As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 7, 2008
SECURITIES ACT FILE NO. 333-134551
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-21906
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 |X|
Pre-Effective Amendment No. |_|
Post Effective Amendment No. 47 |X|
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 |X|
Amendment No. 50 |X|
(Check appropriate box or boxes)
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CLAYMORE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
2455 CORPORATE WEST DRIVE
LISLE, ILLINOIS 60532
(Address of Principal Executive
Offices)
(630) 505-3700
Registrant's Telephone Number
NICHOLAS DALMASO, ESQ.
CLAYMORE ADVISORS, LLC
2455 CORPORATE WEST DRIVE
LISLE, ILLINOIS 60532
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
STUART M. STRAUSS, ESQ.
CLIFFORD CHANCE US LLP
31 WEST 52ND STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10019
APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING:
IT IS PROPOSED THAT THIS FILING WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE (CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX)
_________ IMMEDIATELY UPON FILING PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (B) OF RULE 485.
X ON FEBRUARY 7, 2008 PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (B) OF RULE 485.
_________ 60 DAYS AFTER FILING PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (A)(1) OF RULE 485.
_________ ON [DATE] PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 485.
_________ 75 DAYS AFTER FILING PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (A)(2) OF RULE 485.
_________ ON [DATE] PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH (A) OF RULE 485.
artwork: Claymore
CLAYMORE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
o Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF
o Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term
Fixed Income ETF
o Claymore US-1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF
PROSPECTUS
February 7, 2008
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these
securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to
the contrary is a criminal offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION--CLAYMORE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST 3
WHO SHOULD INVEST 3
TAX-ADVANTAGED PRODUCT STRUCTURE 4
CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL MARKETS BOND ETF 5
CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL MARKETS MICRO-TERM
FIXED INCOME ETF 14
CLAYMORE U.S. - 1 - THE CAPITAL MARKETS
INDEX ETF 22
SECONDARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES 33
ADDITIONAL RISK CONSIDERATIONS 34
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES 35
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES 38
HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES 40
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS 45
FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS 46
INDEX PROVIDERS 47
DISCLAIMERS 48
FEDERAL INCOME TAXATION 50
OTHER INFORMATION 53
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 53
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No dealer, salesperson or any other person has been authorized to give any
information or to make any representations, other than those contained in
this Prospectus, in connection with the offer contained in this Prospectus
and, if given or made, such other information or representations must not
be relied upon as having been authorized by the Funds, Claymore Advisors,
LLC, the Funds' investment adviser (the "Investment Adviser"), Mellon
Capital Management Corporation, the Funds' investment subadviser (the
"Investment Subadviser") or the Funds' distributor, Claymore Securities,
Inc. This Prospectus does not constitute an offer by the Funds or by the
Funds' distributor to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the
securities offered hereby in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is
unlawful for the Funds to make such an offer in such jurisdiction.
INTRODUCTION--CLAYMORE
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
The Claymore Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the "Trust") is an investment
company currently consisting of 28 separate exchange-traded "index funds."
The investment objective of each of the funds is to replicate as closely as
possible, before fees and expenses, the performance of a specified market
index. Claymore Advisors, LLC is the investment adviser for the funds (the
"Investment Adviser").
This prospectus relates to three funds of the Trust, Claymore U.S. Capital
Markets Bond ETF, Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF
and Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF (each a "Fund" and
together the "Funds"). Mellon Capital Management Corporation is the
investment subadviser for the Funds (the "Investment Subadviser").
The Funds have applied to list their shares (the "Shares"), subject to
notice of issuance, on the American Stock Exchange LLC (the "AMEX"). The
Funds' Shares will trade at market prices that may differ to some degree
from the net asset value ("NAV") of the Shares. Unlike conventional mutual
funds, the Funds issue and redeem Shares on a continuous basis, at NAV,
only in large specified blocks of 100,000 Shares for the Claymore U.S.
Capital Markets Bond ETF and the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term
Fixed Income ETF and 200,000 for the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital
Markets Index ETF, each of which is called a "Creation Unit." Creation
Units are issued and redeemed principally in-kind for securities included
in a specified index. EXCEPT WHEN AGGREGATED IN CREATION UNITS, SHARES ARE
NOT REDEEMABLE SECURITIES OF THE FUNDS.
WHO SHOULD INVEST
The Funds are designed for investors who seek a relatively low-cost
"passive" approach for investing in a portfolio of equity, fixed income
and/or money market securities of companies in a specified index. The Funds
may be suitable for long-term investment in the market represented by a
specified index and may also be used as an asset allocation tool or as a
speculative trading instrument.
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TAX-ADVANTAGED PRODUCT STRUCTURE
Unlike interests in many conventional mutual funds, the Shares are traded
throughout the day on a national securities exchange, whereas mutual fund
interests are typically only bought and sold at closing net asset values.
The Shares have been designed to be tradable in the secondary market on a
national securities exchange on an intra-day basis, and to be created and
redeemed principally in-kind in Creation Units at each day's next
calculated NAV. These arrangements are designed to protect ongoing
shareholders from adverse effects on a Fund's portfolio that could arise
from frequent cash creation and redemption transactions. In a conventional
mutual fund, redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable
shareholders because of the mutual fund's need to sell portfolio securities
to obtain cash to meet fund redemptions. These sales may generate taxable
gains for the shareholders of the mutual fund, whereas the Shares' in-kind
redemption mechanism generally will not lead to a tax event for the Funds
or their ongoing shareholders.
4
CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL MARKETS BOND ETF
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the
performance, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of a fixed income
securities index called CPMKTB - The Capital Markets Bond Index(SM) (the
"CPMKTB Index" or the "Index"). The Fund's investment objective is not
fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder
approval.
PRIMARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a low cost "passive" or "indexing" investment approach,
will seek to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the
CPMKTB Index. The Index is a total return index comprised of approximately
6,146 long-term U.S. investment grade fixed income securities as of January
1, 2008. The number of securities included in the Index has ranged from
approximately 5,700 to 7,800 securities in the previous ten year period;
however, the number of securities included in the Index varies from month
to month and may be higher or lower than the historical range. Securities
eligible for inclusion in the Index, as determined by Dorchester Capital
Management Company ("Dorchester" or the "Index Provider") are long-term
fixed income securities (defined as those with redemption dates greater
than one year from the start of the month as determined by yield to worst
calculation), including U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. federal agency and
other government sponsored entities' fixed income securities, investment
grade U.S. corporate fixed income securities and U.S. agency mortgage
pass-through securities such as those issued by the Government National
Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), the Federal National Mortgage Association
("FNMA"), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC") that are
backed by pools of mortgages. The Index may also include U.S. registered,
dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and
supra-national agencies. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its
total assets in fixed income securities that comprise the Index. The Fund
also will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. fixed
income securities. The Fund has adopted a policy that requires the Fund to
provide shareholders with at least 60 days notice prior to any material
change in these policies or the Index. The Board of Trustees of the Trust
may change the Fund's investment strategy and other policies without
shareholder approval, except as otherwise indicated.
The Investment Subadviser seeks a correlation over time of 0.95 or better
between the Fund's performance and the performance of the total return of
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the Index less any expenses or distributions. A figure of 1.00 would
represent perfect correlation.
The Fund expects to use a sampling approach in seeking to achieve its
objective. Sampling means that the Investment Subadviser uses quantitative
analysis to select securities from the Index universe to obtain a
representative sample of securities that resemble the Index in terms of key
risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics. These
include maturity, credit quality and other financial characteristics of
securities. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number
of factors, including asset size of the Fund. However, the Fund may use
replication to achieve its objective if practicable. There may also be
instances in which the Investment Subadviser may choose to overweight
another security in the Index, purchase (or sell) securities not in the
Index which the Investment Subadviser believes are appropriate to
substitute for one or more Index components, or utilize various
combinations of other available investment techniques, in seeking to
accurately track the Index. In addition, from time to time securities are
added to or removed from the Index. The Fund may sell securities that are
represented in the Index or purchase securities that are not yet
represented in the Index in anticipation of their removal from or addition
to the Index.
INDEX METHODOLOGY
The Index is designed to represent the traditional investment grade
securities in the United States long-term fixed income capital markets.
Securities eligible for inclusion in the Index are long-term fixed income
securities, including long-term U.S. Treasury fixed income securities,
long-term U.S. federal agency and other government-sponsored entities'
fixed income securities, long-term investment grade U.S. corporate fixed
income securities, and long-term government-sponsored enterprise backed
mortgage pooled securities. The Index may also include U.S. registered,
dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and
supra-national agencies. Securities are selected to ensure a diversity of
duration by selecting securities in each of the following maturity ranges:
one to two and a half years, two and a half to four years, four to six
years, six to eight years, eight to twelve years, twelve to twenty years,
and greater than twenty years. Securities are selected from each maturity
range such that each range is represented by total assets proportional to
the relative market value of each maturity range. The Index is
reconstituted monthly.
The Index is designed to be a long-term measure of the performance of the
U.S. investment grade bond markets. The Index is part of the CPMKTSSM
family of indexes that is designed to measure the major components of the
U.S. investment grade fixed income securities and the common stocks in the
capital markets. The CPMKTSSM family of indexes includes the Index and the
following additional indexes: CPMKTE - The Capital Markets Equity
Index(SM), which is designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. common
stock markets; CPMKTL - The Capital Markets Liquidity Index(SM), which is
6
designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. investment grade micro-term
fixed income and money markets; and CPMKTS - The Capital Markets Index(SM),
which is designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. investment grade
capital markets as represented by the CPMKTB, CPMKTE, and CPMKTL indexes.
INDEX CONSTRUCTION
1.The Index is reconstituted monthly. The Index constituents are determined
based on closing data on the fifth business day before the start of the
month. Index constituents are finalized on the last calendar day before
the beginning of the month and go into effect on the first day of the new
month.
2.All long-term U.S. Treasury fixed income securities (defined as those
with redemption dates greater than one year from the start of the month
as determined by yield to worst calculation) are included in the Index.
U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities ("TIPS") are not included.
3.A selection of long-term U.S. federal agency fixed income securities
(defined as those with redemption dates greater than one year from the
start of the month as determined by yield to worst calculation) are
selected as Index constituents using a rules-based methodology. The
methodology is designed to select representative issues from each of
the five largest agencies and government sponsored entities: "FNMA",
Federal Home Loan Banks ("FHLB"), FHLMC, Federal Farm Credit Banks
("FFCB"), and the SLM Corporation ("SLMA"), as well as fixed income
securities from other federal agencies. Securities are selected to
ensure a diversity of duration by selecting securities in each of the
following maturity ranges: one to two and a half years, two and a half
to four years, four to six years, six to eight years, eight to twelve
years, twelve to twenty years, and greater than twenty years.
Securities are selected for inclusion in the Index from each maturity
range such that each range is represented by total assets proportional
to the relative market value of each maturity range.
4.A selection of long-term investment grade U.S. corporate fixed income
securities (defined as those with redemption dates greater than one year
from the start of the month as determined by yield to worst calculation)
are selected as Index constituents using a rules-based methodology. The
rules-based methodology is designed to select securities ensuring a
diversity of industry, duration, and rating. Seven industry
classifications are represented: consumer goods, consumer services,
manufacturing and wholesale trade, mining and construction,
transportation and utilities, financial and insurance, and business
services. Ratings from the major rating agencies are employed by
Dorchester to assign securities to one of six rating tiers based upon a
rules-based methodology. Four of these tiers are for investment grade
issues, one for high yield issues, and the final one for non-rated
issues. Only securities from the four investment grade tiers are
considered for inclusion in the Index. To ensure a diversity of duration
securities are selected in each of the following maturity ranges: one to
two and a
7
half years, two and a half to four years, four to six years, six to eight
years, eight to twelve years, twelve to twenty years, and greater than
twenty years. Securities are selected from each maturity range such that
each range is represented by total assets proportional to the relative
market value of each maturity range.
5.Using a rules-based methodology, long-term mortgage pass-through
securities ("MBS") issued by federal agencies are selected which have a
fixed rate coupon, maturity date greater than 1 year from the start of
the month, and which currently are trading in "TBA transactions." "TBA
transactions" are purchases or sales of MBS for future settlement at an
agreed-upon date. TBA transactions aid in the liquidity and pricing
efficiency of MBS because they enable different MBS with similar
characteristics to be traded interchangeably according to commonly
observed settlement and delivery conventions.
Eligible pools are grouped into generic securities ("Mortgage Generic")
based on the agency's program, current coupon and production year. The
programs considered are 5 year balloons, 7 year balloons, 15 year fixed
and 30 year fixed taken from the FHLMC, FNMA and GNMA programs. Coupon
values are designed to represent a majority of the market and the range
of allowable values is updated monthly.
6.The weight of each of the Index constituents is set based upon modified
market value on the last calendar day before the start of the month. The
market value is modified based upon regularly published statistics from
the Federal Reserve Board.
PRIMARY INVESTMENT RISKS
Investors should consider the following risk factors and special
considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you
to lose money.
Investment Risk. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk,
including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.
Asset Class Risk. The bonds in the Fund's portfolio may underperform the
returns of other bonds or indexes that track other industries, markets,
asset classes or sectors. Different types of bonds and indexes tend to go
through different performance cycles than the general bond market.
Call Risk/Prepayment Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an
issuer of a callable bond may exercise its right to pay principal on an
obligation earlier than expected. This may result in the Fund's having to
reinvest proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the
Fund's income.
Credit/Default Risk. Credit risk is the risk that issuers or guarantors of
debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase
agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make
timely interest and/or principal payments or otherwise honor its
obligations. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit
risk, which may be reflected in credit
8
ratings. Securities issued by the U.S. government have limited credit risk.
However, securities issued by U.S. government agencies (such as U.S. agency
mortgage pass-through securities) are not necessarily backed by the full
faith and credit of the U.S. government. Credit rating downgrades and
defaults (failure to make interest or principal payment) may potentially
reduce the Fund's income and share price.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is a financial contract, whose value depends
on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset such as a security
or index. The Fund may invest in certain types of derivatives contracts,
including futures, options and swaps. Compared to conventional securities,
derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden
fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund's losses may be greater if
it invests in derivatives.
Extension Risk. Extension risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its
right to pay principal on an obligation later than expected. This may
happen when there is a rise in interest rates. Under these circumstances,
the value of the obligation will decrease and the Fund's performance may
suffer from its inability to invest in higher yielding securities.
Foreign Issuers Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. registered,
dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and
supra-national agencies which have different risks than investing in U.S.
companies. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial
reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory
taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations,
political instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign
countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Foreign companies may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S.
issuers. Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or
unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross
domestic product, rate of inflation, capital investment, resource self-
sufficiency and balance of payment options.
Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause
the Fund's income to decline.
Interest Rate Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income
securities held by the Fund are likely to decrease. Securities with longer
durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, making them
more volatile than securities with shorter durations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are
difficult to purchase or sell. If the Fund invests in illiquid securities
or securities that become illiquid, Fund returns may be reduced because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time
or price.
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed
securities issued by FNMA, GNMA or FHLMC. While securities issued by
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GNMA are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government,
securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC are not and there can be no assurance
that the U.S. government would provide support to its agencies or
instrumentalities where it is not obliged to do so. Mortgage-backed
securities are subject to prepayment risk and extension risk (as described
above) and may react differently to changes in interest rates than other
bonds, which may significantly reduce their value.
There is also risk associated with the roll market for mortgage-backed
securities. First, the value and safety of the roll depends entirely upon
the counterparty's ability to redeliver the security at the termination of
the roll. Therefore, the counterparty to a roll must meet the same credit
criteria as any existing repurchase counterparty. Second, the security
which is redelivered at the end of the roll period must be substantially
the same as the initial security, i.e., must have the same coupon, be
issued by the same agency and be of the same type, have the same original
stated term to maturity, be priced to result in similar market yields and
be "good delivery." Within these parameters, however, the actual pools that
are redelivered could be less desirable than those originally rolled,
especially with respect to prepayment characteristics.
Finance Services Sector Risk. The financial services industries are subject
to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid
change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments,
and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital
funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt
defaults, and price competition.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the
Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of
operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying
and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Since the
Index constituents may vary on a monthly basis, the Fund's costs
associated with rebalancing may be greater than those incurred by other
exchange-traded funds that track indices whose composition changes less
frequently.
The Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash
flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet
redemptions and expenses. If the Fund utilizes a sampling approach or
futures or other derivative positions, its return may not correlate as well
with the return on the Index, as would be the case if it purchased all of
the stocks in the Index with the same weightings as the Index.
Replication Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is
not "actively" managed. Therefore, it would not necessarily sell a security
because the security's issuer was in financial trouble unless that stock is
removed from the Index.
Issuer-Specific Changes. The value of an individual security or particular
type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can
perform
10
differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of
securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger
issuers.
Sampling Risk. The Fund's use of a representative sampling approach will
result in its holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index.
As a result, an adverse development respecting an issuer of securities held
by the Fund could result in a greater decline in net asset value than would
be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Index.
Non-Diversified Fund Risk. The Fund is considered non-diversified and can
invest a greater portion of assets in securities of individual issuers than
a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single
investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur
in a diversified fund.
FUND PERFORMANCE
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet completed a full
calendar year of investment operations. When the Fund has completed a full
calendar year of investment operations, this section will include charts
that show annual total returns, highest and lowest quarterly returns and
average annual total returns (before and after taxes) compared to a
benchmark index selected for the Fund.
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FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and
hold shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary
market will not pay the shareholder fees shown below, but may be subject to
costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (paid directly by Authorized Participants)
=======================================================================================
Sales charges (loads) None
=======================================================================================
Standard creation/redemption transaction fee per order(1) $1,000
=======================================================================================
Maximum additional creation/redemption transaction fee per order(1) $4,000
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ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES(2)(3) (expenses that are deducted from
Fund assets)
================================================================================
Management Fees 0.20%
================================================================================
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees(4) - %
================================================================================
Other expenses(5) 0.29%
================================================================================
Total annual Fund operating expenses 0.49%
================================================================================
Expense Waiver and Reimbursements(6) 0.12%
================================================================================
Net Operating Expenses 0.37%
================================================================================
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1. Purchasers of Creation Units and parties redeeming Creation Units must
pay a standard creation or redemption transaction fee of $1,000. If a
Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed for cash, a variable fee of up to
four times the standard creation or redemption transaction fee may be
charged. See the following discussion of "Creation Transaction Fees and
Redemption Transaction Fees."
2. The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The expenses listed in the table are estimates based on the expenses the
Fund expects to incur for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2008.
3. Expressed as a percentage of average net assets.
4. The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plan pursuant to
which the Fund may bear a 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% per annum of the
Fund's average daily net assets. However, no such fee is currently paid by
the Fund.
5. Other expenses have been estimated for the Fund's initial fiscal year
assuming net assets of $100 million. Such expenses may be higher if the
Fund's net assets total less than $100 million at the end of its initial
fiscal year, or lower if the Fund's net assets exceed $100 million at the
end of its initial fiscal year.
6. The Fund's Investment Adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees
and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating
expenses of the Fund (excluding interest expenses, a portion of the Fund's
licensing fees, offering costs up to 0.25% of average net assets, brokerage
commissions and other trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses
such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course
of the Fund's business) from exceeding 0.27% of average net assets per
year, at least until December 31, 2010. The offering costs excluded from
the 0.27% expense cap are: (a) legal fees pertaining to the Fund's Shares
offered for sale; (b) SEC and state registration fees; and (c) initial fees
paid to be listed on an exchange. The Trust and the Investment Adviser have
entered into an Expense Reimbursement Agreement (the "Expense Agreement")
in which the Investment Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees
and/or pay certain operating expenses of the Fund in order to maintain the
expense ratio of the Fund at or below 0.27% (excluding the expenses set
forth above) (the "Expense Cap"). For a period of five years subsequent to
the Fund's commencement of operations, the Investment Adviser may recover
from the Fund fees and expenses waived or reimbursed during the prior three
years if the Fund's expense ratio, including the recovered expenses, falls
below the Expense Cap.
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EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing
in the Fund with the costs 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% return each
year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same each year.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these
assumptions your costs would be:
ONE YEAR THREE YEARS
$38 $119
================================================================================
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CREATION TRANSACTION FEES AND REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks of 100,000
Shares (each block of 100,000 Shares called a "Creation Unit") or multiples
thereof. As a practical matter, only broker-dealers or large institutional
investors with creation and redemption agreements and called Authorized
Participants ("APs") can purchase or redeem these Creation Units.
Purchasers of Creation Units at NAV must pay a standard Creation
Transaction Fee of $1,000 per transaction (regardless of the number of
securities in each Creation Unit). The value of a Creation Unit as of first
creation was approximately $5,000,000. An AP who holds Creation Units and
wishes to redeem at NAV would also pay a standard Redemption Fee of $1,000
per transaction (regardless of the number of securities in each Creation
Unit). See "How to Buy and Sell Shares" later in this Prospectus). APs who
hold Creation Units in inventory will also pay the Annual Fund Operating
Expenses described in the table above. Assuming an investment in a Creation
Unit of $5,000,000 and a 5% return each year, and assuming that the Fund's
gross operating expenses remain the same, the total costs would be $19,928
if the Creation Unit is redeemed after one year, and $60,455 if the
Creation Unit is redeemed after three years.
If a Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed for cash, a variable fee of up
to four times the standard Creation or Redemption Transaction Fee may be
charged to the AP making the transaction.
The creation fee, redemption fee and variable fee are not expenses of the
Fund and do not impact the Fund's expense ratio.
13
CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL MARKETS
MICRO-TERM FIXED INCOME ETF
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the
performance, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of a money market and
micro-term fixed income securities index called CPMKTL - The Capital
Markets Liquidity Index (the "CPMKTL Index" or the "Index"). The Fund's
investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed by the Board of
Trustees without shareholder approval.
PRIMARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a low cost "passive" or "indexing" investment approach,
will seek to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the
CPMKTL Index. The Fund is not a money market fund and thus does not seek to
maintain a stable net asset value of $1.00 per share. The Index is a total
return index comprised of 1,893 micro-term U.S. investment grade fixed
income securities and money market instruments as of January 1, 2008. The
number of securities included in the Index has ranged from approximately
1,000 to 2,350 in the previous ten year period; however, the number of
securities included in the Index varies from month to month and may be
higher or lower than the historical range. The Index includes micro-term
U.S. Treasury fixed income securities, micro-term U.S. federal agency and
other government sponsored entities fixed income securities, short-term
investment grade U.S. corporate fixed income securities, commercial paper,
bankers acceptances, large time deposits, and U.S. federal agency discount
notes as determined by Dorchester Capital Management Company ("Dorchester"
or the "Index Provider"). The Index may also include U.S. registered,
dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and
supra-national agencies. The Index Provider defines "micro-term" fixed
income securities as those with a redemption date of less than a year from
the start of the month, as determined by yield to worst calculation. The
Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in fixed income
securities that comprise the Index. The Fund also will normally invest at
least 80% of its net assets in U.S. fixed income securities. The Fund has
adopted a policy that requires the Fund to provide shareholders with at
least 60 days notice prior to any material change in these policies or the
Index. The Board of Trustees of the Trust may change the Fund's investment
strategy and other policies without shareholder approval, except as
otherwise indicated.
14
The Investment Subadviser seeks a correlation over time of 0.95 or better
between the Fund's performance and the performance of the total return of
the Index less any expenses or distributions. A figure of 1.00 would
represent perfect correlation.
The Fund expects to use a sampling approach in seeking to achieve its
objective. Sampling means that the Investment Subadviser uses quantitative
analysis to select securities from the Index universe to obtain a
representative sample of securities that resemble the Index in terms of key
risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics. These
include maturity, credit quality and other financial characteristics of
securities. The quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number
of factors, including asset size of the Fund. However, the Fund may use
replication to achieve its objective if practicable. There may also be
instances in which the Investment Subadviser may choose to overweight
another security in the Index, purchase (or sell) securities not in the
Index which the Investment Subadviser believes are appropriate to
substitute for one or more Index components, or utilize various
combinations of other available investment techniques, in seeking to
accurately track the Index. In addition, from time to time securities are
added to or removed from the Index. The Fund may sell securities that are
represented in the Index or purchase securities that are not yet
represented in the Index in anticipation of their removal from or addition
to the Index.
INDEX METHODOLOGY
The Index is designed to represent the traditional investment grade
securities in the U.S. money markets and in the micro-term fixed income
capital markets. The Index includes micro-term U.S. Treasury fixed income
securities, micro-term U.S. federal agency and other government sponsored
entities; fixed income securities, micro-term investment grade U.S.
corporate fixed income securities, commercial paper, bankers acceptances,
large time deposits, and U.S. federal agency discount notes. The Index may
also include U.S. registered, dollar-denominated bonds of foreign
corporations, governments, agencies and supra-national agencies. Securities
are selected to ensure a diversity of duration by selecting securities in
each of the following maturity ranges: zero to three months, three to six
months, six to nine months, and nine months to one year. Securities are
selected from each maturity range such that each range is represented by
total assets proportional to the relative market value of each maturity
range. The Index is reconstituted monthly.
The Index is designed to be a long-term measure of the performance of the
U.S. investment grade liquidity markets. It is part of the CPMKTS(SM)
family of indexes that is designed to measure the major components of the
U.S. investment grade fixed income securities and the common stocks in the
capital markets. This family includes the Index and the following
additional indexes: CPMKTE - The Capital Markets Equity Index, which is
designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. common stock markets;
15
CPMKTB - The Capital Markets Bond Index, which is designed to be a
long-term measure of the long term U.S. investment grade fixed income
markets; and CPMKTS - The Capital Markets Index, which is designed to be a
long-term measure of the U.S. investment grade capital markets as
represented by the CPMKTB, CPMKTE, and CPMKTL indexes.
INDEX CONSTRUCTION
1.The Index is reconstituted monthly. The Index constituents are determined
on the fifth business day before the start of the month and go into
effect on the first day of the month.
2.Money market instruments that are potential Index constituents include 90
day bankers acceptances, 90 day certificate of deposit, 180 day
certificate of deposit, 30 day commercial paper, 60 day commercial paper,
90 day commercial paper, 30 day United States federal agency discount
notes, 60 day United States federal agency discount notes, and 90 day
United States federal agency discount notes.
3.All micro-term U.S. Treasury fixed income securities (defined as those
with redemption dates less than a year from the start of the month, as
determined by yield to worst calculation) are selected as Index
constituents. United States Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities
("TIPS") are not included.
4.A selection of U.S. federal agency fixed income securities (defined as
those with redemption dates within one year from the start of the month
as determined by a yield to worst calculation) are selected as Index
constituents. The methodology is designed to select representative issues
from each of the five largest agencies and government sponsored entities:
Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA"), Government National
Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
("FHLMC"), Federal Farm Credit Banks ("FFCS"), and the SLM Corporation
("SLMA"), as well as fixed income issues from other federal agencies.
Securities are selected to ensure a diversity of duration by selecting
securities in each of the following maturity ranges: zero to three
months, three to six months, six to nine months, and nine months to one
year. Securities are selected from each maturity range such that each
range is represented by total assets proportional to the relative market
value of each maturity range.
5.Micro-term investment grade U.S. corporate fixed income securities
(defined as those with redemption dates less than one year from the start
of the month as determined by the yield to worst calculation) are
selected as Index constituents. The Index methodology is designed to
select securities ensuring a diversity of industry, duration, and rating.
Seven industry classifications are represented: consumer goods, consumer
services, manufacturing and wholesale trade, mining and construction,
transportation and utilities, financial and insurance, and business
services. Ratings from the major U.S. rating agencies are employed by the
Index Provider to assign securities to one of six rating tiers based upon
a
16
rules-based methodology. Four of these tiers are for investment grade
issues, one for high yield issues, and the final one for non-rated
issues. Only securities from the four investment grade tiers are
considered for inclusion in the Index. To ensure a diversity of
duration securities are selected in each of the following maturity
ranges: zero to three months, three to six months, six to nine months,
and nine months to one year. Securities are selected from each
maturity range such that each range is represented by total assets
proportional to the relative market value of each maturity range.
6.The weight of each Index constituent is set based upon modified market
value on the last calendar day before the start of the month. The market
value is modified based upon regularly published statistics from the
Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
PRIMARY INVESTMENT RISKS
Investors should consider the following risk factors and special
considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you
to lose money.
Investment Risk. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk,
including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.
The Fund is not a money market fund and thus does not seek to maintain a
stable net asset value of $1.00 per share.
Asset Class Risk. The bonds in the Fund's portfolio may underperform the
returns of other bonds or indexes that track other industries, markets,
asset classes or sectors. Different types of bonds and indexes tend to go
through different performance cycles than the general bond market.
Call Risk/Prepayment Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an
issuer of a callable bond may exercise its right to pay principal on an
obligation earlier than expected. This may result in the Fund reinvesting
proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund's
income.
Credit/Default Risk. Credit risk is the risk that issuers or guarantors of
debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase
agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make
timely interest and/or principal payments or otherwise honor its
obligations. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit
risk, which may be reflected in credit ratings. Securities issued by the
U.S. government have limited credit risk. However, securities issued by
U.S. government agencies (such as U.S. agency mortgage pass-through
securities) are not necessarily backed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. government. Credit rating downgrades and defaults (failure to make
interest or principal payment) may potentially reduce the Fund's income and
share price.
17
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is a financial contract, whose value depends
on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset such as a security
or index. The Fund may invest in certain types of derivatives contracts,
including futures, options and swaps. Compared to conventional securities,
derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden
fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund's losses may be greater if
it invests in derivatives.
Extension Risk. Extension risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its
right to pay principal on an obligation later than expected. This may
happen when there is a rise in interest rates. Under these circumstances,
the value of the obligation will decrease and the Fund's performance may
suffer from its inability to invest in higher yielding securities.
Foreign Issuers Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. registered,
dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and
supra-national agencies which have different risks than investing in U.S.
companies. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial
reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory
taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations,
political instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign
countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Foreign companies may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S.
issuers. Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or
unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross
domestic product, rate of inflation, capital investment, resource self-
sufficiency and balance of payment options.
Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause
the Fund's income to decline.
Interest Rate Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income
securities held by the Fund are likely to decrease. Securities with longer
durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, making them
more volatile than securities with shorter durations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are
difficult to purchase or sell. If the Fund invests in illiquid securities
or securities that become illiquid, Fund returns may be reduced because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time
or price.
Sampling Risk. The Fund's use of a representative sampling approach will
result in its holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index.
As a result, an adverse development respecting an issuer of securities held
by the Fund could result in a greater decline in net asset value than would
be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Index.
Finance Services Sector Risk. The financial services industries are subject
to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid
change due to
18
increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be
significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes
in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and
price competition.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the
Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of
operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying
and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Since the
Index constituents may vary on a monthly basis, the Fund's costs
associated with rebalancing may be greater than those incurred by other
exchange-traded funds that track indices whose composition changes less
frequently.
The Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash
flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet
redemptions and expenses. If the Fund utilizes a sampling approach or
futures or other derivative positions, its return may not correlate as well
with the return on the Index, as would be the case if it purchased all of
the stocks in the Index with the same weightings as the Index.
Replication Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is
not "actively" managed. Therefore, it would not necessarily sell a security
because the security's issuer was in financial trouble unless that security
is removed from the Index.
Issuer-Specific Changes. The value of an individual security or particular
type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can
perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of
securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger
issuers.
Non-Diversified Fund Risk. The Fund is considered non-diversified and can
invest a greater portion of assets in securities of individual issuers than
a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single
investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur
in a diversified fund.
FUND PERFORMANCE
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet completed a full
calendar year of investment operations. When the Fund has completed a full
calendar year of investment operations, this section will include charts
that show annual total returns, highest and lowest quarterly returns and
average annual total returns (before and after taxes) compared to a
benchmark index selected for the Fund.
19
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and
hold shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary
market will not pay the shareholder fees shown below, but may be subject to
costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (paid directly by Authorized Participants)
=========================================================================================
Sales charges (loads) None
=========================================================================================
Standard creation/redemption transaction fee per order(1) $1,000
=========================================================================================
Maximum additional creation/redemption transaction fee per order(1) $4,000
|
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES(2)(3) (expenses that are deducted from
Fund assets)
================================================================================
Management Fees 0.20%
================================================================================
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees(4) --%
================================================================================
Other expenses(5) 0.29%
================================================================================
Total annual Fund operating expenses 0.49%
================================================================================
Expense Waiver and Reimbursements(6) 0.12%
================================================================================
Net Operating Expenses 0.37%
================================================================================
|
1. Purchasers of Creation Units and parties redeeming Creation Units must
pay a standard creation or redemption transaction fee of $1,000. If a
Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed for cash, a variable fee of up to
four times the standard creation or redemption transaction fee may be
charged. See the following discussion of "Creation Transaction Fees and
Redemption Transaction Fees."
2. The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The expenses listed in the table are estimates based on the expenses the
Fund expects to incur for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2008.
3. Expressed as a percentage of average net assets.
4. The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plan pursuant to
which the Fund may bear a 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% per annum of the
Fund's average daily net assets. However, no such fee is currently paid by
the Fund.
5. Other expenses have been estimated for the Fund's initial fiscal year
assuming net assets of $100 million. Such expenses may be higher if the
Fund's net assets total less than $100 million at the end of its initial
fiscal year, or lower if the Fund's net assets exceed $100 million at the
end of its initial fiscal year.
6. The Fund's Investment Adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees
and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating
expenses of the Fund (excluding interest expenses, a portion of the Fund's
licensing fees, offering costs up to 0.25% of average net assets, brokerage
commissions and other trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses
such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course
of the Fund's business) from exceeding 0.27% of average net assets per
year, at least until December 31, 2010. The offering costs excluded from
the 0.27% expense cap are: (a) legal fees pertaining to the Fund's Shares
offered for sale; (b) SEC and state registration fees; and (c) initial fees
paid to be listed on an exchange. The Trust and the Investment Adviser have
entered into an Expense Reimbursement Agreement (the "Expense Agreement")
in which the Investment Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees
and/or pay certain operating expenses of the Fund in order to maintain the
expense ratio of the Fund at or below 0.27% (excluding the expenses set
forth above) (the "Expense Cap"). For a period of five years subsequent to
the Fund's commencement of operations, the Investment Adviser may recover
from the Fund fees and expenses waived or reimbursed during the prior three
years if the Fund's expense ratio, including the recovered expenses, falls
below the Expense Cap.
20
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing
in the Fund with the costs 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% return each
year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same each year.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these
assumptions your costs would be:
ONE YEAR THREE YEARS
$38 $119
================================================================================
|
CREATION TRANSACTION FEES AND REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks of 100,000
Shares (each block of 100,000 Shares called a "Creation Unit") or multiples
thereof. As a practical matter, only broker-dealers or large institutional
investors with creation and redemption agreements and called Authorized
Participants ("APs") can purchase or redeem these Creation Units.
Purchasers of Creation Units at NAV must pay a standard Creation
Transaction Fee of $1,000 per transaction (regardless of the number of
securities in each Creation Unit). The value of a Creation Unit as of first
creation was approximately $5,000,000. An AP who holds Creation Units and
wishes to redeem at NAV would also pay a standard Redemption Fee of $1,000
per transaction (regardless of the number of stocks in each Creation Unit.
See "How to Buy and Sell Shares" later in this Prospectus). APs who hold
Creation Units in inventory will also pay the Annual Fund Operating
Expenses described in the table above. Assuming an investment in a Creation
Unit of $5,000,000 and a 5% return each year, and assuming that the Fund's
gross operating expenses remain the same, the total costs would be $19,928
if the Creation Unit is redeemed after one year, and $60,455 if the
Creation Unit is redeemed after three years.
If a Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed for cash, a variable fee of up
to four times the standard Creation or Redemption Transaction Fee may be
charged to the AP making the transaction.
The creation fee, redemption fee and variable fee are not expenses of the
Fund and do not impact the Fund's expense ratio.
21
CLAYMORE U.S. - 1 - THE CAPITAL MARKETS
INDEX ETF
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the
performance, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of the CPMKTS - The
Capital Markets Index (the "CPMKTS Index" or the "Index") which includes
equity, fixed income and money market securities. The Fund's investment
objective is not fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees
without shareholder approval.
PRIMARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a low cost "passive" or "indexing" investment approach,
will seek to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the
CPMKTS Index. The Index is a total return index that includes common stock
equity securities, micro-term investment grade fixed income securities and
money market instruments, and long-term investment grade fixed income
securities. The number of securities included in the Index has ranged from
approximately 5,700 to 7,800 long-term U.S. investment grade fixed income
securities selected monthly; approximately 1,000 to 2,350 micro-term U.S.
investment grade fixed income securities and money market instruments
selected monthly; and 2,000 equity securities selected quarterly, based on
market capitalization of the common stock of actively-traded United States
corporations, generally with market capitalizations between $300 million
and $500 billion, for the previous ten year period. The Index may also
include U.S. registered, dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations,
governments, agencies and supra-national agencies. Dorchester Capital
Management Company ("Dorchester" or the "Index Provider") defines "actively
traded" as common stocks that are listed on a major U.S. exchange and have
been traded within the past 45 days. The Index Provider defines
"micro-term" fixed income securities as those with a redemption date of
less than a year from the start of the month, as determined by yield to
worst calculation. The number of securities included in the Index varies
from month to month and may be higher or lower than the historical ranges.
During each quarter, the number of equity securities may decrease as the
common stocks are either delisted or not actively traded for any reason
including, but not limited to, mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies. Once
removed, an equity security will not be returned to or replaced in the
Index for any reason before the start of the next quarter. The Fund will
normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity, fixed income
and money market securities that comprise the Index. The Fund also will
normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in
22
U.S. securities. The Fund has adopted a policy that requires the Fund to
provide shareholders with at least 60 days notice prior to any material
change in these policies or the Index. The Board of Trustees of the Trust
may change the Fund's investment strategy and other policies without
shareholder approval, except as otherwise indicated.
The Investment Subadviser seeks a correlation over time of 0.95 or better
between the Fund's performance and the performance of the total return of
the Index less any expenses or distributions. A figure of 1.00 would
represent perfect correlation.
The Fund expects to use a sampling approach in seeking to achieve its
objective. Sampling means that the Investment Subadviser uses quantitative
analysis to select securities from the Index universe to obtain a
representative sample of securities that resemble the Index in terms of key
risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics. These
include maturity, credit quality, asset allocation weightings, market
capitalization and other financial characteristics of securities. The
quantity of holdings in the Fund will be based on a number of factors,
including asset size of the Fund. However, the Fund may use replication to
achieve its objective if practicable. There may also be instances in which
the Investment Subadviser may choose to overweight another security in the
Index, purchase (or sell) securities not in the Index which the Investment
Subadviser believes are appropriate to substitute for one or more Index
components, or utilize various combinations of other available investment
techniques, in seeking to accurately track the Index. In addition, from
time to time securities are added to or removed from the Index. The Fund
may sell securities that are represented in the Index or purchase
securities that are not yet represented in the Index in anticipation of
their removal from or addition to the Index.
INDEX METHODOLOGY
The Index is designed to represent the traditional investment grade fixed
income securities, investment grade fixed income securities with less than
one year until maturity and equity securities in the United States capital
markets. The Index includes: common stock equity securities from the 2,000
largest actively traded United States corporations based upon market
capitalization of common stock, micro-term U.S. treasury fixed income
securities, micro-term U.S. federal agency and other government sponsored
entities fixed income securities, short-term investment grade U.S.
corporate fixed income securities, commercial paper, bankers acceptances,
large time deposits, U.S. federal agency discount notes; long-term U.S.
treasury fixed income securities, long-term U.S. federal agency and other
government sponsored entities fixed income securities, long-term investment
grade U.S. corporate fixed income securities and long-term mortgage-backed
securities. The Index may also include U.S. registered, dollar-denominated
bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and supra-national
agencies.
23
The CPMKTS(SM) family of indexes is designed to measure the major
components of the U.S. investment grade fixed income securities and the
common stocks in the capital markets. This family includes the Index and
the following additional indexes: CPMKTE - The Capital Markets Equity
Index, which is designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. common stock
markets; CPMKTB - The Capital Markets Bond Index, which is designed to be a
long-term measure of the long term U.S. investment grade fixed income
markets; and CPMKTL - The Capital Markets Liquidity Index, which is
designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. investment grade short-term
fixed income and money markets. CPMKTS - The Capital Markets Index is
designed to be a long-term measure of the U.S. investment grade capital
markets as represented by the CPMKTB, CPMKTE, and CPMKTL indexes.
INDEX CONSTRUCTION
1.The equity securities in the Index are reconstituted quarterly. The
equity Index constituents are determined on the fifth business day before
the start of the quarter based on the market capitalization of common
stock, finalized on the last calendar day of the quarter and go into
effect on the first day of the new quarter.
2.Potential equity Index constituents include all common stock equity
securities from United States corporations that are headquartered in the
United States and trade on major United States stock exchanges. Limited
partnerships, ETFs, American depositary receipts and closed-end funds are
not eligible for inclusion in the Index.
3.On the last calendar day before the start of the quarter, if any of the
selected equity Index constituents are no longer actively traded, they
are replaced with the next eligible security with the largest market
capitalization that is not a member of the Index, based upon the market
capitalization from the fifth business day before the start of the
quarter.
4.The weight of each equity Index constituent is set based upon a modified
market capitalization determined on the last day before the start of the
month. The market value is modified based upon regularly published
statistics from the Federal Reserve Board.
5.The fixed income and money market Index constituents are reconstituted
monthly. The fixed income and money market Index constituents are
determined based on closing data on the fifth business day before the
start of the month. Fixed income and money market Index constituents are
finalized on the last calendar day before the start of the month and go
into effect on the first day of the new month.
6.Money market instruments that are potential Index constituents include 90
day bankers acceptances, 90 day certificate of deposit, 180 day
certificate of deposit, 30 day commercial paper, 60 day commercial paper,
90 day commercial paper, 30
24
day United States federal agency discount notes, 60 day United States
federal agency discount notes, and 90 day United States federal agency
discount notes.
7.All U.S. Treasury fixed income securities are selected as Index
constituents. United States Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities
("TIPS") are not included.
8.A selection of micro-term and long-term United States federal agency and
government sponsored entities fixed income securities are selected as
Index constituents using a rules-based methodology. The Index methodology
is designed to select representative issues from each of the five largest
agencies and government sponsored entities: Federal National Mortgage
Association ("FNMA"), Federal Home Loan Banks ("FHLB"), Federal Home Loan
Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"), Federal Farm Credit Banks ("FFCB"), and
the SLM Corporation ("SLMA"), as well as fixed income issues from other
federal agencies. Securities are selected to ensure a diversity of
duration by selecting securities in each of the following maturity
ranges: zero to three months, three to six months, six to nine months,
nine months to one year, one to two and a half years, two and a half to
four years, four to six years, six to eight years, eight to twelve years,
twelve to twenty years, and greater than twenty years. Securities are
selected from each maturity range such that each range is represented by
total assets proportional to the relative market value of each maturity
range.
9.A selection of micro-term and long-term investment grade United States
corporate fixed income securities are selected as Index constituents
using a proprietary rules-based methodology. The methodology is designed
to select securities ensuring a diversity of industry, duration, and
rating. Seven industry classifications are represented: consumer goods,
consumer services, manufacturing and wholesale trade, mining and
construction, transportation and utilities, financial and insurance, and
business services. Ratings from the three major rating agencies are
employed to assign securities to one of four investment grade tiers based
upon a rules-based methodology. To ensure a diversity of duration,
securities are selected in each of the following maturity ranges: zero to
three months, three to six months, six to nine months, nine months to one
year, one to two and a half years, two and a half to four years, four to
six years, six to eight years, eight to twelve years, twelve to twenty
years, and greater than twenty years. Securities are selected from each
maturity range such that each range is represented by total assets
proportional to the relative market value of each maturity range.
