risk that changes in the price of the UNG Units will not closely track changes in the spot price of natural gas. This could happen if the price of the UNG Units does not correlate closely with the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP’s net asset value, the changes in the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP’s net asset value do not closely correlate with changes in the price of the benchmark natural gas futures contract or the changes in the price of the benchmark natural gas futures contract do not closely correlate with changes in the cash or spot price of natural gas oil.
■There are risks associated with investing in securities with concentration in energy commodities. Market prices of the commodities and commodity futures contracts comprising the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP tend to be highly volatile. Commodity market prices are not related to the value of a future income or earnings stream, as tends to be the case with equity investments, but are subject to rapid fluctuations based on numerous factors, including:
ochanges in supply and demand relationships;
ogovernmental programs and policies;
onational and international monetary, trade, political and economic events;
ochanges in interest and exchange rates;
ospeculation and trading activities in commodities and related contracts;
odrought, floods and weather; and
oagricultural, trade, fiscal and exchange control policies, embargoes and tariffs.
The prices of exchange-traded futures contracts related to natural gas are subject to the risks and hazards inherent in the natural gas industry, which can cause prices to widely fluctuate. The cost of drilling, completing and operating wells for natural gas is uncertain, and a number of factors can delay or prevent drilling operations or production. In the event of sudden disruptions in the supplies of energy commodities, such as those caused by war, natural events, accidents, acts of terrorism or cyberattacks, prices of energy commodities futures contracts could become extremely volatile and unpredictable. Also, sudden and dramatic changes in the futures market may occur, for example, upon a cessation of hostilities that may exist in countries producing energy commodities, the introduction of new or previously withheld supplies into the market or the introduction of substitute products or commodities.
Natural gas supply levels can be affected by factors that reduce available supplies, such as natural disasters, disruptions in competitors’ operations or unexpected unavailability of distribution channels that may disrupt supplies. Technological change can also alter the relative costs for companies in the natural gas industry to find, produce and transport natural gas, which in turn may affect the supply of and demand for natural gas.
Demand for refined petroleum products by consumers, as well as the agricultural, manufacturing and transportation industries, affects the price of energy commodities. Demand for energy commodities is generally linked to economic activity and will tend to reflect general economic conditions. Additionally, demand for energy commodities may be reduced as a result of increases in energy efficiency, substitution and energy conservation.
These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity linked instruments than on traditional equity securities. These variables may create additional investment risks that cause the value of the securities to be more volatile than the values of traditional securities. These and other factors may affect the price of the UNG Units, and thus the value of the securities, in unpredictable or unanticipated ways.
■The United States Natural Gas Fund, LP may be more volatile and more susceptible to price fluctuations than an index or fund that provides broad commodity exposure. The United States Natural Gas Fund, LP primarily invests in contracts only on natural gas, in contrast to an index or fund that comprises contracts on natural gas and non-natural gas commodities. As a result, price volatility in the contracts held by the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP will likely have a greater impact on the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP than it would on an index or fund with broad commodity exposure. Furthermore, because the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP excludes many market sectors composing the broader commodity markets, the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP is less representative of the economy and commodity markets as a whole and is therefore potentially more volatile than, and not a benchmark for, commodity market performance generally.
■Legal and regulatory changes could adversely affect the return on and value of the securities. Futures contracts and options on futures contracts, including those related to energy commodities, are subject to extensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, commonly referred to as the “CFTC,” and the exchanges on which such futures contracts trade, are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency,