UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT
OF
REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
OF
REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act file number: 811-22311
Schwab Strategic Trust
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
211 Main Street, San Francisco, California 94105
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Marie Chandoha
Schwab Strategic Trust — Schwab U.S. REIT ETF Fund
211 Main Street, San Francisco, California 94105
(Name and address of agent for service)
Schwab Strategic Trust — Schwab U.S. REIT ETF Fund
211 Main Street, San Francisco, California 94105
(Name and address of agent for service)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (415) 636-7000
Date of fiscal year end: February 28
Date of reporting period: February 28, 2011
Item 1: Report(s) to Shareholders.
Annual report dated February 28, 2011 enclosed.
Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm
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Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm
Annual Report
February 28, 2011
In This Report
1 | ||
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26 |
Fund investment adviser: Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM).
Distributor: SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO).
Distributor: SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO).
The Sector/Industry classifications in this report use the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by and is the exclusive property of Morgan Stanley Capital International Inc. (MSCI) and Standard & Poor’s (S&P). GICS is a service mark of MSCI and S&P and has been licensed for use by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. The Industry classifications used in the schedules of Portfolio Holdings are sub-categories of Sector classifications.
Performance at a Glance
The performance quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabetfs.com.
Total Return from Inception* to February 28, 2011 | ||||
Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm (Ticker Symbol: SCHH) | ||||
NAV Return1 | 8.47% | |||
Market Price Return1 | 8.55% | |||
Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM | 8.51% | |||
ETF Category: Morningstar Real Estate2 | 9.26% | |||
Performance Details | pages 4-5 | |||
All fund and index figures on this page assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged, and you cannot invest in them directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized. Performance does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the redemption of fund shares.
Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Unlike mutual funds, shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable directly with the ETF. Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
Index ownership — “Dow Jones” and “The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM” are service marks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings, LLC, (“Dow Jones”), have been licensed to CME Group Index Services LLC (“CME Indexes”), and sublicensed for use for certain purposes by CSIM, the fund’s investment adviser. Fees payable under the license are paid by CSIM. The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF, based on The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM, is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Dow Jones or CME Indexes and neither makes any representation regarding the advisability of trading in such product.
* | Inception represents the date that the shares began trading in the secondary market. Total returns are since inception date of 1/13/11. These total returns may differ from those disclosed in the Financial Highlights, as the total returns in the Financial Highlights are calculated from the commencement of operations date which is the first day the NAV was determined. |
1 | The fund’s per share net asset value (“NAV”) is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the market value of securities owned), subtracting liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding. The NAV Return is based on the NAV of the fund, and the Market Price Return is based on the market price per share of the fund. The price used to calculate market return (“Market Price”) is determined by using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the primary stock exchange on which the shares of the fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the fund’s NAV is calculated. NAV is used as a proxy for purposes of calculating Market Price Return on inception date. Market Price and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively. |
2 | The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs within the category as of the report date. |
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF 1
From the President
Marie Chandoha is President and CEO of Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. and the fund covered in this report.
Improvements in the economic outlook and liquidity proved a boon to commercial real estate both around the globe and domestically.
Dear Shareholder,
It is a pleasure to write to you in connection with the accompanying annual report for the Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm for the period that began with the inception of the fund on January 13, 2011, and ended February 28, 2011.
The U.S. economy continued to slowly rebound from the 2008 market crisis, and equity markets strengthened during the reporting period, boosted by strong corporate earnings and actions by the Federal Reserve to bolster economic growth through accommodative monetary policy. The S&P 500 Index rose 5.9% from the beginning of 2011 and international equities appreciated as well. The global economy was not without its hiccups, however, as political upheaval in the Middle East and northern Africa roiled oil and other commodities markets. Inflation also began to concern many investors in the United States who viewed the Fed’s monetary policy as too stimulative.
Improvements in the economic outlook and liquidity proved a boon to commercial real estate both around the globe and domestically. Real estate fundamentals improved and owners of real estate in select locations and types of properties began to see their property values firm after the long downturn in sales and prices.