10.Using a rules-based methodology, long-term mortgage pass-through
securities ("MBS") issued by U.S. federal agencies are selected which
have a fixed rate coupon, maturity date greater than 1 year from the
start of the month, and which currently trade in "TBA transactions." "TBA
transactions" are purchases or sales of MBS for future settlement at an
agreed-upon date. TBA transactions aid in the liquidity and pricing
efficiency of MBS because they enable different MBS with similar
characteristics to be traded interchangeably according to commonly
observed settlement and delivery conventions.
25
Eligible pools are grouped into generic securities ("Mortgage Generic")
based on the agency's program, current coupon and production year. The
programs considered are 5 year balloons, 7 year balloons, 15 year fixed
and 30 year fixed rates taken from the FHLMC, FNMA and GNMA programs.
Coupon values are designed to represent a majority of the market and the
range of allowable values is updated monthly.
11.The weights of each of the fixed income and money market Index
constituents are set based upon modified market value on the last day
before the start of the month. The market value is modified based upon
regularly published statistics from the Federal Reserve Board and the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
PRIMARY INVESTMENT RISKS
Investors should consider the following risk factors and special
considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you
to lose money.
Investment Risk. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk,
including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.
Equity Risk. A principal risk of investing in the Fund is equity risk,
which is the risk that the value of the securities held by the Fund will
fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding
the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund
participate, or factors relating to specific companies in which the Fund
invests. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings
report, may depress the value of equity securities of an issuer held by the
Fund; the price of common stock of an issuer may be particularly sensitive
to general movements in the stock market; or a drop in the stock market may
depress the price of most or all of the common stocks and other equity
securities held by the Fund. In addition, common stock of an issuer in the
Fund's portfolio may decline in price if the issuer fails to make
anticipated dividend payments because, among other reasons, the issuer of
the security experiences a decline in its financial condition. Common stock
is subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a
company's capital structure, in terms of priority to corporate income, and
therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred stocks or
debt instruments of such issuers. In addition, while broad market measures
of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than
fixed income securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly
more volatility in those returns.
Asset Class Risk. The bonds in the Fund's portfolio may underperform the
returns of other bonds or indexes that track other industries, markets,
asset classes or sectors. Different types of bonds and indexes tend to go
through different performance cycles than the general bond market.
26
Call Risk/Prepayment Risk. During periods of falling interest rates, an
issuer of a callable bond may exercise its right to pay principal on an
obligation earlier than expected. This may result in the Fund's having to
reinvest proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the
Fund's income.
Credit/Default Risk. Credit risk is the risk that issuers or guarantors of
debt instruments or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase
agreement or loan of portfolio securities is unable or unwilling to make
timely interest and/or principal payments or otherwise honor its
obligations. Debt instruments are subject to varying degrees of credit
risk, which may be reflected in credit ratings. Securities issued by the
U.S. government have limited credit risk. However, securities issued by
U.S. government agencies (such as U.S. agency mortgage pass-through
securities) are not necessarily backed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S. government. Credit rating downgrades and defaults (failure to make
interest or principal payment) may potentially reduce the Fund's income and
share price.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is a financial contract, whose value depends
on, or is derived from, the value of and underlying asset such as a
security or index. The Fund may invest in certain types of derivatives
contracts, including futures, options and swaps. Compared to conventional
securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates
or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund's losses may
be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests in conventional
securities.
Extension Risk. Extension risk is the risk that an issuer will exercise its
right to pay principal on an obligation later than expected. This may
happen when there is a rise in interest rates. Under these circumstances,
the value of the obligation will decrease and the Fund's performance may
suffer from its inability to invest in higher yielding securities.
Foreign Issuers Risk. The Fund may invest in U.S. registered,
dollar-denominated bonds of foreign corporations, governments, agencies and
supra-national agencies which have different risks than investing in U.S.
companies. These include difference in accounting, auditing and financial
reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory
taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations,
political instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign
countries, and potential restrictions of the flow of international capital.
Foreign companies may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S.
issuers. Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or
unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross
domestic product, rate of inflation, capital investment, resource self-
sufficiency and balance of payment options.
Income Risk. Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause
the Fund's income to decline.
27
Interest Rate Risk. As interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income
securities held by the Fund are likely to decrease. Securities with longer
durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes, making them
more volatile than securities with shorter durations.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are
difficult to purchase or sell. If the Fund invests in illiquid securities
or securities that become illiquid, Fund returns may be reduced because the
Fund may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time
or price.
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed
securities issued by FNMA, GNMA or FHLMC. While securities issued by GNMA
are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, securities
issued by FNMA and FHLMC are not and there can be no assurance that the
U.S. government would provide support to its agencies or instrumentalities
where it is not obliged to do so. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to
prepayment risk and extension risk (see explanations above) and may react
differently to changes in interest rates than other bonds, which may
significantly reduce their value.
There is also risk associated with the roll market for mortgage-backed
securities. First, the value and safety of the roll depends entirely upon
the counterparty's ability to redeliver the security at the termination of
the roll. Therefore, the counterparty to a roll must meet the same credit
criteria as any existing repurchase counterparty. Second, the security
which is redelivered at the end of the roll period must be substantially
the same as the initial security, i.e., must have the same coupon, be
issued by the same agency and be of the same type, have the same original
stated term to maturity, be priced to result in similar market yields and
be "good delivery." Within these parameters, however, the actual pools that
are redelivered could be less desirable than those originally rolled,
especially with respect to prepayment characteristics.
Small and Medium-Sized Company Risk. Investing in securities of small and
medium-sized companies involves greater risk than is customarily associated
with investing in more established companies. These companies' stocks may
be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies.
These stocks may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the
overall stock market.
Micro-Cap Company Risk. Micro-cap stocks involve substantially greater
risks of loss and price fluctuations because their earnings and revenues
tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing
significant losses), and their share prices tend to be more volatile and
their markets less liquid than companies with larger market
capitalizations. Micro-cap companies may be newly formed or in the early
stages of development, with limited product lines, markets or financial
resources and may lack management depth. In addition, there may be less
public information available about these companies. The shares
28
of micro-cap companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger,
more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these
securities and the future ability to sell these securities. Also, it may
take a long time before the Fund realizes a gain, if any, on an investment
in a micro-cap company.
Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund's return may not match the return of the
Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of
operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and incurs costs in buying
and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's securities
holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. Since the
Index constituents may vary on a monthly basis, the Fund's costs
associated with rebalancing may be greater than those incurred by other
exchange-traded funds that track indices whose composition changes less
frequently.
The Fund may not be fully invested at times, either as a result of cash
flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet
redemptions and expenses. If the Fund utilizes a sampling approach or
futures or other derivative positions, its return may not correlate as well
with the return on the Index, as would be the case if it purchased all of
the stocks in the Index with the same weightings as the Index.
Replication Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is
not "actively" managed. Therefore, it would not necessarily sell a security
because the security's issuer was in financial trouble unless that security
is removed from the Index.
Finance Services Sector Risk. The financial services industries are subject
to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid
change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments,
and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital
funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt
defaults, and price competition.
Sampling Risk. The Fund's use of a representative sampling approach will
result in its holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index.
As a result, an adverse development respecting an issuer of securities held
by the Fund could result in a greater decline in net asset value than would
be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in the Index.
Issuer-Specific Changes. The value of an individual security or particular
type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can
perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of
securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger
issuers.
Non-Diversified Fund Risk. The Fund is considered non-diversified and can
invest a greater portion of assets in securities of individual issuers than
a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single
investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur
in a diversified fund.
29
FUND PERFORMANCE
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet completed a full
calendar year of investment operations. When the Fund has completed a full
calendar year of investment operations, this section will include charts
that show annual total returns, highest and lowest quarterly returns and
average annual total returns (before and after taxes) compared to a
benchmark index selected for the Fund.
30
FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and
hold shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing Shares in the secondary
market will not pay the shareholder fees shown below, but may be subject to
costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (paid directly by Authorized Participants)
=======================================================================================
Sales charges (loads) None
=======================================================================================
Standard creation/redemption transaction fee per order(1) $1,000
=======================================================================================
Maximum additional creation/redemption transaction fee per order(1) $4,000
|
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES(2)(3) (expenses that are deducted from
Fund assets)
================================================================================
Management Fees 0.25%
================================================================================
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees(4) --%
================================================================================
Other expenses(5) 0.30%
================================================================================
Total annual Fund operating expenses 0.55%
================================================================================
Expense Waiver and Reimbursements(6) 0.08%
================================================================================
Net Operating Expenses 0.47%
================================================================================
|
1. Purchasers of Creation Units and parties redeeming Creation Units must
pay a standard creation or redemption transaction fee of $1,000. If a
Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed for cash, a variable fee of up to
four times the standard creation or redemption transaction fee may be
charged. See the following discussion of "Creation Transaction Fees and
Redemption Transaction Fees."
2. The Fund had not commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus.
The expenses listed in the table are estimates based on the expenses the
Fund expects to incur for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2008.
3. Expressed as a percentage of average net assets.
4. The Fund has adopted a Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plan pursuant to
which the Fund may bear a 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% per annum of the
Fund's average daily net assets. However, no such fee is currently paid by
the Fund.
5. Other expenses have been estimated for the Fund's initial fiscal year
assuming net assets of $100 million. Such expenses may be higher if the
Fund's net assets total less than $100 million at the end of its initial
fiscal year, or lower if the Fund's net assets exceed $100 million at the
end of its initial fiscal year.
6. The Fund's Investment Adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees
and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating
expenses of the Fund (excluding interest expenses, a portion of the Fund's
licensing fees, offering costs up to 0.25% of average net assets, brokerage
commissions and other trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses
such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course
of the Fund's business) from exceeding 0.37% of average net assets per
year, at least until December 31, 2010. The offering costs excluded from
the 0.37% expense cap are: (a) legal fees pertaining to the Fund's Shares
offered for sale; (b) SEC and state registration fees; and (c) initial fees
paid to be listed on an exchange. The Trust and the Investment Adviser have
entered into an Expense Reimbursement Agreement (the "Expense Agreement")
in which the Investment Adviser has agreed to waive its management fees
and/or pay certain operating expenses of the Fund in order to maintain the
expense ratio of the Fund at or below 0.37% (excluding the expenses set
forth above) (the "Expense Cap"). For a period of five years subsequent to
the Fund's commencement of operations, the Investment Adviser may recover
from the Fund fees and expenses waived or reimbursed during the prior three
years if the Fund's expense ratio, including the recovered expenses, falls
below the expense cap.
31
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing
in the Fund with the costs 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% return each
year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same each year.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these
assumptions your costs would be:
ONE YEAR THREE YEARS
$48 $151
================================================================================
|
CREATION TRANSACTION FEES AND REDEMPTION TRANSACTION FEES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks of 200,000
Shares (each block of 200,000 Shares called a "Creation Unit") or multiples
thereof. As a practical matter, only broker-dealers or large institutional
investors with creation and redemption agreements and called Authorized
Participants ("APs") can purchase or redeem these Creation Units.
Purchasers of Creation Units at NAV must pay a standard Creation
Transaction Fee of $1,000 per transaction (regardless of the number of
stocks of other securities in each Creation Unit). The value of a Creation
Unit as of first creation was approximately $10,000,000. An AP who holds
Creation Units and wishes to redeem at NAV would also pay a standard
Redemption Fee of $1,000 per transaction (regardless of the number of
stocks in each Creation Unit. See "How to Buy and Sell Shares" later in
this Prospectus). APs who hold Creation Units in inventory will also pay
the Annual Fund Operating Expenses described in the table above. Assuming
an investment in a Creation Unit of $10,000,000 and a 5% return each year,
and assuming that the Fund's gross operating expenses remain the same, the
total costs would be $49,065 if the Creation Unit is redeemed after one
year, and $151,824 if the Creation Unit is redeemed after three years.
If a Creation Unit is purchased or redeemed for cash, a variable fee of up
to four times the standard Creation or Redemption Transaction Fee may be
charged to the AP making the transaction.
The creation fee, redemption fee and variable fee are not expenses of the
Fund and do not impact the Fund's expense ratio.
32
SECONDARY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Each Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in
component securities that comprise its respective Index. Each Fund may
invest its remaining assets in stocks and/or fixed income securities (as
applicable) not included in its underlying index, money market instruments,
including repurchase agreements or other funds which invest exclusively in
money market instruments, convertible securities, structured notes (notes
on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based
on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a
particular stock or stock index) and in swaps, options and futures
contracts. Swaps, options and futures contracts (and convertible securities
and structured notes) may be used by each Fund in seeking performance that
corresponds to its respective Index, and in managing cash flows. The Funds
will not invest in money market instruments as part of a temporary
defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines. The
Investment Subadviser anticipates that it may take approximately three
business days (i.e., each day the AMEX is open) for additions and deletions
to each Fund's Index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of the
Fund.
Each Fund may borrow money from a bank up to a limit of 10% of the value of
its assets, but only for temporary or emergency purposes.
Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other
financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete
transactions and for other purposes. In connection with such loans, each
Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the
portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a
daily basis.
The policies described herein constitute non-fundamental policies that may
be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Certain
other fundamental policies of the Funds are set forth in the Statement of
Additional Information under "Investment Restrictions."
33
ADDITIONAL RISK CONSIDERATIONS
In addition to the risks described previously, there are certain other
risks related to investing in the Funds.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the AMEX may be halted due to market
conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the AMEX, make trading in
Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the AMEX is subject
to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the
AMEX "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the
requirements of the AMEX necessary to maintain the listing of the Funds
will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value. The NAV of each Fund's Shares will
generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund's
holdings. The market prices of the Shares will generally fluctuate in
accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand
for the Shares on the AMEX. The Investment Adviser cannot predict whether
the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price differences may
be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces at work in
the secondary trading market for the Shares will be closely related to, but
not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the stocks of
the Index trading individually or in the aggregate at any point in time.
However, given that the Shares can be purchased and redeemed in Creation
Units (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at
appreciable discounts from, and sometimes premiums to, their NAV), the
Investment Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of
the Shares should not be sustained.
Securities Lending. Although each Fund will receive collateral in
connection with all loans of its securities holdings, the Fund would be
exposed to a risk of loss should a borrower default on its obligation to
return the borrowed securities (e.g., the loaned securities may have
appreciated beyond the value of the collateral held by the Fund). In
addition, the Funds will bear the risk of loss of any cash collateral that
they invest.
Leverage. To the extent that each Fund borrows money, it may be leveraged.
Leveraging generally exaggerates the effect on NAV of any increase or
decrease in the market value of a Fund's portfolio securities.
These risks are described further in the Statement of Additional
Information.
34
INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES
INVESTMENT ADVISER
Claymore Advisors, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Claymore Group Inc.,
acts as each Fund's investment adviser pursuant to an advisory agreement
with each Fund (the "Advisory Agreement"). The Investment Adviser is a
Delaware limited liability company with its principal offices located at
2455 Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532. Claymore entities have
provided supervisory, management, servicing or distribution services on
approximately $18.5 billion in assets as of December 31, 2007. Claymore
currently offers closed-end funds, unit investment trusts and
exchange-traded funds. Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Investment
Adviser manages the investment and reinvestment of each Fund's assets and
administers the affairs of the Fund to the extent requested by the Board of
Trustees. The Investment Adviser also acts as investment adviser to
closed-end and open-end management investment companies.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, each Fund pays the Investment Adviser
an advisory fee for the services and facilities it provides payable on a
monthly basis at the annual rate of 0.20% of the Claymore U.S. Capital
Markets Bond ETF's and the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term
FixedIncome ETF's average daily net assets and 0.25% of the Claymore U.S. -
1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF's average daily net assets. The
Investment Adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund
expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of each
Fund (excluding interest expenses, a portion of each Fund's licensing fees,
offering costs up to 0.25% of average net assets, brokerage commissions and
other trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses such as litigation
and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of each Fund's
business) from exceeding 0.27% of average net assets per year of the
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and the Claymore U.S. Capital
Markets Micro-Term FixedIncome and 0.37% of average net assets per year of
the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF, at least until
December 31, 2010. The offering costs excluded from the expense cap are:
(a) legal fees pertaining to each Fund's Shares offered for sale; (b) SEC
and state registration fees; and (c) initial fees paid to be listed on an
exchange. The Trust and the Investment Adviser have entered into the
Expense Agreement, in which the Investment Adviser has agreed to waive its
management fees and/or pay certain operating expenses of each Fund in order
to maintain the expense ratio of each Fund at or below 0.27% of average net
assets per year of the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and the
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term FixedIncome ETF and 0.37% of
average net assets per year of the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets
Index ETF (excluding the expenses set forth above) (the "Expense Cap"). For
a period
35
of five years subsequent to each Fund's commencement of operations, the
Investment Adviser may recover from each Fund fees and expenses waived or
reimbursed during the prior three years if the Fund's expense ratio,
including the recovered expenses, falls below the Expense Cap.
In addition to advisory fees, each Fund pays all other costs and expenses
of its operations, including service fees, distribution fees, custodian
fees, legal and independent registered public accounting firm fees, the
costs of reports and proxies to shareholders, compensation of Trustees
(other than those who are affiliated persons of the Investment Adviser) and
all other ordinary business expenses not specifically assumed by the
Investment Adviser.
INVESTMENT SUBADVISER
Mellon Capital Management Corporation ("Mellon Capital") acts as each
Fund's sub-adviser pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement with the Investment
Adviser (the "Sub-Advisory Agreement"). Mellon Capital is a leading
innovator in the investment industry and manages global quantitative-based
investment strategies for institutional and private investors with its
principal office located at 50 Fremont Street, Suite 3900, San Francisco,
California 94105. As of December 31, 2007, Mellon Capital had assets under
management totaling approximately $211 billion. Mellon Capital is a
wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon
Corporation, a publicly traded financial holding company.
Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Investment Adviser pays the
Sub-Adviser on a monthly basis a portion of the net advisory fees it
receives from each Fund, at the annual rate of 0.08% of average net assets
up to $200 million and 0.05% of average net assets over $200 million per
Fund. The Investment Adviser will pay the Investment Subadviser a minimum
of $50,000 per Fund per year after the Funds' first year of operations.
APPROVAL OF ADVISORY AGREEMENTS
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees' approval of the
Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement will be available in the
Funds' annual report to shareholders for the period ending May 31, 2008.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
The following portfolio managers are currently responsible for the
day-to-day management of the Funds' portfolios. The portfolio managers have
managed each Fund's portfolio since its inception.
Mellon Capital supervises and manages the investment portfolio of each Fund
and directs the purchase and sale of the Fund's investment securities.
Mellon Capital utilizes teams of investment professionals acting together
to manage the
36
assets of each Fund. The teams meet regularly to review portfolio holdings
and to discuss purchase and sale activity.
The portfolios of the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and Claymore
U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF, and the fixed income and
money market portions of the portfolio of the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The
Capital Markets Index ETF, are managed by Mellon Capital's Fixed Income
Management team. The individual members of the team who are primarily
responsible for the day-to-day management of those Fund's portfolios are:
David C. Kwan has been a Managing Director of Mellon Capital since 2000. He
has also been the Head of Fixed Income Management Group since 1994 and the
Head of the Trading Group since 1996. Mr. Kwan has direct oversight
responsibility for all U.S. and international fixed income portfolios, and
the management of the Global Opportunity Strategy. Mr. Kwan has had various
positions and responsibilities at Mellon Capital since he joined in 1990,
one of which was management of the firm's Enhanced Asset Allocation Fund.
He received his M.B.A. degree from University of California at Berkeley in
1990. Mr. Kwan has 17 years of investment experience.
Zandra Zelaya has been a Vice President, Fixed Income at Mellon Capital
since November 2007. She joined Mellon Capital in 1997 as equity trading
assistant. Throughout the years she has held various positions in the Fixed
Income Management group among which were: Associate Portfolio Manager from
1999 to January 2002, Senior Portfolio Manager 2002 to 2006 and Assistant
Vice President from 2006 to her recent promotion as Vice President. Prior
to joining Mellon Capital she worked as client support for fixed income
analytics and managed the data analytics department at Gifford Fong
Associates. Ms. Zelaya attained the Chartered Financial Analyst ("CFA")
designation. She graduated with BS from California State University,
Hayward, California. She has 13 years of investment experience.
The equity portion of the portfolio of the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital
Markets Index ETF is managed by Mellon Capital's equity portfolio
management team. The head of the portfolio management team who is
responsible for the day-to-day management of that portion of the Fund's
portfolio is Denise Krisko.
Ms. Krisko is the head of equity index management and a managing director
of The Bank of New York where she has been employed since 2005. Prior to
joining The Bank of New York, Ms. Krisko held various senior investment
positions with Deutsche Asset Management and Northern Trust and was a
senior quantitative equity portfolio manager and trader for The Vanguard
Group. Ms. Krisko attained the Chartered Financial Analyst ("CFA")
designation. She graduated with a BS from Pennsylvania State University,
and obtained an MBA from Villanova University. Ms. Krisko is managing the
Fund in her capacity as an officer of Mellon Capital.
The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information
about each portfolio manager's compensation structure, other accounts
managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio manager's ownership of
securities of the funds he or she manages.
37
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES
GENERAL
The Shares will be issued or redeemed by each Fund at net asset value per
Share only in Creation Unit size. See "Creations, Redemptions and
Transaction Fees."
Most investors will buy and sell Shares of each Fund in secondary market
transactions through brokers. Shares of each Fund will be listed for
trading on the secondary market on the AMEX. Shares can be bought and sold
throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no
minimum investment. Although Shares are generally purchased and sold in
"round lots" of 100 Shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to
purchase or sell Shares in smaller "odd lots," at no per-share price
differential. When buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will
incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you may pay some or
all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the secondary
market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. The
Funds will trade on the AMEX at prices that may differ to varying degrees
from the daily NAV of the Shares. Given that each Fund's Shares can be
issued and redeemed in Creation Units, the Investment Adviser believes that
large discounts and premiums to NAV should not be sustained for long. The
Funds will trade under the AMEX symbol set forth in the chart below,
subject to notice of issuance.
