WHEATON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Trust Advisors L.P. (“First Trust”), a leading exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) provider and asset manager, announced today that it expects to launch a new index-based ETF, the First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence and Robotics ETF (Nasdaq: ROBT) (the “fund”) on February 22, 2018. The fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield, before the fund’s fees and expenses, of an index called the Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Index (the “index”). The index, which is developed by Nasdaq and the Consumer Technology Association (“CTA”), is designed to track the performance of companies engaged in artificial intelligence (“AI”), robotics and automation.
Recent developments in AI and robotics are revolutionizing business and transforming our everyday lives. AI allows machines to complete various “human” tasks, enabling robots to solve problems and interact with their environments. “It is clear that the growing advances in AI and Robotics, while still in early days, are increasing the rate and impact of change,” said Dave Gedeon, Vice President and Head of Product Development for Nasdaq’s Global Indexes. “The Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Index is a new way to benchmark the performance of the companies leading the charge in this dynamic sector,” said Gedeon.
“Many of the technological developments taking place in AI, robotics, and automation are astounding, and we believe there are strong incentives, in both the public and the private sector, to find ways to harness these innovations. As a leading provider of thematic ETFs, we are excited to offer ROBT as a way for investors to gain exposure to this dynamic investment theme,” said Ryan Issakainen, CFA, Senior Vice President, ETF Strategist at First Trust.
For more information about First Trust, please contact Ryan Issakainen at (630) 765-8689 or RIssakainen@FTAdvisors.com.
About First Trust
First Trust Advisors L.P., along with its affiliate First Trust Portfolios L.P., are privately held companies which provide a variety of investment services, including asset management and financial advisory services, with collective assets under management or supervision of approximately $124 billion as of January 31, 2018 through unit investment trusts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, mutual funds and separate managed accounts. First Trust is based in Wheaton, Illinois. For more information, visit https://www.ftportfolios.com.
You should consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. Contact First Trust Portfolios L.P. at 1-800-621-1675 to obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information about the fund. The prospectus or summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.
ETF Characteristics
The fund will list and principally trade its shares on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
The fund's return may not match the return of the Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Index. Securities held by the fund will generally not be bought or sold in response to market fluctuations.
Investors buying or selling fund shares on the secondary market may incur customary brokerage commissions. Market prices may differ to some degree from the net asset value of the shares. Investors who sell fund shares may receive less than the share’s net asset value. Shares may be sold throughout the day on the exchange through any brokerage account. However, unlike mutual funds, shares may only be redeemed directly from a fund by authorized participants, in very large creation/redemption units. If a fund's authorized participants are unable to proceed with creation/redemption orders and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, fund shares may trade at a discount to the fund's net asset value and possibly face delisting.
Risk Considerations
The fund's shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the fund. One of the principal risks of investing in the fund is market risk. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the fund, fund shares or securities in general may fall in value. There can be no assurance that the fund's investment objective will be achieved.
The fund may invest in securities issued by companies concentrated in a particular industry, sector or country, which involves additional risks including limited diversification. The fund may invest in small capitalization and mid capitalization companies. Such companies may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies.
If the fund has lower average daily trading volumes, it may rely on a small number of third-party market makers to provide a market for the purchase and sale of shares.
An investment in a fund containing securities of non-U.S. issuers is subject to additional risks, including currency fluctuations, political risks, withholding, the lack of adequate financial information, and exchange control restrictions impacting non-U.S. issuers. These risks may be heightened for securities of companies located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries. The fund may invest in depositary receipts which may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the fund’s investment and the value of fund shares.
The fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other relatively new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time.
The fund invests in robotics and artificial intelligence companies, which may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel and are subject to the risks of changes in business cycles, world economic growth, technological progress, and government regulation. These companies are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights, and challenges to or misappropriation of such rights could have a material adverse effect on such companies. Securities of robotics and artificial intelligence companies tend to be more volatile than securities of companies that rely less heavily on technology. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies typically engage in significant amounts of spending on research and development, and rapid changes to the field could have a material adverse effect on a company’s operating results.
As the use of Internet technology has become more prevalent in the course of business, the fund has become more susceptible to potential operational risks through breaches in cyber security.
The fund is classified as "non-diversified" and may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, the fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly concentrated in certain issuers.
First Trust Advisors L.P. is the adviser to the fund. First Trust Advisors L.P. is an affiliate of First Trust Portfolios L.P., the fund's distributor.
The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. By providing this information, First Trust is not undertaking to give advice in any fiduciary capacity within the meaning of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. First Trust has no knowledge of and has not been provided any information regarding any investor. Financial advisors must determine whether particular investments are appropriate for their clients. First Trust believes the financial advisor is a fiduciary, is capable of evaluating investment risks independently and is responsible for exercising independent judgment with respect to its retirement plan clients.
Nasdaq® and Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence and Robotics IndexSM are registered trademarks and service marks of Nasdaq, Inc. (which with its affiliates is referred to as the "Corporations") and are licensed for use by First Trust Advisors L.P. The fund has not been passed on by the Corporations as to its legality or suitability. The fund is not issued, endorsed, sold, or promoted by the Corporations. THE CORPORATIONS MAKE NO WARRANTIES AND BEAR NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE FUND.