The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF benefited from the strengthening in real estate across the nation. The fund’s NAV return was 8.5% for the reporting period, performing in line with its comparative index, the Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM, which also returned 8.5%. For details about the fund’s performance, please see the managers’ discussion and analysis in the following pages.
The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF, launched at the same time as the Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETFtm, represents the latest addition to the firm’s line of proprietary ETFs and expands the offering to 13 equity and fixed income funds. Our newest ETFs are part of Schwab’s ongoing commitment to offering broad exposure to core market segments at a compelling value.
Thank you for investing in the Schwab U.S. REIT ETF. We encourage you to review your investment portfolio regularly to make sure it meets your current financial plan. For answers to questions you may have or to consult our website for more information, please visit www.schwabetfs.com. We are also happy to hear from you at 1-800-435-4000.
Sincerely,
Investors should consider carefully information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can request a prospectus by calling Schwab at 800-435-4000. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
2 Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Fund Management
Agnes Hong, CFA, a managing director and portfolio manager of the Adviser, has day-to-day responsibility for co-management of the fund. Prior to joining the firm in September 2009, she worked for more than five years as a portfolio manager for a major asset management firm. | ||
Ferian Juwono, CFA, a managing director and portfolio manager of the Adviser, has day-to-day responsibility for co-management of the fund. Prior to joining the firm in May 2010, he was a portfolio manager at a major asset management firm for three years. Before that position, he was a senior business analyst at a major financial firm for nearly two years. In addition, he was a senior financial analyst at a regional banking firm for four years. |
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF 3
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF™
The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (the fund) seeks to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM(the index). The index is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index comprised of real estate investment trusts (REITs). The index generally includes REITs that own and operate income producing commercial and/or residential real estate, derive at least 75% of the REITs’ total revenue from the ownership and operation of real estate assets, and have a minimum total market capitalization of $200 million at the time of its inclusion.
During the reporting period that began with the fund’s inception date of January 13, 2011 and ended February 28, 2011, the fund’s market price return was 8.55% and its NAV return was 8.47%. (For an explanation of the market price and NAV returns, please refer to footnote 2 on the following page.) The index returned 8.51% during the same period.
All sub-industries reported positive returns in the U.S. REIT ETF. The best performing sub-industry in the fund and the index was Industrial REITs, while Specialized REITs was the weakest performing sub-industry. Retail REITs, with an average weight of over 25% of the fund and index during the period, was the best contributor to fund and index returns.
As of 2/28/11:
Statistics
Number of Holdings | 83 | |
Weighted Average Market Cap ($ x 1,000,000) | $10,595 | |
Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E) | -96.6 | |
Price/Book Ratio (P/B) | 2.4 | |
Portfolio Turnover Rate2 | 0% |
Sector Weightings % of Investments
Specialized REITs | 25.7% | |
Retail REITs | 25.3% | |
Residential REITs | 17.4% | |
Office REITs | 16.9% | |
Diversified REITs | 8.1% | |
Industrial REITs | 6.4% | |
Other | 0.2% | |
Total | 100.0% |
Top Equity Holdings % of Net Assets1
Simon Property Group, Inc. | 10.0% | |
Vornado Realty Trust | 5.2% | |
Public Storage | 4.9% | |
Equity Residential | 4.8% | |
HCP, Inc. | 4.3% | |
Boston Properties, Inc. | 4.1% | |
Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | 3.7% | |
AvalonBay Communities, Inc. | 3.2% | |
ProLogis | 2.9% | |
Ventas, Inc. | 2.7% | |
Total | 45.8% |
Manager views and portfolio holdings may have changed since the report date.
An index is a statistical composite of a specified financial market or sector. Unlike the fund, an index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and its return is not inclusive of operational and transaction costs incurred by the fund.
Investment returns will fluctuate and are subject to market volatility, so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed or sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Unlike mutual funds, shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable directly with the ETF.