NAME OF FUND AMEX TICKER SYMBOL
================================================================================
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF UBD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF ULQ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF UEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per Share.
Investors may acquire Shares directly from each Fund, and shareholders may
tender their Shares for redemption directly to each Fund, only in Creation
Units of 100,000 Shares for the Claymore U.S Capital Markets Bond ETF and
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF and 200,000
Shares for the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF as
discussed in the "Creations, Redemptions and Transaction Fees" section,
which follows.
38
BOOK ENTRY
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates
are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the
record owner of all outstanding Shares of each Fund and is recognized as
the owner of all Shares for all purposes.
Investors owning Shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of
DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all
Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks,
trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly
or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial
owner of Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock
certificates or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not
considered a registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right
as an owner of Shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its
participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any
other stocks that you may hold in book entry or "street name" form.
39
HOW TO BUY AND SELL SHARES
PRICING FUND SHARES
The trading price of each Fund's shares on the AMEX may differ from each
Fund's daily net asset value and can be affected by market forces of supply
and demand, economic conditions and other factors.
The AMEX intends to disseminate the approximate value of Shares of each
Fund every fifteen seconds. This approximate value should not be viewed as
a "real-time" update of the NAV per Share of each Fund because the
approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV,
which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day.
Each Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or
dissemination of the approximate value and each Fund does not make any
warranty as to its accuracy.
The net asset value per Share of each Fund is determined once daily as of
the close of the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, each day the NYSE is
open for trading provided that NAV may be calculated as of the announced
closing time for trading in fixed income instruments on any day that the
Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association announces an early
closing time. NAV per Share is determined by dividing the value of each
Fund's portfolio securities, cash and other assets (including accrued
interest), less all liabilities (including accrued expenses), by the total
number of shares outstanding.
Equity securities are valued at the last reported sale price on the
principal exchange or on the principal OTC market on which such securities
are traded, as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the day the
securities are being valued or, if there are no sales, at the mean of the
most recent bid and asked prices. Equity securities that are traded
primarily on the NASDAQ Stock Market are valued at the NASDAQ Official
Closing Price. Debt securities are valued at the bid price for such
securities or, if such prices are not available, at prices for securities
of comparable maturity, quality, and type. Short-term securities for which
market quotations are not readily available are valued at amortized cost,
which approximates market value. Securities for which market quotations are
not readily available, including restricted securities, are valued by a
method that the Trustees believe accurately reflects fair value. Securities
will be valued at fair value when market quotations are not readily
available or are deemed unreliable, such as when a security's value or
meaningful portion of a Fund's portfolio is believed to have been
materially affected by a significant event. Such events may include a
natural disaster, an economic event like a bankruptcy filing, a trading
halt in a security, an unscheduled early market close or a substantial
fluctuation in domestic and foreign markets that has occurred between the
close of the principal exchange and the NYSE. In such a case, the value for
a security is likely to be different from the last quoted market
40
price. In addition, due to the subjective and variable nature of fair
market value pricing, it is possible that the value determined for a
particular asset may be materially different from the value realized upon
such asset's sale.
CREATION UNITS
Investors such as market makers, large investors and institutions who wish
to deal in Creation Units directly with each Fund must have entered into an
authorized participant agreement with the distributor and the transfer
agent, or purchase through a dealer that has entered into such an
agreement. Set forth below is a brief description of the procedures
applicable to purchase and redemption of Creation Units. For more detailed
information, see "Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations" in
the Statement of Additional Information.
HOW TO BUY SHARES
In order to purchase Creation Units of each Fund, an investor must
generally deposit a designated portfolio of equity, fixed income or money
market securities, as applicable, constituting a substantial replication,
or a representation, of the stocks included in the Index (the "Deposit
Securities") and generally make a small cash payment referred to as the
"Cash Component." For those Authorized Participants that are not eligible
for trading a Deposit Security, custom orders are available. The list of
the names and the numbers of shares of the Deposit Securities is made
available by each Fund's custodian through the facilities of the National
Securities Clearing Corporation, commonly referred to as NSCC, immediately
prior to the opening of business each day of the AMEX. The Cash Component
represents the difference between the net asset value of a Creation Unit
and the market value of the Deposit Securities. In the case of custom
orders, cash-in-lieu may be added to the Cash Component to replace any
Deposit Securities that the Authorized Participant may not be eligible to
trade.
Orders must be placed in proper form by or through either (i) a
"Participating Party" i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the
Clearing Process of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the
"Clearing Process") or (ii) a participant of The Depository Trust Company
("DTC Participant") that has entered into an agreement with the Trust, the
distributor and the transfer agent, with respect to purchases and
redemptions of Creation Units (collectively, "Authorized Participant" or
"AP"). All standard orders must be placed for one or more whole Creation
Units of Shares of each Fund and must be received by the distributor in
proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the AMEX
(ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) ("Closing Time") in order to receive
that day's closing NAV per Share. In the case of custom orders, as further
described in the Statement of Additional Information, the order must be
received by the distributor no later than one hour prior to Closing Time in
order to receive that day's closing NAV per Share. A custom order may be
placed by an
41
Authorized Participant in the event that the Trust permits or requires the
substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to
replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient
quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such
Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting or any other
relevant reason. See "Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit
Aggregations" in the Statement of Additional Information.
A fixed creation transaction fee of $1,000 per transaction (regardless of
the number of stocks or other securities in each Creation Unit) (the
"Creation Transaction Fee") is applicable to each transaction regardless of
the number of Creation Units purchased in the transaction. An additional
charge of up to four times the Creation Transaction Fee may be imposed to
the extent that cash is used in lieu of securities to purchase Creation
Units. See "Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations" in the
Statement of Additional Information. The price for each Creation Unit will
equal the daily NAV per Share times the number of Shares in a Creation Unit
plus the fees described above and, if applicable, any transfer taxes.
Shares of each Fund may be issued in advance of receipt of all Deposit
Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to
maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to 105% of the
market value of the missing Deposit Securities. Any such transaction
effected must be effected outside the Clearing Process. See "Creation and
Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations" in the Statement of Additional
Information.
LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSACTIONS IN CERTAIN STOCKS
An investor subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular
security required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a
Creation Unit may, at each Fund's discretion, be permitted to deposit an
equivalent amount of cash in substitution for any stock which would
otherwise be included in the Deposit Securities applicable to the purchase
of a Creation Unit. For more details, see "Creation and Redemption of
Creation Unit Aggregations" in the Statement of Additional Information.
REDEMPTION OF SHARES
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV and only on a
day the AMEX is open for business. The Funds' custodian makes available
immediately prior to the opening of business each day of the AMEX, through
the facilities of the NSCC, the list of the names and the numbers of shares
of each Fund's portfolio securities that will be applicable that day to
redemption requests in proper form ("Fund Securities"). Fund Securities
received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities which are
applicable to
42
purchases of Creation Units. Unless cash redemptions are available or
specified for each Fund, the redemption proceeds consist of the Fund
Securities, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV
of Shares being redeemed as next determined after receipt by the transfer
agent of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of the Fund
Securities (the "Cash Redemption Amount"), less the applicable redemption
fee and, if applicable, any transfer taxes. Should the Fund Securities have
a value greater than the NAV of Shares being redeemed, a compensating cash
payment to the Trust equal to the differential, plus the applicable
redemption fee and, if applicable, any transfer taxes will be required to
be arranged for by or on behalf of the redeeming shareholder. For more
details, see "Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations" in the
Statement of Additional Information.
An order to redeem Creation Units of each Fund may only be effected by or
through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem must be placed for
one or more whole Creation Units and must be received by the transfer agent
in proper form no later than the close of regular trading on the AMEX
(normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) in order to receive that day's closing
NAV per Share. In the case of custom orders, as further described in the
Statement of Additional Information, the order must be received by the
transfer agent no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.
A fixed redemption transaction fee of $1,000 per transaction (regardless of
the number of stocks or other securities in each Creation Unit) (the
"Redemption Transaction Fee") is applicable to each redemption transaction
regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed in the transaction. An
additional charge of up to four times the Redemption Transaction Fee may be
charged to approximate additional expenses incurred by the Trust to the
extent that redemptions are for cash. The Fund reserves the right to effect
redemptions in cash. A shareholder may request a cash redemption in lieu of
securities, however, each Fund may, in its discretion, reject any such
request. See "Creation and Redemption of Creation Unit Aggregations" in the
Statement of Additional Information.
DISTRIBUTIONS
Dividends and Capital Gains. Fund shareholders are entitled to their share
of each Fund's income and net realized gains on its investments. Each Fund
pays out substantially all of its net earnings to its shareholders as
"distributions."
Each Fund typically earns income dividends from stocks and interest from
debt securities. These amounts, net of expenses, are passed along to Fund
shareholders as "income dividend distributions." Each Fund realizes capital
gains or losses whenever it sells securities. Net long-term capital gains
are distributed to shareholders as "capital gain distributions."
43
Income dividends, if any, are distributed to shareholders quarterly for the
Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF and monthly for the
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and the Claymore U.S. Capital
Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF. Net capital gains are distributed at
least annually. Dividends may be declared and paid more frequently to
improve Index tracking or to comply with the distribution requirements of
the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the Funds intend to distribute at
least annually amounts representing the full dividend yield net of expenses
on the underlying investment securities as if each Fund owned the
underlying investment securities for the entire dividend period. Some
portion of each distribution may result in a return of capital. Fund
shareholders will be notified regarding the portion of the distribution
that represents a return of capital.
Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole
Shares only if the broker through which the Shares were purchased makes
such option available.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN AND SERVICE PLAN
The Board of Trustees of the Trust has adopted a distribution and services
plan (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). Under the Plan, each Fund is
authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the sale and
distribution of its shares and pay service fees in connection with the
provision of ongoing services to shareholders of each class and the
maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average
daily net assets each year.
No 12b-1 fees are currently paid by each Fund, and there are no current
plans to impose these fees. However, in the event 12b-1 fees are charged in
the future, because these fees are paid out of each Fund's assets on an
ongoing basis, these fees will increase the cost of your investment in each
Fund. By purchasing shares subject to distribution fees and service fees,
you may pay more over time than you would by purchasing shares with other
types of sales charge arrangements. Long-term shareholders may pay more
than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end sales charge
permitted by the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
("FINRA"). The net income attributable to the Shares will be reduced by the
amount of distribution fees and service fees and other expenses of each
Fund.
44
FREQUENT PURCHASES AND REDEMPTIONS
The Funds impose no restrictions on the frequency of purchases and
redemptions. The Board of Trustees evaluated the risks of market timing
activities by each Fund's shareholders when they considered that no
restriction or policy was necessary. The Board considered that, unlike
traditional mutual funds, each Fund issues and redeems its shares at NAV
for a basket of securities intended to mirror each Fund's portfolio, plus a
small amount of cash, and each Fund's Shares may be purchased and sold on
the exchange at prevailing market prices. Given this structure, the Board
determined that it is unlikely that (a) market timing would be attempted by
each Fund's shareholders or (b) any attempts to market time each Fund by
its shareholders would result in negative impact to each Fund or its
shareholders.
45
FUND SERVICE PROVIDERS
Claymore Advisors, LLC is the administrator of the Funds.
The Bank of New York Mellon is the custodian and fund accounting and
transfer agent for the Funds.
Clifford Chance US LLP serves as legal counsel to the Funds.
Ernst & Young LLP serves as the Funds' independent registered public
accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is
responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Funds.
46
INDEX PROVIDERS
Dorchester Capital Management Company is the Index Provider for Claymore
U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF, Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term
Fixed Income ETF and Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF.
Dorchester is not affiliated with the Trust, the Investment Adviser, the
Investment Subadviser or the distributor. The Investment Adviser has
entered into a license agreement with Dorchester to use each Index. Each
Fund is entitled to use its underlying Index pursuant to a sub-licensing
arrangement with the Investment Adviser.
47
DISCLAIMERS
The "CPMKTB-The Capital Markets Bond Index," "CPMKTL-The Capital Markets
Liquidity Index" and "CPMKTS-The Capital Markets Index" are trademarks of
Dorchester and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by the
Investment Adviser. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by Dorchester and Dorchester makes no representation regarding the
advisability of investing in Shares of the Funds.
THE CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL MARKETS BOND ETF, CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL MARKETS
MICRO-TERM FIXED INCOME ETF AND CLAYMORE U.S. - 1 - THE CAPITAL MARKETS
INDEX ETF AND THEIR SHARES ARE NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, SOLD OR PROMOTED BY
DORCHESTER. DORCHESTER MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUNDS OR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC
REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN SECURITIES GENERALLY OR IN THE
FUNDS PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF ANY DATA SUPPLIED BY DORCHESTER TO
TRACK GENERAL MARKET PERFORMANCE. DORCHESTER'S ONLY RELATIONSHIP TO THE
INVESTMENT ADVISER IS THE LICENSING OF EACH INDEX, WHICH ARE DETERMINED,
COMPOSED AND CALCULATED BY DORCHESTER WITHOUT REGARD TO THE INVESTMENT
ADVISER, THE FUNDS OR THEIR SHARES. DORCHESTER HAS NO OBLIGATION TO TAKE
THE NEEDS OF THE INVESTMENT ADVISER OR THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE FUNDS INTO
CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING EACH INDEX.
DORCHESTER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND HAS NOT PARTICIPATED IN THE
DETERMINATION OF THE TIMING OF, PRICES AT OR QUANTITIES OF THE SHARES OF
THE FUNDS TO BE ISSUED OR IN THE DETERMINATION OR CALCULATION OF THE
EQUATION BY WHICH THE SHARES OF THE FUNDS MAY BE CONVERTED TO CASH.
DORCHESTER HAS NO OBLIGATION OR LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION, MARKETING OR TRADING OF THE FUNDS OR THEIR SHARES.
DORCHESTER SHALL NOT BE UNDER ANY OBLIGATION TO ADVISE ANY PERSON OF ANY
ERROR IN ANY INDEX. DUE TO THE NUMBER OF SOURCES FROM WHICH INDEX CONTENT
IS OBTAINED, AND THE INHERENT HAZARDS OF ELECTRONIC DISTRIBUTION THERE MAY
BE DELAYS, OMISSIONS OR INACCURACIES IN SUCH CONTENT AND EACH INDEX.
48
EACH INDEX AND ITS CONTENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS." NEITHER DORCHESTER NOR ANY
OF ITS RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, AGENTS AND LICENSORS WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES
THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENTNESS, NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY
OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF EACH INDEX OR OF THE DATA USED TO
CALCULATE AN INDEX OR THE CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH AN INDEX, OR THE
UNINTERRUPTED CALCULATION OR DISSEMINATION OF AN INDEX. NEITHER DORCHESTER
NOR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, AGENTS OR LICENSORS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS
OR INJURY RESULTING DIRECTLY FROM USE OF AN INDEX AND CAUSED IN WHOLE OR
PART BY CONTINGENCIES BEYOND ITS CONTROL IN PROCURING, COMPILING,
INTERPRETING, REPORTING OR DELIVERING AN INDEX AND ANY CONTENT THROUGH SUCH
INDEX. IN NO EVENT WILL DORCHESTER OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, AGENTS OR
LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON
SUCH CONTENT OR INDEX. NEITHER DORCHESTER NOR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, AGENTS
AND LICENSORS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, LOST
PROFITS OR SIMILAR DAMAGES) EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES. EXCEPT FOR THE FUNDS, THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF
ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN DORCHESTER AND THE INVESTMENT
ADVISER.
The Investment Adviser and Investment Subadviser do not guarantee the
accuracy and/or the completeness of each Index or any data included
therein, and the Investment Adviser and Investment Subadviser shall have no
liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. The
Investment Adviser and Investment Subadviser make no warranty, express or
implied, as to results to be obtained by the Funds, owners of the Shares of
the Funds or any other person or entity from the use of each Index or any
data included therein. The Investment Adviser and Investment Subadviser
make no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaim all
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use
with respect to each Index or any data included therein. Without limiting
any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Investment Adviser and
Investment Subadviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct,
indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of
matters relating to the use of each Index even if notified of the
possibility of such damages.
49
FEDERAL INCOME TAXATION
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares
will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as
general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the
tax consequences of an investment in Shares.
Unless your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or
tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware
of the possible tax consequences when:
o Your Fund makes distributions,
o You sell your Shares listed on the AMEX, and
o You purchase or redeem Creation Units.
TAXES ON DISTRIBUTIONS
Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid
quarterly for the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF and
monthly for the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and the Claymore
U.S. Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF. The Funds may also pay a special
distribution at the end of the calendar year to comply with federal tax
requirements. In general, your distributions are subject to federal income
tax when they are paid, whether you take them in cash or reinvest them in
the Funds. Dividends paid out of the Funds' income and net short-term
gains, if any, are taxable as ordinary income. Distributions of net
long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses
are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have
held the Shares.
Long-term capital gains of non-corporate taxpayers are generally taxed at a
maximum rate of 15% for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011. In
addition, for these taxable years some ordinary dividends declared and paid
by each Fund to non-corporate shareholders may qualify for taxation at the
lower reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided
that holding period and other requirements are met by the Funds and the
shareholder.
Distributions in excess of each Fund's current and accumulated earnings and
profits are treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your
basis in the Shares, and as capital gain thereafter. A distribution will
reduce each Fund's net asset value per Share and may be taxable to you as
ordinary income or capital gain even though, from an investment standpoint,
the distribution may constitute a return of capital.
50
If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, each
Fund's ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net
short-term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S.
withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies or unless such income
is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on through a
permanent establishment in the United States. The Fund may, under certain
circumstances, designate all or a portion of a dividend as an
"interest-related dividend." An interest-related dividend that is received
by a nonresident alien or foreign entity generally would be exempt from the
30% U.S. withholding tax, provided that certain other requirements are met.
The Funds may also, under certain circumstances, designate all or a portion
of a dividend as a "short-term capital gain dividend" which if received by
a nonresident alien or foreign entity generally would be exempt from the
30% U.S. withholding tax, unless the foreign person is a nonresident alien
individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating
183 days or more during the taxable year. The provisions contained in the
legislation relating to dividends to foreign persons would apply to
dividends with respect to taxable years of the Funds beginning before
January 1, 2008. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax
advisors regarding the specific tax consequences relating to the proposed
legislation.
By law, the Funds must withhold a percentage of your distributions and
proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or
social security number. The backup withholding rate for individuals is
currently 28%.
TAXES ON EXCHANGE-LISTED SHARES SALES
Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Shares is
generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been
held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss if the
Shares have been held for one year or less. The ability to deduct capital
losses may be limited.
TAXES ON PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNITS
An authorized purchaser who exchanges securities for Creation Units
generally will recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal
to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the
time and the exchanger's aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and
the Cash Component paid. A person who exchanges Creation Units for
securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference
between the exchanger's basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate
market value of the securities received and the Cash Redemption Amount. The
Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an
exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently
under the rules governing "wash sales" on the basis that there has been no
significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities
should consult their own tax advisor
51
with respect to whether the wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be
deductible.
Under current federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon
redemption of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain
or loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as a
short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year
or less.
If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation
statement showing how many and at what price you purchased or sold Shares.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under
current federal tax law of an investment in a Fund. It is not a substitute
for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local
taxation on Fund distributions and sales of Fund Shares. You are advised to
consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of
an investment in Fund Shares under all applicable tax laws.
52
OTHER INFORMATION
For purposes of the 1940 Act, each Fund is treated as a registered
investment company. Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments
by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies,
including shares of the Funds. Registered investment companies are
permitted to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in Section
12(d)(1) subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC
exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment
companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
A description of the Trust's policies and procedures with respect to the
disclosure of each Fund's portfolio securities is available in the Fund's
Statement of Additional Information.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Because the Shares of the Funds are newly offered, there is no financial
information available for the Shares as of the date of this prospectus.
53
FOR MORE INFORMATION
EXISTING SHAREHOLDERS OR PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS
o Call your broker
o www.claymore.com
DEALERS
o www.claymore.com
o Distributor Telephone: (888) 949-3837
INVESTMENT ADVISER INVESTMENT SUBADVISER
Claymore Advisors, LLC Mellon Capital Management Corporation
2455 Corporate West Drive 50 Fremont Street
Lisle, Illinois 60532 San Francisco, California 94105
|
DISTRIBUTOR
Claymore Securities, Inc.
2455 Corporate West Drive
Lisle, Illinois 60532
CUSTODIAN TRANSFER AGENT
The Bank of New York Mellon The Bank of New York Mellon
101 Barclay Street 101 Barclay Street
New York, New York 10286 New York, New York 10286
LEGAL COUNSEL INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Clifford Chance US LLP Ernst & Young LLP
31 West 52nd Street 233 South Wacker Drive
New York, New York 10019 Chicago, Illinois 60606
|
artwork: Claymore
A Statement of Additional Information dated February 7, 2008, which
contains more details about each Fund, is incorporated by reference in its
entirety into this Prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this
Prospectus.
You will find additional information about each Fund in its annual and
semi-annual reports to shareholders, when available. The annual report will
explain the market conditions and investment strategies affecting each
Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.
You can ask questions or obtain a free copy of the Funds' shareholder
reports or the Statement of Additional Information by calling
1-888-949-3837. Free copies of the Funds' shareholder reports and the
Statement of Additional Information are available from our website at
www.claymore.com.
Information about the Funds, including their reports and the Statement of
Additional Information, has been filed with the SEC. It can be reviewed and
copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, DC or on the EDGAR
database on the SEC's internet site (http://www.sec.gov). Information on
the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling
the SEC at (202) 551-8090. You can also request copies of these materials,
upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the SEC's
e-mail address (publicinfo@sec.gov) or by writing the Public Reference
section of the SEC, 100 F Street NE, Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549.
PROSPECTUS
Distributor
Claymore Securities, Inc.
2455 Corporate West Drive
Lisle, Illinois 60532
FEBRUARY 7, 2008
Investment Company Act File No. 811-2190
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-21906
CLAYMORE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED FEBRUARY 7, 2008
This Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus. It should be read
in conjunction with the Prospectus dated February 7, 2008 for the Claymore U.S.
