VANECK VECTORSä COAL ETF*
Ticker: KOL®
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
MAY 1, 2016
KOLSUM
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.vaneck.com/ library/etfs/. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800.826.2333, or by sending an email request to info@vaneck.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2016, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck Vectors Coal ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVISä Global Coal Index (the “Coal Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”).
|
|
|
|||||
|
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
|
|
None |
||||
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
|
|
|
|||||
|
Management Fee |
|
|
0.50 |
% |
|
||
|
Other Expenses |
|
|
0.16 |
% |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
|
|
0.66 |
% |
|
||
|
Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
|
|
-0.07 |
% |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
|
|
0.59 |
% |
|
||
(a) |
Van Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.59% of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2017. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
|
|
||||||
YEAR |
EXPENSES |
||||||
|
|||||||
|
1 |
|
|
$ |
|
60 |
||
|
3 |
|
|
$ |
|
204 |
||
|
5 |
|
|
$ |
|
361 |
||
|
10 |
|
|
$ |
|
816 |
||
|
* Prior to May 1, 2016, the Fund’s name was Market Vectors Coal ETF. |
vaneck.com | 1 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 36% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Coal Index includes companies in the global coal industry that generate at least 50% of their revenues from (or, in certain circumstances, have at least 50% of their assets related to) coal operation (production, mining and cokeries) and transportation of coal, from production of coal mining equipment as well as from storage and trade. Such companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies and foreign and emerging market issuers, including Chinese issuers. As of December 31, 2015, the Coal Index included 25 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $127 million and $6.7 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $2.3 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Coal Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Coal Index.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Coal Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2015, the Coal Index was concentrated in the energy sector, and each of the industrials and basic materials sectors represented a significant portion of the Coal Index.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Coal Companies. The profitability of companies in the coal industry is related to worldwide energy prices and costs related to exploration and production. Such companies also are subject to risks of changes in exchange rates, international politics and government regulation, taxes, world events, terrorist attacks, the success of exploration projects, depletion of resources and economic conditions, reduced demand as a result of increases in energy efficiency and energy conservation, as well as market, economic and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business. Coal prices have declined significantly in recent years and have remained at low levels, which has adversely impacted companies operating in the coal industry. Coal exploration and mining can be significantly affected by natural disasters. In addition, coal companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims, litigation and negative publicity and perception, and are subject to extensive federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations regarding air emissions and the disposal of hazardous materials.
A primary risk of the coal industry is the competitive risk associated with the prices of alternative fuels, such as natural gas and oil, and alternative energy sources such as hydroelectric and nuclear power. For example, consumers of coal often have the ability to switch between the use of coal, oil or natural gas. As a result, during periods when competing fuels are less expensive, the revenues of companies in the coal industry may decline with a corresponding impact on earnings. Additionally, the markets and prices for coal are affected by technological developments in the traditional and alternative industries, global demand for electricity and steel, energy, environmental, fiscal and other governmental programs and policies, weather and environmental conditions, global or regional political, economic or financial events and conditions, global coal inventories, production rates and production costs, currency exchange rates, and the general sentiment of market participants.
Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Sector. To the extent that the basic materials sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the basic materials sector. Companies engaged in the production and distribution of basic materials may be adversely affected by changes in world events, political and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. To the extent that the Fund continues to be concentrated in the energy sector, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate, government regulation stipulating rates
2 |
vaneck.com |
charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation, environmental policies, depletion of resources and the cost of providing the specific utility services. Recently, oil prices continue to remain at low levels following a significant decrease. Oil prices are subject to significant volatility, which has adversely impacted companies operating in the energy sector. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters.
Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. To the extent that the industrials sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of individual securities or particular types of securities in the Fund’s portfolio can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, especially if the Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in a country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The value of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Chinese Issuers. A significant portion of the Coal Index may be comprised of securities of Chinese issuers, including issuers located outside of China that generate significant revenues from China. Investing in securities of Chinese companies involves certain risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers, including, among others, (i) more frequent (and potentially widespread) trading suspensions and government interventions with respect to Chinese issuers, resulting in lack of liquidity and in price volatility, (ii) currency revaluations and other currency exchange rate fluctuations or blockage, (iii) the nature and extent of intervention by the Chinese government in the Chinese securities markets, whether such intervention will continue and the impact of such intervention or its discontinuation, (iv) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets, (v) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support economic reform programs, (vi) limitations on the use of brokers, (vii) higher rates of inflation, (viii) greater political, economic and social uncertainty, (ix) market volatility caused by any potential regional or territorial conflicts or natural disasters and (x) the risk of increased trade tariffs, embargoes and other trade limitations. In addition, the economy of China differs, often unfavorably, from the U.S. economy in such respects as structure, general development, government involvement, wealth distribution, rate of inflation, growth rate, interest rates, allocation of resources and capital reinvestment, among others. The Chinese central government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and local government authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in China. In addition, the Chinese government has from time to time taken actions that influence the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encourage companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induce mergers between companies in certain industries and induce private companies to publicly offer their securities to increase or continue the rate of economic growth, control the rate of inflation or otherwise regulate economic expansion. It may do so in the future as well, potentially having a significant adverse effect on economic conditions in China.
Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. Because the Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and some of the income received by the Fund will generally be in foreign currencies, changes in currency exchange rates may negatively impact the Fund’s return. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Coal Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Coal Index.
Risk of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less
vaneck.com | 3 |
management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of small-capitalization and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility.
Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. An investment in the Fund may lose money.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Coal Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Coal Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Coal Index. The Fund also bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Coal Index. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Coal Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Coal Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. The Fund is expected to value certain of its investments based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its net asset value (“NAV”) based on fair value prices and the value of the Coal Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Coal Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Coal Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Coal Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Coal Index.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as Authorized Participants (“APs”), none of which are obligated to engage in creation or redemption transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem, Shares may trade like closed-end funds at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing.
No Guarantee of Active Trading Market. While Shares are listed on NYSE Arca, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, market dislocations, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Fund’s NAV.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on NYSE Arca may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of NYSE Arca, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on NYSE Arca is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to NYSE Arca’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NYSE Arca necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Replication Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund of equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Coal Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
ETF Shares Trading and Premium/Discount Risk. The market prices of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may sustain losses. The securities held by the Fund
4 |
vaneck.com |
may be traded in markets that close at a different time than NYSE Arca. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads on NYSE Arca and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. As a result, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly vulnerable to this risk because the Coal Index is comprised of securities of a very limited number of companies.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Coal Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Coal Index continues to be concentrated in the energy sector and the coal industry, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on that sector and that industry will negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the one year, five year and since inception periods compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after income taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar Years
|
|
|
|
|
Best Quarter: |
67.80% |
2Q ’09 |
||
Worst Quarter: |
-34.66% |
3Q ’11 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2015
The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|
Past |
Past |
Since Inception |
||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
VanEck Vectors Coal ETF (return before taxes) |
|
|
-55.14 |
% |
|
|
|
-31.49 |
% |
|
|
|
-19.39 |
% |
|
||||||
|
VanEck Vectors Coal ETF (return after taxes on distributions) |
|
|
-55.61 |
% |
|
|
|
-31.90 |
% |
|
|
|
-19.73 |
% |
|
||||||
|
VanEck Vectors Coal ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) |
|
|
-30.82 |
% |
|
|
|
-18.60 |
% |
|
|
|
-11.36 |
% |
|
||||||
|
MVIS Global Coal Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)* |
|
|
-55.10 |
% |
|
|
|
-31.20 |
% |
|
|
|
-18.93 |
% |
|
||||||
|
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
|
|
1.38 |
% |
|
|
|
12.57 |
% |
|
|
|
6.97 |
% |
|
||||||
* |
Prior to September 24, 2012, the Fund sought to replicate an index called the Stowe Global Coal IndexSM. Therefore index data prior to September 24, 2012, reflects that of the Stowe Global Coal IndexSM. From September 24, 2012 forward, the index data reflects that of the MVIS Global Coal Index. All index history reflects a blend of the performance of the aforementioned indexes. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
vaneck.com | 5 |
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
Title with Adviser |
Date Began Managing the Fund |
||
|
||||
Hao Hung (Peter) Liao |
Portfolio Manager |
January 2008 |
||
George Chao |
Portfolio Manager |
January 2008 |
||
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in a large specified number of Shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares.
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are listed on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV.
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker-dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
6 |
vaneck.com |
800.826.2333
vaneck.com
(05/16)