The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is a widely followed measure of the expected volatility of the S&P 500. Since the VIX is not directly investable S&P 500 volatility exposure is often achieved through VIX futures. Each of the VIX futures indexes measures the movements of a combination of VIX futures and is designed to track changes in the expectation for VIX over a specific time window in the future. As a result the S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures Index and VIXY can be expected to perform differently than the VIX.
DWSH is managed by Nasdaq Dorsey Wright a firm renowned for relative strength investing. Relative strength investing involves buying securities that have appreciated in price more than the other securities in their investment universe and holding those securities until they exhibit sell signals. In implementing DWSH's shorting strategy to its core philosophy of relative strength investing, Dorsey Wright identifies and short sells those securities with the highest relative weakness within an investment universe primarily comprised of large-capitalization U.S.-traded equities.
The investment objective of HDGE is capital appreciation through short sales of domestically traded equity securities. The HDGE portfolio is sub-advised by Ranger Alternative Management L.P. The portfolio management team implements a bottom-up fundamental research driven security selection process.
VONG Invests in stocks in the Russell 1000 Growth Index a broadly diversified index predominantly made up of growth stocks of large U.S. companies. Seeks to closely track the index's return which is considered a gauge of large-cap growth U.S. stock returns. Offers high potential for investment growth; share value typically rises and falls more sharply than that of funds holding bonds.
BTAL seeks performance results that correspond to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses of the Dow Jones U.S. Thematic Market Neutral Anti-Beta Total Return Index. The target index, which is compiled by Dow Jones Indexes, is equal weighted, dollar neutral, sector neutral and is not levered. The index rebalances monthly by identifying the lowest beta stocks as long positions and highest beta stocks as short positions, of approximately equal dollar amounts, within each sector.
VONV invests in stocks in the Russell 1000 Value Index a broadly diversified index predominantly made up of value stocks of large U.S. companies. Seeks to closely track the index s return which is considered a gauge of large-cap value U.S. stock returns. Offers high potential for investment growth; share value typically rises and falls more sharply than that of funds holding bonds.
The investment objective of UNG is for the changes in percentage terms of the units net asset value to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the price of natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub Louisiana as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on natural gas traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange that is the near month contract to expire except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration in which case it will be measured by the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire less UNGs expenses.
TAIL seeks to mitigate significant downside market risk. The Fund intends to invest in a portfolio of "out of the money" put options purchased on the U.S. stock market. TAIL strategy offers the potential advantage of buying more puts when volatility is low and fewer puts when volatility is high. While a portion of the funds assets will be invested in the basket of long put option premiums, the majority of fund assets will be invested in intermediate term US Treasuries.
TLT seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. Treasury bonds with remaining maturities greater than twenty years. The ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index is part of a series of indices intended to assess U.S. Treasury issued debt. Only U.S. dollar denominated, fixed rate securities with minimum term to maturity greater than twenty years are included.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is a widely followed measure of the expected volatility of the S&P 500. Since the VIX is not directly investable S&P 500 volatility exposure is often achieved through VIX futures. Each of the VIX futures indexes measures the movements of a combination of VIX futures and is designed to track changes in the expectation for VIX over a specific time window in the future. As a result the S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures Index and VIXM can be expected to perform differently than the VIX.
The funds goal is to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of an index that measures the performance of the long-term U.S. Treasury bond market. To pursue its goal, SCHQ generally invests in securities that are included in the Bloomberg Barclays US Long Treasury Index. The index includes all publicly issued, U.S. Treasury securities that have a remaining maturity of ten or more years, are rated investment grade, and have $300 million or more of outstanding face value. The securities in the index must be denominated in U.S. dollars and must be fixed-rate and non-convertible. The index excludes U.S. Treasury stripped securities.
SPTL seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Bloomberg Barclays Long U.S. Treasury Index (the "Index"). The Bloomberg Barclays Long U.S. Treasury Index includes all publicly issued, U.S. Treasury securities that have a remaining maturity of 10 or more years, are rated investment grade, and have $250 million or more of outstanding face value. In addition, the securities must be denominated in U.S. dollars and must be fixed rate and non convertible. Excluded from the Long U.S. Treasury Index are certain special issues, such as flower bonds, TINs, state and local government series bonds, TIPS, and coupon issues that have been stripped from bonds included in the index.
PLW is based on the Ryan/NASDAQ U.S. 1-30 Year Treasury Laddered Index (Index). The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the Index. The Index measures the potential returns of the U.S. Treasury yield curve based on approximately 30 equally weighted U.S. Treasury issues with fixed coupons, scheduled to mature in a proportional, annual sequential ("laddered") structure. The Fund does not participate in Treasury Bills, Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), or zero-coupon securities (STRIPS).
UUP seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the Deutsche Bank Long USD Currency Portfolio Index - Excess ReturnTM (DB Long USD Currency Portfolio Index ER) plus the interest income from the Funds holdings of primarily US Treasury securities and money market income less the Funds expenses. The Fund is designed for investors who want a cost effective and convenient way to track the value of the U.S. dollar relative to a basket of the six major world currencies - the euro, Japanese yen, British pound, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona and Swiss franc (collectively, the "Basket Currencies").
FLSP seeks to achieve its investment goal by allocating its assets across two underlying alternative investment strategies, which represent top-down and bottom-up approaches to capturing factor-based risk premia. A risk premium is the economic concept that an investor should receive a premium (that is, a higher expected return) for bearing risk. In other words, risk premium refers to the return that is expected for assuming a particular market risk. The strategies consist of a top-down risk premia strategy and a bottom-up long/short equity strategy.