Capital Markets Bond ETF, Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income
ETF and Claymore U.S.- 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF, each a series of the
Claymore Exchange-Traded Fund Trust (the "Trust"), as it may be revised from
time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same
meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus
may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust's Distributor, Claymore
Securities, Inc., or by calling toll free 1-888-949-3837.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUND.............................2
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING..............................................2
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS AND POLICIES......................................3
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS.............................................5
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND RISKS.........................................11
MANAGEMENT...............................................................12
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS...................................................23
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST..............................24
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS....................27
TAXES ...................................................................34
FEDERAL TAX TREATMENT OF FUTURES AND OPTIONS CONTRACTS...................36
DETERMINATION OF NAV.....................................................36
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS..............................................36
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION................................................37
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.....................................................37
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GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND THE FUNDS
The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on May 24, 2006 and is
authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end
management investment company, registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). The Trust currently consists of 28 investment
portfolios. This Statement of Additional Information relates to the following
three investment portfolios: the Claymore U.S Capital Markets Bond ETF,
Claymore U.S.Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF and Claymore U.S.- 1 -
The Capital Markets Index ETF (each a "Fund" and together, the "Funds"). The
shares of each Fund are referred to herein as "Shares" or "Fund Shares."
The Funds are managed by Claymore Advisors, LLC ("Claymore Advisors" or
the "Investment Adviser"). Mellon Capital Management Corporation is the
investment subadviser for the Funds (the "Investment Subadviser").
Each Fund offers and issues Shares at net asset value ("NAV") only in
aggregations of a specified number of Shares (each a "Creation Unit" or a
"Creation Unit Aggregation"), generally in exchange for a basket of equity
and/or fixed income securities included in its Underlying Index (the "Deposit
Securities"), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the "Cash
Component"). Each Fund anticipates that its Shares will be listed on the
American Stock Exchange, LLC (the "AMEX"). Fund Shares will trade on the AMEX at
market prices that may be below, at or above NAV. Shares are redeemable only in
Creation Unit Aggregations and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities
and a specified cash payment. Creation Units are aggregations of 100,000 Shares
(except with respect to the Claymore/U.S.- 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF
for which Creation Units are aggregations of 200,000 Shares). In the event of
the liquidation of the Funds, the Trust may lower the number of Shares in a
Creation Unit.
The Trust reserves the right to offer a "cash" option for creations and
redemptions of Fund Shares. Fund Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of
Deposit Securities subject to various conditions including a requirement to
maintain on deposit with the Trust cash at least equal to 105% of the market
value of the missing Deposit Securities. See the "Creation and Redemption of
Creation Unit Aggregations" section. In each instance of such cash creations or
redemptions, transaction fees may be imposed that will be higher than the
transaction fees associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases,
such fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") applicable to management investment
companies offering redeemable securities.
EXCHANGE LISTING AND TRADING
There can be no assurance that the requirements of the AMEX necessary
to maintain the listing of Shares of the Funds will continue to be met. The AMEX
may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of the Funds from listing if (i)
following the initial 12-month period beginning at the commencement of trading
of the Funds, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the Shares of the
Funds for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the value of the Underlying
Index is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall
occur or condition exist that, in the opinion of the AMEX, makes further
dealings on the AMEX inadvisable. The AMEX will remove the Shares of the Funds
from listing and trading upon termination of the Funds.
As in the case of other stocks traded on the AMEX, broker's
commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at
customary levels.
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The Trust reserves the right to adjust the price levels of the Shares
in the future to help maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any
adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits,
which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS AND POLICIES
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The investment objective of the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF
is to provide investment results that correspond generally to the performance,
before the Fund's fees and expenses, of a fixed income index called "CPMKTB-The
Capital Markets Bond Index" (the "Capital Markets Bond Index" or the "Underlying
Index").
The investment objective of the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets
Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF is to provide investment results that correspond
generally to the performance, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of a money
market and micro-term fixed income securities index called "CPMKTL-The Capital
Markets Liquidity Index" (the "Capital Markets Liquidity Index" or the
"Underlying Index").
The investment objective of the Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital
Markets Index ETF is to provide investment results that correspond generally to
the performance, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of the "CPMKTS-The Capital
Markets Index" (the "Capital Markets Index" or the "Underlying Index"), which
includes equity, fixed income and money market securities.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Board of Trustees of the Trust (the "Board" or the "Trustees") has
adopted as fundamental policies the Funds' investment restrictions, numbered (1)
through (7) below. Each Fund, as a fundamental policy, may not:
(1). Invest 25% or more of the value of its total assets in
securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries, except to the
extent that the Underlying Index that the Fund replicates concentrates in an
industry or group of industries. This restriction does not apply to obligations
issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
(2). Borrow money, except that the Fund may (i) borrow money from
banks for temporary or emergency purposes (but not for leverage or the purchase
of investments) up to 10% of its total assets and (ii) make other investments or
engage in other transactions permissible under the 1940 Act that may involve a
borrowing, provided that the combination of (i) and (ii) shall not exceed 33
1/3% of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the amount borrowed),
less the Fund's liabilities (other than borrowings).
(3). Act as an underwriter of another issuer's securities, except
to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the
meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the purchase and sale
of portfolio securities.
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(4). Make loans to other persons, except through (i) the purchase
of debt securities permissible under the Fund's investment policies, (ii)
repurchase agreements or (iii) the lending of portfolio securities, provided
that no such loan of portfolio securities may be made by the Fund if, as a
result, the aggregate of such loans would exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the
Fund's total assets.
(5). Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a
result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not
prevent the Fund (i) from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts or
other derivative instruments, or (ii) from investing in securities or other
instruments backed by physical commodities).
(6). Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of
ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prohibit the
Fund from purchasing or selling securities or other instruments backed by real
estate or of issuers engaged in real estate activities).
(7). Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
Except for restriction (2), if a percentage restriction is adhered to
at the time of investment, a later increase in percentage resulting from a
change in market value of the investment or the total assets, or the sale of a
security out of the portfolio, will not constitute a violation of that
restriction.
The foregoing fundamental investment policies cannot be changed as to a
Fund without approval by holders of a "majority of the Fund's outstanding voting
shares." As defined in the 1940 Act, this means the vote of (i) 67% or more of
the Fund's shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the
Fund's shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the
Fund's shares, whichever is less.
In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, each Fund
is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies,
which may be changed by the Board of Trustees. Each Fund may not:
(1). Sell securities short, unless the Fund owns or has the right
to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short
at no added cost, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts,
options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments are not deemed to
constitute selling securities short.
(2). Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may obtain
such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions; and
provided that margin deposits in connection with futures contracts, options on
futures contracts or other derivative instruments shall not constitute
purchasing securities on margin.
(3). Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment
companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act.
(4). Invest in direct interests in oil, gas or other mineral
exploration programs or leases; however, the Fund may invest in the securities
of issuers that engage in these activities.
(5). Invest in illiquid securities if, as a result of such
investment, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets would be invested in illiquid
securities.
The investment objective of each Fund is a non-fundamental policy that
can be changed by the Board of Trustees without approval by shareholders.
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INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS
Bonds. The Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and Claymore U.S. -
1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF invest a portion of their assets in U.S.
registered, dollar-denominated bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security
issued by a company, governmental unit or, in some cases, a non-U.S. entity. The
issuer of a bond has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate
on specific dates and to repay principal (the bond's face value) periodically or
on a specified maturity date. An issuer may have the right to redeem or "call" a
bond before maturity, in which case the investor may have to reinvest the
proceeds at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a "coupon"
rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed rate bond
usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest
rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed rate bond's yield (income as a percent of the
bond's current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or
falls. Other types of bonds bear income at an interest rate that is adjusted
periodically. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the value of
"floating-rate" or "variable-rate" bonds fluctuates much less in response to
market interest rate movements than the value of fixed rate bonds. The Fund may
treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for purposes of
calculating the weighted average maturity of its investment portfolio. Bonds may
be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the
first claim on a corporation's earnings and assets and, in the event of
liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured
(backed only by the issuer's general creditworthiness) or secured (also backed
by specified collateral).
Corporate Bonds. The Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF and
Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF may invest in investment grade
corporate bonds. The investment return of corporate bonds reflects interest on
the security and changes in the market value of the security. The market value
of a corporate bond may be affected by the credit rating of the corporation, the
corporation's performance and perceptions of the corporation in the market
place. There is a risk that the issuers of the securities may not be able to
meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for
by an instrument.
Investing in high yield debt securities involves risks that are greater
than the risks of investing in higher quality debt securities. These risks
include: (i) changes in credit status, including weaker overall credit
conditions of issuers and risks of default; (ii) industry, market and economic
risk; and (iii) greater price variability and credit risks of certain high yield
securities such as zero coupon and payment-in-kind securities. While these risks
provide the opportunity for maximizing return over time, they may result in
greater volatility of the value of the Fund than a fund that invests in
higher-rated securities.
Furthermore, the value of high yield securities may be more susceptible
to real or perceived adverse economic, company or industry conditions than is
the case for higher quality securities. The market values of certain of these
lower-rated and unrated debt securities tend to reflect individual corporate
developments to a greater extent than do higher-rated securities which react
primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates, and tend to be
more sensitive to economic conditions than are higher-rated securities. Adverse
market, credit or economic conditions could make it difficult at certain times
to sell certain high yield securities held by the Fund.
The secondary market on which high yield securities are traded may be
less liquid than the market for higher grade securities. Less liquidity in the
secondary trading market could adversely affect the price at which the Fund
could sell a high yield security, and could adversely affect the daily net asset
value per share of the Fund. When secondary markets for high yield securities
are less liquid than the market for higher grade securities, it may be more
difficult to value the securities because there is less reliable, objective data
available. However, any Fund that may invest in high yield securities intends to
5
invest primarily in high yield securities that the Investment Subadviser
believes have greater liquidity than the broader high yield securities market as
a whole.
The use of credit ratings as a principal method of selecting high yield
securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the
safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high
yield securities. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings
in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated.
U.S. Government Obligations. Each Fund may invest a portion of
its assets in various types of U.S. Government obligations. U.S. Government
obligations are a type of bond. U.S. Government obligations include securities
issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its
agencies or instrumentalities. Payment of principal and interest on U.S.
Government obligations (i) may be backed by the full faith and credit of the
United States (as with U.S. Treasury obligations and Government National
Mortgage Association (i.e., GNMA) certificates) or (ii) may be backed solely by
the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself (as with Federal
National Mortgage Association (i.e., FNMA), Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation (i.e., FHLMC) and Federal Home Loan Bank (i.e., FHLB) notes. In the
latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality
issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or
instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S.
Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities
where it is not obligated to do so. As a general matter, the value of debt
instruments, including U.S. Government obligations, declines when market
interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain
types of U.S. Government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or
value due to their structure or contract terms.
Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. The Claymore U.S. Capital
Markets Bond ETF and Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index
ETF may invest a portion of their assets in U.S. agency mortgage pass-through
securities. The term "U.S. agency mortgage pass-through security" refers to a
category of pass-through securities backed by pools of mortgages and issued by
one of several U.S. government-sponsored enterprises: the Government National
Mortgage Association ("GNMA"), Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") or
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"). In the basic mortgage
pass-through structure, mortgages with similar issuer, term and coupon
characteristics are collected and aggregated into a "pool" consisting of
multiple mortgage loans. The pool is assigned a CUSIP number and undivided
interests in the pool are traded and sold as pass-through securities. The holder
of the security is entitled to a pro rata share of principal and interest
payments (including unscheduled prepayments) from the pool of mortgage loans.
An investment in a specific pool of pass-through securities requires an
analysis of the specific prepayment risk of mortgages within the covered pool
(since mortgagors typically have the option to prepay their loans). The level of
prepayments on a pool of mortgage securities is difficult to predict and can
impact the subsequent cash flows and value of the mortgage pool. In addition,
when trading specific mortgage pools, precise execution, delivery and settlement
arrangements must be negotiated for each transaction. These factors combine to
make trading in mortgage pools somewhat cumbersome.
For the foregoing and other reasons, the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets
Bond ETF and Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF seek to obtain
exposure to U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities primarily through the
use of "to-be-announced" or "TBA transactions." "TBA" refers to a commonly used
mechanism for the forward settlement of U.S. agency mortgage pass-through
securities, and not to a separate type of mortgage-backed security. Most
transactions in mortgage pass-through securities occur through the use of TBA
transactions. TBA
6
transactions generally are conducted in accordance with widely-accepted
guidelines which establish commonly observed terms and conditions for execution,
settlement and delivery. In a TBA transaction, the buyer and seller decide on
general trade parameters, such as agency, settlement date, par amount, and
price. The actual pools delivered generally are determined two days prior to
settlement date.
Default by or bankruptcy of a counterparty to a TBA transaction would
expose the Funds to possible loss because of adverse market action, expenses or
delays in connection with the purchase or sale of the pools of mortgage
pass-through securities specified in the TBA transaction. To minimize this risk,
the Funds will enter into TBA transactions only with established counterparties
(such as major broker-dealers) and the Investment Subadviser will monitor the
creditworthiness of such counterparties. In addition, the Funds may accept
assignments of TBA transactions from Authorized Participants (as defined below)
from time to time. A Funds' use of "TBA rolls" may cause the Fund to experience
higher portfolio turnover, higher transaction costs and to pay higher capital
gain distributions to shareholders (which may be taxable) than the other Funds
described herein.
The Funds intends to invest cash pending settlement of any TBA
transactions in money market instruments, repurchase agreements, commercial
paper (including asset-backed commercial paper) or other high-quality, liquid
short-term instruments, which may include money market funds affiliated with the
Adviser.
Loans of Portfolio Securities. Each Fund may lend its investment
securities to approved borrowers. Any gain or loss on the market price of the
securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would be for the
account of the Fund. These loans cannot exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund's total
assets.
Approved borrowers are brokers, dealers, domestic and foreign banks, or
other financial institutions that meet credit or other requirements as
established by, and subject to the review of, the Trust's Board, so long as the
terms, the structure and the aggregate amount of such loans are not inconsistent
with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder or interpretations of
the SEC, which require that (a) the borrowers pledge and maintain with the Fund
collateral consisting of cash, an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a bank,
or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government having a value at all
times of not less than 102% of the value of the securities loaned (on a
"mark-to-market" basis); (b) the loan be made subject to termination by the Fund
at any time; and (c) the Fund receives reasonable interest on the loan. From
time to time, the Fund may return a part of the interest earned from the
investment of collateral received from securities loaned to the borrower and/or
a third party that is unaffiliated with the Fund and that is acting as a finder.
Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements,
which are agreements pursuant to which securities are acquired by the Fund from
a third party with the understanding that they will be repurchased by the seller
at a fixed price on an agreed date. These agreements may be made with respect to
any of the portfolio securities in which the Fund is authorized to invest.
Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans secured by the underlying
securities. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with (i) member banks
of the Federal Reserve System having total assets in excess of $500 million and
(ii) securities dealers ("Qualified Institutions"). The Investment Adviser will
monitor the continued creditworthiness of Qualified Institutions.
The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example,
if the seller of securities under a repurchase agreement defaults on its
obligation to repurchase the underlying securities, as a result of its
bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund will seek to dispose of such securities, which
action could involve costs or delays. If the seller becomes insolvent and
subject to liquidation or reorganization under applicable bankruptcy or other
laws, the Fund's ability to dispose of the underlying securities may be
7
restricted. Finally, it is possible that the Fund may not be able to
substantiate its interest in the underlying securities. To minimize this risk,
the securities underlying the repurchase agreement will be held by the custodian
at all times in an amount at least equal to the repurchase price, including
accrued interest. If the seller fails to repurchase the securities, the Fund may
suffer a loss to the extent proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities
are less than the repurchase price.
The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed upon market
rate of interest. The collateral is marked to market daily.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into reverse
repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to
repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and
have the characteristics of borrowing. The securities purchased with the funds
obtained from the agreement and securities collateralizing the agreement will
have maturity dates no later than the repayment date. Generally the effect of
such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested
in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase
agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest
income associated with those securities. Such transactions are only advantageous
if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a greater rate of return on the cash
derived from these transactions than the interest cost of obtaining the same
amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds
equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be
available and the Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when
the Investment Adviser believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of
reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in
the value of the Fund's assets. The custodian bank will maintain a separate
account for the Fund with securities having a value equal to or greater than
such commitments. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are
considered loans.
Money Market Instruments. Each Fund may invest a portion of its assets
in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide
liquidity. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) short-term
obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of
deposit ("CDs"), fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances of U.S. and
foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date
of purchase "Prime-1" by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or "A-1+" or "A-1" by
Standard & Poor's or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the
Investment Adviser; (iv) repurchase agreements; and (v) money market mutual
funds. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time
deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for
specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker's acceptances are
time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with
international transactions.
Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other
investment companies (including money market funds). Under the 1940 Act, the
Fund's investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain
exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment
company, (ii) 5% of the Fund's total assets with respect to any one investment
company and (iii) 10% of the Fund's total assets of investment companies in the
aggregate.
Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs"). Each Fund may invest in the
securities of real estate investment trusts to the extent allowed by law, which
pool investors' funds for investments primarily in commercial real estate
properties. Investment in REITs may be the most practical available means for
the Fund to invest in the real estate industry. As a shareholder in a REIT, the
Fund would bear its ratable share of the REIT's expenses, including its advisory
and administration fees. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its
own investment advisory fees and other expenses, as a result of which the Fund
and its shareholders in effect will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with
respect to investments in REITs.
8
Illiquid Securities. Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of
15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include
securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other
instruments that lack readily available markets.
Futures and Options. Each Fund may utilize exchange-traded futures and
options contracts and swap agreements.
Futures contracts generally provide for the future sale by one party
and purchase by another party of a specified commodity at a specified future
time and at a specified price. Stock index futures contracts are settled daily
with a payment by one party to the other of a cash amount based on the
difference between the level of the stock index specified in the contract from
one day to the next. Futures contracts are standardized as to maturity date and
underlying instrument and are traded on futures exchanges.
Futures traders are required to make a good faith margin deposit in
cash or U.S. government securities with a broker or custodian to initiate and
maintain open positions in futures contracts. A margin deposit is intended to
assure completion of the contract (delivery or acceptance of the underlying
commodity or payment of the cash settlement amount) if it is not terminated
prior to the specified delivery date. Brokers may establish deposit requirements
which are higher than the exchange minimums. Futures contracts are customarily
purchased and sold on margin deposits which may range upward from less than 5%
of the value of the contract being traded.
After a futures contract position is opened, the value of the contract
is marked to market daily. If the futures contract price changes to the extent
that the margin on deposit does not satisfy margin requirements, payment of
additional "variation" margin will be required. Conversely, change in the
contract value may reduce the required margin, resulting in a repayment of
excess margin to the contract holder. Variation margin payments are made to and
from the futures broker for as long as the contract remains open. In such case,
the Fund would expect to earn interest income on its margin deposits. Closing
out an open futures position is done by taking an opposite position ("buying" a
contract which has previously been "sold," or "selling" a contract previously
"purchased") in an identical contract to terminate the position. Brokerage
commissions are incurred when a futures contract position is opened or closed.
Each Fund may use exchange-traded futures and options, together with
positions in cash and money market instruments, to simulate full investment in
its Underlying Index. Under such circumstances, the Investment Adviser may seek
to utilize other instruments that it believes to be correlated to the underlying
index components or a subset of the components.
An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct
investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, in return for the
premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a
specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option.
Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer
of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the
accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account that represents the
amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of
a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option
on the futures contract. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an
option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus
transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of
purchase, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes
in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option
changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of the Fund. The
potential for loss related to writing call options on equity securities or
indices is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is
limited only by the aggregate strike price of the put option less the premium
received.
9
Each Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures
contracts that are traded on a U.S. exchange as a hedge against changes in value
of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities,
and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to
terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing
transactions can be effected.
Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts and Options on Futures
Contracts. In connection with its management of the Trust, the Investment
Adviser has claimed such an exclusion from registration as a commodity pool
operator under the Commodity Exchange Act (the "CEA"). Therefore, it is not
subject to the registration and regulatory requirements of the CEA. Therefore,
there are no limitations on the extent to which the Fund may engage in
non-hedging transactions involving futures and options thereon, except as set
forth in the Fund's Prospectus and this Statement of Additional Information.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has eliminated limitations on
futures trading by certain regulated entities, including registered investment
companies, and consequently registered investment companies may engage in
unlimited futures transactions and options thereon provided that the investment
adviser to the company claims an exclusion from regulation as a commodity pool
operator.
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are contracts between parties in which
one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party (the
"Counterparty") based on the change in market value or level of a specified
rate, index or asset. In return, the Counterparty agrees to make periodic
payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate,
index or asset. Swap agreements will usually be done on a net basis, the Fund
receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of
the excess, if any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect
to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or highly liquid
securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess is
maintained in an account at the Trust's custodian bank.
The use of interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized
activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those
associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions
generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets
or principal.
The use of swap agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the
Counterparty under a swap agreement defaults on its obligation to make payments
due from it, as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Fund may lose such
payments altogether, or collect only a portion thereof, which collection could
involve costs or delays.
Ratings. An investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is
rated investment-grade by Moody's(R) Investors Service ("Moody's"), Standard &
Poor's(R) ("S&P(R)"), Fitch Inc., Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited, or
another credit rating agency designated as a nationally recognized statistical
rating organization by the SEC, or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent
quality by the Investment Adviser or Investment Subadviser. Bonds rated Baa by
Moody's or BBB by S&P or above are considered "investment grade" securities;
bonds rated Baa are considered medium grade obligations which lack outstanding
investment characteristics and have speculative characteristics, while bonds
rated BBB are regarded as having adequate capacity to pay principal and
interest.
Subsequent to purchase by the applicable Funds, a rated security may
cease to be rated or its rating may be reduced below an investment grade rating.
Bonds rated lower than Baa3 by Moody's or BBB- by S&P are below investment grade
quality and are obligations of issuers that are considered predominantly
speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay
principal according to the terms of the obligation and, therefore, carry greater
investment risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy and
increased market price volatility. Such securities ("lower rated securities")
are commonly referred to as "junk bonds" and are subject to a substantial degree
of
10
credit risk. Lower rated securities are often issued by smaller, less
creditworthy companies or by highly leveraged (indebted) firms, which are
generally less able than more financially stable firms to make scheduled
payments of interest and principal. The risks posed by securities issued under
such circumstances are substantial. Bonds rated below investment grade tend to
be less marketable than higher-quality bonds because the market for them is less
broad. The market for unrated bonds is even narrower.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS AND RISKS
A discussion of the risks associated with an investment in each Fund is
contained in the Prospectus in the "Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund"
and "Additional Risks" sections. The discussion below supplements, and should be
read in conjunction with, these sections of the Prospectus.
An investment in the Funds should be made with an understanding that
the value of each Fund's portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with
changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities,
the value of common stocks in general and other factors that affect the market.
An investment in a Fund should also be made with an understanding of
the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk
that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general
condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a
decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of Fund
Shares). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and
to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and
perceptions of their issuers' change. These investor perceptions are based on
various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government,
economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic
expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking
crises.
Holders of common stocks incur more risk than holders of preferred
stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders, as owners of the
issuer, have generally inferior rights to receive payments from the issuer in
comparison with the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or
preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities which typically have a stated
principal amount payable at maturity (whose value, however, is subject to market
fluctuations prior thereto), or preferred stocks, which typically have a
liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory
redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a
maturity.
The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may
depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no
assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will
be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of
the Fund's Shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund's
portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Risks of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks
accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures
contracts. First, while the Funds plan to utilize futures contracts only if an
active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid
market will exist for the contract at a specified time.
Furthermore, because, by definition, futures contracts project price
levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, market circumstances
may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the
movement in the Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, the
Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its
required margin. In such situations, if a Fund has insufficient cash, it may
have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily
11
margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In
addition, the Funds may be required to deliver the instruments underlying
futures contracts it has sold.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options
in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is
potentially unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options
contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as
traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a
relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate
and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required
margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options
contracts in a manner designed to limit its risk exposure to levels comparable
to direct investment in stocks.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the
risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the Underlying Index if the
index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There
is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of
bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in the futures
contract or option; however, this risk is substantially minimized because (a) of
the regulatory requirement that the broker has to "segregate" customer funds
from its corporate funds, and (b) in the case of regulated exchanges in the
United States, the clearing corporation stands behind the broker to make good
losses in such a situation. The purchase of put or call options could be based
upon predictions by the Investment Adviser as to anticipated trends, which
predictions could prove to be incorrect and a part or all of the premium paid
therefore could be lost.
Because the futures market imposes less burdensome margin requirements
than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators
in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial
futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract
prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum
amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from
the previous day's settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the
daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be
made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures
contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading
days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures
positions and subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse
price movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of
variation margin.
Although each Fund intends to enter into futures contracts only if
there is an active market for such contracts, there is no assurance that an
active market will exist for the contracts at any particular time.
Risks of Swap Agreements. The risk of loss with respect to swaps
generally is limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is
contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are also subject to the risk
that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default
were to occur, each Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the
agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to
bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect a Fund's rights as a creditor
-- (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it
contractually is entitled to receive). Each Fund, however, intends to utilize
swaps in a manner designed to limit its risk exposure to levels comparable to
direct investments in stocks.
MANAGEMENT
Trustees and Officers
12
The general supervision of the duties performed by the Investment
Adviser and Investment Subadviser for the Funds under the Investment Advisory
Agreement and Investment Subadvisory Agreement, respectively, is the
responsibility of the Board of Trustees. The Trust currently has four Trustees.
Three Trustees have no affiliation or business connection with the Investment
Adviser or any of its affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other
securities issued by the Investment Adviser. These are the "non-interested" or
"independent" Trustees ("Independent Trustees"). The other Trustee (the
"Management Trustee") is affiliated with the Investment Adviser.
The Independent Trustees of the Trust, their term of office and length
of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years,
the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) overseen by each
Independent Trustee, and other directorships, if any, held by the Trustee are
shown below. The Fund Complex includes all open and closed-end funds (including
all of their portfolios) advised by the Investment Adviser and any funds that
have an investment adviser that is an affiliated person of the Investment
Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund Complex consists of the Trust's 28
portfolios, 11 separate portfolios of Claymore Exchange-Traded Fund Trust 2 and
16 closed-end management investment companies.
13
NUMBER OF
PORTFOLIOS IN
POSITION(S) TERM OF OFFICE FUND COMPLEX OTHER
NAME, ADDRESS AND AGE OF HELD WITH AND LENGTH OF PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) OVERSEEN BY DIRECTORSHIPS
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES* TRUST TIME SERVED** DURING PAST 5 YEARS TRUSTEES HELD BY TRUSTEES
Randall C. Barnes Trustee Since 2006 Formerly, Senior Vice 50 None.
Year of Birth: 1951 President, Treasurer
(1993-1997), President,
Pizza Hut International
(1991-1993) and Senior
Vice President,
Strategic Planning and
New Business Development
(1987-1990) of PepsiCo,
Inc. (1987-1997).
Ronald E. Toupin, Jr. Trustee Since 2006 Formerly Vice President, 50 None.
Year of Birth: 1958 Manager and Portfolio
Manager of Nuveen
Asset Management
(1998-1999), Vice
President of Nuveen
Investment Advisory
Corporation
(1993-1999), Vice
President and
Manager of Nuveen
Unit Investment
Trusts (1991-1999),
and Assistant Vice
President and
Portfolio Manager of
Nuveen Unit
Investment Trusts
(1988-1999), each of
John Nuveen &
Company, Inc.
(1982-1999).
Ronald A. Nyberg Trustee Since 2006 Principal of Nyberg & 53 None.
Year of Birth: 1953 Cassioppi, LLC, a law
firm specializing in
Corporate Law, Estate
Planning and Business
Transactions
(2000-present).
Formerly, Executive Vice
President, General
Counsel, and Corporate
Secretary of Van Kampen
Investments (1982-1999).
|
* The business address of each Trustee is c/o Claymore Advisors, LLC, 2455
Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532.
** This is the period for which the Trustee began serving the Trust. Each
Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his successor is elected.
The Trustee who is affiliated with the Investment Adviser or affiliates
of the Investment Adviser and executive officers of the Trust, their term of
office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during
the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex overseen by
the Management Trustee and the other directorships, if any, held by the Trustee,
are shown below.
14
TERM OF NUMBER OF
OFFICE AND PORTFOLIOS IN
POSITION(S) LENGTH PRINCIPAL FUND COMPLEX OTHER
NAME, ADDRESS AND AGE OF HELD WITH OF TIME OCCUPATION(S) DURING OVERSEEN BY DIRECTORSHIPS
MANAGEMENT TRUSTEES* TRUST SERVED** PAST 5 YEARS TRUSTEES HELD BY TRUSTEES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicholas Dalmaso*** Trustee; and Trustee Senior Managing Director 53 None.
Year of birth: 1965 Chief Legal since 2006 and Chief Administrative
and Executive Officer (2007-present)
Officer and General Counsel of
Claymore Advisors (2001-
2007), LLC and Claymore
Securities, Inc.
President and Secretary
of Claymore Investments,
Inc. (2004-present).
Chief Legal and
Executive Officer of
certain funds in the
Fund Complex. Formerly,
Assistant General
Counsel, John Nuveen and
Company (1999-2001).
Formerly Vice President
and Associate General
Counsel of Van Kampen
Investments (1992-1999).
|
* The business address of each Trustee is c/o Claymore Advisors, LLC, 2455
Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532.
** This is the period for which the Trustee began serving the Trust. Each
Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his successor is elected.
*** Mr. Dalmaso is an interested person of the Trust because of his position as
an officer of the Investment Adviser and certain of its affiliates.
NAME, ADDRESS AND AGE OF POSITION(S) HELD LENGTH OF TIME
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS WITH TRUST SERVED* PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION(S) DURING PAST 5 YEARS
Steven M. Hill Chief Financial Since 2006 Senior Managing Director (2005-present)
Year of birth: 1964 Officer, Chief and Managing Director (2003-2005)
Accounting of Claymore Advisors, LLC and Claymore
Officer and Securities, Inc.; Formerly, Treasurer
Treasurer of Henderson Global Funds and Operations
Manager for Henderson Global Investors (NA) Inc.
(2002-2003); Managing Director, FrontPoint
Partners LLC (2001-2002); Vice President,
Nuveen Investments (1999-2001); Chief
Financial Officer, Skyline Asset Management
LP, (1999); Vice President, Van Kampen
Investments and Assistant Treasurer,
Van Kampen mutual funds (1989-1999).
Bruce Saxon Chief Since 2006 Vice President - Fund Compliance Officer of
Year of birth: 1957 Compliance Claymore Securities, Inc. (2006-present).
Officer Formerly, Chief Compliance Officer/Assistant
Secretary of Harris Investment Management,
Inc. (2003-2006). Director-Compliance of
Harrisdirect LLC (1999-2003).
Melissa J. Nguyen Secretary Since 2006 Vice President and Assistant General Counsel
Year of birth: 1978 of Claymore Securities, Inc.(2005-present).
Formerly, Associate, Vedder, Price, Kaufman &
Kammholz, P.C. (2003-2005).
William H. Belden III Vice President Since 2006 Managing Director of Claymore Securities, Inc.
Year of birth: 1965 (2005-present). Formerly, Vice President of
15
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Product Management at Northern Trust Global
Investments (1999-2005); Vice President of
Product Development at Stein Roe & Farnham
(1995-1999).
James Howley Assistant Since 2006 Vice President, Fund Administration of
Year of birth: 1972 Treasurer Claymore Securities, Inc. (2004-present).
Formerly, Manager, Mutual Fund Administration
of Van Kampen Investments, Inc.
Chuck Craig Vice President Since 2006 Managing Director (2006-present), Vice
Year of birth: 1967 President (2003-2006) of Claymore Securities,
Inc. Formerly, Assistant Vice President,
First Trust Portfolios, L.P. (1999-2003);
Analyst, PMA Securities, Inc. (1996-1999).
Matt Patterson Assistant Since 2006 Vice President and Assistant General Counsel
Year of birth: 1971 Secretary of Claymore Securities, Inc. (2006-present).
Previously, Securities Counsel, Caterpillar
Inc. (2004-2006); Associate, Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (2002-2004).
|
* The business address of each Trustee is c/o Claymore Advisors, LLC, 2455
Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532.
** This is the period for which the Trustee/Officer began serving the Trust.
Each Officer serves an indefinite term, until his successor is elected.
For each Trustee, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially
owned by the Trustee in the Trust and in all registered investment companies
overseen by the Trustee is shown below.
DOLLAR RANGE OF EQUITY
SECURITIES IN THE DOLLAR RANGE OF EQUITY DOLLAR RANGE OF EQUITY
CLAYMORE U.S SECURITIES IN THE SECURITIES IN THE
CAPITAL MARKETS BOND CLAYMORE U.S. CAPITAL CLAYMORE U.S - 1 - THE
ETF MICRO-TERM FIXED INCOME ETF CAPITAL MARKETS INDEX ETF
NAME OF TRUSTEE (AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2007) (AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2007) (AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2007)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
Randall C. Barnes None None None
Ronald A. Nyberg None None None
Ronald E. Toupin, Jr. None None None
INTERESTED TRUSTEE
Nicholas Dalmaso None None None
AGGREGATE DOLLAR RANGE OF
EQUITY SECURITIES IN ALL
REGISTERED INVESTMENT
COMPANIES OVERSEEN BY
TRUSTEE IN FAMILY OF
INVESTMENT COMPANIES
NAME OF TRUSTEE (AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2007)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
Randall C. Barnes over $100,000
Ronald A. Nyberg over $100,000
Ronald E. Toupin, Jr. None
INTERESTED TRUSTEE
Nicholas Dalmaso None
|
As to each Independent Trustee and his immediate family members, no
person owned beneficially or of record securities in an investment adviser or
principal underwriter of a Fund, or a person
16
(other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling,
controlled by or under common control with an investment adviser or principal
underwriter of a Fund.
Messrs. Barnes, Nyberg and Toupin who are not "interested persons" of
the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, serve on the Trust's Nominating and
Governance Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for
recommending qualified candidates to the Board in the event that a position is
vacated or created. The Nominating and Governance Committee would consider
recommendations by shareholders if a vacancy were to exist. Such recommendations
should be forwarded to the Secretary of the Trust. The Trust does not have a
standing compensation committee.
Messrs. Barnes, Nyberg and Toupin who are not "interested persons" of
the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, serve on the Trust's Audit Committee. The
Audit Committee is generally responsible for reviewing and evaluating issues
related to the accounting and financial reporting policies and internal controls
of the Trust and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service
providers, overseeing the quality and objectivity of the Trust's financial
statements and the audit thereof and acting as a liason between the Board of
Trustees and the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm.
Remuneration of Trustees and Officers
The Trust, together with Claymore Exchange-Traded Fund Trust 2, pays
each Independent Trustee a fee of $25,000 per year plus $1,000 per Board or
committee meeting participated in, together with each Trustee's actual
out-of-pocket expenses relating to attendance at such meetings. Officers who are
employed by the Investment Adviser receive no compensation or expense
reimbursements from the Trust.
The table below shows the estimated compensation that is contemplated
to be paid to Trustees for the Fund's fiscal year ended May 31, 2008, assuming a
full fiscal year of operations for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2008:
PENSION OR RETIREMENT
AGGREGATE COMPENSATION BENEFITS ACCRUED AS PART OF TOTAL COMPENSATION PAID
NAME OF TRUSTEE FROM TRUST FUND EXPENSES FROM FUND COMPLEX
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES
Randall C. Barnes $23,100 N/A $259,500
Ronald A. Nyberg $23,100 N/A $351,500
Ronald E. Toupin, Jr. $23,100 N/A $276,000
INTERESTED TRUSTEE
Nicholas Dalmaso N/A N/A N/A
|
The officers and Trustees of the Trust, in the aggregate, own less than
1% of the shares of the Fund.
As of the date hereof, no person owned 5% or more of the outstanding
shares of the Fund.
Investment Adviser. The Investment Adviser manages the investment and
reinvestment of the Fund's assets and administers the affairs of the Fund to the
extent requested by the Board of Trustees.
Investment Subadviser. The Investment Subadviser manages the investment
and reinvestment of each Fund's assets on an ongoing basis under the supervision
of the Investment Adviser.
17
Portfolio Manager. The portfolios of the Claymore U.S. Capital Markets
Bond ETF and Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF, and the
fixed income and money market portions of the portfolio of the Claymore US-1 -
The Capital Markets Index ETF, are managed by Mellon Capital's Fixed Income
Management team. The individual members of the team who are primarily
responsible for the day-to-day management of those Fund's portfolios are David
C. Kwan and Zandra Zelaya.
The equity portion of the portfolio of the Claymore U.S. -1 - The Capital
Markets Index ETF is managed by Mellon Capital's equity portfolio management
team. The head of the portfolio management team who is responsible for the
day-to-day management of that portion of the Fund's portfolio is Denise Krisko.
Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers. Information regarding
the other accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager is set forth below:
------------------------ ------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------
ACCOUNTS MANAGED ACCOUNTS WITH RESPECT TO WHICH THE ADVISORY FEE
IS BASED ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ACCOUNT
------------------------ ------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------
NAME OF PORTFOLIO CATEGORY OF NUMBER OF TOTAL ASSETS NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS IN TOTAL ASSETS IN
MANAGER ACCOUNT ACCOUNTS IN ACCOUNT IN CATEGORY ACCOUNTS IN CATEGORY
IN CATEGORY CATEGORY
------------------------ -------------- ------------ --------------- ----------------------- -------------------------
Denise Krisko Registered
Investment
Companies 87 $7.10 billion 0 0
Other Pooled
investment
vehicles 16 $6.10 billion 0 0
Other Accounts 42 $10.10 billion 0 0
------------------------ -------------- ------------ --------------- ----------------------- -------------------------
Dave Kwan and Registered
Zandra Zelaya Investment
Companies 8 $1.50 billion 0 0
Other Pooled
investment
vehicles 24 $19.30 billion 0 0
Other Accounts 22 $4.30 billion 0 0
------------------------ -------------- ------------ --------------- ----------------------- -------------------------
|
Although the Funds in the Trust that are managed by the Portfolio
Managers may have different investment strategies, each has a portfolio
objective of replicating its underlying index. The Investment Adviser and
Investment Subadviser do not believe that management of the different Funds of
the Trust presents a material conflict of interest for the Portfolio Managers,
the Investment Adviser or the Investment Subadviser.
At Mellon Capital, individual portfolio managers may manage multiple
accounts for multiple clients. Mellon Capital manages potential conflicts
between funds or with other types of accounts through allocation policies and
procedures, internal review processes and oversight by select corporate
officers. Mellon Capital has developed control procedures to ensure that no one
client, regardless of type, is intentionally favored at the expense of another.
As of January 2008, Mellon Capital's portfolio managers responsible for
both passively managed and actively managed mutual funds are generally eligible
for compensation consisting of base salary, bonus, and payments under Mellon
Capital's long-term incentive compensation program. All compensation is paid by
Mellon Capital and not by the mutual funds. The same methodology described below
is used to determine portfolio manager compensation with respect to the
management of mutual funds and other accounts.
Mutual fund portfolio managers are also eligible for the standard
retirement benefits and health and welfare benefits available to all Mellon
Capital employees. Certain portfolio managers may be eligible for additional
retirement benefits under several supplemental retirement plans that Mellon
Capital provides to restore dollar-for-dollar the benefits of management
employees that had been cut back solely as a result of certain limits due to the
tax laws. These plans are structured to provide the same retirement benefits as
the standard retirement benefits. In addition, mutual fund portfolio managers
whose compensation exceeds certain limits may elect to defer a portion of their
salary and/or bonus under The Bank of New York Mellon deferred compensation
plan.
A portfolio manager's base salary is determined by the manager's
experience and performance in the role, taking into account the ongoing
compensation benchmark analyses. A portfolio manager's base salary is generally
a fixed amount that may change as a result of an annual review, upon assumption
of new duties, or when a market adjustment of the position occurs. The portfolio
manager's base salary is not based on investment performance of the mutual fund.
18
A portfolio manager's bonus is determined by a number of factors. One
factor is performance of the mutual fund gross of fees relative to expectations
for how the mutual fund should have performed, given its objectives, policies,
strategies and limitations, and the market environment during the measurement
period. For index funds, the performance factor depends on how closely the
portfolio manager tracks the mutual fund's benchmark index over a one-year
period. For actively managed funds, the performance factors depend on how
successfully the portfolio manager out performs the relevant benchmark while
maintaining the appropriate risk profile for the fund over the past year.
Additional factors include the overall financial performance of Mellon Capital,
the performance of all accounts (relative to expectations) for which the
portfolio manager has responsibility, the portfolio manager's contributions to
the investment management functions within the sub-asset class, contributions to
the development of other investment professionals and supporting staff, and
overall contributions to strategic planning and decisions for the investment
group. The target bonus is expressed as a percentage of base salary. The actual
bonus paid may be more or less than the target bonus, based on how well the
portfolio manager satisfies the objectives stated above. The bonus is paid on an
annual basis. All of the factors listed above are considered in determining a
portfolio manager's bonus. The performance of the mutual fund is only one factor
and is considered along side all of the others. Bonus determinations are
subjective and in the discretion of the head of the portfolio management team.
There is no formula that is applied to weight the factors listed above.
Under the long-term incentive compensation program, certain portfolio
managers are eligible to receive a payment from Mellon Capital's long-term
incentive compensation plan based on their years of service, job level and, if
applicable, management responsibilities. Each year, a portion of the firm's
profits is allocated to the long-term incentive compensation award. The annual
awards are paid after three years.
Securities Ownership of the Portfolio Manager. Because the Funds are
newly organized, the portfolio managers do not own shares of the Funds.
Investment Advisory Agreement. Pursuant to an Investment Advisory
Agreement between the Investment Adviser and the Trust, the Fund has agreed to
pay an annual management fee equal to a percentage of its average daily net
assets set forth in the chart below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
FUND FEE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF 0.20% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF 0.20% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S.- 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF 0.25% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
|
Each Fund is responsible for all its expenses, including the investment
advisory fees, costs of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal,
audit and other services, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other
expenses connected with executions of portfolio transactions, any distribution
fees
19
or expenses and extraordinary expenses. The Funds' Investment Adviser has
contractually agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent
necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Funds (excluding interest
expenses, all or a portion of the Fund's licensing fees, offering costs up to
0.25% of average net assets, brokerage commissions, taxes and extraordinary
expenses such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary
course of a Fund's business) from exceeding the percentage of its average net
assets set forth in the chart below. The offering costs excluded from the
expense cap are: (a) legal fees pertaining to the Fund's Shares offered for
sale; (b) SEC and state registration fees; and (c) initial fees paid to be
listed on an exchange. The Trust and the Investment Adviser have entered into
the Expense Reimbursement Agreement in which the Investment Adviser has agreed
to waive its management fees and/or pay certain other operating expenses of each
Fund in order to maintain the expense ratio of the Fund at or below the expense
cap listed below (the "Expense Cap"). For a period of five years subsequent to
each Fund's commencement of operations, the Investment Adviser may recover from
the Fund fees and expenses waived or reimbursed during the prior three years if
the Fund's expense ratio, including the recovered expenses, falls below the
Expense Cap.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
FUND EXPENSE CAP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF 0.27% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF 0.27% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF 0.37% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
|
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Investment Adviser will
not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss
suffered by the Fund in connection with the performance of the Investment
Advisory Agreement, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith
or gross negligence on the part of the Investment Adviser in the performance of
its duties or from reckless disregard of its duties and obligations thereunder.
The Investment Advisory Agreement continues until October 16, 2008, and
thereafter only if approved annually by the Board, including a majority of the
Independent Trustees. The Agreement terminates automatically upon assignment and
is terminable at any time without penalty as to the Fund by the Board, including
a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of the holders of a majority
of the Fund's outstanding voting securities on 60 days written notice to the
Investment Adviser, or by the Investment Adviser on 60 days written notice to
the Fund.