Source of Sector Classification: S&P and MSCI.
1 | This list is not a recommendation of any security by the investment adviser. | |
2 | Not annualized. |
4 Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm
Performance Summary as of 2/28/11
The performance quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabetfs.com.
January 13, 2011 – February 28, 2011
Performance of a Hypothetical
$10,000 Investment1
Performance of a Hypothetical
$10,000 Investment1
Total Returns1
Fund and Inception Date | Since Inception* | ||||
Fund: Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm (1/13/11) | |||||
NAV Return2 | 8.47 | % | |||
Market Price Return2 | 8.55 | % | |||
Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM | 8.51 | % | |||
ETF Category: Morningstar Real Estate3 | 9.26 | % |
Fund Expense Ratio4: 0.13%
Style Assessment5
All total returns on this page assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged, and you cannot invest in them directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
Investing in REITs may pose additional risks such as real estate industry risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk. The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF is non-diversified and may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, the fund may experience increased volatility.
Index ownership — “Dow Jones” and “The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM” are service marks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings, LLC, (“Dow Jones”), have been licensed to CME Group Index Services LLC (“CME Indexes”), and sublicensed for use for certain purposes by CSIM, the fund’s investment adviser. Fees payable under the license are paid by CSIM. The Schwab U.S. REIT ETF, based on The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT IndexSM, is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Dow Jones or CME Indexes and neither makes any representation regarding the advisability of trading in such product.
* | Inception represents the date that the shares began trading in the secondary market. | |
1 | Performance does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the redemption of fund shares. | |
2 | The fund’s per share net asset value (“NAV”) is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the market value of securities owned), subtracting liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding. The NAV Return is based on the NAV of the fund, and the Market Price Return is based on the market price per share of the fund. The price used to calculate market return (“Market Price”) is determined by using the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the primary stock exchange on which the shares of the fund are listed for trading, as of the time that the fund’s NAV is calculated. NAV is used as a proxy for purposes of calculating Market Price Return on inception date. Market Price and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund at Market Price and NAV, respectively. | |
3 | Source for category information: Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs within the category as of the report date. | |
4 | As stated in the prospectus. | |
5 | Source: Morningstar, Inc. This style assessment is the result of evaluating the fund based on a ten-factor model for value and growth characteristics. The fund’s market capitalization placement is determined by the geometric mean of its holdings’ market capitalizations. The assessment reflects the fund’s portfolio as of 2/28/11, which may have changed since then, and is not a precise indication of risk or performance—past, present, or future. |
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF 5
Fund Expenses (Unaudited)
Examples for a $1,000 Investment
As a fund shareholder, you incur two types of costs: transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions and redemption fees; and ongoing costs, such as management fees, transfer agent and shareholder services fees, and other fund expenses.
The expense examples below are intended to help you understand your ongoing cost (in dollars) of investing in a fund and to compare this cost with the ongoing cost of investing in other mutual funds. These examples are based on an investment of $1,000 invested for the period since commencement of operations on January 12, 2011 and held through February 28, 2011.
Actual Return lines in the table below provide information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use this information, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. To do so, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value ¸ $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number given for your fund or share class under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period.”
Hypothetical Return lines in the table below provide information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on a fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed return of 5% per year before expenses. Because the return used is not an actual return, it may not be used to estimate the actual ending account value or expenses you paid for the period.
