ITEM 1.
BUSINESS
Introduction
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund (the “Fund”) was formed as a Delaware statutory trust on April 12, 2006. The term of the Fund is perpetual (unless terminated earlier in certain circumstances) as provided for in the Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Fund, as amended, (the “Trust Agreement”). The Fund has an unlimited number of Shares authorized for issuance. The fiscal year end of the Fund is December 31st.
The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the “Authorized Participants”) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The Fund commenced investment operations on September 15, 2006. The Fund commenced trading on the American Stock Exchange (which became the NYSE Alternext US LLC (the “NYSE Alternext”)) on September 18, 2006 and is now listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) as of November 25, 2008.
On February 23, 2015 (the “Closing Date”) Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (“Invesco”) completed the purchase of the assets of DB Commodity Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“DBCS”), including all of its interest in the Fund, including the sole and exclusive power to direct the business and affairs of the Fund, as well as certain other assets pertaining to the management of the Fund, pursuant to the terms and conditions of a certain asset purchase agreement (the “Transaction”). Invesco now serves as the managing owner (the “Managing Owner”), commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund, in replacement of DBCS (the “Predecessor Managing Owner”).
As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”), each of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., Virtu Financial Capital Markets LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Virtu Financial BD LLC, Knight Capital Americas LLC, Timber Hill LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC, Nomura Securities International Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, UBS Securities LLC, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing, L.P. and Citadel Securities LLC has executed a Participant Agreement and are the only Authorized Participants.
Fund Investment Overview
The Fund seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index-Excess Return™, (the “Index”), over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations (“Treasury Income”) and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) (“Money Market Income”) over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) for margin and/or cash management purposes.
The Index is designed to reflect the performance of certain currencies. The currencies comprising the Index, at any time (each an “Index Currency”, and collectively, the “Index Currencies”), are six of the following Group of Ten currencies: United States Dollars, Euros, Japanese Yen, Canadian Dollars, Swiss Francs, British Pounds, Australian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars, Norwegian Krone and Swedish Krona, or, collectively, the Eligible Index Currencies. At any time, the Index will consist of long futures contracts on the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the highest interest rates and short futures contracts on the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the lowest interest rates. The ratio of the notional value of futures contracts in the Index to collateral used to margin those contracts is approximately 2:1 when the Index re-balances quarterly. However, if the United States Dollar is one of the Eligible Index Currencies associated with either the three highest or the three lowest interest rates, the Index will not establish a futures position, and the ratio of the notional value of futures contracts to collateral used to margin those contracts will be approximately 1.66:1 when the Index re-balances. The Fund has in the past invested at the quarterly re-balance in excess of the targeted 2:1 ratio of aggregate notional value of futures to collateral used to margin those contracts.
The Managing Owner pays the Index Sponsor (as defined below) a licensing fee and an index services fee for performing its duties. These fees constitute a portion of the routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses which are paid out of the Management Fee and are not charged to or reimbursed by the Fund.
Neither the Managing Owner nor any affiliate of the Managing Owner has any rights to influence the selection of the futures contracts underlying the Index. The Index Sponsor is not affiliated with the Fund or the Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has entered into a license agreement with the Index Sponsor to use the Index.
The Fund is not sponsored or endorsed by Deutsche Bank AG, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. or any subsidiary or affiliate of Deutsche Bank AG or Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (collectively, “Deutsche Bank”). The Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index® - Excess Return (the “Index”) is the exclusive property of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. “DBIQ” is a service mark of Deutsche Bank AG and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, concerning the Index, the Fund or the advisability of investing in securities generally. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index has any obligation to take the needs of the Managing Owner or its clients into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index is responsible for or has participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, quantities or valuation of the Fund. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index has any obligation or liability in connection with the administration or trading of the Fund.
NEITHER DEUTSCHE BANK NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX, WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. NEITHER DEUTSCHE BANK NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX, MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY INVESCO POWERSHARES CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER DEUTSCHE BANK NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX, MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL DEUTSCHE BANK OR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSSES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED TO THE CONTRARY, THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN DEUTSCHE BANK AND INVESCO POWERSHARES CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC.
No purchaser, seller or holder of the Shares of this Fund, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any Deutsche Bank trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote this Fund without first contacting Deutsche Bank to determine whether Deutsche Bank’s permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with Deutsche Bank without the written permission of Deutsche Bank.
Index Composition
The currencies that are eligible for inclusion in the Index are the currencies of The Group of Ten (the “G10”) countries (the “Eligible Index Currencies”), which include the following currencies:
The futures contracts referencing each of the Eligible Index Currencies (except USD) in which the Fund invests are currently traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the “CME”), although currency futures contracts on the Eligible Index Currencies also trade on other exchanges in the United States and the Fund may invest in such contracts.
At any time, the Index is comprised of long futures positions in the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the highest interest rates and short futures positions in the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the lowest interest rates. The Index’s six component currencies from time-to-time, comprised of the three long and three short futures positions (each an “Index Currency”, and
collectively, the “Index Currencies”), are used to calculate the value of the Index. The composition of the Index may be adjusted in the event that the Index Sponsor is not able to calculate the closing prices of the Index Currencies.
The following table reflects the Fund and Index weights of each Index Currency as of December 31, 2016:
Please see http://www.invescopowershares.com with respect to the most recently available weighted composition of the Fund and the composition of the Index.
The Fund is an index tracking fund and does not utilize any trading system, whether discretionary, systematic or otherwise. The Index is a mathematical construct that is comprised of the Index Currencies, each of which is assigned an initial weight. As the value of the underlying Index Currencies changes, the relative weights of each of the Index Currencies will vary. The Index will be re-balanced at a pre-determined frequency in order to restore the target weights. As the Fund will invest in futures contracts tied to the underlying Index Currencies (and their corresponding target base weights) with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the changes in the levels of the Index, the Managing Owner serves in an administrative role in order to ensure that the Fund invests in a manner that seeks to track the Index.
The composition of the Index may be adjusted in the event that the Index Sponsor is not able to calculate the closing prices of the Index Currencies.
As discussed above, the Fund employs leverage on an approximate 2:1 basis. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the Fund had $2,787,687 (or 5.57% of its total assets) and $7,415,075 (or 8.37% of its total assets), respectively, of its holdings of cash, United States Treasury Obligations and unrealized appreciation/depreciation of futures contracts on deposit with its Commodity Broker (as defined below). Of this, $2,787,687 (or 5.57% of its total assets) and $6,999,620 (or 7.90% of its total assets) was required to be deposited to satisfy maintenance margin required by the Commodity Broker for the Fund’s open futures positions as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. All remaining cash, money market mutual funds and United States Treasury Obligations are on deposit with the Custodian (as defined below) for cash management purposes. For additional information, please see the Schedules of Investments as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 for details of the Fund’s portfolio holdings.
The Index Sponsor calculates the Index on both an excess return basis and a total return basis. The excess return basis calculation reflects the change in market value of the applicable underlying currency futures only. The total return basis calculation reflects the sum of the change in market value of the applicable underlying currency futures plus the return on 3-month U.S. Treasury bills. The Fund seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Index calculated on an excess return basis, over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s Treasury Income and Money Market Income over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds for margin and/or cash management purposes.
The Fund will make distributions at the discretion of the Managing Owner. To the extent that the Fund’s actual and projected Treasury Income and Money Market Income exceeds the actual and projected fees and expenses of the Fund, the Managing Owner expects periodically to make distributions of the amount of such excess. The Fund currently does not expect to make distributions with respect to its capital gains. Depending on the Fund’s performance for the taxable year and an investor’s own tax situation for such year, an investor’s income tax liability for the taxable year and allocable share of the Fund’s net ordinary income or loss and capital gain or loss may exceed any distributions an investor may receive with respect to such year.
In order to determine which Eligible Index Currencies to include in the Index from time-to-time, the Index Sponsor will review the composition of the Index on a quarterly basis five business days prior to the IMM Date. “IMM Date” means the third Wednesday of March, June, September and December, a traditional settlement date in the International Money Market.
The Index Sponsor will review the three month Libor rate for each Eligible Index Currency other than the SEK and NOK and will review the three month Stibor rate and the three month Nibor rate for the SEK and NOK, respectively. The Libor, Stibor and Nibor rates for the Eligible Index Currencies, as applicable, mean the London, Stockholm and Norway interbank offered rates for overnight deposits, respectively, each of which is published by Reuters. The Eligible Index Currencies are then ranked according to yield. The three highest yielding and three lowest yielding are selected as Index Currencies for inclusion in calculating the Index. If two Index Currencies have the same yield, then the previous quarter’s ranking will be used. Please see http://www.invescopowershares.com with respect to the most recently available weighted composition of the Fund and the composition of the Index.
The Index is re-weighted quarterly. Upon re-weighting, the high yielding Index Currencies are allocated a base weight of 33 1/3% and the low yielding Index Currencies are allocated a base weight of -33 1/3%. These new weights are applied during the Index re weighting period, which takes place between the fourth and third Index Business Days prior to the applicable IMM Date (the “Index Re-Weighting Period”).
The CME traded futures contract of each applicable Index Currency that is closest to expiration is used in the Index calculation. The futures contracts on the Index Currencies are rolled during the Index Re-Weighting Period. The new futures contract on an Index Currency that has the next closest expiration date is selected. The calculation of the Index on an excess return basis is the weighted return on the change in price of the futures contracts on the Index Currencies.
A 3-month U.S. Treasury bill return is then calculated and included to calculate the total return index. Please refer to Exhibit B of the Trust Agreement for the mathematical formula of the Index.
The Index has been calculated using historical data since March 12, 1993. The Index is composed of notional amounts of each Index Currency. The notional amounts of the Index Currencies included in the Index are based on the Index Closing Level as of the Index Re-Weighting Period. The Index Closing Level reflects an arithmetic weighted return of the change in the Index Currencies’ exchange rates against the USD since March 12, 1993. March 1993 was chosen as a starting period because it represents the earliest date on which reliable data for all the Eligible Index Currencies exists. On March 12, 1993, the closing Index level was USD 100. Between March 12, 1993 to December 31, 2016, the Index level as calculated on an excess return basis has ranged from as high as USD 315.27 (July 25, 2007) to as low as USD 94.03 (July 30, 1993). Past Index results are not necessarily indicative of future changes, positive or negative, in the Index.
To track the Index, the Fund generally will establish long futures positions in the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the highest interest rates and short futures positions in the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the lowest interest rates and will adjust its holdings quarterly as the Index is adjusted. However, if the United States Dollar (“USD”) is among the Index Currencies from time-to-time, the Fund will not establish a long or short futures position (as the case may be) in USD, because USD is the Fund’s home currency and, as a consequence, the Fund can never enjoy profit or suffer loss from long or short futures positions in USD. When the USD is not associated with the highest or lowest interest rates among the Eligible Index Currencies, the aggregate notional value of the Fund’s futures contracts at the time they are established will be double the value of the Fund’s holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds, which means the Fund will have a leverage ratio at such time of 2:1. If the USD is associated with the highest or lowest interest rates among the Eligible Index Currencies, the aggregate notional value of the Fund’s futures contracts at the time they are established will be approximately 1.66 times the value of the Fund’s holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds, which means the Fund will have a leverage ratio at such time of approximately 1.66:1. Holding futures positions with a notional amount in excess of the Fund’s net asset value constitutes a form of leverage. The use of leverage will increase the potential for both trading profits and losses, depending on the changes, positive and negative, in the Index. The Fund’s ability to track the Index will not be affected by the presence or absence of the USD among the Index Currencies. Because the notional value of the Fund’s futures positions and holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds can rise or fall over time, the leverage ratio could be higher or lower between quarterly adjustments of the Index Currencies.
The use of long and short positions in the construction of the Index causes the Index to rise as a result of any upward price movement of Index Currencies expected to gain relative to the USD and to rise as a result of any downward price movement of Index Currencies expected to lose relative to the USD. The inclusion of both long and short positions is also expected to reduce the country specific foreign exchange risk of the Index (and, therefore, risk in connection with an investment in the Fund) relative to a directional (outright long or short) exposure to any or all of the Index Currencies.
There can be no assurance that the use of both long and short positions will reduce the volatility of the Index during any or all market cycles or performance periods, or that the Fund will achieve its objectives. It is possible that, prior to an Index rebalancing, that Index Currencies expected to lose relative to the USD may rise and/or Index Currencies expected to gain relative to the USD may fall. In such cases, the Fund may experience losses in both its long and short positions at the same time. Such losses will be greater as a
result of the Fund’s use of leverage, reflected in its long futures exposure to Index Currencies with a notional value of up to 100% of the Fund’s net asset value and its short futures exposure to Index Currencies with a notional value of up to 100% of the Fund’s net asset value. Under such circumstances, the Fund’s losses would be greater as a result of its leverage than would be the case were it to limit its overall exposure to Index Currencies with a notional value of 100% of the Fund’s net asset value.
As a result of its use of leverage, the Fund will be required to deposit a greater proportion of its net assets as margin, not expected to exceed 10% of net assets. This represents margin deposit requirements approximately twice as great as would be required if the Fund did not use leverage. Similarly, as a result of its use of leverage, the Fund will trade more futures contracts and incur more brokerage commission expense than it would if it did not use leverage. The additional amount of brokerage commission expense generally will be proportional to the Fund’s leverage ratio.
The Trustee
Under the Trust Agreement, Wilmington Trust Company, the trustee of the Fund (the “Trustee”) has delegated to the Managing Owner the exclusive management and control of all aspects of the business of the Fund. The Trustee will have no duty or liability to supervise or monitor the performance of the Managing Owner, nor will the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Managing Owner. The Trustee is compensated by the Managing Owner. Under the Trust Agreement, the Managing Owner, from the assets of the Fund, will indemnify the Trustee for any liability or expense relating to the ongoing operations and termination of the Fund incurred without gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Trustee.
The Managing Owner
The Managing Owner was formed on February 7, 2003. The Managing Owner is an affiliate of Invesco Ltd. The Managing Owner was formed to be the managing owner of investment vehicles such as exchange-traded funds and has been managing non-commodity futures based exchange-traded funds since 2003 and a commodity futures based exchange-traded fund since 2014. The Managing Owner serves as the commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor and swap firm of the Fund. The Managing Owner is registered as a commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor with the CFTC and is a member of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”). As a registered commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor, with respect to the Fund, the Managing Owner must comply with various regulatory requirements under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEAct”) and the rules and regulations of the CFTC and the NFA, including investor protection requirements, antifraud prohibitions, disclosure requirements, and reporting and recordkeeping requirements. The Managing Owner also is subject to periodic inspections and audits by the CFTC and NFA.
The Managing Owner has served as the managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date on February 23, 2015. The
The Predecessor Managing Owner served as the managing owner of the Fund prior to the Closing Date. The Managing Owner’s main business offices are located at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, IL 60515, and its telephone number is (800) 983-0903.
The Managing Owner serves as the Fund’s commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor and managing owner. The Fund pays the Managing Owner a management fee, monthly in arrears, in an amount equal to 0.75% per annum of the daily net asset value of the Fund (the “Management Fee”). From inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, all Management Fees were payable to the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date and all Management Fee accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Managing Owner.
The Fund may, for cash management purposes, invest in money market mutual funds that are managed by affiliates of the Managing Owner. The indirect portion of the management fee that the Fund may incur through such investment is in addition to the Management Fee paid to the Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has contractually agreed to waive the fees that it receives in an amount equal to the indirect management fees that the Fund incurs through its investments in affiliated money market mutual funds through June 20, 2018.
Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, the Fund will indemnify the Managing Owner against any losses, judgments, liabilities, expenses and amounts paid in settlement of any claims sustained by it in connection with its activities on behalf of the Fund incurred without gross negligence or willful misconduct.
The Commodity Trading Advisor
Invesco Advisers Inc. (“Invesco Advisers”), a Delaware corporation, is the commodity trading advisor of the Trust and Fund and is an affiliate of the Managing Owner. The Managing Owner may utilize the Invesco Advisers trading desk to place trades for the Fund. Invesco Advisers receives no compensation for providing this service.
The Commodity Broker
Effective November 25, 2016, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC became the Fund’s clearing broker (the “Commodity Broker”). A variety of executing brokers execute futures transactions on behalf of the Fund. Such executing brokers give-up all such transactions to the Commodity Broker. In its capacity as clearing broker, the Commodity Broker may execute or receive transactions executed by others and clears all the Fund’s futures transactions and performs certain administrative and custodial services for the Fund. The Commodity Broker is responsible, among other things, for providing periodic accountings of all dealings and actions taken by the Fund during the reporting period, together with an accounting of all securities, cash or other indebtedness or obligations held by it or its nominees for or on behalf of the Fund. Prior to November 25, 2016, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. served as the Fund’s clearing broker (the “Predecessor Commodity Broker”).
The Fund pays to the Commodity Broker all brokerage commissions, including applicable exchange fees, NFA fees, give-up fees, pit brokerage fees and other transaction related fees and expenses charged in connection with trading activities. The Commodity Broker’s brokerage commissions and trading fees are determined on a contract-by-contract basis. Brokerage commissions and fees in any future fiscal year or any part of any future fiscal year may be greater than fees incurred in prior fiscal years. On average, total charges paid to the Commodity Broker since November 25, 2016 and the Predecessor Commodity Broker for the period prior to November 25, 2016, were less than $6.00, $6.00 and $10.00 per round-turn trade1 for the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
The Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent
The Bank of New York Mellon is the administrator (the “Administrator”) of the Fund and has entered into an Administration Agreement in connection therewith. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as custodian (the “Custodian”) of the Fund and has entered into a Global Custody Agreement (the “Custody Agreement”) in connection therewith. The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the transfer agent (the “Transfer Agent”) of the Fund and has entered into a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement in connection therewith.
