NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York-based investment manager Van Eck Global announced that it is contractually lowering the expense cap of its Market Vectors Indonesia Index ETF (ticker: IDX) and Market Vectors Poland ETF (ticker: PLND), effective today. Investors in these funds will pay lower fees as a result of these reductions.
The IDX expense cap was cut from 0.68% to 0.60%. The PLND expense cap was lowered from 0.65% to 0.60%. These expense reductions will remain in effect at least until May 1, 2012. The gross expense ratios for these funds are 0.72% and 7.31%, respectively.
“International funds generally have higher net expense ratios than domestic funds but we try to pass on lower expenses to shareholders as we achieve economies of scale,” said Jan van Eck, Principal at Van Eck Global.”
IDX and PLND both offer comprehensive coverage as they include publicly traded companies deriving at least 50% of their revenues in their target country even if those companies are domiciled or headquartered elsewhere. Constituents and weights of both ETFs are updated and published daily and are accessible for free. Constituent weights are capped at 8% and each must meet minimum requirements for market capitalization and daily trading volume.
As of December 31, 2010, Van Eck Global had approximately $20B in ETF assets under management, making it the sixth largest provider of ETFs in the United States and eighth largest worldwide. It offers 29 ETFs under its Market Vectors brand. These funds focus on international markets, hard assets, municipal bonds and other fixed income investment categories.
IDX and PLND are two of 11 international Market Vectors ETFs. Others include ETFs focused on Africa (AFK), Brazil (BRF), China (PEK), Egypt (EGPT), Gulf States (MES), India (SCIF), Latin America (LATM), Russia (RSX) and Vietnam (VNM).
About Van Eck Global
Founded in 1955, Van Eck Associates Corporation was among the first U.S. money managers helping investors achieve greater diversification through global investing. Today the firm continues that 50+ year tradition by offering global investment choices in hard assets, emerging markets, precious metals including gold, and other specialized asset classes.
Market Vectors exchange-traded products have been offered by Van Eck Global since 2006 when the firm launched the nation’s first gold-mining ETF. Today, Market Vectors ETFs and ETNs span several asset classes, including equities, municipal bonds and currency markets.
Van Eck Global also offers mutual funds, insurance trust funds, separate accounts and alternative investments. Designed for investors seeking innovative choices for portfolio diversification, Van Eck Global’s investment products are often categorized in asset classes having returns with low correlations to those of more traditional U.S. equity and fixed income investments.
About the Reduced Expense Ratios
Van Eck Global has agreed to waive fees and/or pay the Funds’ expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the Funds’ operating expenses (excluding interest expense, offering costs, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.60% of the Funds’ average daily net assets per year until at least May 1, 2012. 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. As typically case, interest expense and certain other expenses are excluded from the expense cap.
Other Important Disclosures
Market Vectors Indonesia Index ETF is subject to elevated risks, including those associated with investments in foreign securities, in particular Indonesian issuers, which include, among others, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, political instability, armed conflict and social instability. Investors should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility and the potential of significant loss. The Fund may loan its securities, which may subject it to additional credit and counterparty risk. Please refer to the prospectus for more complete information on the risks of investing in the Fund.
Market Vectors Poland ETF is subject to elevated risks, which include, among others, political and economic instability, inflation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization and expropriation, Polish securities market volatility, less reliable financial information, differences in accounting, auditing, and financial standards and requirements from those applicable to U.S. issuers, and uncertainty of implementation of existing Polish law. The Fund may loan its securities, which may subject it to additional credit and counterparty risk. Investors should be willing to accept a high degree of volatility and the potential for significant loss. Please refer to the prospectus for complete risk information.
Market Vectors Indonesia Index and Market Vectors Poland Index (the “Indices”) are the exclusive property of 4asset-management GmbH, which has contracted with Structured Solutions AG to maintain and calculate the Indices. Structured Solutions AG uses its best efforts to ensure that the Indices are calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards 4asset-management GmbH, Structured Solutions AG has no obligation to point out errors in the Indices to third parties. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by 4asset-management GmbH and 4asset-management GmbH makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds.
Fund shares are not individually redeemable and will be issued and redeemed at their net asset value (“NAV”) only through certain authorized broker-dealers in large, specified blocks of shares called “creation units” and otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading. Creation units are issued and redeemed principally in kind. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment company carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 888.MKT.VCTR or visit vaneck.com/etf. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.
Van Eck Securities Corporation, Distributor, 335 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017