sentiment in the wake of Trump’s victory coupled with his more hawkish stance on monetary policy weighed on precious metals. Market expectations for a December rate hike have spiked to 90% pushing up the greenback. Given that the December rate hike is largely priced in, we expect rising inflation and uncertainty surrounding a swathe of European elections to boost gold’s appeal as a safety hedge. Furthermore, we remain unconvinced in the Fed’s ability to keep up with rising inflation which should lead to low/negative real rates. Further policy mistakes will only enhance the popularity of gold in a negative real rate environment.
Energy prices have come under significant pressure this past month as OPEC’s ability to broker a supply cut seems to be fading. Ahead of the OPEC meeting on 30 November, many oil producing countries have increased their oil production, pointing to an uncertain outcome. Meanwhile agricultural prices are likely to come under pressure as a La Niña weather pattern is expected to emerge. As we head in to 2017, uncertainty surrounding the global political landscape and a move towards more populist leaders in the developed world will continue to be a key driver of financial market volatility.
La Niña back in the picture. A La Niña weather pattern is expected to emerge which will provide cooler temperatures during the Southern Hemisphere summer and reduce heat damage for Arabica coffee and corn. Current rains have produced a good flowering of coffee bushes in Brazil, setting up for a good crop this year.
Prices to correct before industrial metals recover. As there haven’t been any fundamental changes over the past month, a surge of optimism from investors and following the US election may explain the recent price rally within industrial metals. We believe this rally is overdone and see an upcoming correction. We are however more positive on the longer run as the complex is on track to end 2016 in deficit for the first time in 10 years.
Energy prices to remain volatile. Oil prices fell close to 15% last month as optimism about OPEC’s ability to broker a supply cut is fading. A flurry of meetings between both OPEC and non-OPEC countries have taken place, but have so far produced little positive results. Growing scepticism about OPEC’s ability to cut production has led to short positions rising 56% in WTI and 39% in the past month.
Stronger dollar and negative sentiment trump precious metals. Gold’s price suffered the sharpest decline as markets switched to ’risk-on’ mode following Trump’s surprise presidential victory. While we expect the trajectory of gold’s price to remain volatile, we view the current dip as a buying opportunity. Robust global car sales figures coupled with tighter emission standards adds scope for further upside for Palladium as its supply deficit continues to next year.
For those of you following the contrarian model we have the following signals;
BUY Ticker
BRENT
OILB
BRNT
OSB1 (1yr)
OSB2 (2yr)
OSB3 (yep you guessed it, it’s the 3year contract)
PBRT (GBP Hedged)
00XT (EUR Hedged)
LBRT (2x Leverage)
3CRL (if you want 3x leverage, note this is WTI) Cocoa
ETF Securities Research team
ETF Securities (UK) Limited
T +44 (0) 207 448 4336
E info@etfsecurities.com
Important Information
General
This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the ”FCA”).
This communication is only targeted at qualified or professional investors.
The products discussed in this communication are issued by ETFS Commodity Securities Limited (”CSL”), ETFS Hedged Commodity Securities Limited (”HCSL”), ETFS Hedged Metal Securities Limited (”HMSL”), Swiss Commodity Securities Limited (”SCSL”), ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited (”FXL”), ETFS Metal Securities Limited (”MSL”), ETFS Oil Securities Limited (”OSL”), ETFS Equity Securities Limited (”ESL”), Gold Bullion Securities Limited (”GBS” and, together with CSL, HCSL, HMSL, SCSL, FXL, MSL, OSL and ESL, the ”Issuers”) and GO UCITS ETF Solutions Plc (the ”Company ”). Each Issuer (apart from SCSL) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. The Company is an open-ended investment company with variable capital having segregated liability between its sub-funds (each a ”Fund”) and is organised under the laws of Ireland. The Company is regulated, and has been authorised as a UCITS by the Central Bank of Ireland (the ”Financial Regulator”) pursuant to the European Communities (Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) Regulations, 2003 (as amended).
Italy: When being made within Italy, this communication is for the exclusive use of the ”qualified investors” and its circulation among the public is prohibited.
Switzerland: In Switzerland, this communication is only intended for Regulated Qualified Investors.
US: This communication is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares in the United States or any province or territory thereof, where none of the Issuers, the Company or any securities issued by them are authorised or registered for distribution and where no prospectus for any of the Issuers or the Company has been filed with any securities commission or regulatory authority. Neither this communication nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States. Neither the Issuers, the Company nor any securities issued by them have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 or the Investment Company Act of 1940 or qualified under any applicable state securities statutes.