The Bank of New York Mellon, a banking corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York with trust powers, has an office at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. The Bank of New York Mellon is subject to supervision by the New York State Banking Department and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, the Administrator performs or supervises the performance of services necessary for the operation and administration of the Fund (other than making investment decisions), including receiving and processing orders from Authorized Participants to create and redeem Baskets, net asset value calculations, accounting and other fund administrative services. The Administrator maintains certain financial books and records, including: Basket creation and redemption books and records, fund accounting records, ledgers with respect to assets, liabilities, capital, income and expenses, the registrar, transfer journals and related details, and trading and related documents received from the Commodity Broker.
The Administration Agreement is continuously in effect unless terminated on at least 90 days’ prior written notice by either party to the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may terminate the Administration Agreement upon 30 days’ prior written notice if the Fund has materially failed to perform its obligations under the Administration Agreement.
The Administration Agreement provides for the exculpation and indemnification of the Administrator from and against any costs, expenses, damages, liabilities or claims (other than those resulting from the Administrator’s own bad faith, negligence or willful misconduct) which may be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against the Administrator in performing its obligations or duties under the Administration Agreement.
The Managing Owner pays the Administrator administrative service fees out of the Management Fee.
A round-turn trade is a completed transaction involving both a purchase and a liquidating sale, or a sale followed by a covering purchase.
The Administrator and any of its affiliates may from time-to-time purchase or sell Shares for their own account, as agent for their customers and for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion.
The Administrator receives a transaction processing fee in connection with orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Baskets in the amount of $500 per order. These transaction processing fees are paid directly by the Authorized Participants and not by the Fund.
The Distributor
Effective June 20, 2016, Invesco Distributors, Inc. became the Fund’s distributor (the “Distributor”) and began providing certain distribution services to the Fund. Pursuant to the Distribution Services Agreement among the Managing Owner, the Fund and the Distributor, the Distributor assists the Managing Owner and the Administrator with certain functions and duties relating to distribution and marketing services to the Fund including reviewing and approving marketing materials. Prior to June 20, 2016, ALPS Distributors, Inc. provided distribution services to the Fund.
The Distribution Services Agreement is terminable without penalty on sixty days’ written notice by the Managing Owner or by the Distributor. The Distribution Services Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.
Pursuant to the Distribution Services Agreement, the Fund will indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expenses (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares, based upon the ground that the registration statement, prospectus, statement of additional information, shareholder reports or other information filed or made public by the Fund (as from time-to-time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading under the 1933 Act or any other statute or the common law.
The Managing Owner pays the Distributor a distribution fee out of the Management Fee.
Index Sponsor
The Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, has appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to serve as the index sponsor (the “Index Sponsor”). The Index Sponsor calculates and publishes the daily index levels and the indicative intraday index levels. Additionally, the Index Sponsor also calculates the indicative value per Share of the Fund throughout each business day.
The Managing Owner pays the Index Sponsor a licensing fee and an index services fee out of the Management Fee for performing its duties.
Marketing Agent
The Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, has appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as the marketing agent (the “Marketing Agent”) to assist the Managing Owner by providing support to educate institutional investors about the DBIQ indices and to complete governmental or institutional due diligence questionnaires or requests for proposals related to the DBIQ indices.
The Managing Owner pays the Marketing Agent a marketing services fee out of the Management Fee.
The Marketing Agent will not open or maintain customer accounts or handle orders for the Fund. The Marketing Agent has no responsibility for the performance of the Fund or the decisions made or actions taken by the Managing Owner.
Tax Reporting
The Fund has retained the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to assist with certain tax reporting requirements of the Fund and its Shareholders.
Regulation
Futures exchanges in the United States are subject to regulation under the CEAct by the CFTC, the governmental agency having responsibility for regulation of futures exchanges and trading on those exchanges. No U.S. governmental agency regulates the over-the-counter (the “OTC”) foreign exchange markets.
The CEAct and the CFTC also regulate the activities of “commodity trading advisors” and “commodity pool operators” and the CFTC has adopted regulations with respect to certain of such persons’ activities. Pursuant to its authority, the CFTC requires a commodity pool operator (such as the Managing Owner) to keep accurate, current and orderly records with respect to each pool it operates. The CFTC may suspend the registration of a commodity pool operator if the CFTC finds that the operator has violated the CEAct or regulations thereunder and in certain other circumstances. Suspension, restriction or termination of the Managing Owner’s registration as a commodity pool operator would prevent it, until such time (if any) as such registration were to be reinstated, from managing, and might result in the termination of, the Fund. The CEAct gives the CFTC similar authority with respect to the activities of commodity trading advisors, such as the Managing Owner. If the registration of a managing owner as a commodity trading advisor were to be terminated, restricted or suspended, the managing owner would be unable, until such time (if any) as such registration were to be reinstated, to render trading advice to the Fund. The Fund is not registered with the CFTC in any capacity.
The CEAct requires all “futures commission merchants,” such as the Commodity Broker, to meet and maintain specified fitness and financial requirements, segregate customer funds from proprietary funds and account separately for all customers’ funds and positions, and to maintain specified books and records open to inspection by the staff of the CFTC.
The CEAct also gives the states certain powers to enforce its provisions and the regulations of the CFTC.
Shareholders are afforded certain rights for reparations under the CEAct. Shareholders may also be able to maintain a private right of action for certain violations of the CEAct. The CFTC has adopted rules implementing the reparation provisions of the CEAct which provide that any person may file a complaint for a reparations award with the CFTC for violation of the CEAct against a floor broker, futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, and their respective associated persons.
Pursuant to authority in the CEAct, the NFA was formed and registered with the CFTC as a “registered futures association.” At the present time, the NFA is the only non-exchange self-regulatory organization for commodities professionals. NFA members are subject to NFA standards relating to fair trade practices, financial condition, and consumer protection. As the self-regulatory body of the commodities industry, the NFA promulgates rules governing the conduct of commodity professionals and disciplines those professionals who do not comply with such standards. The CFTC has delegated to the NFA responsibility for the registration of commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators, futures commission merchants, introducing brokers and their respective associated persons and floor brokers. The Commodity Broker and the Managing Owner are members of the NFA (the Fund is not required to become a member of the NFA).
The CFTC has no authority to regulate trading on foreign commodity exchanges and markets.
Employees
The Fund has no employees.
Available Information
The Fund files with or submits to the SEC annual, quarterly and current reports and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. These reports are available on the Managing Owner’s website at http://www.invescopowershares.com. Investors may also inspect and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information, and related exhibits and schedules, at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Investors may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically by us with the SEC which are available on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov.
The Fund also posts monthly performance reports and its annual report, as required by the CFTC, on the Managing Owner’s website at the address listed above.
ITEM 1A.
ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
An investment in the securities of the Fund involves a high degree of risk. Investors should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Report and the Prospectus, before making a decision to invest in the securities of the Fund. If any of the following risks occur, the business, financial condition and results of operations of the Fund may be adversely affected.
Investment and Trading Related Risks
The Value of the Shares Relates Directly to the Value of the Futures Contracts on the Index Currencies and Other Assets Held by the Fund and Fluctuations in the Price of These Assets Could Materially Adversely Affect an Investment in the Fund’s Shares.
The Shares are designed to reflect as closely as possible the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Index, over time, through the Fund’s portfolio of exchange traded futures contracts on the Index Currencies. The value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the portfolio, less the liabilities (including estimated accrued but unpaid expenses) of the Fund. The price of the Index Currencies may fluctuate widely. Several factors may affect the prices of the Index Currencies, including, but not limited to:
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National debt levels and trade deficits, including changes in balances of payments and trade;
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Domestic and foreign inflation rates and investors’ expectations concerning inflation rates;
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Domestic and foreign interest rates and investors’ expectations concerning interest rates;
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Currency exchange rates;
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Investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and currency funds;
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Global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations;
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Supply and demand changes which influence the foreign exchange rates of various currencies;
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Monetary policies of governments (including exchange control programs, restrictions on local exchanges or markets and limitations on foreign investment in a country or on investment by residents of a country in other countries), trade restrictions, currency devaluations and revaluations;
•
Governmental intervention in the currency market, directly and by regulation, in order to influence currency prices; and
•
Expectations among market participants that a currency’s value soon will change.
Net Asset Value May Not Always Correspond to Market Price and, as a Result, Baskets May be Created or Redeemed at a Value that Differs from the Market Price of the Shares.
The net asset value per Share will change as fluctuations occur in the market value of its portfolio. Investors should be aware that the public trading price of a Basket may be different from the net asset value of a Basket (i.e., 200,000 Shares may trade at a premium over, or a discount to, net asset value of a Basket) and similarly the public trading price per Share may be different from its net asset value per Share. Consequently, an Authorized Participant may be able to create or redeem a Basket at a discount or a premium to the public trading price per Share. This price difference may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in the secondary trading market for Shares are closely related, but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the Index Currencies trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time. Investors also should note that the size of the Fund in terms of total assets held may change substantially over time and from time to time as Baskets are created and redeemed.
Authorized Participants or their clients or customers may have an opportunity to realize a profit if they can purchase a Basket at a discount to the public trading price of the Shares or can redeem a Basket at a premium over the public trading price of the Shares. The Managing Owner expects that the exploitation of such arbitrage opportunities by Authorized Participants and their clients and customers will tend to cause the public trading price to track net asset value per Share closely over time.
The value of a Share may be influenced by non-concurrent trading hours between the NYSE Arca and the various futures exchanges on which the Index Currencies are traded. As a result, during periods when the NYSE Arca is open and the futures exchanges on which the Index Currencies are traded are closed, trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen, and, therefore, increase the difference between the price of the Shares and the net asset value of the Shares.
The Fund’s Performance May Not Always Replicate Exactly the Changes in the Level of the Index.
It is possible that the Fund’s performance may not fully replicate the changes in the closing levels of the Index due to disruptions in the markets for the Index Currencies or due to other extraordinary circumstances. In addition, the Fund is not able to replicate exactly the changes in the closing levels of the Index because the total return generated by the Fund is reduced by expenses and transaction costs, including those incurred in connection with the Fund’s trading activities, and increased by Treasury Income from its holding of United States Treasury Securities and Money Market Income from its holding of money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) held for margin and cash management purposes. Tracking the Index requires trading of the Fund’s portfolio with a view to tracking the Index over time and is dependent upon the skills of the Managing Owner and its trading principals, among other factors.
As of the date of this Report, the futures contracts associated with the Index Currencies, or the Fund Contracts, are not subject to speculative position limits. There can be no assurance that the Fund Contracts will not become subject to speculative position limits. Should the Fund Contracts become subject to speculative position limits, the Fund’s positions in the Fund Contracts might be required to be aggregated with positions in other accounts that the Managing Owner owns or for which it controls trading unless the investment team managing the Fund qualifies as an “independent account controller” under current law or regulations proposed by the CFTC. If the CFTC does not extend or renew the independent account controller exemption from aggregation, or if the exemption were otherwise unavailable, to the extent that the Managing Owner avails itself of the exemption, it may be required to aggregate the Fund’s positions in Fund Contracts in multiple other accounts or commodity pools. In that case, the Fund’s ability to issue new Baskets or the Fund’s ability to reinvest income in additional Fund Contracts may be impaired or limited to the extent that these activities would cause the Fund to exceed the potential future position limits. Limiting the size of the Fund to stay within these position limits may affect the correlation between the price of the Shares, as traded on the NYSE Arca, and the net asset value. Additionally, the Fund on any given date may not have an effective registration statement with the SEC with sufficient Shares available, which may limit the Fund’s ability to create new Baskets. The inability to create additional Baskets could result in Shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value of the Fund.
The Fund is Not Actively Managed and Will Track the Index During Periods in Which the Index Is Flat or Declining as well as when the Index Is Rising.
The Fund is not actively managed by traditional methods. For example, if the positions in any one or more of the Index Currencies are declining in value, the Fund will not close out such positions, except in connection with a change in the composition or weighting of the Index. The Managing Owner will seek to cause the net asset value to track the Index during periods in which the Index is flat or declining as well as when the Index is rising.
The Dual Assumptions Underpinning the Index that High Yielding Interest Rates With Respect to Certain Eligible Index Currencies Suggest Taking Long Positions in Futures Contracts in Such Currencies and Low Yielding Interest Rates With Respect to Certain Eligible Index Currencies Suggest Taking Short Positions in Futures Contracts in Such Currencies May Be Detrimental to the Value of Your Shares Should Either or Both Assumptions Fail.
The Index is expected to rise as a result of any upward price movement on long positions in futures contracts on the Index Currencies when the prices of these long futures contracts increase relative to the USD. The Index also is expected to rise as a result of any downward price movement on short positions in futures contracts on the Index Currencies when the prices of these short futures contracts decrease relative to the USD. Because the price of your Shares is expected to track the Index, if the price of the Fund’s long futures contracts decreases relative to the USD or the price of the Fund’s short futures contracts increases relative to the USD on any or all of the Index Currencies, the value of your Shares may decrease. The decrease in the value of your Shares will be amplified if both assumptions fail simultaneously (i.e., both the price of the Fund’s long futures contracts decreases relative to the USD and the price of the Fund’s short futures contracts increases relative to the USD on any or all of the Index Currencies).
Interest Rates Will Change Between Re-Weightings of the Index.
The Index is re-weighted quarterly based upon the three highest and three lowest yielding Eligible Index Currencies at the time of re-weighting. At any point in time between quarterly re-weightings, the Index Currencies may not be among the three highest or lowest yielding Eligible Index Currencies. Between quarterly re-weightings of the Index, a currency that was among the three highest yielding Eligible Index Currencies could be among the three lowest yielding Eligible Index Currencies, or vice-versa. Under such circumstances, the Fund may not be able to exploit efficiently the trend that currencies associated with relatively high interest rates, on average, tend to rise in value relative to currencies associated with relatively low interest rates. If the interest rates associated with the Eligible Index Currencies change sufficiently during any quarter, the Fund may find itself positioned such that the effects of this trend will cause the Fund to lose money. Even if the interest rates associated with the Eligible Index Currencies vary substantially between re-weightings, the Fund will not adjust its portfolio of currency futures until the next quarterly re-weighting.
The NYSE Arca May Halt Trading in the Shares Which Would Adversely Impact Your Ability to Sell Shares.
The Shares are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca under the market symbol “DBV”. Trading in the Shares may be halted due to market conditions or, in light of NYSE Arca rules and procedures, for reasons that, in the view of the NYSE Arca, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules that require trading to be halted for a specified period based on a specified market decline. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing of the Shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged. The Fund will be terminated if its Shares are delisted.
The Lack of an Active Trading Market for the Shares May Result in Losses on Your Investment in the Fund at the Time of Disposition of Your Shares.
Although the Shares are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. If you need to sell your Shares at a time when no active market for them exists, the price you receive for your Shares, assuming that you are able to sell them, likely will be lower than the price you would receive if an active market did exist.
The Shares Could Decrease in Value if Unanticipated Operational or Trading Problems Arise.
The mechanisms and procedures governing the creation, redemption and offering of the Shares have been developed specifically for this securities product. Consequently, there may be unanticipated problems or issues with respect to the mechanics of the operations of the Fund and the trading of the Shares that could have a material adverse effect on an investment in the Shares. In addition, although the Fund is not actively managed by traditional methods, to the extent that unanticipated operational or trading problems or issues arise, the Managing Owner’s past experience and qualifications may not be suitable for solving these problems or issues.
As the Managing Owner and its Principals have a Limited History of Operating an Exchange-Traded Fund that Invests in a Broad Range of Commodity Futures Contracts, their Experience May be Relatively Inadequate or Unsuitable to Manage the Fund.
The Managing Owner manages a number of exchange-traded funds that use financial futures as part of their investment strategy and, only for a limited time, has actively managed an exchange-traded fund related to a broad-based futures index. The past performance of these funds is no indication of the Managing Owner’s ability to manage exchange-traded investment vehicles that track an index such as the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Managing Owner will be able to cause the net asset value per Share of the Fund to closely track the changes in the Index levels. If the experience of the Managing Owner and its principals is not relatively adequate or suitable to manage investment vehicles such as the Fund, the operations of the Fund may be adversely affected.
You May Not Rely on Past Performance or Index Results in Deciding Whether to Buy Shares.
Although past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results, the Fund’s performance history might (or might not) provide you with more information on which to evaluate an investment in the Fund. Likewise, the Index has a history which might (or might not) be indicative of the future Index results, or of the future performance of the Fund. Therefore, you will have to make your decision to invest in the Fund without relying on the Fund’s past performance history or the Index’s closing level history.
Fewer Representative Index Currencies May Result In Greater Index Volatility.
The ten Eligible Index Currencies are United States Dollars, Euro, Japanese Yen, Canadian Dollars, Swiss Francs, British Pounds, Australian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars, Norwegian Krone and Swedish Krona. The Index is comprised of only six of the ten Eligible Index Currencies from time-to-time. Accordingly, the Index is concentrated in terms of the number of currencies represented. You should be aware that other currency indices are more diversified in terms of the number of currencies included. Concentration in fewer currencies may result in a greater degree of volatility in the Index and the net asset value of the Fund, which tracks the Index under specific market conditions and over time.
Leverage Will Fluctuate Between Index Re-Weighting Periods and May be Greater or Less than the Leverage on Each Index Re-Weighting Period.
Although the Fund is not expected to establish positions that exceed a leverage ratio of 2:1 at the time of establishment, reinvestment of collateral or movements in the market price of the Fund’s futures positions between the Index Re-Weighting Periods may increase or decrease the Fund’s leverage ratio. Any such increase or decrease, respectively, in the Fund’s leverage ratio will magnify or decrease, respectively, the potential for loss or gain of the Fund’s futures positions and, in turn, the value of your Shares.
Because the Fund’s Trading will be Leveraged, a Relatively Small Movement in the Price of a Contract May Cause Greater Losses.
