VANECK VECTORS® URANIUM+NUCLEAR ENERGY ETF
Ticker: NLR®
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
MAY 1, 2019
NLRSUM
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at http://www.vaneck.com/ library/etfs/. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800.826.2333, or by sending an email request to info@vaneck.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2019, as may be supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck Vectors® Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index (the “Nuclear Energy Index”).
FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”).
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Shareholders Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
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None |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
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Management Fee |
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0.50 |
% |
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Other Expenses |
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0.35 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
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0.85 |
% |
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Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
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-0.25 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
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0.60 |
% |
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(a) |
Van Eck Associates Corporation (the “Adviser”) has agreed to waive fees and/or pay Fund expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the Fund (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.60% of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2020. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Fund’s Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. |
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EXPENSE EXAMPLE
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
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$ |
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61 |
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3 |
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$ |
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246 |
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5 |
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$ |
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447 |
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10 |
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$ |
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1,026 |
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PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, may affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 32% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Fund’s benchmark index. The Nuclear Energy Index includes equity securities and depositary receipts issued by companies involved in uranium and nuclear energy. To be initially eligible for the Nuclear Energy Index, companies must generate at least 50% of their revenues from (i) uranium mining or uranium mining projects that have the potential to generate at least 50% of a company’s revenues from uranium when developed; (ii) the construction, engineering and maintenance of nuclear power facilities and nuclear reactors; (iii) the production of electricity from nuclear sources; or (iv) equipment and technology or services to the nuclear power industry. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies and foreign issuers. As of December 31, 2018, the Nuclear Energy Index included 25 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $221.9 million and $61.5 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $23.1 billion. As of December 31, 2018, approximately 24.8% of the Fund’s assets were invested in securities of Asian issuers. These amounts are subject to change. The Fund’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.
The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the Nuclear Energy Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Nuclear Energy Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Nuclear Energy Index and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Nuclear Energy Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection.
The Fund is classified as a non-diversified fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and, therefore, may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer. The Fund may concentrate its investments in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that the Nuclear Energy Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2018, the Fund was concentrated in the utilities sector.
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND
Investors in the Fund should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility in the price of the Fund’s Shares and the possibility of significant losses. An investment in the Fund involves a substantial degree of risk. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Therefore, you should consider carefully the following risks before investing in the Fund, each of which could significantly and adversely affect the value of an investment in the Fund.
Risk of Investing in Nuclear Energy Companies. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of nuclear energy companies. Nuclear energy companies may face considerable risk as a result of, among other risks, incidents and accidents, breaches of security, ill-intentioned acts of terrorism, air crashes, natural disasters (such as floods or earthquakes), equipment malfunctions or mishandling in storage, handling, transportation, treatment or conditioning of substances and nuclear materials. Such events could have serious consequences, especially in case of radioactive contamination and irradiation of the environment, for the general population, as well as a material, negative impact on the Fund’s portfolio companies and thus the Fund’s financial situation. In addition, nuclear energy companies are subject to competitive risk associated with the prices of other energy sources, such as natural gas and oil. Consumers of nuclear energy may have the ability to switch between nuclear energy and other energy sources and, as a result, during periods when competing energy sources are less expensive, the revenues of nuclear energy companies may decline with a corresponding impact on earnings.
Nuclear activity is also subject to particularly detailed and restrictive regulations, with a scheme for the monitoring and periodic re-examination of operating authorization, which primarily takes into account nuclear safety, environmental and public health protection, and also national security considerations (terrorist threats in particular). These regulations and any future regulations may be subject to significant tightening by national and international authorities. This could result in increased operating costs, which would have a negative impact on the Fund’s portfolio companies and may cause operating businesses related to nuclear energy to become unprofitable or impractical to operate. Furthermore, uranium prices are subject to fluctuation. The price of uranium has been and will continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond the Fund’s control. With respect to uranium, such factors include the demand for nuclear power, political and economic conditions in uranium producing and consuming countries, uranium supply from secondary sources and uranium production levels and costs of
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production. In addition, the prices of crude oil, natural gas and electricity produced from traditional hydro power and possibly other undiscovered energy sources could potentially have a negative impact on the competitiveness of nuclear energy companies in which the Fund invests.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Asian Issuers. Investments in securities of Asian issuers involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Economic events in any one Asian country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian countries and regions in which the Fund invests. The securities markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the Fund to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.
Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities. These additional risks include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Because certain foreign securities markets may be limited in size, the activity of large traders may have an undue influence on the prices of securities that trade in such markets. The Fund invests in securities of issuers located in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s investments.
Foreign Currency Risk. Because the Fund’s assets may be invested in securities denominated in foreign currencies, the proceeds received by the Fund from these investments will generally be in foreign currencies. The Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies and changes in the value of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar may result in reduced returns for the Fund, and the value of certain foreign currencies may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
Risk of Investing in Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts are receipts listed on U.S. or foreign exchanges issued by banks or trust companies that entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Investments in depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and, if not included in the Nuclear Energy Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Nuclear Energy Index.
Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the utilities sector. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers.
Risk of Investing in Small- and Medium-Capitalization Companies. Small- and medium-capitalization companies may be more volatile and more likely than large-capitalization companies to have narrower product lines, fewer financial resources, less management depth and experience and less competitive strength. In addition, these companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume and less liquidity than larger, more established companies. Returns on investments in securities of small- and medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
Risk of Cash Transactions. Unlike other exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), the Fund expects to effect its creations and redemptions partially for in-kind securities and partially for cash, rather than wholly for in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently incur brokerage costs and/or recognize gains or losses on such sales that the Fund might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in kind. As such, investments in Shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a conventional ETF.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of the equity securities held by the Fund may fall due to general market and economic conditions, perceptions regarding the markets in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, or factors relating to specific issuers in which the Fund invests. Equity securities are subordinated to preferred securities and debt in a company’s capital structure with respect to priority in right to a share of corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk than preferred securities or debt instruments. In addition, while broad market measures of equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have generally also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns, although under certain market conditions fixed income securities may have comparable or greater price volatility.