You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only, and do not reflect any transactional costs, including any redemption fees or brokerage commissions you may pay when purchasing or redeeming shares of the fund. If these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
Ending | ||||||||||||||||
Beginning | Account Value | Expenses Paid | ||||||||||||||
Expense Ratio1 | Account Value | (Net of Expenses) | During Period | |||||||||||||
(Annualized) | at 1/12/11 | at 2/28/11 | 1/12/11-2/28/11 | |||||||||||||
Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm | ||||||||||||||||
Actual Return | 0.13% | $ | 1,000 | $ | 1,091.20 | $ | 0.18 | |||||||||
Hypothetical 5% Return | 0.13% | $ | 1,000 | $ | 1,006.40 | $ | 0.17 | |||||||||
1 | Expenses for the fund are equal to its annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the 48 days of the period (from commencement of operations on 1/12/2011 through 2/28/11), and divided by the 365 days of the fiscal year. |
6 Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF™
Financial Statements
Financial Highlights
1/12/111– | ||||||
2/28/11 | ||||||
Per-Share Data ($) | ||||||
Net asset value at beginning of period | 25.00 | |||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||||
Net investment income (loss) | 0.06 | |||||
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | 2.22 | |||||
Total from investment operations | 2.28 | |||||
Net asset value at end of period | 27.28 | |||||
Total return (%) | 9.12 | 2 | ||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%) | ||||||
Ratios to average net assets: | ||||||
Net operating expenses | 0.13 | 3 | ||||
Gross operating expenses | 0.13 | 3 | ||||
Net investment income (loss) | 3.82 | 3 | ||||
Portfolio turnover rate4 | — | 2 | ||||
Net assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | 69,566 |
1 Commencement of operations.
2 Not annualized.
3 Annualized.
4 Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions.
See financial notes 7
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Portfolio Holdings as of February 28, 2011
This section shows all the securities in the fund’s portfolio and their values as of the report date.
The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may be viewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Call 1-800-SEC-0330 for information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. The fund also makes available its complete schedule of portfolio holdings on a daily basis on Schwab’s website at www.schwabetfs.com.
Cost | Value | |||||||||||
Holdings by Category | ($) | ($) | ||||||||||
99 | .7% | Common Stock | 66,795,082 | 69,375,900 | ||||||||
0 | .2% | Other Investment Company | 130,540 | 130,540 | ||||||||
99 | .9% | Total Investments | 66,925,622 | 69,506,440 | ||||||||
0 | .1% | Other Assets and Liabilities, Net | 59,675 | |||||||||
100 | .0% | Net Assets | 69,566,115 |
Number | Value | |||||||
Security | of Shares | ($) | ||||||
Common Stock 99.7% of net assets | ||||||||
Diversified REITs 8.1% | ||||||||
Colonial Properties Trust | 16,728 | 329,709 | ||||||
Cousins Properties, Inc. | 19,482 | 165,208 | ||||||
Liberty Property Trust | 24,429 | 824,967 | ||||||
PS Business Parks, Inc. | 4,182 | 263,633 | ||||||
Vornado Realty Trust | 38,916 | 3,632,030 | ||||||
Washington Real Estate Investment Trust | 13,770 | 430,175 | ||||||
5,645,722 | ||||||||
Industrial REITs 6.4% | ||||||||
AMB Property Corp. | 36,261 | 1,319,175 | ||||||
DCT Industrial Trust, Inc. | 45,441 | 255,378 | ||||||
DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. | 12,750 | 311,355 | ||||||
