VANECK VECTORS® GENERIC DRUGS ETF
Ticker: GNRX
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
FEBRUARY 1, 2019
GNRXSUM
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 February 1, 2019, as may be supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
VanEck Vectors® Generic Drugs ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Indxx Global Generics & New Pharma Index (the “Generic Drugs 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 |
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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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2.83 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(a) |
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3.33 |
% |
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Fee Waivers and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
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-2.78 |
% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement(a) |
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0.55 |
% |
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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 0.55% of the Fund’s average daily net assets per year until at least February 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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% annual return and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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YEAR |
EXPENSES |
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1 |
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$ |
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56 |
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3 |
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$ |
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764 |
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5 |
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$ |
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1,495 |
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10 |
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$ |
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3,432 |
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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 15% 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 Generic Drugs Index includes exchange-listed companies, on a global basis, that derive a significant proportion (as determined by Indxx, LLC (“Indxx”)) of their revenues (or that have the potential to derive a significant proportion of their revenues) from the generic drug industry, or that have a primary business focus on the generic drug industry. A company is deemed to derive a significant proportion of its revenue from the generic drug industry if (i), according to a public filing, it generates a majority of its revenue from the sale of generic drugs, (ii), in the absence of a revenue segment breakdown, it has stated its primary business to be the development and production of generic drugs or (iii) has a drug pipeline composed of generic drug filings. The universe of companies in the generic drug industry is determined based on proprietary research and analysis conducted by Indxx. Indxx uses a variety of publicly available sources for such analysis, including financial statements and other reports published by companies to determine whether the company is actively engaged in the generic drug industry. Products of these companies are pharmaceuticals that are identical, or bioequivalent in the dosage form, safety, strength, quality and intended usage to brand name pharmaceuticals. Such companies may include small- and medium-capitalization companies and U.S., foreign and emerging market issuers. American depositary receipts (“ADRs”) and global depositary receipts (“GDRs”) are eligible for inclusion in the Generic Drugs Index. As of December 31, 2018, the Generic Drugs Index included 39 securities of companies with a minimum market capitalization of $1.64 billion and a weighted average market capitalization of $14.34 billion. As of September 30, 2018, approximately 44% 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 before fees and expenses to approximate the investment performance of the Generic Drugs Index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the Generic Drugs Index. Unlike many investment companies that try to “beat” the performance of a benchmark index, the Fund does not try to “beat” the Generic Drugs 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 Generic Drugs 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 Generic Drugs Index concentrates in an industry or group of industries. As of September 30, 2018, the Fund was concentrated in the pharmaceutical industry, and the biotechnology industry 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 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 the Pharmaceutical Industry. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the pharmaceutical industry. The success of companies in the pharmaceutical industry that produce generic drugs is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of these drugs. Many companies that produce generic drugs compete with large, well-financed pharmaceutical companies with more experienced development and marketing groups. Moreover, brand-name companies continually seek new ways to delay the introduction of generic products and/or decrease the impact of generic competition, such as filing new patents on drugs whose original patent production is about to expire, developing patented controlled-release products, changing product claims and labeling, or developing and marketing as over-the-counter products those branded products that are about to face generic competition. The research and other costs associated with developing or procuring generic drugs and the related intellectual property rights can be significant, and the results of such research and expenditures are unpredictable. In addition, the potential for an increased amount of required disclosure of proprietary scientific information could negatively impact the position of these companies. Pharmaceutical companies that produce generic drugs may be susceptible to product obsolescence and face intense competition from less costly generic products. There is also the risk that pharmaceutical
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companies will be unable to obtain sufficient supplies or raw materials needed to create generic drugs. Such a shortage may also cause difficulties or delays in producing generic drugs, which would materially adversely affect a pharmaceutical company. Additionally, prices for existing generic drugs generally decline over time, although this may vary. Price deflation on existing generic drugs may have an adverse effect on profits for all companies that produce generic drugs. Companies in the pharmaceutical industry that produce generic drugs may also be subject to expenses and losses from extensive litigation based on intellectual property, product liability and similar claims. Companies in the pharmaceutical industry may be adversely affected by government regulation, corporate actions, such as mergers and acquisitions, restrictions on reimbursement rates, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. The ability of many pharmaceutical companies to commercialize current and any future products depends in part on the extent to which reimbursement for the cost of such products and related treatments are available from third party payors, such as Medicare, Medicaid and other government sponsored programs, private health insurance plans and health maintenance organizations.
Risk of Investing in the Biotechnology Industry. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the biotechnology industry. The success of biotechnology companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and/or marketing of drugs. Companies operating in the biotechnology industry are subject to similar risks of companies operating in the pharmaceutical industry, as discussed in more detail above. Additionally, a biotechnology company’s valuation can often be based largely on the potential or actual performance of a limited number of products. A biotechnology company’s valuation can also be greatly affected if one of its products proves unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable.
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.
Special Risk Considerations of Investing in Asian Issuers. Investments in securities of Asian issuers involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment 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 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 Generic Drugs Index, may negatively affect the Fund’s ability to replicate the performance of the Generic Drugs Index.
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. To the extent the Fund invests in emerging market countries, the risks of investing in such 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, limited trading capacity in local exchanges and the possibility that markets or issues may be manipulated by foreign nationals who have inside information.
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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. Moreover, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between U.S. dollars and foreign currencies.
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.
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 wholly for than in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently incur brokerage costs or recognize losses or gains 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.
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 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 Generic Drugs Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the Generic Drugs 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 Generic Drugs Index, and raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units (defined herein), which are not factored into the return of the Generic Drugs 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 Generic Drugs Index. Errors in the Generic Drugs Index data, the Generic Drugs Index computations and/or the construction of the Generic Drugs Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Generic Drugs Index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund may not be fully invested at times either as a result of cash flows into the Fund or reserves of cash held by the Fund to meet redemptions or pay expenses. In addition, the Fund may not invest in certain securities included in the Generic Drugs Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Generic Drugs Index. The Fund’s performance may also deviate from the return of the Generic Drugs 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 Generic Drugs Index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the Generic Drugs Index is not based on fair value prices), the Fund’s ability to track the Generic Drugs 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. 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 Generic Drugs Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Fund’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the Generic Drugs Index. Changes to the composition of the Generic Drugs Index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the Generic Drugs Index may cause the Fund to experience increased volatility, during which time the Fund’s index tracking risk may be heightened.
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 Generic Drugs 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.
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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.
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 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.
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.
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 Generic Drugs 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 industry or groups of 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 and since inception periods 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 taxes) is not necessarily indicative of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.vaneck.com.
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Annual Total Returns (%)—Calendar Years
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Best Quarter: |
10.91% |
4Q ’17 |
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Worst Quarter: |
-17.77% |
4Q ’18 |
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 One Year |
Since Inception |
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VanEck Vectors Generic Drugs ETF (return before taxes) |
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-14.84 |
% |
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-5.57 |
% |
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VanEck Vectors Generic Drugs ETF (return after taxes on distributions) |
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-14.83 |
% |
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-5.71 |
% |
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VanEck Vectors Generic Drugs ETF (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund Shares) |
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-8.76 |
% |
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-4.16 |
% |
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Indxx Global Generics & New Pharma Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes, except withholding taxes) |
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-14.51 |
% |
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-4.92 |
% |
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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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11.30 |
% |
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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 primarily and jointly 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 |
January 2016 |
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Guo Hua (Jason) Jin |
Portfolio Manager |
February 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
(02/19)