This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any information contained herein and any opinions related to product or market activity may change. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data.
Any historical performance included in this communication may be based on back testing. Back tested performance is purely hypothetical and is provided in this communication solely for informational purposes. Back tested data does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of actual or future performance. Historical performance is not an indication of or a guide to future performance.
The information contained in this communication is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchaser or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of such jurisdiction. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision.
ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.
Risk Warnings
Securities issued by the Issuers and the Company may be structured products involving a significant degree of risk and may not be suitable for all types of investor. This communication is aimed at sophisticated, professional and institutional investors. Any decision to invest should be based on the information contained in the prospectus (and any supplements thereto) of the relevant Issuer or the Company which includes, inter alia, information on certain risks associated with an investment. The price of any securities may go up or down and an investor may not get back the amount invested. Securities may be priced in US Dollars, Euros, or Sterling, and the value of the investment in other currencies will be affected by exchange rate movements. Investments in the securities of the Issuers or the shares of the Company which provide a short and/or leveraged exposure are only suitable for sophisticated, professional and institutional investors who understand leveraged and compounded daily returns and are willing to magnify potential losses by comparison to investments which do not incorporate these strategies. Over periods of greater than one day, investments with a short and/or leveraged exposure do not necessarily provide investors with a return equivalent to a return from the unleveraged long or unleveraged short investments multiplied by the relevant leverage factor.
Investors should refer to the section entitled ”Risk Factors” in the relevant prospectus for further details of these and other risks associated with an investment in the securities offered by the Issuers and the Company.
The relevant prospectus for each Issuer and the Company may be obtained from www.etfsecurities.com. Please contact ETFS UK at +44 20 7448 4330 or info@etfsecurities.com for more information.
Issuers
General: The FCA has delivered to the regulators listed below certificates of approval attesting that the prospectuses of the Issuers indicated have been drawn up in accordance with Directive 2003/71/EC.
For Dutch, French, German and Italian Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of the Issuers (apart from SCSL) have been passported from the United Kingdom into France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands and have been filed with the l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France, Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) in Germany, CONSOB and the Bank of Italy in Italy and the Authority Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) in the Netherlands. Copies of prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) and related regulatory documentation, including annual reports, can be obtained in France from HSBC France, 103, Avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris, in Germany from HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt, AG, Konsortialgeschäft, Königsalle 21/23, 40212 Dusseldorf and in the Netherlands from Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V., Rokin 55, 1012 KK Amsterdam. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of the Issuers (apart from SCSL) may be distributed to investors in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
This communication is not a financial analysis pursuant to Section 34b of the German Securities Trading Act (Wertpapierhandelsgesetz – WpHG) and consequently does not meet all legal requirements to warrant the objectivity of a financial analysis and is also not subject to the ban on trading prior to the publication of a financial analysis.
This communication is not addressed to or intended directly or indirectly, to (a) any persons who do not qualify as qualified investors (gekwalificeerde beleggers) within the meaning of section 1:1 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act as amended from time to time; and/or (b) in circumstances where other exemptions or dispensations from the prohibition the Dutch Financial Supervision Act or the Exemption Regulation of the Act on Financial Supervision apply.
None of the Issuers is required to have a license pursuant to the Dutch Financial Supervision Act as it is exempt from any licensing requirements and is not regulated by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and consequently no prudential and conduct of business supervision will be exercised.
For Austrian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of CSL, HCSL, HMSL, MSL, ESL and FXL have been passported from the United Kingdom into Austria, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and have been filed with Österreichische Finanzmarktaufsicht (Austrian Financial Market Authority) in Austria, Finanstilsynet (Financial Supervisory Authority) in Denmark, Finanssivalvonta (Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority) in Finland, Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (Portuguese Securities Market Commission) in Portugal, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (Securities Market Commission) in Spain and the Finansinspektionen (Financial Supervisory Authority) in Sweden. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for these entities may be distributed to investors in Austria, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Sweden.
For Belgian Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for GBS, CSL, MSL and FXL have been passported from the United Kingdom into Belgium and has been filed with the Commission Bancair, Financiére et des Assurances in Belgium. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for GBS, CSL, MSL and FXL may be distributed to investors in Belgium.