EastGroup Properties, Inc. | 5,814 | 264,712 | ||||||
First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. * | 12,546 | 140,641 | ||||||
First Potomac Realty Trust | 10,608 | 171,107 | ||||||
ProLogis | 122,877 | 1,997,980 | ||||||
4,460,348 | ||||||||
Office REITs 16.9% | ||||||||
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. | 11,934 | 957,107 | ||||||
BioMed Realty Trust, Inc. | 28,152 | 510,959 | ||||||
Boston Properties, Inc. | 29,940 | 2,871,845 | ||||||
Brandywine Realty Trust | 28,917 | 355,679 | ||||||
CommonWealth REIT | 15,657 | 449,512 | ||||||
Corporate Office Properties Trust | 14,229 | 510,394 | ||||||
Digital Realty Trust, Inc. | 19,533 | 1,148,931 | ||||||
Douglas Emmett, Inc. | 26,733 | 501,244 | ||||||
Duke Realty Corp. | 54,315 | 764,212 | ||||||
Franklin Street Properties Corp. | 15,504 | 233,025 | ||||||
Highwoods Properties, Inc. | 15,510 | 526,254 | ||||||
Kilroy Realty Corp. | 11,271 | 436,751 | ||||||
Mack-Cali Realty Corp. | 17,142 | 581,800 | ||||||
Parkway Properties, Inc. | 4,692 | 76,057 | ||||||
Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc., Class A | 28,719 | 574,380 | ||||||
SL Green Realty Corp. | 16,830 | 1,274,536 | ||||||
11,772,686 | ||||||||
Residential REITs 17.4% | ||||||||
American Campus Communities, Inc. | 14,382 | 480,647 | ||||||
Apartment Investment & Management Co., Class A | 25,296 | 648,842 | ||||||
AvalonBay Communities, Inc. | 18,414 | 2,228,646 | ||||||
BRE Properties, Inc. | 13,821 | 656,636 | ||||||
Camden Property Trust | 14,841 | 878,142 | ||||||
Education Realty Trust, Inc. | 15,657 | 129,170 | ||||||
Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. | 6,630 | 384,805 | ||||||
Equity Residential | 61,104 | 3,367,442 | ||||||
Essex Property Trust, Inc. | 6,783 | 839,600 | ||||||
Home Properties, Inc. | 8,112 | 477,959 | ||||||
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. | 7,398 | 480,648 | ||||||
Post Properties, Inc. | 10,512 | 409,968 | ||||||
Sun Communities, Inc. | 3,825 | 132,269 | ||||||
UDR, Inc. | 39,270 | 955,046 | ||||||
12,069,820 | ||||||||
Retail REITs 25.3% | ||||||||
Acadia Realty Trust | 8,619 | 170,656 | ||||||
Alexander’s, Inc. | 765 | 302,733 | ||||||
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. | 29,682 | 529,824 | ||||||
Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc. | 11,016 | 66,757 | ||||||
Developers Diversified Realty Corp. | 41,934 | 599,656 | ||||||
Equity One, Inc. | 11,883 | 227,441 | ||||||
Federal Realty Investment Trust | 13,158 | 1,107,640 | ||||||
General Growth Properties, Inc. * | 84,813 | 1,350,223 | ||||||
Inland Real Estate Corp. | 16,269 | 153,254 | ||||||
Kimco Realty Corp. | 86,763 | 1,681,467 | ||||||
Kite Realty Group Trust | 13,515 | 76,225 | ||||||
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust | 11,883 | 171,590 | ||||||
Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust | 8,160 | 110,242 | ||||||
Regency Centers Corp. | 17,646 | 798,481 | ||||||
Saul Centers, Inc. | 1,740 | 80,040 | ||||||
Simon Property Group, Inc. | 63,246 | 6,959,590 | ||||||
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. | 17,340 | 462,111 | ||||||
Taubman Centers, Inc. | 11,781 | 653,610 | ||||||
The Macerich Co. | 28,056 | 1,420,756 | ||||||
Weingarten Realty Investors | 25,755 | 666,282 | ||||||
17,588,578 | ||||||||
Specialized REITs 25.6% | ||||||||
Ashford Hospitality Trust * | 12,597 | 129,875 | ||||||
DiamondRock Hospitality Co. * | 33,252 | 391,044 | ||||||
Extra Space Storage, Inc. | 18,615 | 367,646 | ||||||
FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc. * | 20,859 | 157,903 | ||||||
HCP, Inc. | 78,294 | 2,975,172 | ||||||
Health Care REIT, Inc. | 31,263 | 1,632,554 | ||||||
Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc. | 13,872 | 323,218 | ||||||
Hersha Hospitality Trust | 32,334 | 212,434 | ||||||
Hospitality Properties Trust | 26,622 | 612,306 |
8 See financial notes
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Portfolio Holdings continued
Number | Value | |||||||
Security | of Shares | ($) | ||||||
Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | 142,152 | 2,615,597 | ||||||
LaSalle Hotel Properties | 15,102 | 426,027 | ||||||
Nationwide Health Properties, Inc. | 29,121 | 1,244,632 | ||||||
Public Storage | 30,450 | 3,418,012 | ||||||
Senior Housing Properties Trust | 27,336 | 670,825 | ||||||
Sovran Self Storage, Inc. | 5,916 | 229,541 | ||||||
Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. * | 25,347 | 272,227 | ||||||
U-Store-It Trust | 18,156 | 186,099 | ||||||
Universal Health Realty Income Trust | 2,499 | 99,385 | ||||||
Ventas, Inc. | 33,819 | 1,874,249 | ||||||
17,838,746 | ||||||||
Total Common Stock | ||||||||
(Cost $66,795,082) | 69,375,900 | |||||||
Other Investment Company 0.2% of net assets | ||||||||
Money Fund 0.2% | ||||||||
State Street Institutional Liquid Reserves Fund - Institutional Class | 130,540 | 130,540 | ||||||
Total Other Investment Company | ||||||||
(Cost $130,540) | 130,540 | |||||||
End of Investments |
At 2/28/11, the tax basis cost of the fund’s investments was $66,925,622 and the unrealized appreciation and depreciation were $2,728,695 and ($147,877), respectively, with a net unrealized appreciation of $2,580,818.
* | Non-income producing security. |
See financial notes 9
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
As of February 28, 2011
Assets | ||||||
Investments, at value (cost $66,925,622) | $69,506,440 | |||||
Receivables: | ||||||
Fund shares sold | 5,425,416 | |||||
Dividends | 45,069 | |||||
Interest | + | 11 | ||||
Total assets | 74,976,936 | |||||
Liabilities | ||||||
Payables: | ||||||
Investments bought | 5,410,030 | |||||
Investment adviser fees | + | 791 | ||||
Total liabilities | 5,410,821 | |||||
Net Assets | ||||||
Total assets | 74,976,936 | |||||
Total liabilities | − | 5,410,821 | ||||
Net assets | $69,566,115 | |||||
Net Assets by Source | ||||||
Capital received from investors | 66,834,980 | |||||
Net investment income not yet distributed | 150,317 | |||||
Net unrealized capital gains | 2,580,818 | |||||
Net Asset Value (NAV) |
Shares | ||||||||||||
Net Assets | ÷ | Outstanding | = | NAV | ||||||||
$69,566,115 | 2,550,001 | $27.28 |
10 See financial notes
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Statement of
Operations
For January 12, 2011* through February 28, 2011
Investment Income | ||||||
Dividends | $155,422 | |||||
Interest | + | 13 | ||||
Total investment income | 155,435 | |||||
Expenses | ||||||
Investment adviser fees | 5,118 | |||||
Total expenses | − | 5,118 | ||||
Net investment income | 150,317 | |||||
Net realized gains on investments | — | |||||
Net unrealized gains on investments | + | 2,580,818 | ||||
Net realized and unrealized gains | 2,580,818 | |||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | $2,731,135 |
* | Commencement of operations. |
See financial notes 11
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Statements of
Changes in Net Assets
For the current period only. Because the fund commenced operations on
January 12, 2011, it has no prior report period.
January 12, 2011, it has no prior report period.
