Note 4 — Unitholder Transactions – (continued)
Units created or redeemed on such day. The Transaction
Fee is currently $3,000. For creations and redemptions outside the clearing process, including orders from a participating party restricted from engaging in transactions in one or more of the common stocks that are included in the S&P 500® Index, an additional amount not to exceed three (3) times the Transaction Fee applicable for one Creation Unit is charged per Creation Unit per day.
Note 5
— Investment Transactions
For the year ended September 30, 2023, the Trust had
in-kind contributions, in-kind redemptions, purchases and sales of investment securities of $430,007,724,617, $422,214,360,877, $8,057,095,522, and $8,277,131,134, respectively. Net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions in the Statement of
Operations includes net gains resulting from in-kind transactions of $24,776,307,339.
Note 6
— Equity Investing and Market Risk
An investment in the Trust involves risks similar to
those of investing in any fund of equity securities, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates, perceived trends in securities prices, war, acts of terrorism, the spread of
infectious disease or other public health issues. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious disease or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the
Trust and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Trust’s net asset value. For example, Russia’s recent launch of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine has resulted in sanctions against Russian governmental
institutions, Russian entities, and Russian individuals that may result in the devaluation of Russian currency; a downgrade in the country’s credit rating; a freeze of Russian foreign assets; and a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian
securities, properties, or interests. These sanctions as well as the potential for military escalation and other corresponding events, and the resulting disruption of the Russian economy, may cause volatility in other regional and global markets and
may negatively impact the performance of various sectors and industries, as well as companies in other countries, which could have a negative effect on the performance of the Trust, even if the Trust does not have direct exposure to securities of
Russian issuers.
An investment in the Trust is
subject to the risks of any investment in a broadly based portfolio of equity securities, including the risk that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of such investment. The value of common stocks
actually held by the Trust and that make up the Trust’s portfolio (the “Portfolio Securities”) may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of Portfolio Securities, the value of equity
securities generally and other factors. The identity and weighting of common stocks that are included in the S&P 500® Index and the Portfolio Securities change from
time to time.
The financial condition of issuers
of Portfolio Securities may become impaired or the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate, either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the Trust’s portfolio and thus in the value of Units. Since the Trust is not
actively managed, the adverse financial condition of an issuer will not result in its elimination from the Trust’s portfolio unless such issuer is removed from the S&P
500® Index. Equity securities are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence in 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