Claymore Advisors is located at 2455 Corporate West Drive, Lisle,
Illinois 60532.
Investment Subadvisory Agreement. Mellon Capital acts as each
Fund's investment subadviser pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement with the
Investment Adviser (the "Investment Subadvisory Agreement"). Pursuant to the
Investment Subadvisory Agreement, the Investment Subadviser manages the
investment and reinvestment of each Fund's assets on an ongoing basis under the
supervision of the Investment Adviser.
Pursuant to the Investment Subadvisory Agreement, the Investment
Adviser pays the Investment Subadviser on a monthly basis a portion of the net
advisory fees it receives from each Fund, at the annual rate of 0.08% of average
net assets up to $200 million and 0.05% of average net assets over $200 million.
The Investment Adviser will pay the Investment Subadviser a minimum of $50,000
per Fund per year after the Funds' first year of operations.
The Investment Subadviser is located at 50 Fremont Street, Suite 3900,
San Francisco, California 94105.
20
Administrator. Claymore Advisors also serves as the Trust's
administrator. Pursuant to an administration agreement, Claymore Advisors
provides certain administrative, bookkeeping and accounting services to the
Trust. For the services, the Trust pays Claymore Advisors a fee, accrued daily
and paid monthly, at the annualized rate of each Fund's average daily net assets
as follows:
First $200,000,000 0.0275%
Next $300,000,000 0.0200%
Next $500,000,000 0.0150%
Over $1 billion 0.0100%
|
Custodian and Transfer Agent. The Bank of New York Mellon ("BNY"),
located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, also serves as
custodian for the Fund pursuant to a Custodian Agreement. As custodian, BNY
holds each Fund's assets, calculates the net asset value of Shares and
calculates net income and realized capital gains or losses. BNY also serves as
transfer agent of the Funds pursuant to a Transfer Agency Agreement. BNY may be
reimbursed by the Funds for its out-of-pocket expenses.
Pursuant to the Custodian Agreement and the Transfer Agency Agreement,
each between BNY and the Trust, the Trust has agreed to pay an annual fee for
custodial and transfer agency services at the annualized rate of the Trust's
average daily net assets as follows:
First $2 billion 0.0375%
Over $2 billion 0.0275%
Distributor. Claymore Securities, Inc. ("Claymore") is the distributor
of each Fund's Shares (in such capacity, the "Distributor"). Its principal
address is 2455 Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532. The Distributor has
entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it
distributes Fund Shares. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Funds
through the Distributor only in Creation Unit Aggregations, as described in the
Prospectus and below under the heading "Creation and Redemption of Creation
Units."
12b-1 Plan. The Trust has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan
pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the "Plan") pursuant to which the
Fund may reimburse the Distributor up to a maximum annual rate of the percentage
of its average daily net assets as set forth in the chart below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
FUND FEE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF 0.25% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF 0.25% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF 0.25% of average daily net assets
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
|
Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees will receive
and review after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by
the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which
such expenditures were made.
21
The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of each
Fund's method of distribution. However, no such fee is currently charged to the
Fund, and there are no plans in place to impose such a fee.
Aggregations. Fund Shares in less than Creation Unit Aggregations are
not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus
and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Unit Aggregations and
will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of
acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and a member of the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA").
The Distribution Agreement for the Funds provides that it may be
terminated as to a Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at
least 60 days written notice by the Trust to the Distributor (i) by vote of a
majority of the Independent Trustees or (ii) by vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The
Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its
assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers
("Soliciting Dealers") who will solicit purchases of Creation Unit Aggregations
of Fund Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Participating Parties (as
defined in "Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations" below) and
DTC Participants (as defined in "DTC Acts as Securities Depository" below).
Index Providers. Set forth below is a list of each Fund and the
Underlying Index upon which it is based. The CPMKTB-The Capital Markets Bond
Index, CPMKTL-The Capital Markets Liquidity Index, CPMKTE-The Capital Markets
Equity Index and CPMKTS-The Capital Markets Index are compiled by Dorchester
Capital Management Company ("Dorchester").
------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------
FUND UNDERLYING INDEX
------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Bond ETF CPMKTB-The Capital Markets Bond Index
------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. Capital Markets Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF CPMKTL-The Capital Markets Liquidity Index
------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------
Claymore U.S. - 1 - The Capital Markets Index ETF CPMKTS-The Capital Markets Index
------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------
|
Dorchester is not affiliated with the Funds or with the Investment
Adviser or Investment Subadviser. The Fund is entitled to use its respective
Underlying Index pursuant to a sub-licensing arrangement with the Investment
Adviser, which in turn has a licensing agreement with the applicable Index
Provider. Each Fund reimburses the Investment Adviser for the licensing fee
payable to the applicable Index Provider.
The only relationships that Dorchester has with the Investment Adviser,
Investment Subadviser or Distributor of the Funds in connection with the Funds
is that Dorchester has licensed certain of its intellectual property, including
the determination of the component stocks of the Underlying Indices and
22
the name of the Underlying Indices. The Underlying Indices are selected and
calculated without regard to the Investment Adviser, Investment Subadviser,
Distributor or owners of the Funds. Dorchester has no obligation to take the
specific needs of the Investment Adviser, Investment Subadviser, Distributor or
owners of the Funds into consideration in the determination and calculation of
the Underlying Indices. Dorchester is not responsible for and has not
participated in the determination of pricing or the timing of the issuance or
sale of the Shares of the Funds or in the determination or calculation of the
net asset value of the Funds. Dorchester has no obligation or liability in
connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Funds.
DORCHESTER SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR
INTERRUPTIONS RELATED TO THE FUNDS OR UNDERLYING INDICES. DORCHESTER MAKES NO
WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE INVESTMENT
ADVISER, INVESTMENT SUBADVISER, DISTRIBUTOR OR OWNERS OF THE FUNDS, OR ANY OTHER
PERSON OR ENTITY, FROM THE USE OF THE UNDERLYING INDICES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED
THEREIN. DORCHESTER MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND EXPRESSLY
DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
OR USE, WITH RESPECT TO THE FUNDS OR TO UNDERLYING INDICES OR TO ANY DATA
INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL
DORCHESTER HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) IN CONNECTION WITH THE FUNDS OR
THE UNDERLYING INDICES, EVEN IF DORCHESTER IS NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH DAMAGES.
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS
The policy of the Trust regarding purchases and sales of securities is
that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices
and efficient executions of transactions. Consistent with this policy, when
securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Trust's policy is
to pay commissions that are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily
determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances.
In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any
transaction, the Investment Subadviser relies upon its experience and knowledge
regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers. The sale of Fund
Shares by a broker-dealer is not a factor in the selection of broker-dealers.
In seeking to implement the Trust's policies, the Investment Subadviser
effects transactions with those brokers and dealers that the Investment
Subadviser believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of
providing efficient executions. The Investment Subadviser and its affiliates do
not currently participate in soft dollar transactions.
The Investment Subadviser assumes general supervision over placing
orders on behalf of the Funds for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities.
If purchases or sales of portfolio securities by the Funds and one or more other
investment companies or clients supervised by the Investment Subadviser are
considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are
allocated among the Funds, the several investment companies and clients in a
manner deemed equitable to all by the Investment Subadviser. In some cases, this
procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security
as far as the Funds are concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that
the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower
brokerage commissions will be beneficial to the Funds. The primary consideration
is prompt execution of orders at the most favorable net price.
23
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUST
The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under
the 1940 Act. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on May 24,
2006.
The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares in one
or more series or "funds." The Trust currently is comprised of 28 funds. The
Board of Trustees of the Trust has the right to establish additional series in
the future, to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges
thereof and to modify such preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges
without shareholder approval.
Each Share issued by a Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of
such Fund. Fund Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion
rights and are freely transferable. Each Share is entitled to participate
equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the
Fund, and in the net distributable assets of the Fund on liquidation.
Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a
shareholder vote is required consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act
and the rules promulgated thereunder. Shares of all funds, including the Funds,
of the Trust vote together as a single class except as otherwise required by the
1940 Act, or if the matter being voted on affects only a particular fund, and,
if a matter affects a particular fund differently from other funds, the shares
of that fund will vote separately on such matter.
The Declaration of Trust may, except in limited circumstances, be
amended or supplemented by the Trustees without shareholder vote. The holders of
Fund Shares are required to disclose information on direct or indirect ownership
of Fund Shares as may be required to comply with various laws applicable to the
Fund, and ownership of Fund Shares may be disclosed by the Fund if so required
by law or regulation.
The Trust is not required and does not intend to hold annual meetings
of shareholders. Shareholders owning more than 51% of the outstanding shares of
the Trust have the right to call a special meeting to remove one or more
Trustees or for any other purpose.
The Trust does not have information concerning the beneficial ownership
of Shares held by DTC Participants (as defined below).
Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to the Trust, c/o the
Distributor, 2455 Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532.
Control Persons. No single person beneficially owns 25% or more of the
Fund's voting securities.
Book Entry Only System. The following information supplements and
should be read in conjunction with the section in the Prospectus entitled "Book
Entry."
DTC Acts as Securities Depository for Fund Shares. Shares of the Fund
are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and
deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of
its participants (the "DTC Participants") and to facilitate the clearance and
settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such
securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC
Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks,
trust companies, clearing corporations and
24
certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own
DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by
the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), the AMEX and FINRA. Access to the DTC
system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust
companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC
Participant, either directly or indirectly (the "Indirect Participants").
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect
Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect
Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such
beneficial interests are referred to herein as "Beneficial Owners") is shown on,
and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by
DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants
(with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC
Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC
Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase and sale of
Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to
Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement
between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon
request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of the
Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC
Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or
indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC
Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in
such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably
request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be
transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial
Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and
reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such
transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Fund distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as
the registered holder of all Fund Shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of
any such distributions, shall immediately credit DTC Participants' accounts with
payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in
Shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by
DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held
through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and
customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of
customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the
responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the
records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account
of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining,
supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership
interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC
Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect
Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to
Shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its
responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such
circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to
perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Proxy Voting. The Board of Trustees of the Trust has delegated
responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the
Fund to the Investment Adviser. The Investment Adviser has in turn delegated
such responsibilities to the Investment Subadviser. The Investment Subadviser
will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures,
which are
25
included in Appendix A of this Statement of Additional Information. The Board of
Trustees will periodically review each Fund's proxy voting record.
The Trust is required to disclose annually each Fund's complete proxy
voting record on Form N-PX covering the period July 1 through June 30 and file
it with the SEC no later than August 31. Form N-PX for the Funds also will be
available at no charge upon request by calling 1-888-949-3837 or by writing to
Claymore Exchange-Traded Fund Trust at 2455 Corporate West Drive, Lisle, IL
60532. Each Fund's Form N-PX will also be available on the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov.
Quarterly Portfolio Schedule. The Trust is required to disclose, after
its first and third fiscal quarters, the complete schedule of each Fund's
portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-Q. The Trust will also disclose a
complete schedule of each Fund's portfolio holdings with the SEC on Form N-CSR
after its second and fourth quarters. Form N-Q and Form N-CSR for the Funds will
be available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Each Fund's Form N-Q
and Form N-CSR may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC's Public Reference
Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public
Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-202-551-8090. Each Fund's Form N-Q
and Form N-CSR will be available without charge, upon request, by calling
1-888-949-3837 or by writing to Claymore Exchange-Traded Fund Trust at 2455
Corporate West Drive, Lisle, IL 60532.
Portfolio Holdings Policy. The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the
disclosure of information about the Trust's portfolio holdings. The Fund and its
service providers may not receive compensation or any other consideration (which
includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment
companies or accounts managed by the Investment Adviser or any affiliated person
of the Investment Adviser) in connection with the disclosure of portfolio
holdings information of the Fund. The Trust's Policy is implemented and overseen
by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund, subject to the oversight of the
Board of Trustees. Periodic reports regarding these procedures will be provided
to the Board of Trustees of the Trust. The Board of Trustees of the Trust must
approve all material amendments to this policy. The Fund's complete portfolio
holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Fund is open for business
through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible
Internet web sites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the
security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund shares,
together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated
daily prior to the opening of the AMEX via the National Securities Clearing
Corporation (NSCC). The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The
Trust, the Investment Adviser and Claymore will not disseminate non-public
information concerning the Trust.
Codes of Ethics. Pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board
of Trustees has adopted a Code of Ethics for the Trust and approved Codes of
Ethics adopted by the Investment Adviser and the Distributor (collectively the
"Codes"). The Codes are intended to ensure that the interests of shareholders
and other clients are placed ahead of any personal interest, that no undue
personal benefit is obtained from the person's employment activities and that
actual and potential conflicts of interest are avoided.
The Codes apply to the personal investing activities of Trustees and
officers of the Trust, the Investment Adviser and the Distributor ("Access
Persons"). Rule 17j-1 and the Codes are designed to prevent unlawful practices
in connection with the purchase or sale of securities by Access Persons. Under
the Codes, Access Persons are permitted to engage in personal securities
transactions, but are required to report their personal securities transactions
for monitoring purposes. The Codes permit personnel subject to the Codes to
invest in securities subject to certain limitations, including securities that
may be purchased or held by the Fund. In addition, Access Persons are required
to obtain approval before investing in initial public offerings or private
placements. The Codes are on file with the SEC, and are available to the public.
26
CREATION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION UNIT AGGREGATIONS
Creation. The Trust issues and sells Shares of the Funds only in
Creation Unit Aggregations on a continuous basis through the Distributor,
without a sales load, at its NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business
Day (as defined below), of an order in proper form.
A "Business Day" is any day on which the NYSE is open for business. As
of the date of this SAI, the NYSE observes the following holidays: New Year's
Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial
Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Deposit of Securities and Deposit or Delivery of Cash. The
consideration for purchase of Creation Unit Aggregations of the Fund generally
consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities
-- the "Deposit Securities" -- per each Creation Unit Aggregation constituting a
substantial replication of the stocks included in the Underlying Index ("Fund
Securities") and an amount of cash -- the "Cash Component" -- computed as
described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component
constitute the "Fund Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and
subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.
The Cash Component is sometimes also referred to as the Balancing
Amount. The Cash Component serves the function of compensating for any
differences between the NAV per Creation Unit Aggregation and the Deposit Amount
(as defined below). The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference
between the NAV of the Fund Shares (per Creation Unit Aggregation) and the
"Deposit Amount" -- an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit
Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per
Creation Unit Aggregation exceeds the Deposit Amount), the creator will deliver
the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV
per Creation Unit Aggregation is less than the Deposit Amount), the creator will
receive the Cash Component.
The Custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation
("NSCC") (discussed below), makes available on each Business Day, prior to the
opening of business on the AMEX (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of
the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be
included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the
previous Business Day) for the Fund.
Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as
described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Unit Aggregations of
the Fund until such time as the next-announced composition of the Deposit
Securities is made available.
The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required
for a Fund Deposit for the Fund changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate
action events are reflected within the Fund from time to time by the Investment
Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of
the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the
weighting or composition of the Component Stocks of the Underlying Index. In
addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of
an amount of cash -- i.e., a "cash in lieu" amount -- to be added to the Cash
Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in
sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer
through the systems of DTC, or which might not be eligible for trading by an
Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting
or other relevant reason. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the
acquisition of Deposit Securities not eligible for transfer through the systems
of DTC will be at the expense
27
of the Fund and will affect the value of all Shares; but the Investment Adviser,
subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, may adjust the transaction fee
within the parameters described above to protect ongoing shareholders. The
adjustments described above will reflect changes known to the Investment Adviser
on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund
Deposit, in the composition of the Underlying Index or resulting from certain
corporate actions.
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting
the current Deposit Securities of a Fund Deposit, the Custodian, through the
NSCC, also makes available on each Business Day, the estimated Cash Component,
effective through and including the previous Business Day, per outstanding
Creation Unit Aggregation of the Fund.
The Trust intends to require the substitution of an amount of cash
(i.e., a "cash in lieu" amount) to replace any Deposit Security of a Fund that
is a TBA transaction or a commercial paper instrument. The amount of cash
contributed will be equivalent to the price of the TBA transaction or commercial
paper instrument listed as a Deposit Security. In addition, the Trust reserves
the right to permit or require the substitution of a "cash in lieu" amount to be
added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which: (i) may not
be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, (ii) may not be eligible for
transfer through the systems of DTC for corporate securities and municipal
securities or the Federal Reserve System for U.S. Treasury securities; (iii) may
not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or
the investor for which it is acting; (iv) would be restricted under the
securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the Authorized
Participant would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the
Authorized Participant becoming restricted under the securities laws, or (v) in
certain other situations (collectively, "custom orders"). The Trust also
reserves the right to: (i) permit or require the substitution of Deposit
Securities; and (ii) include or remove Deposit Securities from the basket in
anticipation of index rebalancing changes. The adjustments described above will
reflect changes, known to the Investment Advisor on the date of announcement to
be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of
the subject index being tracked by the relevant Fund or resulting from certain
corporate actions.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Unit Aggregations. To be eligible
to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit Aggregation
of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a DTC Participant that has the ability to
clear through the Federal Reserve System (see the Book Entry Only System
section), and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor, with respect
to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit Aggregations ("Participant
Agreement") (discussed below). A DTC Participant is also referred to as an
"Authorized Participant." Investors should contact the Distributor for the names
of Authorized Participants that have signed a Participant Agreement. All Fund
Shares, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of
Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.
All orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations(through an Authorized
Participant), must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time
of the regular trading session on the AMEX ("Closing Time") (ordinarily 4:00
p.m., Eastern time) in each case on the date such order is placed in order for
creation of Creation Unit Aggregations to be effected based on the NAV of Shares
of the Funds as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in
proper form. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the
Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on the trade date. A custom
order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the Trust
permits or requires the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the
Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in
sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by
such Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting or other
relevant reason. The date on which an order to create Creation Unit Aggregations
(or an order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations, as discussed below) is placed
is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." Orders must be transmitted by an
Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to
the Distributor pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement,
as described below (see the "Placement of Creation Orders" section). Severe
economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication
failure may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or an Authorized
Participant.
All orders from investors who are not Authorized Participants to create
Creation Unit Aggregations shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as
applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition,
the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain
representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, e.g., to
provide for payments of cash, when required. Investors should be aware that
their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that,
therefore, orders to create Creation Unit Aggregations of the Funds have to be
placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has
executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges
to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of
broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement. Those placing orders
for
28
Creation Unit Aggregations should ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and
the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of
the broker or depository institution effectuating such transfer of Deposit
Securities and Cash Component.
Placement of Creation Orders. Fund Deposits must be delivered through
a DTC Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement pre-approved by the
Investment Adviser and the Distributor, via the Federal Reserve System (for cash
and U.S. government securities) and/or via DTC (for corporate securities). The
Fund Deposit transfer must be ordered by the DTC Participant on the Transmittal
Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of
Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the Fund by no later than 11:00
a.m., Eastern time, of the next Business Day immediately following the
Transmittal Date.
All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered,
and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the
deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the Trust, whose
determination shall be final and binding. The amount of cash equal to the Cash
Component must be transferred directly to the Custodian through the Federal
Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the
Custodian no later than 2:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the next Business Day
immediately following such Transmittal Date. An order to create Creation Unit
Aggregations is deemed received by the Distributor on the Transmittal Date if
(i) such order is received by the Distributor not later than the Closing Time on
such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the
Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the Custodian does not
receive both the required Deposit Securities and the Cash Component by 11:00
a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively, on the next Business Day immediately following
the Transmittal Date, such order will be canceled. Upon written notice to the
Distributor, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day
using a Fund Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the then current Deposit
Securities and Cash Component. The delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so
created will occur no later than the third (3rd) Business Day following the day
on which the purchase order is deemed received by the Distributor.
29
Additional transaction fees may be imposed with respect to in the
limited circumstances in which any cash can be used in lieu of Deposit
Securities to create Creation Units. (See Creation Transaction Fee section
below).
Creation Unit Aggregations may be created in advance of receipt by the
Trust of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described
below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater
than the NAV of the Fund Shares on the date the order is placed in proper form
since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an
amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component, plus (ii) 115% of the market
value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (the "Additional Cash Deposit"). The
order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is
placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern time, on such date, and federal funds in the appropriate amount are
deposited with the Custodian by 11:00 a.m., Eastern time, the following Business
Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 4:00 p.m. or federal funds in
the appropriate amount are not received by 11:00 a.m. the next Business Day,
then the order may be deemed to be canceled and the Authorized Participant shall
be liable to the Fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional
amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the Trust, pending
delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain
the Additional Cash Deposit with the Trust in an amount at least equal to 115%
of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. To the
extent that missing Deposit Securities are not received by 1:00 p.m., Eastern
time, on the third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is
deemed received by the Distributor or in the event a marked-to-market payment is
not made within one Business Day following notification by the Distributor that
such a payment is required, the Trust may use the cash on deposit to purchase
the missing Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants will be liable to the
Trust and the Fund for the costs incurred by the Trust in connection with any
such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the
actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such
Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by the
Distributor plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with
such purchases. The Trust will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash
Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received
by the Custodian or purchased by the Trust and deposited into the Trust. In
addition, a transaction fee, as listed below, will be charged in all cases. The
delivery of Creation Unit Aggregations so created will occur no later than the
third Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed
received by the Distributor.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit Aggregations. The Trust reserves
the absolute right to reject a creation order transmitted to it by the
Distributor in respect of the Fund if: (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii)
the investor(s), upon obtaining the Fund Shares ordered, would own 80% or more
of the currently outstanding shares of any Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities
delivered are not as disseminated for that date by the Custodian, as described
above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax
consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the
opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would
otherwise, in the discretion of the Trust or the Investment Adviser, have an
adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) in the
event that circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Custodian, the
Distributor and the Investment Adviser make it for all practical purposes
impossible to process creation orders. Examples of such circumstances include
acts of God; public service or utility problems such as fires, floods, extreme
weather conditions and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy and
computer failures; market conditions or activities causing trading halts;
systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the
Trust, the Investment Adviser, the Distributor, DTC, NSCC, the Custodian or
sub-custodian or any other participant in the creation process, and similar
extraordinary events. The Distributor shall notify a prospective creator of a
Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such
prospective creator of its rejection of the order of such person. The Trust, the
Custodian, any sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to
give notification of any
30
defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them
incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the
Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility, and acceptance for
deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust, and
the Trust's determination shall be final and binding.
Creation Transaction Fee. Investors will be required to pay a fixed
creation transaction fee, described below, payable to Claymore regardless of the
number of creations made each day. An additional charge of up to four times the
fixed transaction fee (expressed as a percentage of the value of the Deposit
Securities) may be imposed for cash creations (to offset the Trust's brokerage
and other transaction costs associated with using cash to purchase the requisite
Deposit Securities). Investors are responsible for the costs of transferring the
securities constituting the Deposit Securities to the account of the Trust.
The Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee for each Fund will be
$1,000. The Maximum Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee for each Fund will be
$4,000.
Redemption of Fund Shares in Creation Units Aggregations. Fund Shares
may be redeemed only in Creation Unit Aggregations at its NAV next determined
after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the
Transfer Agent and only on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem Shares in
amounts less than Creation Unit Aggregations. Beneficial owners must accumulate
enough Shares in the secondary market to constitute a Creation Unit Aggregation
in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance,
however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at
any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit Aggregation. Investors should
expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a
sufficient number of Fund Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit
Aggregation.
With respect to the Fund, the Custodian, through the NSCC, makes
available prior to the opening of business on the AMEX (currently 9:30 a.m.,
Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of the Fund Securities that
will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption
requests received in proper form (as described below) on that day. Fund
Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities
that are applicable to creations of Creation Unit Aggregations.
Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the
redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit Aggregation generally consist of Fund
Securities -- as announced on the Business Day of the request for redemption
received in proper form -- plus or minus cash in an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the Fund Shares being redeemed, as next determined
after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund
Securities (the "Cash Redemption Amount"), less a redemption transaction fee as
listed below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than
the NAV of the Fund Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference
is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming
shareholder. The Trust will substitute a cash-in-lieu amount to replace any
Fund Security of a Fund that is a TBA transaction, and the amount of cash paid
out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the TBA transaction issued
as a Fund Security.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment
postponed (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than
customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which
trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during
which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the
Fund or determination of the Fund's NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv)
in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.
31
Redemption Transaction Fee. A redemption transaction fee is imposed to
offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. An
additional variable charge for cash redemptions (when cash redemptions are
available or specified) for the Fund may be imposed. Investors will also bear
the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or
on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such
intermediary in addition to an Authorized Participant to effect a redemption of
a Creation Unit Aggregation may be charged an additional fee of up to four times
the fixed transaction fee for such services. The redemption transaction fees for
the Fund are the same as the creation fees set forth above.
Placement of Redemption Orders. Orders to redeem Creation Unit
Aggregations must be delivered through a DTC Participant that has executed the
Participant Agreement. An order to redeem Creation Unit Aggregations is deemed
received by the Trust on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by
the Transfer Agent not later than 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on such Transmittal
Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of
Shares of the Fund, which delivery must be made through DTC to the Custodian no
later than 11:00 a.m., Eastern time (for the Fund Shares), on the next Business
Day immediately following such Transmittal Date (the "DTC Cut-Off-Time") and
2:00 p.m., Eastern Time for any Cash Component, if any owed to the Fund; and
(iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly
followed. After the Trust has deemed an order for redemption received, the Trust
will initiate procedures to transfer the requisite Fund Securities which are
expected to be delivered within three Business Days and the Cash Redemption
Amount, if any owed to the redeeming Beneficial Owner to the Authorized
Participant on behalf of the redeeming Beneficial Owner by the third Business
Day following the Transmittal Date on which such redemption order is deemed
received by the Trust.
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash
Redemption Amount to be delivered/received upon redemption will be made by the
Custodian according to the procedures set forth under Determination of NAV
computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by
the Trust. Therefore, if a redemption order in proper form is submitted to the
Transfer Agent by a DTC Participant not later than Closing Time on the
Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of Shares of the Fund are delivered
to the Custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Fund
Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be
determined by the Custodian on such Transmittal Date. If, however, either (i)
the requisite number of Shares of the relevant Fund are not delivered by the DTC
Cut-Off-Time, as described above, or (ii) the redemption order is not
32
submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received
as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and
the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered/received will be computed on the
Business Day following the Transmittal Date provided that the Fund Shares of the
relevant Fund are delivered through DTC to the Custodian by 11:00 a.m. the
following Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the
Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Fund Shares in
cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its
redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption
in cash that the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the
investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Fund Shares based
on the NAV of Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption
request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and
additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the
Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of
Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a
shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities that differs from
the exact composition of the Fund Securities, or cash in lieu of some securities
added to the Cash Component, but in no event will the total value of the
securities delivered and the cash transmitted differ from the NAV. Redemptions
of Fund Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable
federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise
permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Unit
Aggregations for cash to the extent that the Trust could not lawfully deliver
specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first
registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or an
investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a
particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of
a Creation Unit Aggregation may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The
Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the Fund
Shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to
such matters as compensating cash payment, beneficial ownership of shares or
delivery instructions.
33
TAXES
Each Fund intends to qualify for and to elect to be treated as a
separate regulated investment company (a "RIC") under Subchapter M of the
Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a company must
annually distribute at least 90% of its net investment company taxable income
(which includes dividends, interest and net capital gains) and meet several
other requirements relating to the nature of its income and the diversification
of its assets.
Each Fund is treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax
purposes. Each Fund therefore is considered to be a separate entity in
determining its treatment under the rules for RICs described herein and in the
Prospectus. Losses in one fund do not offset gains in another fund and the
requirements (other than certain organizational requirements) to qualify for RIC
status are determined at the fund level rather than at the Trust level.
Each Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed
income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year at
least 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus 98% of its net
capital gains for twelve months ended October 31 of such year. The Fund intends
to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the
times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.
As a result of tax requirements, the Trust on behalf of each Fund has
the right to reject an order to purchase Shares if the purchaser (or group of
purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the
outstanding Shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to section 351 of the Internal
Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in the Deposit Securities different
from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. The Trust also
has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share
ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
The Funds may make investments that are subject to special federal
income tax rules, such as investments in repurchase agreements, money market
instruments, convertible securities, structured notes, forward foreign currency
exchange contracts, and non-U.S. corporations classified as "passive foreign
investment companies." Those special tax rules can, among other things, affect
the timing of income or gain, the treatment of income as capital or ordinary and
the treatment of capital gain or loss as long-term or short-term. The
application of these special rules would therefore also affect the character of
distributions made by the Fund. The Fund may need to borrow money or dispose of
some of its investments earlier than anticipated in order to meet its
distribution requirements.
Distributions from each Fund's net investment income, including any net
short-term capital gains, if any, and distributions of income from securities
lending, are taxable as ordinary income. Distributions reinvested in additional
Shares of the Fund through the means of a dividend reinvestment service will be
taxable dividends to Shareholders acquiring such additional Shares to the same
extent as if such dividends had been received in cash. Distributions of net
long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses are
taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long shareholders have
held the Shares.
Long-term capital gains tax of non-corporate taxpayers are generally
taxed at a maximum rate of 15% for taxable years beginning before January 1,
2011. In addition, some ordinary dividends declared and paid by the Fund to
non-corporate shareholders may qualify for taxation at the lower reduced tax
rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided that holding period and
other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder. The Fund will report
to shareholders annually the amounts of dividends received from ordinary income,
the amount of distributions received from capital gains and the portion of
dividends which may qualify for the dividends received deduction. In addition,
the Fund will report the amount of dividends to individual shareholders eligible
for taxation at the lower reduced tax rates applicable to long-term capital
gains.
The sale, exchange or redemption of Shares may give rise to a gain or
loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Shares
will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held
for more than one year. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition
of Shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. A loss realized on
a sale or exchange of Shares of the Fund may be disallowed if other
substantially identical Shares are acquired (whether through the automatic
reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a sixty-one (61) day period
beginning thirty (30) days before and ending thirty (30) days after the date
that the Shares are disposed of. In such a case, the basis of the Shares
acquired must be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss upon the sale
or exchange of Shares held for six (6) months or less is treated as long-term
capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received by the
shareholders. Distribution of ordinary income and capital gains may also be
subject to state and local taxes.
34
Distributions of ordinary income paid to shareholders who are
nonresident aliens or foreign entities that are not effectively connected to the
conduct of a trade or business within the United States will generally be
subject to a 30% United States withholding tax unless a reduced rate of
withholding or a withholding exemption is provided under applicable treaty law.
However, shareholders who are nonresident aliens or foreign entities will
generally not be subject to United States withholding or income tax on gains
realized on the sale of Shares or on dividends from capital gains unless (i)
such gain or capital gain dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of
a trade or business within the United States or (ii) in the case of an
individual shareholder, the shareholder is present in the United States for a
period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or
capital gain dividend and certain other conditions are met. Gains on the sale of
Share and dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade
or business within the United States will generally be subject to United States
federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates. Dividends paid by the
Fund to shareholders who are nonresident aliens or foreign entities that are
derived from short-term capital gains and qualifying net interest income
(including income from original issue discount and market discount), and that
are properly designated by the Fund as "interest-related dividends" or
"short-term capital gain dividends," will generally not be subject to United
States withholding tax, provided that the income would not be subject to federal
income tax if earned directly by the foreign shareholder. In addition, capital
gains distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests
(including certain U.S. real property holding corporations and which may include
certain REITs and certain REIT capital gain dividends) will generally be subject
to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part
of the foreign shareholder to file a United States tax return. The provisions
discussed above relating to an exemption from withholding on distributions to
shareholders who are nonresident aliens or foreign entities generally would
apply to distributions with respect to taxable years of a Fund beginning before
January 1, 2008. In addition, capital gains distributions attributable to gains
from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding
corporations, which may include certain REITs and capital gains distributions
from REITs, will generally be subject to U.S. withholding tax and will give rise
to an obligation on the part of the foreign shareholder to file a U.S. federal
income tax return. Nonresident shareholders are urged to consult their own tax
advisors concerning the applicability of the U.S. withholding tax.
Some shareholders may be subject to a withholding tax on distributions
of ordinary income, capital gains and any cash received on redemption of
Creation Units ("backup withholding"). Generally, shareholders subject to backup
withholding will be those for whom no certified taxpayer identification number
is on file with the Fund or who, to the Fund's knowledge, have furnished an
incorrect number. When establishing an account, an investor must certify under
penalty of perjury that such number is correct and that such investor is not
otherwise subject to backup withholding.
Dividends and interest received by a Fund may give rise to
withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions
between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such
taxes.
The foregoing discussion is a summary only and is not intended as a
substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Shares should consult their
own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such Shares,
including under Federal, state, local and other tax laws. Finally, the foregoing
discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code,
regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on
the date hereof. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the
conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.
35
FEDERAL TAX TREATMENT OF FUTURES AND OPTIONS CONTRACTS
The Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark to market
and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and
losses on certain futures contracts as of the end of the year as well as those
actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from futures and options
contracts on broad-based indices required to be marked to market will be 60%
long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may
alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be
required to defer the recognition of losses on futures contracts, options
contracts and swaps to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting
positions held by the Fund.
In order for the Fund to continue to qualify for federal income tax
treatment as a RIC, at least 90% of its gross income for a taxable year must be
derived from qualifying income, i.e., dividends, interest, income derived from
loans or securities, gains from the sale of securities or of foreign currencies
or other income derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in
securities (including net income derived from an interest in certain "qualified
publicly traded partnerships"). It is anticipated that any net gain realized
from the closing out of futures or options contracts will be considered gain
from the sale of securities or derived with respect to the Fund's business of
investing in securities and therefore will be qualifying income for purposes of
the 90% gross income requirement.
The Fund distributes to shareholders at least annually any net capital
gains which have been recognized for federal income tax purposes, including
unrealized gains at the end of the Fund's fiscal year on futures or options
transactions. Such distributions are combined with distributions of capital
gains realized on the Fund's other investments and shareholders are advised on
the nature of the distributions.
DETERMINATION OF NAV
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction
with the section in the Prospectus entitled "Net Asset Value."
The NAV per Share of the Fund is computed by dividing the value of the
net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total
liabilities) by the total number of Shares of the Fund outstanding, rounded to
the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including without limitation, the
management and administration fees, are accrued daily and taken into account for
purposes of determining NAV. The NAV per Share is calculated by the Custodian
and determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the NYSE
(ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that such exchange is open
provided that NAV may be calculated as of the announced closing time for trading
in fixed income instruments on any day that the Securities Industry and
Financial Markets Association announces an early closing time.
In computing the Fund's NAV, the Fund's securities holdings traded on a
national securities exchange are valued based on their last sale price. Price
information on listed securities is taken from the exchange where the security
is primarily traded. Securities regularly traded in an over-the-counter market
are valued at the latest quoted sale price in such market or in the case of the
NASDAQ, at the NASDAQ official closing price. Debt securities are valued at the
bid price for such securities or, if such prices are not available, at prices
for securities of comparable maturity, quality and type. Other portfolio
securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are
valued based on fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with
procedures adopted by the Board.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The following information supplements and should be read in conjunction
with the section in the Prospectus entitled "Dividends, Distributions and
Taxes."
36
General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are
declared and paid annually (quarterly with respect to Claymore/U.S. Capital
Markets Bond ETF and monthly with respect to the Claymore/U.S. Capital Markets
Micro-Term Fixed Income ETF). Distributions of net realized securities gains, if
any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make
distributions on a more frequent basis. The Trust reserves the right to declare
special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary
or advisable to preserve the status of the Fund as a RIC or to avoid imposition
of income or excise taxes on undistributed income.
Dividends and other distributions on Fund Shares are distributed, as
described below, on a pro rata basis to Beneficial Owners of such Shares.
Dividend payments are made through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants to
Beneficial Owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
Dividend Reinvestment Service. No reinvestment service is provided by
the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend
Reinvestment Service for use by Beneficial Owners of the Fund for reinvestment
of their dividend distributions. Beneficial Owners should contact their broker
to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of
participation therein. Brokers may require Beneficial Owners to adhere to
specific procedures and timetables.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Counsel. Clifford Chance US LLP, 31 West 52nd Street, New York, NY
10019, is counsel to the Trust.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Ernst & Young LLP, 233
South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, serves as the Fund's independent
registered public accounting firm. They audit the Fund's financial statements
and perform other related audit services.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Fund's audited financial statements, including the financial
highlights appearing in the Trust's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal
year ended August 31, 2007 and filed electronically with the Securities and
Exchange Commision, are incorporated by reference and made part of this SAI.
You may request a copy of the Trust's Annual Report at no charge by
calling 1-888-949-3837 during normal business hours.
37
PART C: OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 23. EXHIBITS:
(a)(1) Certificate of Trust.*
(a)(2) Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust.**
(b) Bylaws of the Trust.**
(c) Not applicable.
(d)(1) Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and Claymore Advisors,
LLC.**
(d)(2) Expense Reimbursement Agreement between the Trust and Claymore Advisors,
LLC.****
(d)(3) Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Claymore Advisors, LLC and
Mellon Capital Management Corporation.*****
(e)(1) Distribution Agreement between the Trust and Claymore Securities, Inc.**
(e)(2) Form of Participant Agreement.**
(f) Not applicable.
(g) Form of Custody Agreement between the Trust and The Bank of New York.**
(h)(1) Administration Agreement between the Trust and Claymore Advisors, LLC.**
(h)(2) Form of Transfer Agency Services Agreement between the Trust and The Bank
of New York.**
(h)(3) Form of Fund Accounting Agreement between the Trust and the Bank of New
York.***
(h)(4) Form of Sub-License Agreement between the Trust and Claymore Advisors,
LLC.***
(i) Opinion and consent of Clifford Chance US LLP.**
(j) Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting
firm.*****
(k) Not applicable.
(l) Not applicable.
(m) Distribution and Service Plan.****
(n) Not applicable.
(o) Not applicable
(p) Code of Ethics of the Trust and the Adviser.*****
(q) Powers of attorney.******
* Previously filed as an exhibit to the Trust's Registration Statement on
Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-134551; 811-21906), filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on May 26, 2006.
** Previously filed as an exhibit to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the
Trust's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (file Nos. 333-134551;
811-21906), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September
15, 2006.
*** Previously filed as an exhibit to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Trust's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (file Nos. 333-134551;
811-21906), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December
12, 2006.
**** Previously filed as an exhibit to Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the
Trust's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-134551;
811-21906), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
December 31, 2007.
***** Filed herewith.
******Previously filed as an exhibit to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Trust's Registration Statement on Form N-1A (file Nos. 333-134551;
811-21906), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September
11, 2006.
ITEM 24. PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH REGISTRANT
Immediately prior to the contemplated public offering of each Fund's
Shares, the following persons may be deemed individually to control a Fund or
the Trust:
Claymore Securities, Inc. will be the only shareholder immediately
prior to the contemplated public offering of each Fund.
ITEM 25. INDEMNIFICATION
Pursuant to Article VI of the Registrant's Agreement and Declaration of
Trust, the Trust has agreed to indemnify each person who at any time serves as a
Trustee or officer of the Trust (each such person being an "indemnitee") against
any liabilities and expenses, including amounts paid in satisfaction of
judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and reasonable counsel fees
reasonably incurred by such indemnitee in connection with the defense or
disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal,
before any court or administrative or investigative body in which he may be or
may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which he may be or may
have been threatened, while acting in any capacity set forth therein by reason
of his having acted in any such capacity, except with respect to any matter as
to which he shall not have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his
action was in the best interest of the Trust or, in the case of any criminal
proceeding, as to which he shall have had reasonable cause to believe that the
conduct was unlawful, provided, however, that no indemnitee shall be indemnified
hereunder against any liability to any person or any expense of such indemnitee
arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith, (iii) gross
negligence, or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of
his position (the conduct referred to in such clauses (i) through (iv) being
sometimes referred to herein as "disabling conduct"). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, with respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily
prosecuted by any indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory
only if the prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such
indemnitee (1) was authorized by a majority of the Trustees or (2) was
instituted by the indemnitee to enforce his or her rights to indemnification
hereunder in a case in which the indemnitee is found to be entitled to such
indemnification. The rights to indemnification set forth in the Declaration of
Trust shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Trustee or officer of
the Trust and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and
personal and legal representatives. No amendment or restatement of the
Declaration of Trust or repeal of any of its provisions shall limit or eliminate
any of the benefits provided to any person who at any time is or was a Trustee
or officer of the Trust or otherwise entitled to indemnification hereunder in
respect of any act or omission that occurred prior to such amendment,
restatement or repeal.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no indemnification shall be made
hereunder unless there has been a determination (i) by a final decision on the
merits by a court or other body of competent jurisdiction before whom the issue
of entitlement to indemnification hereunder was brought that such indemnitee is
entitled to indemnification hereunder or, (ii) in the absence of such a
decision, by (1) a majority vote of a quorum of those Trustees who are neither
"interested persons" of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940
Act) nor parties to the proceeding ("Disinterested Non-Party Trustees"), that
the indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder, or (2) if such quorum
is not obtainable or even if obtainable, if such majority so directs,
independent legal counsel in a written opinion concludes that the indemnitee
should be entitled to indemnification hereunder.
ITEM 26. BUSINESS AND OTHER CONNECTIONS OF INVESTMENT MANAGER
See "Management" in the Statement of Additional Information.
Information as to the directors and officers of the Adviser is included in its
Form ADV filed with the SEC and is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
ITEM 27. PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITERS
(a) Claymore Securities, Inc, is the Trust's principal
underwriter.
(b) The following is a list of the executive officers, directors
and partners of Claymore Securities, Inc.:
NAME AND PRINCIPAL
BUSINESS ADDRESS(1) POSITIONS AND OFFICES WITH UNDERWRITER
------------------ --------------------------------------
David C. Hooten Chief Executive Officer
Nicholas Dalmaso Senior Managing Director, Chief Administrative
Officer
Michael J. Rigert President
Kevin M. Robinson Senior Managing Director, General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary
Anthony J. DiLeonardi Senior Managing Director, Distribution
Bruce Albelda Senior Managing Director, Chief Financial
Officer
Anne S. Kochevar Senior Managing Director, Chief Compliance
Officer
Steven M. Hill Senior Managing Director
___________________________
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(1) The principal business address for all listed persons is 2455
Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois 60532.
ITEM 28. LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS
The accounts, books and other documents of the Registrant required to
be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder, are maintained in part at the
office of Claymore Advisors, LLC at 2455 Corporate West Drive, Lisle, Illinois
60532, and in part at the offices of the Transfer Agent at 101 Barclay Street,
New York, New York 10286.
ITEM 29. MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Not applicable.
ITEM 30. UNDERTAKINGS
Not applicable.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the
Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of
the requirements for the effectiveness of the Registration Statement pursuant to
Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, in the City of Lisle and State of Illinois on the 7th day of
February, 2008.
CLAYMORE EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND TRUST
By: /s/ Nicholas Dalmaso
------------------------------
Nicholas Dalmaso
Chief Executive Officer
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.
SIGNATURES TITLE DATE
* Trustee February 7, 2008
---------------------
Randall C. Barnes
* Trustee February 7, 2008
---------------------
Ronald A. Nyberg
* Trustee February 7, 2008
---------------------
Ronald E. Toupin, Jr.
/s/ Nicholas Dalmaso Trustee and Chief February 7, 2008
--------------------- Executive Officer
Nicholas Dalmaso
/s/ Steven M. Hill Treasurer, Chief Financial February 7, 2008
--------------------- Officer and Chief
Steven M. Hill Accounting Officer
*/s/ Nicholas Dalmaso February 7, 2008
---------------------
Nicholas Dalmaso
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Attorney-In-Fact, pursuant to power of attorney
Claymore/Bir Leaders Small-Cap Core Etf (AMEX:BES)
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