VANECK VECTORS® POLAND ETF
Ticker: PLND®
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
MAY 1, 2018
PLNDSUM
Before you invest, you may want to review the Funds prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Funds 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 Funds prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2018, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck Vectors® Poland ETF (the Fund) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® Poland Index (the Poland 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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Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
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None |
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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0.81 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
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1.31 |
% |
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Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
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-0.65 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
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0.66 |
% |
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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 Funds average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2019. During such time, the expense limitation is expected to continue until the Funds Board of Trustees acts to discontinue all or a portion of such expense limitation. |
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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
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$ |
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67 |
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3 |
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$ |
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351 |
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5 |
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$ |
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656 |
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10 |
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$ |
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1,522 |
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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 Funds performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 28% 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 Funds benchmark index. The Poland Index includes securities of Polish companies. A company is generally considered to be a Polish company if it is incorporated in Poland or is incorporated outside of Poland but has at least 50% of its revenues/related assets in Poland. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies. As of December 31, 2017, the Poland Index included 26 securities of companies with a market capitalization range of between approximately $1.1 billion and $15.9 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $7.8 billion. These amounts are subject to change. The Funds 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 Poland Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Poland Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to beat the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to beat the Poland 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 Poland 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 Poland Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of December 31, 2017, the Fund was concentrated in the financial services sector, and each of the consumer discretionary and energy sectors represented a significant portion of the Fund.
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 Funds 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.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Polish Issuers. Investment in securities of Polish issuers involves risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed countries that may negatively affect the value of your investment in the Fund. Such heightened risks include, among others, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, and the impact on the economy as a result of regional conflict, political instability, armed conflict, and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. Furthermore, events and evolving conditions in certain European countries have greatly increased market volatility due to concerns about high levels of government debt, credit rating downgrades of sovereign debt and uncertainty about the future use of the euro as a common currency. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and other bodies, including austerity measures and reforms may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future economic growth or have other uncertain or unintended consequences. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe. One or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the European Union (EU), which could have significant and far-reaching consequences. In addition, the Polish economy, along with certain other EU nations, experienced a significant slowdown during the recent financial crisis. Polands economy is dependent upon the export of raw materials and consumer goods. Poland is dependent on trading relationships with certain key trading partners, including Germany and other EU nations and, as a result, may be affected if demand for Polands exports in those nations declines or the growth of the economies of those nations declines. In addition, in a referendum held on June 23, 2016, voters in the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. The UK has provided the EU with notice of its intention to withdraw in March 2019, and the UK and the EU are currently negotiating exit terms. Significant uncertainty exists regarding the effects such withdrawal will have on the euro, European economies and global markets.
The securities markets in Poland are underdeveloped and are less correlated to global economic cycles than those markets located in more developed countries. As a result, securities markets in Poland are subject to greater risks associated with market volatility, lower market capitalization, lower trading volume, illiquidity, inflation, greater price fluctuations, uncertainty
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regarding the existence of trading markets, governmental control and heavy regulation of labor and industry. Moreover, trading on securities markets may be suspended altogether.
The government in Poland may restrict or control to varying degrees the ability of foreign investors to invest in securities of issuers located or operating in Poland. These restrictions and/or controls may at times limit or prevent foreign investment in securities of issuers located or operating in Poland. Moreover, Poland may require governmental approval or special licenses prior to investments by foreign investors and may limit the amount of investments by foreign investors in a particular industry and/or issuer and may limit such foreign investment to a certain class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of Poland and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. These factors, among others, make investing in issuers located or operating in Poland significantly riskier than investing in issuers located or operating in more developed countries, and any one of them could cause a decline in the value of the Funds Shares.
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 Funds investments. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries.
Risk of Investing in Emerging Market Issuers. Investments in securities of emerging market issuers are exposed to a number of risks that may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Emerging markets are more likely than developed markets to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Political risks may include unstable governments, nationalization, restrictions on foreign ownership, laws that prevent investors from getting their money out of a country and legal systems that do not protect property rights as well as the laws of the United States. Market risks may include economies that concentrate in only a few industries, securities issues that are held by only a few investors, liquidity issues and limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
Foreign Currency Risk. Because the Funds assets may be invested in securities denominated in foreign currencies, the income received by the Fund from these investments will generally be in foreign currencies. The Funds 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. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies. The value of certain foreign countries currencies may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation. This fluctuation may be due to changes in interest rates, investors expectations concerning inflation and interest rates, the countrys debt levels and trade deficit, the effects of monetary policies issued by the United States, foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities, the imposition of currency controls or other national or global political or economic developments. The economies of certain emerging market countries can be significantly affected by currency devaluations. Certain emerging market countries may also have managed currencies which are maintained at artificial levels relative to the U.S. dollar rather than at levels determined by the market. This type of system could lead to sudden and large adjustments in the currency, which in turn, may have a negative effect on the Fund and its investments.