The Fund will take long futures positions in the high-yielding Eligible Index Currencies and will take short futures positions in the low-yielding Eligible Index Currencies with a view to tracking the changes in the Index over time. Assuming that the USD is not one of the three highest or lowest yielding currencies during any Index Re-Weighting Period, the long futures positions and short futures positions in the Index Currencies will each have a notional value approximately equal to the Fund’s net asset value. Accordingly, if the USD is not one of the three highest or lowest yielding currencies during any the Index Re-Weighting Period, the aggregate notional amount of the futures positions held by the Fund is expected to be approximately, 200% of the Fund’s net asset value, but it may increase or decrease due to the reinvestment of collateral or the movements in the market price of the Fund’s futures positions. If the USD is one of the three highest or lowest yielding currencies, the Fund will not establish a long or short futures position (as the case may be) in USD, as the Fund never can enjoy profit or suffer loss from long or short futures positions in USD because USD is the Fund’s home currency. Consequently, if USD is one of the three highest or lowest yielding currencies, the aggregate notional amount of the futures positions held by the Fund is expected to be approximately, but not in excess of, 166 2/3% of the Fund’s net asset value. Holding futures positions with a notional amount in excess of the Fund’s net asset value constitutes a form of leverage. The use of leverage increases the potential for both trading profits and losses, depending on the changes in market value of the Index Currencies in which the Fund has long futures positions relative to the Index Currencies in which the Fund has short futures positions.
The use of long and short positions in the construction of the Index causes the Index to rise as a result of any upward price movement of Index Currencies expected to gain relative to the USD and to rise as a result of any downward price movement of Index Currencies expected to lose relative to the USD. The inclusion of both long and short positions is also expected to reduce the country specific foreign exchange risk of the Index (and, therefore, risk in connection with an investment in the Fund) relative to a directional (outright long or short) exposure to any or all of the Index Currencies.
There can be no assurance that the use of both long and short positions will reduce the volatility of the Index during any or all market cycles or periods, or that the Fund will achieve its objectives. It is possible that, prior to an Index rebalancing, that Index Currencies expected to lose relative to the USD may rise and/or Index Currencies expected to gain relative to the USD may fall. In such cases, the Fund may experience losses in both its long and short positions at the same time. Such losses will be greater as a result of the Fund’s use of leverage, reflected in its long futures exposure to Index Currencies with a notional value of up to 100% of the Fund’s net asset value and its short futures exposure to Index Currencies with a notional value of up to 100% of the Fund’s net asset value. Under such circumstances, the Fund’s losses would be greater as a result of its leverage than would be the case were it to limit its overall exposure to Index Currencies with a notional value of 100% of the Fund’s net assets.
As a result of its use of leverage, the Fund is required to deposit a greater proportion of its net assets as margin, not expected to exceed 10% of net assets. This represents margin deposit requirements approximately twice as great as would be required if the Fund did not use leverage. Similarly, as a result of its use of leverage, the Fund will trade more futures contracts and incur more brokerage commission expense than it would if it did not use leverage. The additional amount of brokerage commission expense generally is proportional to the Fund’s leverage ratio.
Short Selling Theoretically Exposes the Fund to Unlimited Losses.
The Fund holds short futures positions in the three lowest-yielding Eligible Index Currencies (other than the USD).
A long futures position in a foreign currency requires the Fund to purchase at a future date the equivalent in USD of a fixed amount of a foreign currency at a fixed price in USD. The Fund profits if the price of the foreign currency rises relative to the USD while the contract is open and the Fund suffers losses if the price of the foreign currency falls relative to the USD while the contract is open. Because the price in USD of the foreign currency cannot fall below zero, the Fund’s exposure to loss is limited to the value in USD of the fixed amount of the foreign currency at the time of the establishment of the long futures contract.
By contrast, a short futures position in a foreign currency requires the Fund to deliver at a future date an amount in USD equal to the price in USD of a fixed amount of the foreign currency at that future date. The Fund will profit if the price of the foreign currency falls relative to the USD while the contract is open and the Fund will suffer loss if the price of the foreign currency rises relative to the USD while the contract is open. Because the price in USD of a fixed amount of the foreign currency could, in theory, rise to infinity, a short futures position exposes the Fund to theoretically unlimited liability.
The Fund’s losses could result in the total loss of your investment.
Price Volatility May Possibly Cause the Total Loss of Your Investment.
Futures contracts have a high degree of price variability and are subject to occasional rapid and substantial changes. Consequently, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment in the Fund.
The following table* reflects various measures of volatility** of the Index as calculated on an excess return basis:
The following table reflects the daily volatility on an annual basis of the Index:
*
For the year ended December 31, 2016. Past Index levels are not necessarily indicative of future changes, positive or negative, in the Index level.
**
Volatility, for these purposes, means the following:
Daily Volatility: The relative rate at which the price of the Index moves up and down, found by calculating the annualized standard deviation of the daily change in price.
Monthly Return Volatility: The relative rate at which the price of the Index moves up and down, found by calculating the annualized standard deviation of the monthly change in price.
Average Annual Volatility: The average of yearly volatilities for a given sample period. The yearly volatility is the relative rate at which the price of the Index moves up and down, found by calculating the annualized standard deviation of the daily change in price for each business day in the given year.
***
For the period March 12, 1993 to December 31, 1993.
Fees and Commissions are Charged Regardless of Profitability and May Result in Depletion of Assets.
The Fund is directly subject to the fees and expenses described herein which are payable irrespective of profitability. Such fees and expenses include asset-based fees of 0.75% per annum. Additional charges include brokerage fees of approximately 0.05% per annum in the aggregate and selling commissions. For the avoidance of doubt, selling commissions are not included in the Fund’s breakeven calculation. The Fund is expected to earn Treasury Income equal to 0.49% per annum, based upon the yield of 3-month United States Treasury Securities as of January 31, 2017, or a maximum of $0.12 per annum per Share at $25.00 as the NAV per Share. The Fund is also expected to earn Money Market Income equal to 0.45% per annum as of January 31, 2017, or a maximum of $0.11 per annum per Share at $25.00 as the NAV per Share. Because the Fund’s current Treasury Income and/or Money Market Income does not exceed its fees and expenses, the Fund will need to have a positive performance that exceeds the difference between the sum of the Fund’s Treasury Income, and/or Money Market Income and its fees and expenses in order to break-even. If the aggregate of the Fund’s performance from its holding of futures contracts plus its Treasury Income and/or Money Market Income (earned from its margin and cash management function) do not exceed the Fund’s fees and expenses described herein, then, the expenses of the Fund could, over time, result in losses to your investment therein. You may never achieve profits, significant or otherwise.
You Cannot Be Assured of the Managing Owner’s Continued Services, Which Discontinuance May Be Detrimental to the Fund.
You cannot be assured that the Managing Owner will be willing or able to continue to service the Fund for any length of time. If the Managing Owner discontinues its activities on behalf of the Fund, the Fund may be adversely affected.
Possible Illiquid Markets May Exacerbate Losses.
Futures positions cannot always be liquidated at the desired price. It is difficult to execute a trade at a specific price when there is a relatively small volume of buy and sell orders in a market. A market disruption, such as when foreign governments may take or be subject to political actions which disrupt the markets in their currency or major exports, can also make it difficult to liquidate a position.
There can be no assurance that market illiquidity will not cause losses for the Fund. The large size of the positions which the Fund may acquire increases the risk of illiquidity by both making its positions more difficult to liquidate and increasing the losses incurred while trying to do so.
You May Be Adversely Affected by Redemption Orders that Are Subject To Postponement, Suspension or Rejection Under Certain Circumstances.
The Fund may, in its discretion, suspend the right of redemption or postpone the redemption order settlement date, for (1) any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which the redemption distribution is not reasonably practicable, or (2) such other period as the Managing Owner determines to be necessary for the protection of the Shareholders. In addition, the Fund will reject a redemption order if the order is not in proper form as described in the participant agreement among the Authorized Participant and the Managing Owner, either in its own capacity or in its capacity as managing owner of the Fund or if the fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its counsel, might be unlawful. Any such postponement, suspension or rejection could adversely affect a redeeming Authorized Participant. For example, the resulting delay may adversely affect the value of the Authorized Participant’s redemption proceeds if the net asset value of the Fund declines during the period of delay. The Fund disclaims any liability for any loss or damage that may result from any such suspension or postponement.
Because the Futures Contracts Have No Intrinsic Value, the Positive Performance of Your Investment Is Wholly Dependent Upon an Equal and Offsetting Loss.
Futures trading is a risk transfer economic activity. For every gain there is an equal and offsetting loss rather than an opportunity to participate over time in general economic growth. Unlike most alternative investments, an investment in Shares does not involve acquiring any asset with intrinsic value. Overall stock and bond prices could rise significantly and the economy as a whole prosper while Shares trade unprofitably.
Failure of Currency Futures Markets to Exhibit Low to Negative Correlation to General Financial Markets Will Reduce Benefits of Diversification and May Exacerbate Losses to Your Portfolio.
Historically, currency futures’ returns have tended to exhibit low to negative correlation with the returns of other assets such as stocks and bonds. Although currency futures trading can provide a diversification benefit to investor portfolios because of its low to negative correlation with other financial assets, the fact that the Index is not 100% negatively correlated with financial assets such as
stocks and bonds means that the Fund cannot be expected to be automatically profitable during unfavorable periods for the stock or bond market, or vice versa. If the Shares perform in a manner that correlates with the general financial markets or do not perform successfully, you will obtain no diversification benefits by investing in the Shares and the Shares may produce no gains to offset your losses from other investments.
Shareholders Will Not Have the Protections Associated With Ownership of Shares in an Investment Company Registered Under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The Fund is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such Act. Consequently, Shareholders will not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in registered and regulated investment companies.
Various Actual and Potential Conflicts of Interest May Be Detrimental to Shareholders.
The Fund is subject to actual and potential conflicts of interest involving the Managing Owner, various commodity futures brokers, Authorized Participants and Invesco Distributors. The Managing Owner and its principals, all of whom are engaged in other investment activities, are not required to devote substantially all of their time to the business of the Fund, which also presents the potential for numerous conflicts of interest with the Fund. As a result of these and other relationships, parties involved with the Fund have a financial incentive to act in a manner other than in the best interests of the Fund and the Shareholders. For example, if the Fund invests in affiliated money market mutual funds for cash management purposes, the Managing Owner may select affiliated money market mutual funds that may pay dividends that are lower than non-affiliated money market mutual funds. The Managing Owner has not established any formal procedure to resolve conflicts of interest. Consequently, investors are dependent on the good faith of the respective parties subject to such conflicts to resolve them equitably. Although the Managing Owner attempts to monitor these conflicts, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the Managing Owner to ensure that these conflicts do not, in fact, result in adverse consequences to the Shareholders.
The Fund may be subject to certain conflicts with respect to the Commodity Broker, including, but not limited to, conflicts that result from receiving greater amounts of compensation from other clients, or purchasing opposite or competing positions on behalf of third party accounts traded through the Commodity Broker.
Because the Managing Owner and Invesco Distributors are affiliates, the Managing Owner has a disincentive to replace Invesco Distributors. Furthermore, the Managing Owner did not conduct an arm’s length negotiation with respect to Invesco Distributors.
Tax Related Risks
Shareholders Will Be Subject to Taxation on Their Allocable Share of the Fund’s Taxable Income, Whether or Not They Receive Cash Distributions.
Shareholders will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation and, in some cases, state, local, or foreign income taxation on their allocable share of the Fund’s taxable income, whether or not they receive cash distributions from the Fund. Shareholders may not receive cash distributions equal to their share of the Fund’s taxable income or even the tax liability that results from such income.
Items of Income, Gain, Loss and Deduction With Respect to Shares could be Reallocated if the IRS does not Accept the Assumptions or Conventions Used by the Fund in Allocating Such Tax Items.
U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to partnerships are complex and often difficult to apply to publicly traded partnerships. The Fund will apply certain assumptions and conventions in an attempt to comply with applicable rules and to report items of income, gain, loss and deduction to Shareholders in a manner that reflects the Shareholders’ beneficial interest in such tax items, but these assumptions and conventions may not be in compliance with all aspects of the applicable tax requirements. It is possible that the United States Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, will successfully assert that the conventions and assumptions used by the Fund do not satisfy the technical requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code and/or Treasury Regulations and could require that items of income, gain, loss and deduction be adjusted or reallocated in a manner that adversely affects one or more Shareholders.
The Current Treatment of Long-Term Capital Gains Under Current U.S. Federal Income Tax Law May Be Adversely Affected, Changed or Repealed in the Future.
Under current law, long-term capital gains are taxed to non-corporate investors at reduced U.S. federal income tax rates. This tax treatment may be adversely affected, changed or repealed by future changes in, or the expiration of, tax laws at any time.
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS AND COUNSEL WITH RESPECT TO THE POSSIBLE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE SHARES; SUCH TAX CONSEQUENCES MAY DIFFER WITH RESPECT TO DIFFERENT INVESTORS.
Other Risks
Failure of Futures Commission Merchants or Commodity Brokers to Segregate Assets May Increase Losses; Despite Segregation of Assets, the Fund Remains at Risk of Significant Losses Because the Fund May Only Receive a Pro-Rata Share of the Assets, or No Assets at All.
The CEAct requires a clearing broker to segregate all funds received from customers from such broker’s proprietary assets. If the Commodity Broker fails to do so, the assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the Commodity Broker’s bankruptcy. Furthermore, in the event of the Commodity Broker’s bankruptcy, the Fund could be limited to recovering either a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the Commodity Broker’s combined customer accounts or the Fund may not recover any assets at all, even though certain property specifically traceable to the Fund was held by the Commodity Broker. The Commodity Broker may, from time-to-time, have been the subject of certain regulatory and private causes of action.
In the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency of any exchange or a clearing house, the Fund could experience a loss of the funds deposited through its Commodity Broker as margin with the exchange or clearing house, a loss of any unrealized profits on its open positions on the exchange, and the loss of profits on its closed positions on the exchange.
The Effect Of Market Disruptions and Government Intervention Are Unpredictable And May Have An Adverse Effect On The Value Of Your Shares.
The global financial markets have in the past few years gone through pervasive and fundamental disruptions that have led to extensive and unprecedented governmental intervention. Such intervention has in certain cases been implemented on an “emergency” basis, suddenly and substantially eliminating market participants’ ability to continue to implement certain strategies or manage the risk of their outstanding positions. In addition-as one would expect given the complexities of the financial markets and the limited time frame within which governments have felt compelled to take action-these interventions have typically been unclear in scope and application, resulting in confusion and uncertainty which in itself has been materially detrimental to the efficient functioning of the markets as well as previously successful investment strategies.
The Fund may incur major losses in the event of disrupted markets and other extraordinary events in which historical pricing relationships become materially distorted. The risk of loss from pricing distortions is compounded by the fact that in disrupted markets many positions become illiquid, making it difficult or impossible to close out positions against which the markets are moving. The financing available to market participants from their banks, dealers and other counterparties is typically reduced in disrupted markets. Such a reduction may result in substantial losses to the affected market participants. Market disruptions may from time to time cause dramatic losses, and such events can result in otherwise historically low-risk strategies performing with unprecedented volatility and risk.
Regulatory Changes or Actions, Including the Implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act, May Alter the Operations and Profitability of the Fund.
The regulation of commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on non-traditional investment pools that are publicly distributed in the United States. The Dodd-Frank Act regulates markets, market participants and financial instruments that previously have been unregulated and substantially alters the regulation of many other markets, market participants and financial instruments. It is difficult to predict the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on the Fund, the Managing Owner, and the markets in which the Fund may invest, the Net Asset Value of the Fund or the market price of the Shares. The Dodd-Frank Act and the implementing regulation adopted by regulators could result in the Fund’s investment strategy becoming non-viable or non-economic to implement. Therefore, the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations adopted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act could have a material adverse impact on the profit potential of the Fund and in turn the value of your Shares.
Lack of Independent Advisers Representing Investors.
The Managing Owner has consulted with counsel, accountants and other advisers regarding the formation and operation of the Fund. No counsel has been appointed to represent you in connection with the Fund’s continuous offering of the Shares. Accordingly, you should consult your own legal, tax and financial advisers regarding the desirability of an investment in the Shares.
Possibility of Termination of the Fund May Adversely Affect Your Portfolio.
The Managing Owner may withdraw from the Fund upon 120 days’ notice, which would cause the Fund to terminate unless a substitute managing owner was obtained. Owners of 50% of the Shares have the power to terminate the Fund. If it is so exercised, investors who may wish to continue to invest in a vehicle that tracks the Fund’s Index will have to find another vehicle, and may not be able to find another vehicle that offers the same features as the Fund. Such detrimental developments could cause you to liquidate your investments and upset the overall maturity and timing of your investment portfolio. If the registrations with the CFTC or memberships in the NFA of the Managing Owner or the Commodity Broker were revoked or suspended, such entity would no longer be able to provide services to the Fund.
Shareholders Do Not Have the Rights Enjoyed by Investors in Certain Other Vehicles.
As interests in an investment trust, the Shares have none of the statutory rights normally associated with the ownership of shares of a corporation (including, for example, the right to bring “oppression” or “derivative” actions). In addition, the Shares have limited voting and distribution rights (for example, Shareholders do not have the right to elect directors and the Fund is not required to pay regular distributions, although the Fund may pay distributions at the discretion of the Managing Owner).
An Investment in the Shares May Be Adversely Affected by Competition From Other Methods of Investing in Currencies.
The Fund is a relatively new type of investment vehicle. The Fund competes with other financial vehicles, including mutual funds, and other investment companies, ETFs, other index tracking commodity pools, actively traded commodity pools, hedge funds, traditional debt and equity securities issued by companies and foreign governments, other securities backed by or linked to currencies, and direct investments in the underlying currencies or currencies futures contracts. Market and financial conditions, and other conditions beyond the Managing Owner’s control, may make it more attractive to invest in other financial vehicles or to invest in such currencies directly, which could limit the market for the Shares and reduce the liquidity of the Shares.
Competing Claims Over Ownership of Intellectual Property Rights Related to the Fund Could Adversely Affect the Fund and an Investment in the Shares.
