No assurance can be given as to the continuation of the listing for the life of the offered ETNs, or the liquidity or trading market for the offered ETNs. We are not required to maintain any listing of your ETNs on the NASDAQ exchange or any other exchange and the liquidity of the market for the ETNs could vary materially over the term of the ETNs.
Risks Relating to the Creditworthiness, Conflicts of Interest, Hedging Activities and Regulation of UBS
The ETNs are subject to the credit risk of UBS
Although the return on the ETNs is based on the performance of the Index, as reflected by their Indicative Value, the payment of any amount due on the ETNs, including any payment at maturity or upon early redemption or acceleration and any Coupon Amounts are subject to the credit risk of UBS. Investors are dependent on UBS’s ability to pay all amounts due on the ETNs, and therefore investors are subject to our credit risk. In addition, any decline in our credit ratings, any adverse changes in the market’s view of our creditworthiness or any increase in our credit spreads is likely to adversely affect the market value of the ETNs prior to maturity.
Any decline in our credit ratings may affect the market value of your ETNs
Our credit ratings are an assessment of our ability to pay our obligations, including those on the offered ETNs. Consequently, actual or anticipated declines in our credit ratings may affect the market value of your ETNs.
Trading and other transactions by us, our affiliates or third parties with whom we transact in securities or financial instruments relating to the ETNs and the Index may impair the value of your ETNs
We expect to hedge our obligations relating to the ETNs by purchasing or selling short the options contracts relating to the Index or the Reference Oil Shares, listed or over-the-counter options, futures contracts, swaps, or other derivative instruments relating to the Index, or other instruments linked to the Index, certain exchange-traded notes issued by UBS, or the futures contracts relating to the Index or the Reference Oil Shares, and adjust the hedge by, among other things, purchasing or selling any of the foregoing, at any time and from time to time, and to unwind the hedge by selling any of the foregoing, perhaps on or before the Valuation Date. We, our affiliates, or third parties with whom we transact, may also enter into, adjust and unwind hedging transactions relating to other securities whose returns are linked to the Index. Any of these hedging activities may adversely affect the level of the Index—directly or indirectly by affecting the price of the Reference Oil Shares, the Options or listed or over-the-counter options, futures contracts, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to the Index or the Options—and, therefore, the market value of your ETNs and the amount we will pay on your ETNs on the relevant Early Redemption Date, Acceleration Date or the Maturity Date. It is possible that we, our affiliates or third parties with whom we transact could receive substantial returns with respect to these hedging activities while the value of your ETNs declines or becomes zero. Any profit in connection with such hedging activities will be in addition to any other compensation that we and our affiliates receive for the sale of the ETNs, which may create an additional incentive to sell the ETNs to you.
We, our affiliates or third parties with whom we transact may also engage in trading in options or futures contracts relating to the Index or the Reference Oil Shares, or listed or over-the-counter options, futures contracts, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to the Index or the Options, or instruments whose returns are linked to the Index or the Options, certain exchange-traded notes issued by UBS or listed or over-the-counter options, futures contracts, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to the Index or the futures contracts relating to the Index for our or their proprietary accounts, for other accounts under our or their management or to facilitate transactions, including block transactions, on behalf of customers. Any of these activities could adversely affect the level of the Index—directly or indirectly by affecting the price of the Reference Oil Shares or the Options or listed or over-the-counter options, futures contracts, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to the Index or the Options—and, therefore, the market value of your ETNs and the amount we will pay on your ETNs on the relevant Early Redemption Date, Acceleration Date or the Maturity Date. We may also issue, and we, our affiliates or third parties with whom we transact may also issue or underwrite, other ETNs or financial or derivative instruments with returns linked to changes in the level of the Index or the Reference Oil Shares or listed or over-the-counter options, futures contracts, swaps or other derivative instruments relating to the Index or the Reference Oil Shares. By introducing competing products into the marketplace in this manner, we, our affiliates or third parties with whom we transact could adversely affect the market value of your ETNs and the amount we will pay on your ETNs on the relevant Early Redemption Date, Acceleration Date or the Maturity Date.
PS-44