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 Poland Index, may negatively affect the Funds ability to replicate the performance of the Poland Index.
Risk of Investing in the Consumer Discretionary Sector. To the extent that the consumer discretionary sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the consumer discretionary sector. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Risk of Investing in the Energy Sector. To the extent that the energy sector continues to represent a significant portion of the Fund, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the energy sector. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to risks including, but not limited to, economic growth, worldwide demand, political instability in the regions that the companies operate, government regulation
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stipulating rates charged by utilities, interest rate sensitivity, oil price volatility, energy conservation, environmental policies, depletion of resources, the cost of providing the specific utility services and other factors that they cannot control. Recently, oil prices have continued to remain at low levels following a significant decrease. Oil prices are subject to significant volatility, which has adversely impacted companies operating in the energy sector. In addition, these companies are at risk of civil liability from accidents resulting in injury, loss of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims and risk of loss from terrorism and natural disasters.
Risk of Investing in the Financial Services Sector. To the extent that the Fund continues to be concentrated in the financial services sector, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the financial services sector. Companies in the financial services sector may be subject to extensive government regulation that affects the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. The profitability of companies in the financial services sector may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates, by loan losses, which usually increase in economic downturns, and by credit rating downgrades. In addition, the financial services sector is undergoing numerous changes, including continuing consolidations, development of new products and structures and changes to its regulatory framework. Furthermore, some companies in the financial services sector perceived as benefitting from government intervention in the past may be subject to future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or face increased government involvement in their operations. Increased government involvement in the financial services sector, including measures such as taking ownership positions in financial institutions, could result in a dilution of the Funds investments in financial institutions. Recent developments in the credit markets may cause companies operating in the financial services sector to incur large losses, experience declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations.
Risk of Investing in Medium-Capitalization Companies. 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 medium-capitalization companies could trail the returns on investments in securities of large-capitalization companies.
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 companys 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.
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 Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures.
Index Tracking Risk. The Funds return may not match the return of the Poland Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses, including taxes, not applicable to the Poland Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Poland Index, which are not factored into the return of the Poland Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds 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 Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Poland Index. Errors in the Poland Index data, the Poland Index computations and/or the construction of the Poland Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Poland Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Poland Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Poland Index. The Funds performance may also deviate from the return of the Poland Index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the government of Poland, certain NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) listing standards, 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 underlying currencies based on fair value prices. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Poland Index is based on securities closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Poland Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Poland 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.
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The Fund may also need to rely on borrowings to meet redemptions, which may lead to increased expenses. 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 Poland Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Poland Index. Changes to the composition of the Poland Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Poland Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Funds 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 NYSE Arca, 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 Funds market price from its NAV.
Trading Issues. Trading in Shares on NYSE Arca may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of NYSE Arca, make trading in Shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in Shares on NYSE Arca is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to NYSE Arcas "circuit breaker" rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NYSE Arca 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 Poland Index, the Fund generally would not sell a security because the securitys issuer was in financial trouble. Therefore, the Funds 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 Funds NAV, the intraday value of the Funds holdings and supply and demand for Shares. The 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 Funds 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 NYSE Arca. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads on NYSE Arca and the resulting premium or discount to the Shares NAV may widen. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the Funds Shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Funds 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.
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 Funds NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified funds.
Concentration Risk. The Funds assets may be concentrated in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent the Poland Index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries. To the extent that the Fund continues to be concentrated in the financial services sector, the Fund will be subject to the risk that economic, political or other conditions that have a negative effect on that sector may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Funds 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 Funds average annual returns (before and after taxes). The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks
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of investing in the Fund by comparing the Funds performance from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for the one year, five year and since inception periods compared with the Funds benchmark index and a broad measure of market performance. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Funds 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: |
31.98% |
3Q 10 |
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Worst Quarter: |
-35.24% |
3Q 11 |
Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2017
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 |
Since Inception |
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VanEck Vectors Poland ETF (return before taxes) |
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54.44 |
% |
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1.22 |
% |
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0.53 |
% |
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VanEck Vectors Poland ETF (return after taxes on distributions) |
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51.15 |
% |
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-0.06 |
% |
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-0.42 |
% |
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VanEck Vectors Poland ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) |
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30.79 |
% |
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0.41 |
% |
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0.15 |
% |
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MVIS Poland Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding taxes) |
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53.54 |
% |
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1.28 |
% |
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0.73 |
% |
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S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
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21.83 |
% |
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15.79 |
% |
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13.88 |
% |
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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 Funds portfolio:
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Name |
Title with Adviser |
Date Began Managing the Fund |
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Peter H. Liao |
Portfolio Manager |
November 2009 |
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Guo Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio Manager |
March 2018 |
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 NYSE Arca and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV.
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TAX INFORMATION
The Funds 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 intermediarys website for more information.
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800.826.2333
vaneck.com
(05/18)