While the Managing Owner believes that all intellectual property rights needed to operate the Fund are either owned by or licensed to the Managing Owner or have been obtained, third parties may allege or assert ownership of intellectual property rights which may be related to the design, structure and operations of the Fund. To the extent any claims of such ownership are brought or any proceedings are instituted to assert such claims, the negotiation, litigation or settlement of such claims, or the ultimate disposition of such claims in a court of law if a suit is brought, may adversely affect the Fund and an investment in the Shares, for example, resulting in expenses or damages or the termination of the Fund.
The Value of the Shares Will Be Adversely Affected if the Fund is Required to Indemnify the Trustee or the Managing Owner.
Under the Trust Agreement, the Trustee and the Managing Owner have the right to be indemnified for any liability or expense either incurs without gross negligence or willful misconduct. That means the Managing Owner may require the assets of the Fund to be sold in order to cover losses or liability suffered by it or by the Trustee. Any sale of that kind would reduce the net asset value of the Fund and the value of the Shares.
The Net Asset Value Calculation of the Fund May Be Overstated or Understated Due to the Valuation Method Employed When a Settlement Price is not Available on the Date of Net Asset Value Calculation.
Calculating the net asset value of the Fund includes, in part, any unrealized profits or losses on open foreign exchange futures contracts. Under normal circumstances, the net asset value of the Fund reflects the settlement price of open foreign exchange futures contracts on the date when the net asset value is being calculated. However, if a foreign exchange futures contract traded on an exchange (both U.S. and, to the extent it becomes applicable, non-U.S. exchanges) could not be liquidated on such day (due to the operation of daily limits or other rules of the exchange upon which that position is traded or otherwise), the Managing Owner may value such futures contract pursuant to policies the Managing Owner has adopted, which are consistent with normal industry standards. In such a situation, there is a risk that the calculation of the net asset value of the Fund on such day will not accurately reflect the realizable market value of such foreign exchange futures contract. For example, daily limits are generally triggered in the event of a significant change in market price of a foreign exchange futures contract. Therefore, as a result of the daily limit, the current settlement price is unavailable. Because the Managing Owner may value such futures contract pursuant to policies the Managing Owner has adopted, which are consistent with normal industry standards, there is a risk that the resulting calculation of the net asset value of the Fund could be under or overstated, perhaps to a significant degree. Although the Eligible Index Currencies that the Fund
will invest in are not currently subject to “daily limits,” the terms and conditions of these contracts may change in the future, and thus, may subject the Fund to the above-described risks.
Exchange Rates on the Index Currencies Could be Volatile and Could Materially and Adversely Affect the Performance of the Shares.
Foreign exchange rates are influenced by national debt levels and trade deficits, domestic and foreign inflation rates and investors’ expectations concerning inflation rates, domestic and foreign interest rates and investors’ expectations concerning interest rates, currency exchange rates, investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and currency funds; and global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations. Additionally, foreign exchange rates on the Index Currencies may also be influenced by changing supply and demand for a particular Index Currency, monetary policies of governments (including exchange control programs, restrictions on local exchanges or markets and limitations on foreign investment in a country or on investment by residents of a country in other countries), changes in balances of payments and trade, trade restrictions, currency devaluations and revaluations. Also, governments from time-to-time intervene in the currency markets, directly and by regulation, in order to influence prices directly. Additionally, expectations among market participants that a currency’s value soon will change may also affect exchange rates on the Index Currencies. These events and actions are unpredictable. The resulting volatility in the exchange rates on the underlying Index Currencies may materially and adversely affect the market value of the futures contracts on the Index Currencies, which would then negatively impact the value of your Shares.
Substantial Sales of Index Currencies by the Official Sector Could Adversely Affect an Investment in the Shares.
The official sector consists of central banks, other governmental agencies and multi-lateral institutions that buy, sell and hold certain Index Currencies as part of their reserve assets. The official sector holds a significant amount of Index Currencies that can be mobilized in the open market. In the event that future economic, political or social conditions or pressures require members of the official sector to sell their Index Currencies simultaneously or in an uncoordinated manner, the demand for Index Currencies might not be sufficient to accommodate the sudden increase in the supply of certain Index Currencies to the market. Consequently, the price of an Index Currency may decline, which may then negatively impact the Shares.
Although the Shares are Limited Liability Investments, Certain Circumstances such as Bankruptcy of the Fund or Indemnification of the Fund by the Shareholders will Increase a Shareholder’s Liability.
The Shares are limited liability investments; investors may not lose more than the amount that they invest plus any profits recognized on their investment. However, Shareholders could be required, as a matter of bankruptcy law, to return to the estate of the Fund any distribution they received at a time when the Fund was in fact insolvent or in violation of its Trust Agreement. In addition, although the Managing Owner is not aware of this provision ever having been invoked in the case of any public futures fund, Shareholders agree in the Trust Agreement that they will indemnify the Fund for any harm suffered by it as a result of:
•
Shareholders’ actions unrelated to the business of the Fund, or
•
Taxes separately imposed on the Fund by any state, local or foreign taxing authority.
The Fund may Potentially Lose Money on its Holdings of Money Market Mutual Funds.
The Fund may invest in government money market funds for which the applicable board of directors/trustees has not chosen to rely on the ability to impose fees on shareholder redemptions (“liquidity fees”) or temporarily to suspend redemption privileges (“gates”) if the government money market fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below a certain threshold. Although such government money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, there is no guarantee that they will be able to do so and the Fund may lose money by investing in a government money market fund for cash management or other purposes. An investment in a government money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The share price of a government money market fund can fall below the $1.00 share price. The Fund cannot rely on or expect a government money market fund’s adviser or its affiliates to enter into support agreements or take other actions to maintain the government money market fund’s $1.00 share price. The credit quality of a government money market fund’s holdings can change rapidly in certain markets, and the default of a single holding could have an adverse impact on the government money market fund’s share price. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of securities held by a government money market fund may vary. A government money market fund’s share price can also be negatively affected during periods of high redemption pressures and/or illiquid markets.
Due to the Increased use of Technologies, Intentional and Unintentional Cyber Attacks Pose Operational and Information Security Risks.
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet and the dependence on computer systems to perform necessary business functions, the Fund is susceptible to operational and information security risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites. Cyber security failures or breaches of the Fund’s third party service providers (including, but not limited to, Index Sponsor, the Administrator and transfer agent) or the issuers of the money market mutual funds in which the Fund invests, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result. While the Managing Owner has established business continuity plans and systems to prevent such cyber attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by Fund’s third party service providers. Cyber attacks may also cause disruptions to the futures exchanges and clearinghouses through which the Fund invests in exchange-traded futures contracts, resulting in disruptions to the Fund’s investment objectives and resulting in financial losses.
The Fund is Subject to Extensive Regulatory Reporting and Compliance.
The Fund is subject to changing regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased the Fund’s risk of noncompliance.
Because the Shares are publicly traded, the Fund is subject to certain rules and regulations of federal, state and financial market exchange entities charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC, the CFTC, NFA and NYSE-ARCA, have in recent years issued new requirements and regulations, most notably the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. From time to time, since the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, these authorities have continued to develop additional regulations or interpretations of existing regulations. The Fund’s ongoing efforts to comply with these regulations and interpretations have resulted in, and are likely to continue resulting in, a diversion of management’s time and attention from focusing on Fund management to compliance related activities.
The Fund is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Fund’s internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to its management regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective may provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
Current Discussions between the SEC and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP regarding PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Independence Could Have Potentially Adverse Consequences for the Fund.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP informed the Fund that it has identified an issue related to its independence under Rule 2-01(c)(1)(ii)(A) of Regulation S-X (referred to as the Loan Rule). The Loan Rule prohibits accounting firms, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, from being deemed independent if they have certain financial relationships with their audit clients or certain affiliates of those clients. The Fund is required under various securities laws to have its financial statements audited by an independent accounting firm.
The Loan Rule specifically provides that an accounting firm would not be independent if it or certain affiliates and covered persons receives a loan from a lender that is a record or beneficial owner of more than ten percent of an audit client’s equity securities (referred to as a “more than ten percent owner”). For purposes of the Loan Rule, audit clients include the Fund as well as all registered investment companies advised by the Managing Owner and its affiliates, including other subsidiaries of the Managing Owner’s parent company, Invesco Ltd. (collectively, the Invesco Fund Complex). PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP informed the Fund it and certain affiliates and covered persons have relationships with lenders who hold, as record owner, more than ten percent of the shares of certain funds within the Invesco Fund Complex, which may implicate the Loan Rule.
On June 20, 2016, the SEC Staff issued a “no-action” letter to another mutual fund complex (see Fidelity Management & Research Company et al., No-Action Letter) related to the audit independence issue described above. In that letter, the SEC confirmed that it would not recommend enforcement action against a fund that relied on audit services performed by an audit firm that was not in compliance with the Loan Rule in certain specified circumstances. In connection with prior independence determinations, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP communicated, as contemplated by the no-action letter, that it believes that it remains objective and impartial and that a reasonable investor possessing all the facts would conclude that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is able to exhibit the requisite objectivity and impartiality to report on the Funds’ financial statements as the independent registered public accounting firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP also represented that it has complied with PCAOB Rule 3526(b)(1) and (2), which are conditions to the Fund’s relying on the no action letter, and affirmed that it is an independent accountant within the meaning of PCAOB Rule 3520. Therefore, the Managing Owner, the Fund and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP concluded that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP could continue as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Invesco Fund Complex relied upon the no-action letter in reaching this conclusion.
If in the future the independence of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is called into question under the Loan Rule by circumstances that are not addressed in the SEC’s no-action letter, the Fund will need to take other action in order for the Fund’s filings with the SEC containing financial statements to be deemed compliant with applicable securities laws. Such additional actions could result in additional costs, impair the ability of the Fund to issue new shares or have other material adverse effects on the Fund. In addition, the SEC has indicated that the no-action relief will expire 18 months from its issuance after which the Invesco Funds will no longer be able to rely on the letter unless its term is extended or made permanent by the SEC Staff.
ITEM 1B.
ITEM 1B.
UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2.
ITEM 2.
PROPERTIES
The Fund does not own or use physical properties in the conduct of its business. Its assets consist of futures contracts, cash, United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds. The Managing Owner’s headquarters are located at 3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700, Downers Grove, IL 60515.
ITEM 3.
ITEM 3.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
ITEM 4.
ITEM 4.
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5.
ITEM 5.
MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
The Shares traded on the NYSE Alternext from September 18, 2006 to November 25, 2008 and have been trading on the NYSE Arca since November 25, 2008 under the symbol “DBV.”
The following table sets forth, for the calendar quarters indicated, the high and low sales prices per Share, as reported on the applicable exchange.
Holders
As of December 31, 2016, the Fund had 68 holders of record of its Shares.
Distributions
The Managing Owner has sole discretion in determining what distributions, if any, the Fund will make to Shareholders.
The Fund paid no distributions for the Year Ended December 31, 2016 or for the Year Ended December 31, 2015.
Sales of Unregistered Securities and Use of Proceeds of Registered Securities
(a) There have been no unregistered sales of the Fund’s securities. No Fund securities are authorized for issuance by the Fund under equity compensation plans.
(b) Not Applicable.
(c) The following table summarizes the redemptions by Authorized Participants during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016:
ITEM 6.
ITEM 6.
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012 financial data for the Fund and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s financial statements, and the notes and schedules related thereto, which are included in this Report. The Fund commenced investment operations on September 15, 2006.
(a)
Income for the years ended December 31, 2014 and prior includes interest expense on overdraft balances. These amounts are included in Interest Expense for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2016.
Selected Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)
ITEM 7.
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Report”). The discussion and analysis which follows may contain trend analysis and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial results. The matters discussed throughout this Report that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the registrant’s current expectations, estimates and projections about the registrant’s business and industry and its beliefs and assumptions about future events. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate,” as well as similar words and phrases, signify forward-looking statements. PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund’s (the “Fund”) forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions and important factors, risks and uncertainties may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements.
You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the Federal securities laws, Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (“Invesco”), undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or the risks, uncertainties or other factors described in this Report, as a result of new information, future events or changed circumstances or for any other reason after the date of this Report.
Overview/Introduction
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index-Excess Return™ (the “Index”) over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations (“Treasury Income”) and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) (“Money Market Income”) over the expenses of the Fund. The Index is designed to reflect the return from investing on a 2:1 leveraged basis in long currency futures positions for certain currencies associated with relatively high yielding interest rates and in short currency futures positions for certain currencies associated with relatively low yielding interest rates.
As of the date of this Report, each of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., Virtu Financial Capital Markets LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Virtu Financial BD LLC, Knight Capital Americas LLC, Timber Hill LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC, Nomura Securities International Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, UBS Securities LLC, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing, L.P. and Citadel Securities LLC has executed a Participant Agreement and are the only Authorized Participants.
On February 23, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (“Invesco”) completed the purchase of the assets of DB Commodity Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“DBCS”), including all of its interests in the Fund and the sole and exclusive power to direct the business and affairs of the Fund, as well as certain other assets pertaining to the management of the Fund, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement (the “Transaction”). Invesco now serves as the managing owner (the “Managing Owner”), commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund, in replacement of DBCS (the “Predecessor Managing Owner”).
The Index is designed to exploit the trend that currencies associated with relatively high interest rates, on average, tend to rise in value relative to currencies associated with relatively low interest rates. This trend is consistent with economic theory regarding the correct price of a currency future, known as the Interest Rate Parity formula or the Covered Interest Arbitrage formula, and can be seen in the historical trading patterns of currency futures.
Effective as of the Closing Date, the Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to serve as the index sponsor (the “Index Sponsor”). Prior to the Closing Date, the index sponsor was Deutsche Bank AG London. The Index Sponsor calculates and publishes the daily index levels and the indicative intraday index levels. Additionally, the Index Sponsor also calculates the indicative value per Share of the Fund throughout each Business Day. The Index Sponsor may subcontract its services from time-to-time to one or more third parties.
The Fund may hold a portfolio of futures contracts (for investment purposes), on the eligible Index Currencies and United States Treasury Obligations for deposit with Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (the “Commodity Broker”) as margin and United States Treasury Securities, cash and money market mutual funds on deposit with The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”) for cash
management purposes. The theoretical or “fair market” price of a currency futures contract is derived from the spot FX rate, interest rates of the two currencies and time to expiry of the currency futures contract and represents an equilibrium relationship among the interest rates, spot markets and futures markets associated with the currencies in question. If an equilibrium relationship does not exist between two currencies, arbitrage opportunities arise and the exploitation of these opportunities by arbitrageurs will tend to drive currency futures prices toward equilibrium. Application of the Interest Rate Parity formula under circumstances in which currencies are not in an equilibrium relationship predicts that if the currency future is based on a rate ranging from a high yielding currency to a low yielding currency, the fair market price of the currency future will be below the spot rate. The longer the time to the expiry of the currency future the greater the amount the fair market price of the currency future will be below the spot rate. If the spot rate stays approximately the same then, as you move closer to the expiry of the currency future, the fair market price will increase. In other words, the currency future rate between a relatively high interest rate currency and low interest rate currency tends to increase over time (assuming spot is relatively stable).
The Index exploits this trend using both long and short futures positions, which is expected to provide more consistent and less volatile returns than could be obtained by taking long positions only or short positions only.
The Fund is an index tracking fund and does not utilize any trading system, whether discretionary, systematic or otherwise. The Index is a mathematical construct that is comprised of the Index Currencies, each of which is assigned an initial weight. As the value of the underlying Index Currencies changes, the relative weights of each Index Currency will vary. The Index will be re-balanced at a pre-determined frequency in order to restore the target weights. As the Fund will invest in futures contracts tied to the underlying Index Currencies (and their corresponding target base weights) with a view to tracking the changes, whether positive or negative, in the changes in the levels of the Index, the Managing Owner serves in an administrative role in order to ensure that the Fund invests in a manner that seeks to track the Index.
Under the Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Fund, as amended, (the “Trust Agreement”), Wilmington Trust Company, the trustee of the Fund, (the “Trustee”), has delegated to the Managing Owner the exclusive management and control of all aspects of the business of the Fund. The Trustee will have no duty or liability to supervise or monitor the performance of the Managing Owner, nor will the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Managing Owner.
The Shares are intended to provide investment results that generally correspond to the changes, positive or negative, in the levels of the Index over time. The value of the Shares is expected to fluctuate in relation to changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio. The market price of the Shares may not be identical to the net asset value per Share, but these two valuations are expected to be very close.
Margin Calls
Like other futures and derivatives traders, the Fund may be subject to margin calls from time-to-time. The term “margin” has a different meaning in the context of futures contracts and other derivatives than it does in the context of securities. In particular, “margin” on a futures position does not constitute a borrowing of money or the collateralization of a loan. The Fund does not borrow money.
To establish a position in an exchange-traded futures contract, the Fund makes a deposit of “initial margin.” The amount of initial margin required to be deposited in order to establish a position in an exchange-traded futures contract varies from instrument to instrument depending, generally, on the historical volatility of the futures contract in question. Determination of the amount of the required initial margin deposit in respect of a particular contract is made by the exchange on which the contract is listed. To establish a long position in an over-the-counter instrument, the counterparty may require an analogous deposit of collateral, depending upon the anticipated volatility of the instrument and the creditworthiness of the person seeking to establish the position. The deposit of initial margin provides assurance to futures commission merchants and clearing brokers involved in the settlement process that sufficient resources are likely to be on deposit to enable a client’s position to be closed by recourse to the initial margin deposit should the client fail to meet a demand for variation margin, even if changes in the value of the contract in question, which are marked to market from day to day, continue to reflect the contract’s historical volatility. Collateral deposited in support of an over-the-counter instrument serves a similar purpose.
Once a position has been established on a futures exchange, “variation margin” generally may be credited or assessed at least daily to reflect changes in the value of the position, except in certain instances where midday variation margin calls are made. In contrast to “initial margin,” “variation margin” represents a system of marking to market the futures contract’s value. Thus, traders in exchange-traded futures contracts are assessed daily in an amount equal to that day’s accumulated losses in respect of any open position (or are credited daily with accumulated gains in respect of such position). Collateral may move between the parties to an over-the-counter instrument in a similar manner as gains or losses accumulate in the instrument. As with initial margin, variation
margin serves to secure the obligations of the investor under the contract and to protect those involved in the settlement process against the possibility that a client will have insufficient resources to meet its contractual obligations. Collateral deposited in support of an over-the-counter instrument serves a similar purpose. Like initial margin (or an equivalent deposit of collateral), variation margin (or an equivalent deposit of collateral) does not constitute a borrowing of money, is not considered to be part of the contract purchase price and is returned upon the contract’s termination unless it is used to cover a loss in the contract position. United States Treasury Obligations are used routinely to collateralize OTC derivative positions, and are deposited routinely as margin to collateralize futures positions. The Fund may liquidate United States Treasury Obligations to meet an initial or variation margin requirement.
Performance Summary
This Report covers the three months ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 (herein referred to as the “Three Months Ended December 31, 2016”, the “Three Months Ended December 31, 2015”, and the “Three Months Ended December 31, 2014”, respectively), and the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 (herein referred to as the “Year Ended December 31, 2016”, the “Year Ended December 31, 2015”, and the “Year Ended December 31, 2014”, respectively). The Fund commenced trading on the American Stock Exchange (which became the NYSE Alternext US LLC (the “NYSE Alternext”)) on September 18, 2006, and, as of November 25, 2008, is listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”).
Performance of the Fund and the exchange traded Shares are detailed below in “Results of Operations”. The Fund’s performance information from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date, and the Fund’s performance information since the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Managing Owner. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.
The Index is intended to reflect the change in market value of its underlying currency futures contracts. The Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index-Total Return™ (DBCFH-TR™), consists of the Index plus 3-month United States Treasury Obligation returns. Because DBCFH-TR is an index, it does not reflect (i) actual trading and (ii) any fees or expenses. Past Index results are not necessarily indicative of future changes, positive or negative, in the Index closing levels.
The section “Summary of the DBCFH-TR™ and Underlying Index Currency Returns for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014” below provides an overview of the changes in the closing levels of the Index by disclosing the change in closing levels of the Index itself and each underlying component Index Currency plus 3-month United States Treasury Obligations returns. Please note that the Fund’s objective is to track the Index (not DBCFH-TR™) and the Fund does not attempt to outperform or underperform the Index.
The following chart highlights the results of the DBCFH-TR™ for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.
Summary of the DBCFH-TR™ and Underlying Index Currency Returns for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014
Although the United States Dollar may have been one of the Eligible Index Currencies associated with the top three highest or bottom three lowest interest rates during the three months ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Index (as per its rules) did not include a long or short USD futures position.
If the Fund’s Treasury Income and Money Market Income were to exceed the Fund’s fees and expenses, the aggregate return on an investment in the Fund is expected to outperform the Index and underperform the DBCFH-TR™. The only difference between the Index and the DBCFH-TR™ is that the Index does not include interest income from a hypothetical basket of fixed income securities while the DBCFH-TR™ does include such a component. Thus, the difference between the Index and the DBCFH-TR™ is attributable entirely to the hypothetical interest income from this hypothetical basket of fixed income securities. If the Fund’s Treasury Income and Money Market Income exceeds the Fund’s fees and expenses, then the amount of such excess is expected to be distributed periodically. The market price of the Shares is expected to closely track the Index. The aggregate return on an investment in the Fund over any period is the sum of the capital appreciation or depreciation of the Shares over the period, plus the amount of any distributions during the period. Consequently, the Fund’s aggregate return is expected to outperform the Index by the amount of the excess, if any, of its Treasury Income and Money Market Income over its fees and expenses but, as a result of the Fund’s fees and expenses, the aggregate return on the Fund is expected to underperform the DBCFH-TR™. If the Fund’s fees and expenses were to exceed the Fund’s Treasury Income and Money Market Income, the aggregate return on an investment in the Fund is expected to underperform the Index.
Net Asset Value
Net asset value means the total assets of the Fund, including, but not limited to, all currency futures contracts, cash and investments less total liabilities of the Fund, each determined on the basis of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), consistently applied under the accrual method of accounting. In particular, net asset value includes any unrealized appreciation or depreciation on open currency futures contracts, and any other credit or debit accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund. All open currency futures contracts will be calculated at their then current market value, which will be based upon the settlement price for that particular currency futures contract traded on the applicable primary exchange on the date with respect to which net asset value is being determined. Under certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, instances where the settlement price is not available, the Managing Owner may value any asset of the Fund pursuant to such other principles as the Managing Owner deems fair and equitable so long as such principles are consistent with normal industry standards. The amount of any distribution is a liability of the Fund from the day when the distribution is declared until it is paid.
Net asset value per Share is the net asset value of the Fund divided by the number of outstanding Shares.
Critical Accounting Policies
The Fund’s critical accounting policies are as follows:
Preparation of the financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well as the use of estimates, and requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expense and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period of the financial statements and accompanying notes. The Fund’s application of these policies involves judgments and actual results may differ from the estimates used. There were no significant estimates used in the preparation of these financial statements.
Currency futures contracts, United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds are recorded on a trade date basis and at fair value in the financial statements, with changes in fair value, if any, reported in the Statements of Income and Expenses.
The use of fair value to measure financial instruments, with related unrealized gains or losses recognized in earnings in each period is fundamental to the Fund’s financial statements. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (the exit price).
United States Treasury Obligations are fair valued using an evaluated quote provided by an independent pricing service. Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that do not trade on an exchange are valued at the end of day NAV per share. Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that trade on an exchange are valued at the last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification for fair value measurement and disclosure guidance requires a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. See Note 5(c) within the financial statements in Item 8 for further information.
When market closing prices are not available, the Managing Owner may value an asset of the Fund pursuant to policies the Managing Owner has adopted, which are consistent with normal industry standards.
Realized gains (losses) from the sale or disposition of securities or derivatives are determined on a specific identification basis and recognized in the Statements of Income and Expenses in the period in which the contract is closed or the sale or disposition occurs, respectively.
Interest income on United States Treasury Obligations is recognized on an accrual basis when earned. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the United States Treasury Obligations. Dividend income (net of withholding tax, if any) is recorded on the ex-dividend date.
Market Risk
Trading in futures contracts involves the Fund entering into contractual commitments to purchase a particular currency at a specified date and price. The market risk associated with the Fund’s commitments to purchase currencies is limited to the gross or face amount of the contracts held.
The Fund’s exposure to market risk is also influenced by a number of factors including the volatility of interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, the liquidity of the markets in which the contracts are traded and the relationships among the contracts held. The inherent uncertainty of the Fund’s trading as well as the development of drastic market occurrences could ultimately lead to a loss of all or substantially all of the investors’ capital.
Credit Risk
When the Fund enters into futures contracts, the Fund is exposed to credit risk that the counterparty to the contract will not meet its obligations. The counterparty for futures contracts traded on United States exchanges and on most foreign futures is the clearing house associated with the particular exchange. In general, clearing houses are backed by their corporate members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the nonperformance by one of their members and, as such, should significantly reduce this credit risk. In cases where the clearing house is not backed by the clearing members (i.e., some foreign exchanges), it may be backed by a consortium of banks or other financial institutions. There can be no assurance that any counterparty, clearing member or clearinghouse will meet its obligations to the Fund.
The Commodity Broker, when acting as the Fund’s futures commission merchant in accepting orders for the purchase or sale of domestic futures contracts, is required by the CFTC regulations to separately account for and segregate as belonging to the Fund all assets of the Fund relating to domestic futures trading and the Commodity Broker is not allowed to commingle such assets with other assets of the Commodity Broker. In addition, CFTC regulations also require the Commodity Broker to hold in a secure account assets of the Fund related to foreign futures trading. Also see Item 1A.-Risk Factors-“Failure of Futures Commission Merchants or Commodity Brokers to Segregate Assets May Increase Losses; Despite Segregation of Assets, The Fund Remains at Risk of Significant Losses Because The Fund May Only Receive a Pro-Rata Share of the Assets, or No Assets at All.”
Liquidity
The Fund’s entire source of capital is derived from the Fund’s offering of Shares to Authorized Participants. The Fund in turn allocates its net assets to currency futures trading. A significant portion of the net asset value is held in United States Treasury Obligations which may be used as margin for the Fund’s trading in currency futures contracts and United States Treasury Obligations, money market mutual funds and cash, which may be used for cash management purposes. The percentage that United States Treasury Obligations bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period as the market values of the Fund’s currency futures change. A portion of the Fund’s United States Treasury Obligations are held for deposit with the Commodity Broker to meet margin requirements. All remaining cash, money market mutual funds and United States Treasury Obligations are on deposit with the Custodian. Interest earned on the Fund’s interest-bearing funds and dividends from the Fund’s holdings of money market mutual funds are paid to the Fund.
The Fund’s foreign currency futures contracts may be subject to periods of illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations or for other reasons. For example, currency futures exchanges may limit fluctuations in certain futures contract prices during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once the price of a particular futures contract has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the futures contract can neither be taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or within the limit. Although the Eligible Index Currencies that the Fund invests in are not currently subject to daily limits, the Eligible Index Currencies could become subject to such limits in the future. Such market conditions could prevent the Fund from promptly liquidating its currency futures positions.
Because the Fund trades futures contracts, its capital is at risk due to changes in the value of futures contracts (market risk) or the inability of counterparties (including the Commodity Broker and/or exchange clearinghouses) to perform under the terms of the contracts (credit risk).
On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer Agent to redeem one or more Baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The day on which the Managing Owner receives a valid redemption order is the redemption order date. The day on which a redemption order is settled is the redemption order settlement date. As provided below, the redemption order settlement date may occur up to three business days after the redemption order date. Redemption orders are irrevocable. The redemption procedures allow Authorized Participants to redeem Baskets. Individual Shareholders may not redeem directly from the Fund. Instead, individual Shareholders may only redeem Shares in integral multiples of 200,000 and only through an Authorized Participant.
Unless otherwise agreed to by the Managing Owner and the Authorized Participant as provided in the next sentence, by placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund not later than the redemption order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the redemption order date. Upon submission of a redemption order, the Authorized Participant may request the Managing Owner to agree to a redemption order settlement date up to three business days after the redemption order date. By placing a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order.
Redemption orders may be placed either (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement (“CNS”) clearing processes of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”) (the “CNS Clearing Process”) or (ii) if outside the CNS Clearing Process, only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC” or the “Depository”) (the “DTC Process”), or a successor depository, and only in exchange for cash. By placing a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order and such fee is not borne by the Fund.
Cash Flows
A primary cash flow activity of the Fund is to raise capital from Authorized Participants through the issuance of Shares. This cash is used to invest in United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds and to meet margin requirements as a result of the positions taken in futures contracts to match the fluctuations of the Index the Fund is tracking.
Operating Activities
Net cash flow provided by (used for) operating activities was $38.1 million, $(9.9) million and $106.8 million, during the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. These amounts primarily include net income (loss), net purchases and sales of money market mutual funds and net purchases and sales of United States Treasury Obligations which are held at fair value on the Statements of Financial Condition. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund invests in futures contracts in an attempt to track its Index. The Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds for margin and/or cash management purposes.
During the Year Ended December 31, 2016, $284.3 million was paid to purchase United States Treasury Obligations and $324.0 million was received from sales and maturing United States Treasury Obligations. During the Year Ended December 31, 2015, $413.6 million was paid to purchase United States Treasury Obligations and $413.1 million was received from sales and maturing United States Treasury Obligations. During the Year Ended December 31, 2014, $504.0 million was paid to purchase United States Treasury Obligations and $607.0 million was received from sales and maturing United States Treasury Obligations. $(6.1) million was received (paid) from (for) net sales (purchases) of money market mutual funds during the Year Ended December 31, 2016. The Fund had no money market mutual fund holdings during the Years Ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Unrealized appreciation/depreciation on United States Treasury Obligations and Currency Futures Contracts increased (decreased) net cash by $0.0 million, $(0.7) million and $1.5 million during the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Financing Activities
The Fund’s net cash flow provided by (used for) financing activities was $(42.7) million, $11.7 million and $(109.0) million during the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. This included $83.5 million, $94.6 million and $51.9 million from the sale of Shares to Authorized Participants and $126.2 million, $82.9 million and $160.9 million from Shares redeemed by Authorized Participants during the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Results of Operations
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016, 2015 AND 2014 AND FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016, 2015 AND 2014
The Fund was launched on September 15, 2006 at $25.00 per Share. The Shares traded on the NYSE Alternext from September 18, 2006 to November 25, 2008 and have been trading on the NYSE Arca since November 25, 2008. The Fund’s performance information from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date, and the Fund’s performance information since the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Managing Owner. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.
The Fund seeks to track changes in the closing levels of the Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index-Excess Return™ (the “Index”), over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s Treasury Income and Money Market Income over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund invests in futures contracts in an attempt to track its Index. The Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds for margin and/or cash management purposes.
The following graphs illustrate changes in (i) the price of the Shares (as reflected by the line “Market”), (ii) the Fund’s NAV (as reflected by the line “NAV”), and (iii) the closing levels of the Index (as reflected by the line “DB G10 Currency Future Harvest Index ER”). Whenever the Treasury Income and Money Market Income earned by the Fund exceeds Fund expenses, the price of the Shares generally has exceeded the levels of the Index primarily because the Share price reflects Treasury Income and Money Market Income from the Fund’s collateral holdings whereas the Index does not consider such income. There can be no assurances that the price of the Shares will exceed the Index levels.
The Index is a set of rules applied to a body of data and does not represent the results of actual investment or trading. The Index is frictionless, in that it does not take into account fees or expenses associated with investing in the Fund. Also, because it does not represent actual futures positions, the Index is not subject to, and does not take into account the impact of, speculative position limits (if applicable) or certain other similar limitations on the ability of the Fund to trade the Index Currencies. The “TR” version of the
Index includes an assumed amount of interest income based on prevailing rates that is adjusted from time to time. The Fund, by contrast, invests actual money and trades actual futures contracts. As a result, the performance of the Fund involves friction, in that fees and expenses impose a drag on performance. The Fund may be subject to speculative position limits (if applicable) and certain other limitations on its ability to trade the Index Currencies, which may compel the Fund to trade futures or other instruments that are not the Index Currencies as proxies for the Index Currencies. The interest rate actually earned by the Fund over any period may differ from the assumed amount of interest income factored into the “TR” version of the Index over the same period. All of these factors can contribute to discrepancies between changes in net asset value per Share and changes in the level of the Index over any period of time. The Money Market Income, if any, is not taken into account when determining the performance of the Index and, therefore, it may also contribute to those discrepancies. The extent to which the Fund has invested at an aggregate notional level approximating the Index value as opposed to the Fund’s aggregate net asset value also may contribute to discrepancies. Fees and expenses always will tend to cause changes in the net asset value per Share to underperform changes in the value of the Index over any given period, all other things being equal. Actual interest income from the Fund’s holdings of United States Treasury Obligations could be higher or lower than the assumed interest income factored into the “TR” version of the Index, and together with the dividends could cause changes in the net asset value per Share to outperform or underperform changes in the value of the “TR” version of the Index over any given period, all other things being equal. Similarly, trading futures or other instruments that are not Index Currencies as proxies for the Index Currencies could cause changes in the net asset value per Share to outperform or underperform changes in the value of the Index over any given period, all other things being equal.
COMPARISON OF MARKET, NAV AND DB G10 CURRENCY FUTURE HARVEST INDEX ER
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016, 2015 AND 2014 AND
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016, 2015 AND 2014
NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES,
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
See Additional Legends Below
NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES,
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES,
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
See Additional Legends Below
NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES,
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES,
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
See Additional Legends Below
NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES,
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
Additional Legends
Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index-Excess Return™ is an index and does not reflect (i) actual trading and (ii) any fees or expenses.
WHILE THE FUND’S OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO GENERATE PROFIT THROUGH ACTIVE PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, BUT IS TO TRACK THE INDEX, BECAUSE THE INDEX WAS ESTABLISHED IN DECEMBER 2005, CERTAIN INFORMATION RELATING TO THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS MAY BE CONSIDERED TO BE “HYPOTHETICAL.” HYPOTHETICAL INFORMATION MAY HAVE CERTAIN INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. WITH RESPECT TO INDEX DATA, NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT THE INDEX WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE CLOSING LEVELS CONSISTENT WITH OR SIMILAR TO THOSE SET FORTH HEREIN. SIMILARLY, NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT THE FUND WILL GENERATE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THE FUND’S PAST PERFORMANCE OR THE HISTORICAL ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE CHANGES IN THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY INVESTMENT METHODOLOGIES, WHETHER ACTIVE OR PASSIVE.
WITH RESPECT TO INDEX DATA, ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL INFORMATION IS THAT IT IS GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. TO THE EXTENT THAT INFORMATION PRESENTED HEREIN RELATES TO THE PERIOD MARCH 1993 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2005, THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS REFLECT THE APPLICATION OF THE INDEX’S METHODOLOGY, AND SELECTION OF INDEX CURRENCIES, IN HINDSIGHT.
NO HYPOTHETICAL RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE NUMEROUS FACTORS, INCLUDING THOSE DESCRIBED UNDER ITEM 1A. “RISK FACTORS” SET FORTH HEREIN, RELATED TO THE CURRENCIES MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FUND’S EFFORTS TO TRACK THE INDEX OVER TIME WHICH CANNOT BE, AND HAVE NOT BEEN, ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF THE INDEX INFORMATION SET FORTH ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES, ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS FOR THE FUND.
FURTHERMORE, THE INDEX INFORMATION DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK OR ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FEES AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUND.
THE MANAGING OWNER AND ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS HAVE LIMITED EXPERIENCE MANAGING THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS FOR THE FUND AND HAVE ONLY MANAGED AN EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND THAT RELATES TO A BROAD-BASED COMMODITY INDEX FOR A SHORT PERIOD. BECAUSE THERE ARE LIMITED ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS OF THE MANAGING OWNER THAT ARE COMPARABLE TO THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS SET FORTH HEREIN, PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY WARY OF PLACING UNDUE RELIANCE ON THE ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE INDEX RESULTS. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, NONE OF THE PERFORMANCE RELATED INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE MANAGING OWNER.
THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER, AN INDIRECT WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF DEUTSCHE BANK AG, COMMENCED OPERATIONS IN JANUARY 2006. AS THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER, THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER AND ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS MANAGED THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS FOR THE FUND FROM INCEPTION UP TO AND EXCLUDING THE CLOSING DATE. BECAUSE THERE ARE LIMITED ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS TO COMPARE TO THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS SET FORTH HEREIN, PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY WARY OF PLACING UNDUE RELIANCE ON THE ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE INDEX RESULTS. IN RESPECT OF ANY PERIOD, FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, NONE OF THE PERFORMANCE RELATED INFORMATION AFTER THE CLOSING DATE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER.
THE FUND’S PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FROM INCEPTION UP TO AND EXCLUDING THE CLOSING DATE IS A REFLECTION OF THE PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER. THE MANAGING OWNER HAS SERVED AS MANAGING OWNER OF THE FUND SINCE THE CLOSING DATE AND THE FUND’S PERFORMANCE INFORMATION SINCE THE CLOSING DATE IS A REFLECTION OF THE PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANAGING OWNER. PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016, 2015 AND 2014
Fund Share Price Performance
For the Year Ended December 31, 2016, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share increased 6.69% from $23.32 per Share to $24.88 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Year Ended December 31, 2016 and related change from the Share price on December 31, 2015 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $22.53 per Share (-3.39%) on January 15, 2016 and a high of $25.66 per Share (10.04%) on November 8, 2016. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Year Ended December 31, 2016. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a market value basis, was +6.69%.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2015, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share decreased 8.59% from $25.51 per Share to $23.32 per Share. The Share price high and low for the Year Ended December 31, 2015 and related change from the Share price from December 31, 2014 was as follows: Shares traded at a high of $25.64 per Share (+0.51%) on January 8, 2015 and a low of $21.94 per Share (-14.00%) on August 24, 2015. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Year Ended December 31, 2015. Therefore, the total return for the Fund, on a market value basis, was -8.59%.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2014, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share increased 0.47% from $25.42 per Share to $25.54 per Share. The Share price high and low for the Year Ended December 31, 2014 and related change from the Share price on December 31, 2013 was as follows: Shares traded at a high of $26.36 per Share (+3.70%) on June 18, 2014 and a low of $24.69 per Share (-2.87%) on December 16, 2014. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Year Ended December 31, 2014. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a market value basis was +0.47%.
Fund Share Net Asset Performance
For the Year Ended December 31, 2016, the net asset value of each Share increased 6.87% from $23.29 per Share to $24.89 per Share. For the Year Ended December 31, 2016, gains in the long index currency positions in the Australian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar and Norwegian Krone along with gains in the short index currency positions in the Euro, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc, contributed to an overall 7.94% increase in the level of the DBCFH-TR™. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Year Ended December 31, 2016. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a net asset value basis, was +6.87%.
Net income (loss) for the Year Ended December 31, 2016 was $4.0 million, primarily resulting from income of $0.2 million, net realized gain (loss) of $6.9 million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(2.6) million and operating expenses of $0.5 million.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2015, the net asset value of each Share decreased 8.49% from $25.45 per Share to $23.29 per Share. For the Year Ended December 31, 2015, losses in the long index currency positions in the Australian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar and Norwegian Krone along with losses in the short index currency positions in Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc were partially offset by gains in the short index currency positions in the Euro, contributing to an overall 7.58% decrease in the level of the DBCFH-TR™. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Year Ended December 31, 2015. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a net asset value basis, was -8.49%.
Net income (loss) for the Year Ended December 31, 2015 was $(9.7) million, primarily resulting from net realized gain (loss) of $(9.6) million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $0.7 million and operating expenses of $0.8 million.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2014, the net asset value of each Share increased 0.12% from $25.42 per Share to $25.45 per Share. For the Year Ended December 31, 2014, gains in the short index currency positions in the Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, and Euro more than offset the losses in the long index currency positions in the Australian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar, and Norwegian Krone, contributing to an overall 0.93% increase in the level of the DBCFH-TR™. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Year Ended December 31, 2014. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a net asset value basis was +0.12%.
Net income (loss) for the Year Ended December 31, 2014 was $2.4 million, primarily resulting from net realized gain (loss) of $4.9 million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(1.5) million and operating expenses of $1.0 million.
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016, 2015 AND 2014
Fund Share Price Performance
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share decreased 0.20% from $24.93 per Share to $24.88 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016 and related change from the Share price on September 30, 2016 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $24.79 per Share (-0.58%) on October 7, 2016 and a high of $25.66 per Share (2.91%) on November 8, 2016. The Fund did not make a distribution to Shareholders during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a market value basis, was -0.20%.
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share increased 5.04% from $22.20 per Share to $23.32 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015 and related change from the Share price on September 30, 2015 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $22.28 per Share (+0.34%) on October 1, 2015 and a high of $23.83 per Share (+7.34%) on December 1, 2015. The Fund did not make a distribution to Shareholders during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a market value basis, was +5.04%.
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share decreased 0.62% from $25.70 per Share to $25.54 per Share. The Share price high and low for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014 and related change from the Share price on September 30, 2014 was as follows: Shares traded at a high of $26.20 per Share (+1.95%) on November 21, 2014 and a low of $24.69 per Share (-3.93%) on December 16, 2014. The Fund did not make a distribution to Shareholders during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a market value basis, was -0.62%.
Fund Share Net Asset Performance
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, the net asset value of each Share decreased 0.32% from $24.97 per Share to $24.89 per Share. For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, losses of the long index currency positions in the Australian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar and Norwegian Krone were partially offset by gains of the short index currency position in the Euro, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc, contributing to an overall 0.04% decrease in the level of the DBCFH-TR™. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a net asset value basis, was -0.32%.
Net income (loss) for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2016, was $(0.3) million, primarily resulting from income of $0.1 million, net realized gain (loss) of $2.0 million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(2.3) million and operating expenses of $0.1 million.
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015, the net asset value of each Share increased 4.86% from $22.21 per Share to $23.29 per Share. For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015, gains in the long index currency positions in the Australian Dollar and New Zealand Dollar along with gains in the short index currency positions in the Euro, Swedish Krona and Swiss Franc were partially offset by losses in the long index currency position in the Norwegian Krone, contributing to an overall 5.10% increase in the level of the DBCFH-TR™. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a net asset value basis, was +4.86%.
Net income (loss) for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2015, was $4.0 million, primarily resulting from net realized gain (loss) of $2.2 million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $2.0 million and operating expenses of $0.2 million.
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014, the net asset value of each Share decreased 1.09% from $25.73 per Share to $25.45 per Share. For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014, losses of the long index currency positions in the Australian Dollar and Norwegian Krone more than offset the gains of the long index currency position in the New Zealand Dollar as well as gains of the short index currency positions in the Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc, and Euro, contributing to an overall 0.83% decrease in the level of the DBCFH-TR™. No distributions were paid to Shareholders during the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014. Therefore, the total return for the Fund on a net asset value basis, was -1.09%.
Net income (loss) for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2014, was $(0.8) million, primarily resulting from net realized gain (loss) of $(2.3) million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $1.7 million and operating expenses of $0.2 million.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations
In the normal course of its business, the Fund is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk. The term “off-balance sheet risk” refers to an unrecorded potential liability that, even though it does not appear on the balance sheet, may result in a future obligation or loss. The financial instruments used by the Fund are currency futures, whose values are based upon an underlying asset and generally represent future commitments which have a reasonable possibility to be settled in cash or through physical delivery.
The financial instruments are traded on an exchange and are standardized contracts.
The Fund has not utilized, nor does it expect to utilize in the future, special purpose entities to facilitate off-balance sheet financing arrangements and has no loan guarantee arrangements or off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind, other than agreements entered into in the normal course of business noted above, which may include indemnification provisions related to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interest of the Fund. While the Fund’s exposure under such indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, these general business indemnifications are not expected to have a material impact on the Fund’s financial position. The Managing Owner expects the risk of loss to be remote.
The Fund’s contractual obligations are with the Managing Owner and the Commodity Broker. Management Fee payments made to the Managing Owner are calculated as a fixed percentage of the Fund’s net asset value. Commission payments to the Commodity Broker are on a contract-by-contract, or round-turn, basis. As such, the Managing Owner cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements for future periods as net asset values are not known until a future date. These agreements are effective for one-year terms, renewable automatically for additional one-year terms unless terminated. Additionally, these agreements may be terminated by either party for various reasons. For the avoidance of doubt, from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, all Management Fees and commission payments were paid to the Predecessor Managing Owner and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (the “Predecessor Commodity Broker”), respectively. Since the Closing Date, the Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund and all Management Fee accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Managing Owner. Since the Closing Date and up to November 25, 2016, the Predecessor Commodity Broker served as the Fund’s futures clearing broker, and all commission accruals from the Closing Date up to November 25, 2016 have been paid to the Predecessor Commodity Broker. Since November 25, 2016, all commission accruals have been paid to the Commodity Broker.
ITEM 7A.
ITEM 7A.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
INTRODUCTION
The Fund is designed to replicate positions in a currency futures index. The market sensitive instruments held by it are subject to the risk of trading loss. Unlike an operating company, the risk of market sensitive instruments is integral, not incidental, to the Fund’s main line of business.
Market movements can produce frequent changes in the fair market value of the Fund’s open positions and, consequently, in its earnings and cash flow. The Fund’s market risk is primarily influenced by changes in the prices of currencies.
Value at Risk, or VaR, is a measure of the maximum amount which the Fund could reasonably be expected to lose in a given market sector. However, the inherent uncertainty in the markets in which the Fund trades and the recurrence in the markets traded by the Fund of market movements far exceeding expectations could result in actual trading or non-trading losses far beyond the indicated VaR or the Fund’s experience to date (i.e., “risk of ruin”). In light of this, as well as the risks and uncertainties intrinsic to all future
projections, the inclusion of the quantification included in this section should not be considered to constitute any assurance or representation that the Fund’s losses in any market sector will be limited to VaR or by the Fund’s attempts to manage its market risk.
Standard of Materiality
Materiality as used in this section, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” is based on an assessment of reasonably possible market movements and the potential losses caused by such movements, taking into account the effects of margin, and any other multiplier features, as applicable, of the Fund’s market sensitive instruments.
QUANTIFYING THE FUND’S TRADING VALUE AT RISK IN DIFFERENT CURRENCY CONTRACTS
Quantitative Forward-Looking Statements
The following quantitative disclosures regarding the Fund’s market risk exposures contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor from civil liability provided for such statements by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (set forth in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act). All quantitative disclosures in this section are deemed to be forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor, except for statements of historical fact (such as the dollar amount of maintenance margin required for market risk sensitive instruments held at the end of the reporting period).
VaR, is a statistical measure of the value of losses that would not be expected to be exceeded over a given time horizon and at a given probability level arising from movement of underlying risk factors. Loss is measured as a decline in the fair value of the portfolio as a result of changes in any of the material variables by which fair values are determined. VaR is measured over a specified holding period (one day) and to a specified level of statistical confidence (99th percentile). However, the inherent uncertainty in the markets in which the Fund trades and the recurrence in the markets traded by the Fund of market movements far exceeding expectations could result in actual trading or non-trading losses far beyond the indicated VaR or the Fund’s experience to date (i.e., “risk of ruin”). In light of this, as well as the risks and uncertainties intrinsic to all future projections, the inclusion of the quantification included in this section should not be considered to constitute any assurance or representation that the Fund’s losses in any market sector will be limited to VaR or by the Fund’s attempts to manage its market risk.
THE FUND’S TRADING VALUE AT RISK
The Fund calculates VaR using the actual historical market movements of the Fund’s net assets.
The following table indicates the trading VaR associated with the Fund’s net assets as of December 31, 2016.
The following table indicates the trading VaR associated with the Fund’s net assets as of December 31, 2015.
*
The VaR represents the one day downside risk, under normal market conditions, with a 99% confidence level. It is calculated using historical market moves of the Fund’s net assets and uses a one year look-back.
NON-TRADING RISK
The Fund has non-trading market risk as a result of investing in short-term United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds. The market risk represented by these investments is expected to be immaterial.
QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES REGARDING PRIMARY TRADING RISK EXPOSURES
The following qualitative disclosures regarding the Fund’s market risk exposures-except for those disclosures that are statements of historical fact-constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. The Fund’s primary market risk exposures are subject to numerous uncertainties, contingencies and risks. Government interventions, defaults and expropriations, illiquid markets, the emergence of dominant fundamental factors, political upheavals, changes in historical price relationships, an influx of new market participants, increased regulation and many other factors could result in material losses as well as in material changes to the risk exposures of the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s current market exposure will not change materially. Investors may lose all or substantially all of their investment in the Fund.
Several factors may affect the price of the Index Currencies, including, but not limited to:
•
National debt levels and trade deficits, including changes in balances of payments and trade;
•
Domestic and foreign inflation rates and investors’ expectations concerning inflation rates;
•
Domestic and foreign interest rates and investors’ expectations concerning interest rates;
•
Currency exchange rates;
•
Investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and currency funds;
•
Global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations;
•
Supply and demand changes which influence the foreign exchange rates of various currencies;
•
Monetary policies of governments (including exchange control programs, restrictions on local exchanges or markets and limitations on foreign investment in a country or on investment by residents of a country in other countries), trade restrictions, currency devaluations and revaluations;
•
Governmental intervention in the currency market, directly and by regulation, in order to influence currency prices; and
•
Expectations among market participants that a currency’s value soon will change.
QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES REGARDING NON-TRADING RISK EXPOSURE
General
The Fund is unaware of any (i) anticipated known demands, commitments or capital expenditures; (ii) material trends, favorable or unfavorable, in its capital resources; or (iii) trends or uncertainties that will have a material effect on operations.
QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES REGARDING MEANS OF MANAGING RISK EXPOSURE
Under ordinary circumstances, the Managing Owner’s discretionary power is limited to determining whether the Fund will make a distribution. Under emergency or extraordinary circumstances, the Managing Owner’s discretionary powers increase, but remain circumscribed. These special circumstances, for example, include the unavailability of the Index or certain natural or man-made disasters. The Managing Owner does not actively manage the Fund to avoid losses. The Fund initiates positions on both the “long” and “short” side of the market and does not employ “stop-loss” techniques.
ITEM 8.
ITEM 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Documents
Page
Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Statements of Financial Condition as of December 31, 2016 and 2015
Schedule of Investments as of December 31, 2016
Schedule of Investments as of December 31, 2015
Statements of Income and Expenses For the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity For the Year Ended December 31, 2016
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity For the Year Ended December 31, 2015
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity For the Year Ended December 31, 2014
Statements of Cash Flows For the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014
Notes to Financial Statements
Report of Management on Internal Control
Over Financial Reporting
Management of Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC, as managing owner (the “Managing Owner”) of PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund (the “Fund”), is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined under Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Fund; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that the Fund’s receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with appropriate authorizations of management; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Fund’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements, errors or fraud. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
We, Daniel Draper, Principal Executive Officer, and Steven Hill, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, of the Managing Owner, assessed the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016. In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). The assessment included an evaluation of the design of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting and testing of the operational effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting. Based on our assessment and those criteria, we have concluded that the Fund maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016.
The Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, has audited the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, as stated in their report on page 41 of the Fund’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.
By:
/S/ DANIEL DRAPER
Name:
Daniel Draper
Title:
Principal Executive Officer
of the Managing Owner
By:
/S/ STEVEN HILL
Name:
Steven Hill
Title:
Principal Financial and Accounting Officer,
Investment Pools, of the Managing Owner
February 27, 2017
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Managers and Shareholders of the PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund:
In our opinion, the accompanying statements of financial condition, including the schedules of investments, and the related statements of income and expenses, of changes in shareholders’ equity and of cash flows, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund (the “Fund”) at December 31, 2016 and 2015, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2016 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Fund maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Fund's management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Fund's internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
A fund’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A fund’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the fund; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the fund are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management of the fund; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the fund’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chicago, Illinois
February 27, 2017
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Statements of Financial Condition
December 31, 2016 and 2015
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Schedule of Investments
December 31, 2016
(a)
Security may be traded on a discount basis. The interest rate shown represents the discount rate at the most recent auction date of the security prior to period end.
(b)
United States Treasury Obligations of $2,995,800 are on deposit with the Commodity Broker and held as maintenance margin for open futures contracts.
(c)
The security and the Fund are advised by wholly-owned subsidiaries of Invesco Ltd. and are therefore considered to be affiliated. The rate shown is the 7-day SEC standardized yield as of December 31, 2016.
(d)
Unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) is presented above, net by contract.
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Schedule of Investments
December 31, 2015
(a)
Security may be traded on a discount basis. The interest rate shown represents the discount rate at the most recent auction date of the security prior to year end.
(b)
United States Treasury Obligations of $6,999,620 are on deposit with the Commodity Broker and held as maintenance margin for open futures contracts.
(c)
Unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) is presented above, net by contract.
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Statements of Income and Expenses
For the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014
(a)
Interest Expense for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 represents interest expense on overdraft balances. These amounts are included in Interest Income for the year ended December 31, 2014.
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity
For the Year Ended December 31, 2016
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity
For the Year Ended December 31, 2015
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity
For the Year Ended December 31, 2014
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Statements of Cash Flows
For the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014
(a)
Cash at December 31, 2014 and prior reflects cash held by the Predecessor Commodity Broker.
(b)
Cash at December 31, 2015 reflects cash held by the Custodian.
See accompanying Notes to Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.
PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund
Notes to Financial Statements
December 31, 2016
(1) Background
On October 24, 2014, DB Commodity Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“DBCS”), DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corporation (“DBUSH”) and Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (“Invesco”) entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”). DBCS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DBUSH. DBCS agreed to transfer and sell to Invesco all of DBCS’ interest in the PowerShares DB G10 Currency Harvest Fund (the “Fund”), including the sole and exclusive power to direct the business and affairs of the Fund, as well as certain other assets pertaining to the management of the Fund, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement (the “Transaction”).