For Swiss investors: The prospectus (and any supplements thereto) for SCSL may be distributed to investors in Switzerland. Securities in SCSL are not shares or units in collective investment schemes within the meaning of CISA. They have not been approved by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and are not subject to its supervision. The Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities are not issued or guaranteed by a supervised financial intermediary within the meaning of CISA.
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 and is not an offer or an invitation to acquire securities in SCSL. This document does not constitute a Swiss listing prospectus under the SIX Listing Rules and the SIX Additional Rules for the listing of Exchange Traded Products. This document must be read in conjunction with the Swiss Listing Prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between this document and the Swiss Listing Prospectus, the Swiss Listing Prospectus shall prevail. Detailed information on the terms and conditions of the Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities can be found in the Swiss Listing Prospectus under Part 6 – Trust Instrument and Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities.
Other than as set out above investors may contact ETFS UK at +44 (0)20 7448 4330 or at info@etfsecurities.com to obtain copies of prospectuses and related regulatory documentation, including annual reports. Other than as separately indicated, this communication is being made on a ”private placement” basis and is intended solely for the professional / institutional recipient to which it is delivered.
Securities issued by the Issuers are direct, limited recourse obligations of the relevant Issuer alone and are not obligations of or guaranteed by any of UBS AG (”UBS”), Merrill Lynch Commodities Inc. (”MLCI”), Merrill Lynch International (”MLI”), Bank of America Corporation (”BAC”), Bloomberg Finance LP (”Bloomberg”), Société Générale (”SG ”), Shell Trading Switzerland, Shell Treasury, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley & Co International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated or any of their affiliates or anyone else or any of their affiliates. Each of UBS, MLCI, MLI, BAC, Bloomberg, SG, Shell Trading Switzerland, Shell Treasury, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley & Co International plc and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated disclaims all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which it might have in respect of this communication or its contents otherwise arising in connection herewith.
Funds
Austria: Investors should base their investment decision only on the relevant prospectus of the Company, the Key Investor Information Document, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association, which can be obtained free of charge upon request at the Paying and Information Agent in Austria, Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG, Graben 21, A1010 Wien, Österreich and on www.etfsecurities.com.
France: Any subscription for shares of the Funds will be made on the basis of the terms of the prospectus, the simplified prospectus and any supplements or addenda thereto. The Company is a UCITS governed by Irish legislation and approved by the Financial Regulator as UCITS compliant with European regulations although may not have to comply with the same rules as those applicable to a similar product approved in France. Certain of the Funds have been registered for marketing in France by the Authority Financial Markets (Autorité des Marchés Financiers) and may be distributed to investors in France. Copies of all documents (i.e. the prospectus (including any supplements or addenda thereto, the Key Investor Information Document, the latest annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and articles of association) are available in France, free of charge, at the French Centralizing Agent, Société Générale, Securities Services, at 1-5 rue du Débarcadère, 92700 Colombes – France. Germany: The offering of the Shares of the Fund has been notified to the German Financial Services Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in accordance with section 310 of the German Investment Code (KAGB). Copies of all documents (i.e. the Key Investor Information Document (in the German language), the prospectus, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association) can be obtained free of charge upon request at the Paying and Information Agent in Germany, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG, Königsallee 21-23, 40212 Düsseldorf and on www.etfsecurities.com. The current offering and redemption prices as well as the net asset value and possible notifications of the investors can also be requested free of charge at the same address. In Germany the Shares will be settled as co-owner shares in a Global Bearer certificate issued by Clearstream Banking AG. This type of settlement only occurs in Germany because there is no direct link between the English and German clearing and settlement systems CREST and Clearstream. For this reason the ISIN used for trading of the Shares in Germany differs from the ISIN used in other countries.
Netherlands: Each Fund has been registered with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets following the UCITS passport-procedure pursuant to section 2:72 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act.
United Kingdom: Each Fund is a recognised scheme under section 264 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and so the prospectus may be distributed to investors in the United Kingdom. Copies of all documents (i.e. the Key Investor Information Document, the prospectus, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association) are available in the United Kingdom from www.etfsecurities.com.
None of the index providers of the Funds referred to herein nor their licensors make any warranty or representation whatsoever either as to the results obtained from use of the relevant indices and/or the figures at which such indices stand at any particular day or otherwise. None of the index providers shall be liable to any person for any errors or significant delays in the relevant indices nor shall be under any obligation to advise any person of any error or significant delay therein.