Market Risk. The prices of the securities in the Fund are subject to the risks associated with investing in the securities market, including general economic conditions and sudden and unpredictable drops in value. An investment in the Fund may lose money.
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Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund’s service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index Tracking Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Nuclear Energy Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Nuclear Energy Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund’s securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Nuclear Energy Index, which are not factored into the return of the Nuclear Energy Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (“AP”). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Nuclear Energy Index. Errors in the Nuclear Energy Index data, the Nuclear Energy Index computations and/or the construction of the Nuclear Energy Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Nuclear Energy Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. When the Nuclear Energy Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund’s portfolio and the Nuclear Energy Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing may be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Nuclear Energy Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Nuclear Energy Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Nuclear Energy Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the Fund’s listing exchange (the “Exchange”), a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). The Fund may value certain of its investments and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Nuclear Energy Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Nuclear Energy Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Nuclear Energy Index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the Fund encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Nuclear Energy Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Nuclear Energy Index. Changes to the composition of the Nuclear Energy Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Nuclear Energy Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. The Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that act as APs, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that those APs exit the business, or are unable to or choose not to process creation and/or redemption orders, and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem, there may be a significantly diminished trading market for Shares or Shares may trade like closed-end funds at a discount (or premium) to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or de-listing. The AP concentration risk may be heightened in scenarios where APs have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
No Guarantee of Active Trading Market. While Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Shares will be maintained. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods in times of market stress because market makers and APs may step away from making a market in the Shares and in executing creation and redemption orders, which could cause a material deviation in the Fund’s market price from its NAV.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the Fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Passive Management Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any fund invested in equity securities traded on an exchange, such as market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in security prices. However, because the Fund is not “actively” managed, unless a specific security is removed from the Nuclear Energy Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble. Therefore, the Fund’s performance could be lower than funds that may actively shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or to lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers.
Fund Shares Trading, Premium/Discount Risk and Liquidity of Fund Shares. The market price of the Shares may fluctuate in response to the Fund’s NAV, the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The
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Adviser cannot predict whether Shares will trade above, below, or at their most recent NAV. Disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of market volatility or potential lack of an active trading market for Shares (including through a trading halt), as well as other factors, may result in Shares trading at a significant premium or discount to NAV or to the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings. If a shareholder purchases Shares at a time when the market price is at a premium to the NAV or sells Shares at a time when the market price is at a discount to the NAV, the shareholder may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Shares that were bought or sold or the shareholder may be unable to sell his or her Shares. The securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the Exchange. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when the Exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads on the Exchange and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares’ NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Fund’s Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell Shares. Investors should consult their financial intermediaries before purchasing or selling Shares of the Fund.
Issuer-Specific Changes Risk. The value of individual securities or particular types of securities in the Fund’s portfolio can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, which may have a greater impact if the Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in a country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. The value of securities of smaller issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers.
Non-Diversified Risk. The Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act. Therefore, the Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds. The Fund may be particularly vulnerable to this risk because the Nuclear Energy Index is comprised of a limited number of companies.
Concentration Risk. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Nuclear Energy Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund is concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on those sectors and/or industries may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of sectors or industries.
PERFORMANCE
The bar chart that follows shows how the Fund performed for the calendar years shown. The table below the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by comparing the Fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the one year, five year, ten year and/or since inception periods, as applicable, compared with the Fund’s benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after income taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
Annual Total Returns(%)—Calendar Years
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Best Quarter: |
28.59% |
2Q ’09 |
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Worst Quarter: |
-20.60% |
3Q ’11 |
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Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2018
The after-tax returns presented in the table below are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from those shown below. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
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Past |
Past |
Past |
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VanEck Vectors Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF (return before taxes) |
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5.15 |
% |
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4.27 |
% |
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2.60 |
% |
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VanEck Vectors Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF (return after taxes on distributions) |
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4.20 |
% |
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3.41 |
% |
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1.50 |
% |
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VanEck Vectors Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) |
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3.71 |
% |
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3.26 |
% |
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1.80 |
% |
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MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding taxes)* |
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4.84 |
% |
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3.80 |
% |
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2.53 |
% |
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S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
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-4.38 |
% |
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8.49 |
% |
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13.12 |
% |
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* |
Prior to March 24, 2014, the Fund sought to replicate an index called the DAXglobal® Nuclear Energy Index. Therefore, index data prior to March 24, 2014 reflects that of the DAXglobal® Nuclear Energy Index. From March 24, 2014 forward, the index data reflects that of the MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index. All index history reflects a blend of the aforementioned indices. |
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See “License Agreements and Disclaimers” for important information.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Investment Adviser. Van Eck Associates Corporation.
Portfolio Managers. The following individuals are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:
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Name |
Title with Adviser |
Date Began Managing the Fund |
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Peter H. Liao |
Portfolio Manager |
August 2007 |
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Guo Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio Manager |
March 2018 |
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PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in a large specified number of Shares each called a “Creation Unit,” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares.
Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than NAV (i.e., a “premium”) or less than NAV (i.e., a “discount”).
TAX INFORMATION
The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Adviser and its related companies may pay broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries (such as a bank) for the sale of the Fund Shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your broker-dealer or other intermediary or its employees or associated persons to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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800.826.2333
vaneck.com
(05/19)