The Transaction was consummated on February 23, 2015 (the “Closing Date”). Invesco now serves as the managing owner (the “Managing Owner”), commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Fund, in replacement of DBCS (the “Predecessor Managing Owner”).
(2) Organization
The Fund was formed as a Delaware statutory trust on April 12, 2006. The Predecessor Managing Owner seeded the Fund with a capital contribution of $1,000 in exchange for 40 General Shares of the Fund. The General Shares were sold to the Managing Owner by the Predecessor Managing Owner pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. The fiscal year end of the Fund is December 31st. The term of the Fund is perpetual (unless terminated earlier in certain circumstances) as provided for in the Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Fund, as amended (the “Trust Agreement”). The Fund has an unlimited number of shares authorized for issuance.
The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the “Authorized Participants”) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The Fund commenced investment operations on September 15, 2006. The Fund commenced trading on the American Stock Exchange (which became the NYSE Alternext US LLC (the “NYSE Alternext”)) on September 18, 2006 and is now listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) as of November 25, 2008.
This Annual Report (the “Report”) covers the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 (herein referred to as the “Year Ended December 31, 2016”, the “Year Ended December 31, 2015” and the “Year Ended December 31, 2014”, respectively). The Fund’s performance information from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date, and the Fund’s performance information since the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Managing Owner. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.
(3) Fund Investment Overview
The Fund seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank G10 Currency Future Harvest Index-Excess Return™, (the “Index”), over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations (“Treasury Income”) and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) (“Money Market Income”) over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) for margin and/or cash management purposes.
The Index is designed to reflect the performance of certain currencies. The currencies comprising the Index, at any time (each an “Index Currency”, and collectively, the “Index Currencies”), are six of the following Group of Ten currencies: United States Dollars, Euros, Japanese Yen, Canadian Dollars, Swiss Francs, British Pounds, Australian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars, Norwegian Krone and Swedish Krona, or, collectively, the Eligible Index Currencies. At any time, the Index will consist of long futures contracts on the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the highest interest rates and short futures contracts on the three Eligible Index Currencies associated with the lowest interest rates. The ratio of the notional value of futures contracts in the Index to collateral used to margin those contracts is approximately 2:1 when the Index re-balances quarterly. However, if the United States Dollar is one of the Eligible Index Currencies associated with either the three highest or the three lowest interest rates, the Index will not establish a futures position, and the ratio of the notional value of futures contracts to collateral used to margin those contracts will be approximately 1.66:1 when the Index re-balances. The Fund has in the past invested at the quarterly re-balance in excess of the targeted 2:1 ratio of aggregate notional value of futures to collateral used to margin those contracts.
(4) Service Providers and Related Party Agreements
The Trustee
Under the Trust Agreement, Wilmington Trust Company, the trustee of the Fund (the “Trustee”), has delegated to the Managing Owner the exclusive management and control of all aspects of the business of the Fund. The Trustee will have no duty or liability to supervise or monitor the performance of the Managing Owner, nor will the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Managing Owner.
The Managing Owner
The Managing Owner serves as the Fund’s commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor and managing owner. The Fund pays the Managing Owner a management fee, monthly in arrears, in an amount equal to 0.75% per annum of the daily net asset value of the Fund (the “Management Fee”). From inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, all Management Fees were payable to the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date and all Management Fee accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Managing Owner.
The Fund may, for cash management purposes, invest in money market mutual funds that are managed by an affiliate of the Managing Owner. The indirect portion of the management fee that the Fund may incur through such investment is in addition to the Management Fee paid to the Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has contractually agreed to waive the fees that it receives in an amount equal to the indirect management fees that the Fund incurs through its investments in affiliated money market mutual funds through June 20, 2018. Through June 20, 2018, the Managing Owner has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund’s management fee in an amount equal to 100% of the net advisory fees an affiliate of the Managing Owner receives that are attributable to the Fund’s investments in money market mutual funds managed by that affiliate. The Managing Owner cannot discontinue this waiver prior to its expiration.
The Managing Owner waived fees of $2,481 for the Year Ended December 31, 2016.
The Commodity Trading Advisor
Invesco Advisers Inc. (“Invesco Advisers”), a Delaware corporation, is the commodity trading advisor of the Fund and is an affiliate of the Managing Owner. The Managing Owner may utilize the Invesco Advisers trading desk to place trades for the Fund. Invesco Advisers receives no compensation for providing this service.
The Commodity Broker
Effective November 25, 2016 Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC became the Fund’s (the “Commodity Broker”). A variety of executing brokers execute futures transactions on behalf of the Fund. Such executing brokers give-up all such transactions to the Commodity Broker. In its capacity as clearing broker, the Commodity Broker may execute or receive transactions executed by others and clears all of the Fund’s futures transactions and performs certain administrative and custodial services for the Fund. The Commodity Broker is responsible, among other things, for providing periodic accountings of all dealings and actions taken by the Fund during the reporting period, together with an accounting of all securities, cash or other indebtedness or obligations held by it or its nominees for or on behalf of the Fund. Prior to November 25, 2016, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. served as the Fund’s clearing broker.
The Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent
The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Administrator” and “Custodian”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent of the Fund. The Fund and the Administrator have entered into separate administrative, custodian, transfer agency and service agreements (collectively referred to as the “Administration Agreement”).
Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, the Administrator performs or supervises the performance of services necessary for the operation and administration of the Fund (other than making investment decisions), including receiving and processing orders from Authorized Participants to create and redeem Baskets, net asset value calculations, accounting and other fund administrative services. The Administrator maintains certain financial books and records, including: Basket creation and redemption books and records, fund accounting records, ledgers with respect to assets, liabilities, capital, income and expenses, the registrar, transfer journals and related details, and trading and related documents received from the Commodity Broker. The Managing Owner pays the Administrator fees for its services out of the Management Fee.
As of December 31, 2014, the Fund held $2,885,535 of cash and $82,998,633 of United States Treasury Obligations at the Predecessor Commodity Broker. In conjunction with the Transaction, during the three-day period from February 24, 2015 to February 26, 2015, the Fund transferred $3,000,000 of cash and $49,999,400 of United States Treasury Obligations from the Predecessor Commodity Broker to the Custodian. The Fund’s open positions of currency futures contracts remained with the Predecessor Commodity Broker as well as $20,000,000 of United States Treasury Obligations to satisfy maintenance margin requirements and $646,429 of cash to satisfy variation margin requirements for open currency futures contracts. Effective February 26, 2015, the Managing Owner began transferring cash daily from the Custodian to the Predecessor Commodity Broker to satisfy the previous day’s variation margin on open futures contracts.
The Distributor
Effective June 20, 2016, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) became distributor and began providing certain distribution services to the Fund. Pursuant to the Distribution Services Agreement among the Managing Owner, the Fund and the Distributor, the Distributor assists the Managing Owner and the Administrator with certain functions and duties relating to distribution and marketing services to the Fund including reviewing and approving marketing materials. Prior to June 20, 2016, ALPS Distributors, Inc. provided distribution services to the Fund.
The Managing Owner pays the Distributor a distribution fee out of the Management Fee.
Index Sponsor
Effective as of the Closing Date, the Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, has appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to serve as the index sponsor (the “Index Sponsor”). Prior to the Closing Date, the index sponsor was Deutsche Bank AG London. The Index Sponsor calculates and publishes the daily index levels and the indicative intraday index levels. Additionally, the Index Sponsor also calculates the indicative value per Share of the Fund throughout each business day.
The Managing Owner pays the Index Sponsor a licensing fee and an index services fee out of the Management Fee for performing its duties.
Marketing Agent
Effective as of the Closing Date, the Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, has appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as the marketing agent (the “Marketing Agent”) to assist the Managing Owner by providing support to educate institutional investors about the DBIQ indices and to complete governmental or institutional due diligence questionnaires or requests for proposals related to the DBIQ indices.
The Managing Owner pays the Marketing Agent a marketing services fee out of the Management Fee.
The Marketing Agent will not open or maintain customer accounts or handle orders for the Fund. The Marketing Agent has no responsibility for the performance of the Fund or the decisions made or actions taken by the Managing Owner.
(5) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
(a) Basis of Presentation
The financial statements of the Fund have been prepared using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”).
The Fund has determined that it meets the definition of an investment company and has prepared the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP for investment companies in conformity with accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 - Investment Companies.
(b) Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period of the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
(c) Financial Instruments and Fair Value
Investment transactions are recorded in the Statements of Financial Condition on a trade date basis at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings in each period. U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date, under current market conditions.
U.S. GAAP establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation methods, giving the highest priority to readily available unadjusted quoted prices in an active market for identical assets (Level 1) and the lowest priority to significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), generally when market prices are not readily available or are unreliable. Based on the valuation inputs, the securities or other investments are tiered into one of three levels. Changes in valuation methods or market conditions may result in transfers in or out of an investment’s assigned level:
Level 1-Prices are determined using quoted prices in an active market for identical assets.
Level 2-Prices are determined using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs are inputs that other market participants may use in pricing a security. These may include quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, loss severities, default rates, discount rates, volatilities and others.
Level 3-Prices are determined using significant unobservable inputs. In situations where quoted prices or observable inputs are unavailable (for example, when there is little or no market activity for an investment at the end of the period), unobservable inputs may be used. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s own assumptions about the factors market participants would use in determining fair value of the securities or instruments and would be based on the best available information.
United States Treasury Obligations are fair valued using an evaluated quote provided by an independent pricing service. Evaluated quotes provided by the pricing service may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices, and may reflect appropriate factors such as developments related to specific securities, yield, quality, type of issue, coupon rate, maturity, individual trading characteristics and other market data. All debt obligations involve some risk of default with respect to interest and/or principal payments.
Currency futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded.
Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that do not trade on an exchange are valued at the end of day NAV per share. Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that trade on an exchange are valued at the last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded.
When market closing prices are not available, the Managing Owner may value an asset of the Fund pursuant to policies the Managing Owner has adopted, which are consistent with normal industry standards.
The levels assigned to the securities valuations may not be an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with investing in those securities. Because of the inherent uncertainties of valuation, the values reflected in the financial statements may materially differ from the value received upon actual sale of those investments.
The following is a summary of the tiered valuation input levels as of December 31, 2016:
(a)
Unrealized appreciation (depreciation).
The following is a summary of the tiered valuation input levels as of December 31, 2015:
(a)
Unrealized appreciation (depreciation).
(d) Deposits with Commodity Broker and Custodian
The Fund deposits cash and United States Treasury Obligations with its Commodity Broker subject to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) regulations and various exchange and broker requirements. The combination of the Fund’s deposits with its Commodity Broker of cash and United States Treasury Obligations and the unrealized profit or loss on open futures contracts represents the Fund’s overall equity in its broker trading account. To meet the Fund’s maintenance margin requirements, the Fund holds United States Treasury Obligations. The Fund transfers cash to the Commodity Broker to satisfy variation margin requirements. The Fund earns interest on any excess cash deposited with the Commodity Broker and incurs interest expense on any deficit balance with the Commodity Broker.
The Fund’s remaining cash, United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual fund holdings are on deposit with its Custodian. The Fund is permitted to temporarily carry a negative or overdrawn balance in its account with the Custodian. Such balances, if any at period-end, are shown on the Statement of Financial Condition under the payable caption Due to Custodian.
The Fund defines cash and cash equivalents to be cash and other highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, when purchased.
(e) Investment Transactions and Investment Income
Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis. Realized gains (losses) from the sale or disposition of securities or derivatives are determined on a specific identification basis and recognized in the Statements of Income and Expenses in the period in which the contract is closed or the sale or disposition occurs, respectively.
Interest income on United States Treasury Obligations is recognized on an accrual basis when earned. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the United States Treasury Obligations. Dividend income (net of withholding tax, if any) is recorded on the ex-dividend date.
(f) Receivable/(Payable) for Shares Issued and Redeemed
On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order to create or redeem Shares of the Fund. Cash settlement occurs at the creation order settlement date or the redemption order settlement date as discussed in Note 7.
(g) Cash Held by Commodity Broker
The Fund’s arrangement with the Commodity Broker requires the Fund to meet its variation margin requirement related to the price movements on futures contracts held by the Fund by maintaining cash on deposit with the Commodity Broker. The Fund assesses its variation margin requirements on a daily basis by recalculating the change in value of the futures contracts based on price movements. Subsequent cash payments are made or received by the Fund each business day depending upon whether unrealized gains or losses are incurred on the futures contracts. Effective February 24, 2015, only the current day’s variation margin receivable or payable is disclosed as an asset or liability on the Statements of Financial Condition.
(h) Income Taxes
The Fund is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Fund will generally not incur U.S. federal income taxes. No provision for federal, state, and local income taxes has been made in the accompanying financial statements, as investors are individually liable for income taxes, if any, on their allocable share of the Fund’s income, gain, loss, deductions and other items.
The Managing Owner has reviewed all of the Fund’s open tax years and major jurisdictions and concluded that there is no tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in future tax returns.
The Fund is also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months. On an ongoing basis, the Managing Owner will monitor the Fund’s tax positions taken under the interpretation (and consult with its tax counsel from time to time when appropriate) to determine if adjustments to conclusions are necessary based on factors including, but not limited to, on-going analysis of tax law, regulation, and interpretations thereof. The major tax jurisdiction for the Fund and the earliest tax year subject to examination: United States, 2013.
(i) Currency Futures Contracts
The Fund utilizes derivative instruments to achieve its investment objective. A futures contract is an agreement between counterparties to purchase or sell a specified underlying security or index for a specified price at a future date. All of the Fund’s currency futures contracts are held and used for trading purposes. During the period the futures contracts are open, changes in the value of the contracts are recognized as unrealized gains or losses by recalculating the value of the contracts on a daily basis. Subsequent or variation margin payments are received or made depending upon whether unrealized gains or losses are incurred. These amounts are reflected as a receivable or payable on the Statements of Financial Condition. When the contracts are closed or expire, the Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the proceeds from, or cost of, the closing transaction and the Fund’s basis in the contract. Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on open positions are determined on a specific identification basis and recognized in the Statements of Income and Expenses in the period in which the contract is closed or the changes occur, respectively.
The Fair Value of Derivative Instruments is as follows:
(a)
Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) of currency futures contracts. Only current day’s variation margin receivable (payable) is reported in the December 31, 2016 and 2015 Statements of Financial Condition.
The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statements of Income and Expenses is as follows:
The table below summarizes the average monthly notional value of futures contracts outstanding during the period:
The brokerage agreement with the Commodity Broker provides for the net settlement of all financial instruments covered by the agreement in the event of default or termination of any one contract. The Managing Owner will utilize any excess cash held at the Commodity Broker to offset any realized losses incurred in the currency futures contracts, if available. To the extent that any excess cash held at the Commodity Broker is not adequate to cover any realized losses, a portion of the United States Treasury Obligations on deposit with the Commodity Broker will be sold to make additional cash available. For financial reporting purposes, the Fund offsets financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements. In order for an arrangement to be eligible for netting, the Fund must have a basis to conclude that such netting arrangements are legally enforceable. The following table presents derivative instruments that are either subject to an enforceable netting agreement or offset by collateral arrangements as of December 31, 2016, net by contract:
The following table presents derivative instruments that are either subject to an enforceable netting agreement or offset by collateral arrangements as of December 31, 2015, net by contract:
(a)
As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, a portion of the Fund’s U.S. Treasury Obligations were required to be deposited as maintenance margin in support of the Fund’s futures positions.
(j) Brokerage Commissions and Fees
The Fund incurs all brokerage commissions, including applicable exchange fees, National Futures Association (“NFA”) fees, give-up fees, pit brokerage fees and other transaction related fees and expenses charged in connection with trading activities by the Commodity Broker. These costs are recorded as Brokerage Commissions and Fees in the Statements of Income and Expenses. The Commodity Broker’s brokerage commissions and trading fees are determined on a contract-by-contract basis. On average, total charges paid to the Commodity Broker since November 25, 2016 and the Predecessor Commodity Broker for the period prior to November 25, 2016, were less than $6.00, $6.00 and $10.00 per round-turn trade during the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
(k) Routine Operational, Administrative and Other Ordinary Expenses
After the Closing Date, the Managing Owner assumed all routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses of the Fund, including, but not limited to, computer services, the fees and expenses of the Trustee, legal and accounting fees and expenses, tax preparation expenses, filing fees and printing, mailing and duplication costs. Prior to the Closing Date, the Predecessor Managing Owner assumed all routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses of the Fund. Accordingly, such expenses are not reflected in the Statements of Income and Expenses of the Fund.
(l) Non-Recurring Fees and Expenses
The Fund pays all non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses (referred to as extraordinary fees and expenses in the Trust Agreement), if any, of itself, as determined by the Managing Owner. Non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses are fees and expenses which are non-recurring and unusual in nature, such as legal claims and liabilities, litigation costs or indemnification or other unanticipated expenses. Such non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses, by their nature, are unpredictable in terms of timing and amount. For the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Fund did not incur such expenses.
(6) Financial Instrument Risk
In the normal course of its business, the Fund is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk. The term “off-balance sheet risk” refers to an unrecorded potential liability that, even though it does not appear on the balance sheet, may result in a future obligation or loss in excess of the amounts shown in the Statements of Financial Condition. The financial instruments used by the Fund are currency futures, whose values are based upon an underlying asset and generally represent future commitments that have a reasonable possibility of being settled in cash or through physical delivery. The financial instruments are traded on an exchange and are standardized contracts.
Market risk is the potential for changes in the value of the financial instruments traded by the Fund due to market changes, including fluctuations in currency prices. In entering into these futures contracts, there exists a market risk that such futures contracts may be significantly influenced by adverse market conditions, resulting in such futures contracts being less valuable. If the markets should move against all of the futures contracts at the same time, the Fund could experience substantial losses.
