Risks Relating to Characteristics of the Underlying Asset
♦Market risk — The return on the Notes, which may be negative, is directly linked to the performance of the underlying asset and indirectly linked to the performance of the underlying constituents and their issuers (the “underlying constituent issuers”). The level of the underlying asset can rise or fall sharply due to factors specific to the underlying asset or the underlying constituents, such as stock or commodity price volatility, earnings, financial conditions, corporate, industry and regulatory developments, management changes and decisions and other events, as well as general market factors, such as general stock and commodity market volatility and levels, interest rates and economic, political and other conditions. You, as an investor in the Notes, should conduct your own investigation into the investment adviser of the underlying asset (the“underlying asset issuer”) and the underlying asset. For additional information regarding the underlying asset and the underlying asset issuer, please see “Information About the Underlying Asset” herein and the underlying asset issuer's SEC filings referred to in that section. We urge you to review financial and other information filed periodically by the underlying asset issuer with the SEC.
♦There can be no assurance that the investment view implicit in the Notes will be successful — It is impossible to predict whether and the extent to which the level of the underlying asset will rise or fall. There can be no assurance that the closing level of the underlying asset will be equal to or greater than the coupon barrier on each observation date or, if UBS does not elect to call the Notes, that the final level will be equal to or greater than the downside threshold. The level of the underlying asset will be influenced by complex and interrelated political, economic, financial and other factors that affect the underlying constituent issuers. You should be willing to accept the downside risks of owning equities in general and the underlying asset in particular, and the risk of losing a significant portion or all of your initial investment.
♦There is no affiliation between the underlying asset issuer or any underlying constituent issuer and UBS, and UBS is not responsible for any disclosure by such issuers — We are not affiliated with the underlying asset issuer or any underlying constituent issuer. We and our affiliates may currently, or from time to time in the future engage in business with the underlying asset issuer or any underlying constituent issuer. However, we are not affiliated with the underlying asset issuer or any underlying constituent issuer and are not responsible for such issuers' public disclosure of information, whether contained in SEC filings or otherwise. You, as an investor in the Notes, should conduct your own investigation into the underlying asset, underlying constituents, the underlying asset issuer or any underlying constituent issuer. Neither the underlying asset issuer nor any underlying constituent issuer are involved in the Notes offered hereby in any way and have no obligation of any sort with respect to your Notes. Neither the underlying asset issuer nor any underlying constituent issuer have any obligation to take your interests into consideration for any reason, including when taking any corporate actions that might affect the value of, and return on, your Notes.
♦The value of the underlying asset may not completely track the value of the underlying constituents — Although the trading characteristics and valuations of an ETF will usually mirror the characteristics and valuations of the underlying constituents, the level of an ETF may not completely track the value of the underlying constituents. The level of the underlying asset will reflect transaction costs and fees that the underlying constituents in which an ETF invests do not have. In addition, although an ETF may be currently listed for trading on an exchange, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for an ETF or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.
♦Fluctuation of NAV — The net asset value (the “NAV”) of an ETF may fluctuate with changes in the market value of the underlying constituents. The market prices of an ETF may fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV and supply and demand on the applicable stock exchanges. In addition, the market price of an ETF may differ from its NAV per share; an ETF may trade at, above or below its NAV per share, meaning the level of the underlying asset may not reflect its NAV.
♦Failure of the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF to track the level of its target index — While the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF is designed and intended to track the level of a specific index as specified herein (its “target index”), various factors, including fees and other transaction costs, will prevent an ETF from correlating exactly with changes in the level of its target index. Additionally, although the performance of an ETF seeks to replicate the performance of its target index, an ETF may not invest in all the securities, futures contracts or commodities comprising its target index but rather may invest in a representative sample of the assets comprising its target index. ETFs, including the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF, are therefore subject to the risk that the investment strategy selected by its investment advisor does not successfully track the level of its target index, as discussed further herein. Accordingly, the performance of the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF will not be equal to the performance of its target index during the term of the Notes.
♦The VanEck® Gold Miners ETF utilizes a passive indexing investment approach — The VanEck® Gold Miners ETF is not managed according to traditional methods of “active” investment management, which involve the buying and selling of securities based on economic, financial and market analysis and investment judgment. Instead, the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF, utilizing a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of its target index by investing in a portfolio of stocks that generally replicate or provide a representative sample of such target index. Therefore, unless a specific underlying constituent is removed from its target index, the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF generally would not sell a security because the issuer of such underlying constituent (its “underlying constituent issuer”) was in financial trouble. In addition, the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF is subject to the risk that the investment strategy of its investment advisor may not produce the intended results.
♦The Notes are subject to currency exchange rate risk — The Notes are subject to currency exchange rate risk because the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF may invest in securities that are traded and quoted in non-U.S. currencies on non-U.S. markets. Therefore, holders of the Notes may be exposed to currency exchange rate risk with respect to the currencies in which such securities trade. The values of the currencies of the countries in which the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF may invest may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation due to changes in interest rates, the effects of monetary policies issued by the U.S., non-U.S. governments, central banks or supranational entities, the imposition of currency controls or other national or global political or economic developments. An investor’s net exposure will depend on the extent to which the relevant non-U.S. currencies strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar and the relative weight of each non-U.S. underlying constituent. If, taking into account such weighting, the U.S. dollar strengthens against the relevant non-U.S. currencies, the value of the underlying constituents will be adversely affected and the market value of, and return on, the Notes may decrease.
♦The Notes are subject to risks associated with non-U.S. securities — The VanEck® Gold Miners ETF is subject to risks associated with non-U.S. securities. Market developments may affect non-U.S. markets differently from U.S. securities markets and direct or indirect government intervention to stabilize these non-U.S. markets, as well as cross shareholdings in non-U.S. companies, may affect trading prices and volumes in those markets. Securities issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to political, economic, financial and social factors that may be unique to the particular country. These factors, which could negatively affect the applicable underlying constituent(s) include the possibility of recent or future changes in the non-U.S. government’s economic and fiscal policies, the possible imposition of, or changes in, currency exchange laws or other non-U.S. laws or restrictions applicable to non-U.S. companies or investments in non-U.S. equity securities and the possibility of fluctuations in the rate of exchange between currencies. Moreover, certain aspects of a particular non-U.S. economy may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in important respects, such as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources and self-sufficiency.
Non-U.S. securities may also be subject to regulatory risks, including sanctions. For instance, pursuant to U.S. executive orders, U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions in publicly traded securities of certain companies that are determined to be linked to the military, intelligence and security apparatus of the People’s Republic of China. The prohibition also covers any securities that are derivative of, or are designed to provide investment exposure to, such securities. Actions taken by a sponsor of a target index of an ETF or underlying asset issuer of an ETF in response to any such developments could adversely affect the performance of its target index and, as a result, the market value of, and return on the Notes. Additionally, following certain events, if