Credit risk is the possibility that a loss may occur due to the failure of the Commodity Broker and/or clearinghouse to perform according to the terms of a futures contract. Credit risk with respect to exchange-traded instruments is reduced to the extent that an exchange or clearing organization acts as a counterparty to the transactions. The Commodity Broker, when acting as the Fund’s futures commission merchant in accepting orders for the purchase or sale of domestic futures contracts, is required by CFTC regulations to separately account for and segregate as belonging to the Fund all assets of the Fund relating to domestic futures trading and the Commodity Broker is not allowed to commingle such assets with other assets of the Commodity Broker. In addition, CFTC regulations also require the Commodity Broker to hold in a secure account assets of the Fund related to foreign futures trading. The Fund’s risk of loss in the event of counterparty default is typically limited to the amounts recognized in the Statements of Financial Condition and not represented by the futures contract or notional amounts of the instruments.
The Fund has not utilized, nor does it expect to utilize in the future, special purpose entities to facilitate off-balance sheet financing arrangements and has no loan guarantee arrangements or off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind, other than agreements entered into in the normal course of business noted above.
(7) Share Purchases and Redemptions
(a) Purchases
On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Administrator who serves as the Fund’s transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”) to create one or more Baskets. For purposes of processing both creation and redemption orders, a “business day” means any day other than a day when banks in New York City are required or permitted to be closed. Creation orders must be placed by 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The day on which the Transfer Agent receives a valid creation order is the creation order date. The day on which a creation order is settled is the creation order settlement date. As provided below, the creation order settlement date may occur up to three business days after the creation order date. By placing a creation order, and prior to delivery of such Baskets, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the creation order.
Unless otherwise agreed to by the Managing Owner and the Authorized Participant as provided in the next sentence, Baskets are issued on the creation order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the creation order date at the applicable net asset value per Share as of the closing time of the NYSE Arca or the last to close of the exchanges on which its futures contracts are traded, whichever is later, on the creation order date, but only if the required payment has been timely received. Upon submission of a creation order, the Authorized Participant may request the Managing Owner to agree to a creation order settlement date up to three business days after the creation order date.
Creation orders may be placed either (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement (“CNS”) clearing processes of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”) (the “CNS Clearing Process”) or (ii) if outside the CNS Clearing Process, only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC” or the “Depository”) (the “DTC Process”), or a successor depository.
(b) Redemptions
On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer Agent to redeem one or more Baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The day on which the Managing Owner receives a valid redemption order is the redemption order date. The day on which a redemption order is settled is the redemption order settlement date. As provided below, the redemption order settlement date may occur up to three business days after the redemption order date. The redemption procedures allow Authorized Participants to redeem Baskets. Individual Shareholders may not redeem directly from the Fund. Instead, individual Shareholders may only redeem Shares in integral multiples of 200,000 and only through an Authorized Participant.
Unless otherwise agreed to by the Managing Owner and the Authorized Participant as provided in the next sentence, by placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund not later than the redemption order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the redemption order date. Upon submission of a redemption order, the Authorized Participant may request the Managing Owner to agree to a redemption order settlement date up to three business days after the redemption order date. By placing a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order.
Redemption orders may be placed either (i) through the CNS Clearing Process or (ii) if outside the CNS Clearing Process, only through the DTC Process, or a successor depository, and only in exchange for cash.
The redemption proceeds from the Fund consist of the cash redemption amount. The cash redemption amount is equal to the net asset value of the number of Basket(s) requested in the Authorized Participant’s redemption order as of the closing time of the NYSE Arca or the last to close of the exchanges on which the Fund’s futures contracts are traded, whichever is later, on the redemption order date. The Managing Owner will distribute the cash redemption amount at the redemption order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the redemption order settlement date through DTC to the account of the Authorized Participant as recorded on DTC’s book-entry system.
The redemption proceeds due from the Fund are delivered to the Authorized Participant at 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the redemption order settlement date if, by such time, the Fund’s DTC account has been credited with the Baskets to be redeemed. If the Fund’s DTC account has not been credited with all of the Baskets to be redeemed by such time, the redemption distribution is delivered to the extent of whole Baskets received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution is delivered on the next business day to the extent of remaining whole Baskets received if the Transfer Agent receives the fee applicable to the extension of the redemption distribution date which the Managing Owner may, from time-to-time, determine and the remaining Baskets to be redeemed are credited to the Fund’s DTC account by 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on such next business day. Any further outstanding amount of the redemption order will be cancelled. The Managing Owner is also authorized to deliver the redemption distribution notwithstanding that the Baskets to be redeemed are not credited to the Fund’s DTC account by 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the redemption order settlement date if the Authorized Participant has collateralized its obligation to deliver the Baskets through DTC’s book-entry system on such terms as the Managing Owner may determine from time-to-time.
(8) Profit and Loss Allocations and Distributions
Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, income and expenses are allocated pro rata to the Managing Owner as holder of the General Shares and to the Shareholders monthly based on their respective percentage interests as of the close of the last trading day of the preceding month. Distributions (other than redemption of units) may be made at the sole discretion of the Managing Owner on a pro rata basis in accordance with the respective capital balances of the shareholders.
No distributions were paid for the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.
(9) Commitments and Contingencies
The Managing Owner, either in its own capacity or in its capacity as the Managing Owner and on behalf of the Fund, has entered into various service agreements that contain a variety of representations, or provide indemnification provisions related to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interests of the Fund. As of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, no claims had been received by the Fund. Further, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Accordingly, the Managing Owner expects the risk of loss to be remote.
(10) Net Asset Value and Financial Highlights
The Fund is presenting the following net asset value and financial highlights related to investment performance for a Share outstanding for the Years Ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014. An individual investor’s return and ratios may vary based on the timing of capital transactions.
Net asset value per Share is the net asset value of the Fund divided by the number of outstanding Shares at the date of each respective period presented.
(a)
Based on average shares outstanding.
(b)
The mean between the last bid and ask prices.
(c)
Effective as of the Closing Date, the Fund changed the source of market value per share prices, resulting in a difference in the ending market value per share presented for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the beginning market value per share for the year ended December 31, 2015.
(d)
Total Return, at net asset value is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption of Shares on the last day of the period. Total Return, at net asset value includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Total Return, at market value is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the market value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at market value during the period, and redemption of Shares at the market value on the last day of the period. Not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable.
ITEM 9.
ITEM 9.
CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.
ITEM 9A.
ITEM 9A.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of the management of the Managing Owner, including Daniel Draper, its Principal Executive Officer, and Steven Hill, its Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, the Fund carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this annual report, and, based upon that evaluation, Daniel Draper, the Principal Executive Officer of the Managing Owner, and Steven Hill, the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, of the Managing Owner, concluded that the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information the Fund is required to disclose in the reports that it files or submits with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Fund in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management of the Managing Owner, including its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in internal control over financial reporting (as defined in the Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the Fund’s last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management of the Managing Owner is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined under Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act, for the Fund. Daniel Draper, the Principal Executive Officer of the Managing Owner, and Steven Hill, the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, of the Managing Owner, assessed the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016. Their report in connection with their assessment may be found in the “Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting” on page 40 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, has audited the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2016, as stated in their report on page 41 of this Form 10-K.
ITEM 9B.
ITEM 9B.
OTHER INFORMATION
None.
PART III
ITEM 10.
ITEM 10.
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Board of Directors and Principal Officers
The Fund has no directors or principal officers and also does not have any employees. It is managed by the Managing Owner.
As of December 31, 2016, the board of managers and principal officers of the Managing Owner are as follows:
Name
Capacity
Daniel Draper
Chief Executive Officer, Board of Managers
Peter Hubbard
Vice President and Director of Portfolio Management
David Warren
Chief Administrative Officer, Board of Managers
Roderick Ellis
Principal
Steven Hill
Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools
Christopher Joe
Chief Compliance Officer
John Zerr
Board of Managers
Invesco North American Holdings Inc. is also a principal of the Managing Owner.
The Managing Owner is managed by a Board of Managers. The Board of Managers is composed of Messrs. Draper, Warren and Zerr.
The Managing Owner has designated Mr. Hubbard as the trading principal of the Fund.
Daniel Draper (48) has been Chief Executive Officer of the Managing Owner since March 24, 2016. In this role, he has general oversight responsibilities for all of the Managing Owner’s business. Mr. Draper has been a Member of the Board of Managers of the Managing Owner since September 2013. In this role he is responsible for the management of the Managing Owner’s exchange traded fund business with direct functional reporting responsibilities for the Managing Owner’s portfolio management, products, marketing and capital markets teams. In such capacity, Mr. Draper also is responsible for managing the operations of the Invesco Funds. Previously, Mr. Draper was the Global Head of Exchange Traded Funds for Credit Suisse Asset Management, or Credit Suisse, based in London from March 2010 until June 2013, followed by a three month non-compete period pursuant to his employment terms with Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse is an asset management business of Credit Suisse Group, a financial services company. From January 2007 to March 2010, he was the Global Head of Exchange Traded Funds for Lyxor Asset Management in London, an investment management business unit of Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking. Mr. Draper was previously registered as a Significant Influence Functions (SIF) person with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. He withdrew this status on June 30, 2013 when he left Credit Suisse. Mr. Draper received his MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his BA from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Mr. Draper is currently registered with FINRA and holds the Series 7, 24 and 63 registrations. Mr. Draper was listed as a principal of the Managing Owner on December 16, 2013.
Peter Hubbard (35) joined the Managing Owner in May 2005 as a portfolio manager and has been Vice President, Director of Portfolio Management since September 2012. In his role, Mr. Hubbard manages a team of 8 portfolio managers. His responsibilities include facilitating all portfolio management processes associated with more than 150 equity and fixed income Invesco Funds listed in the United States, Canada and Europe. He is a graduate of Wheaton College with a B.A. degree in Business & Economics. Mr. Hubbard was listed as a principal and registered as an associated person of the Managing Owner on November 15, 2012 and January 1, 2013, respectively. Mr. Hubbard was registered as a swap associated person of the Managing Owner effective as of September 8, 2015.
David Warren (59) is Chief Administrative Officer, Americas, for Invesco Ltd., a global investment management company affiliated with the Managing Owner. He was appointed to this position in January 2007, and also holds the roles of Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Invesco Canada Ltd., a Canadian investment management subsidiary of Invesco Ltd., since January 2009. He has been a Member of the Board of Managers and Chief Administrative Officer of the Managing Owner since January 2010, as well. In these capacities, Mr. Warren is responsible for general management support, in addition to executing on various strategic initiatives and overseeing the risk management framework for the business units operating within the Americas division of Invesco Ltd. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Toronto as both a CA and CPA, and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. Mr. Warren was listed as a principal of the Managing Owner on November 21, 2012.
Roderick Ellis (49) has been a Chief Accounting Officer for Invesco Ltd. since April 2011. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of Corporate Accounting including group financial reporting, internal controls and group accounting policies. Mr. Ellis is also responsible for group insurance matters. Previously, Mr. Ellis was Global Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, and Treasurer since May 2007. Mr. Ellis earned a B.A. (with honors) in Economics and Social History from the University of Sheffield, UK, in 1988. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Mr. Ellis was listed as a principal of the Managing Owner on November 30, 2012.
Steven Hill (52) has been Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools for the Managing Owner since December 2012, and was Head of Global ETF Operations from September 2011 to December 2012. As Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, he has financial and administrative oversight responsibilities for, and serves as Principal Financial Officer of, the Invesco Funds, including the Fund. As Head of Global ETF Operations he had management responsibilities with regard to the general operations of the Managing Owner. From October 2010 to August 2011, he was Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Destra Capital Management LLC and its subsidiaries, or Destra, an asset management firm, and was responsible for managing financial and administrative activities as well as financial reporting for Destra and investment funds sponsored by Destra. Previously, he was Senior Managing Director of Claymore Securities, Inc., or Claymore, from December 2003 to October 2010, and was responsible for managing financial and administrative oversight for investment funds sponsored by Claymore. Claymore, now known as Guggenheim Funds Distributors, Inc., is a registered broker-dealer that distributes investment funds. Mr. Hill earned a BS in Accounting from North Central College, Naperville, IL. Mr. Hill was listed as a principal of the Managing Owner on February 12, 2015.
Christopher Joe (47) has been Chief Compliance Officer of the Managing Owner since September 1, 2015. In his role as Chief Compliance Officer he is responsible for all aspects of regulatory compliance for the Managing Owner. He has also acted as U.S. Compliance Director for Invesco, Ltd. since November, 2006. Formerly, he served as Chief Compliance Officer of Invesco Investment Advisers, LLC, a registered investment adviser affiliated with the Managing Owner from June, 2010 to March, 2013. He also served as Deputy Chief Compliance Officer of Invesco Adviser, Inc., a registered investment adviser affiliated with the Managing Owner, from November, 2014 to September, 2015. Mr. Joe has also served as a principal of the Managing Owner since September 25, 2015.
John Zerr (54) has been a Member of the Board of Managers of the Managing Owner since September 2006. Mr. Zerr is also Managing Director and General Counsel - US Retail of Invesco Management Group, Inc., a registered investment adviser affiliated with the Managing Owner, since March 2006, where he is responsible for overseeing the US Retail Legal Department for Invesco Ltd. and its affiliated companies. Mr. Zerr has also been a Senior Vice President and Secretary of IDI since March 2006 and June 2006, respectively. He also served as a Director of that entity until February 2010. Mr. Zerr has served as Senior Vice President of Invesco Advisers, Inc., a registered investment adviser affiliated with the Managing Owner, since December 2009. Mr. Zerr serves as a Director, Vice President and Secretary of Invesco Investment Services, Inc., a registered transfer agency since May 2007. Mr. Zerr has served as Director, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of a number of other Invesco Ltd. wholly-owned subsidiaries which service or serviced portions of Invesco Ltd.’s US Retail business since May 2007 and since June 2010 with respect to certain Van Kampen entities engaged in the asset management business that were acquired by Invesco Ltd. from Morgan Stanley. In each of the foregoing positions Mr. Zerr is responsible for overseeing legal operations. In such capacity, Mr. Zerr also is responsible for overseeing the legal activities of the Invesco Funds. Mr. Zerr earned a BA degree in economics from Ursinus College. He graduated cum laude with a J.D. from Temple University School of Law. Mr. Zerr was listed as a principal of the Managing Owner on December 6, 2012.
Code of Ethics
The Fund has no officers or employees and is managed by Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC. Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC has adopted a code of ethics which applies to all of its employees and is available on request, free of charge, by calling 1-800-983-0903 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.
ITEM 11.
ITEM 11.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The Fund has no employees, officers or directors and was managed by the Predecessor Managing Owner from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date. None of the directors or officers of the Predecessor Managing Owner received compensation from the Fund. The Managing Owner receives a monthly Management Fee of 1/12th of 0.75% per annum of the daily net asset value of the Fund at the end of each month. For the avoidance of doubt, from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, all Management Fees were paid to the Predecessor Managing Owner. Since the Closing Date, the Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund and all Management Fee accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Managing Owner.
In addition, for the avoidance of doubt, from inception up to November 25, 2016, all commission payments were paid to Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (the “Predecessor Commodity Broker”). Since November 25, 2016, the Fund’s futures clearing broker has been Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC’s (the “Commodity Broker”). Since November 25, 2016, all payment accruals and commissions have been paid to the Commodity Broker.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2016, the Fund has incurred Management Fees of $486,756 of which $455,456 had been paid at December 31, 2016. Management Fees of $31,300 were unpaid at December 31, 2016 and are reported as a liability on the Statement of Financial Condition.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2016, the Fund has incurred brokerage commissions of $32,918 of which $27,918 had been paid at December 31, 2016. Brokerage commissions of $5,000 were unpaid at December 31, 2016 and are reported as a liability on the Statement of Financial Condition.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2015, the Fund has incurred Management Fees of $733,413 of which $677,198 had been paid at December 31, 2015. Management Fees of $56,215 were unpaid at December 31, 2015 and are reported as a liability on the Statement of Financial Condition.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2015, the Fund has incurred brokerage commissions of $46,017 of which $41,018 had been paid at December 31, 2015. Brokerage commissions of $4,999 were unpaid at December 31, 2015 and are reported as a liability on the Statement of Financial Condition.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2014, the Fund has incurred Management Fees of $935,270 of which $878,548 had been paid at December 31, 2014. Management Fees of $56,722 were unpaid at December 31, 2014 and are reported as a liability on the Statement of Financial Condition.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2014, the Fund has incurred brokerage commissions of $70,921 of which $65,709 had been paid at December 31, 2014. Brokerage commissions of $5,212 were unpaid at December 31, 2014 and are reported as a liability on the Statement of Financial Condition.
ITEM 12.
ITEM 12.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The Fund has no officers or directors. The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of our General Shares and Shares as of December 31, 2016, by management. No person is known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of the outstanding shares of such class.
The Fund has no securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans.
ITEM 13.
ITEM 13.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
See Item 11.
ITEM 14.
ITEM 14.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Audit and Non-Audit Fees
The following table sets forth the fees for professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015.
(1)
Audit-Related Fees for fiscal year end December 31, 2016 include fees billed for reviewing regulatory filings.
(2)
Tax Fees for fiscal year end December 31, 2016 and fiscal year end December 31, 2015 include fees billed for preparing tax forms.
Approval of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Services and Fees
The Managing Owner approved all of the services provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to the Fund described above. The Managing Owner pre-approved all audit and allowed non-audit services of the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, including all engagement fees and terms.
PART IV
ITEM 15.
ITEM 15.
EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a)(1) Financial Statements
See financial statements commencing on page 39 hereof.
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules
No financial statement schedules are filed herewith because (i) such schedules are not required or (ii) the information required has been presented in the aforementioned financial statements.
(a)(3) Exhibits
The following documents (unless otherwise indicated) are filed herewith and made a part of this Annual Report:
Previously filed as an exhibit to Form 8-K on February 25, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
Previously filed as an exhibit to Form S-1 on March 16, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
Previously filed as an exhibit to Form 8-K on February 19, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
Previously filed as an exhibit to Form 8-K on February 26, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.