Operations | ||||||
1/12/11*-2/28/11 | ||||||
Net investment income | $150,317 | |||||
Net realized gains | — | |||||
Net unrealized gains | + | 2,580,818 | ||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 2,731,135 |
Transactions in Fund Shares
1/12/11*-2/28/11 | ||||||||||
SHARES | VALUE | |||||||||
Shares Sold | 2,550,001 | $66,834,980 | ||||||||
Shares Redeemed | + | — | — | |||||||
Net transactions in fund shares | 2,550,001 | $66,834,980 | ||||||||
Shares Outstanding and Net Assets | ||||||||||
1/12/11*-2/28/11 | ||||||||||
SHARES | NET ASSETS | |||||||||
Beginning of period | — | $— | ||||||||
Total increase | + | 2,550,001 | 69,566,115 | |||||||
End of period | 2,550,001 | $69,566,115 | ||||||||
Net investment income not yet distributed | $150,317 |
* | Commencement of operations. |
12 See financial notes
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes
1. Business Structure of the Funds:
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF is a series of Schwab Strategic Trust (the “trust”), a no-load, open-end management investment company. The trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The list below shows all the funds in the trust including the fund discussed in this report, which is highlighted:
Schwab Strategic Trust (organized January 27, 2009) | Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF | |||
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF | Schwab International Equity ETF | |||
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF | Schwab International Small-Cap ETF | |||
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF | |||
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF | |||
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF | |||
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF | Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF | |||
The fund issues and redeems shares at its net asset value (“NAV”) only in large blocks of shares, typically 50,000 shares or more (“Creation Units”). These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutions purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the fund are not redeemable securities.
Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the fund will approximate its NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly.
The fund commenced operations on January 12, 2011.
The fund maintains its own account for purposes of holding assets and accounting, and is considered a separate entity for tax purposes. Within its account, the fund may also keep certain assets in segregated accounts, as required by securities law.
2. Significant Accounting Policies:
The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies the fund uses in the preparation of its financial statements. The accounting policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
(a) Security Valuation:
The fund values the securities in its portfolios every business day. The fund uses the following policies to value various types of securities:
• | Securities traded on an exchange or over-the-counter: valued at the closing value for the day, or, on days when no closing value has been reported, halfway between the most recent bid and asked quotes. Securities that are primarily traded on foreign exchanges are valued at the closing values of such securities on their respective exchanges with these values then translated into U.S. dollars at the valuation date exchange rate. | |
• | Securities for which no quoted value is available: The Board of Trustees has adopted procedures to fair value the fund’s securities when market prices are not “readily available” or are unreliable. For example, the fund may fair value a security when a security is de-listed or its trading is halted or suspended; when a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price when a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours. The fund makes fair value determinations in good faith in accordance with the fund’s valuation procedures. The Board of Trustees regularly reviews fair value determinations made by the fund pursuant to the procedures. | |
• | Short-term securities (60 days or less to maturity): valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. | |
• | Underlying funds: valued at their respective net asset values. |
In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosures under GAAP, the fund discloses the fair value of its investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to valuations based upon unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to valuations based upon unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation (level 3 measurements).
13
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
If the fund determines that either the volume and/or level of activity for an asset or liability has significantly decreased (from normal conditions for that asset or liability) or price quotations or observable inputs are not associated with orderly transactions, increased analysis and management judgment will be required to estimate fair value.
The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:
• | Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical securities — Investments whose values are based on quoted market prices in active markets, and whose values are therefore classified as Level 1 prices, include active listed equities. The fund does not adjust the quoted price for such investments, even in situations where the fund holds a large position and a sale could reasonably impact the quoted price. | |
• | Level 2 — other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.) — Investments that trade in markets that are not considered to be active, but whose values are based on quoted market prices, dealer quotations or valuations provided by alternative pricing sources supported by observable inputs are classified as Level 2 prices. These generally include U.S. government and sovereign obligations, most government agency securities, investment-grade corporate bonds, certain mortgage products, less liquid listed equities, and state, municipal and provincial obligations. As investments whose values are classified as Level 2 prices include positions that are not traded in active markets and/or are subject to transfer restrictions, valuations may be adjusted to reflect illiquidity and/or non-transferability, which are generally based on available market information. | |
• | Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments) — Investments whose values are classified as Level 3 prices have significant unobservable inputs, as they may trade infrequently or not at all. When observable prices are not available for these securities, the fund uses one or more valuation techniques for which sufficient and reliable data is available. The inputs used by the fund in estimating the value of Level 3 prices may include the original transaction price, quoted prices for similar securities or assets in active markets, completed or pending third-party transactions in the underlying investment or comparable issuers, and changes in financial ratios or cash flows. Level 3 prices may also be adjusted to reflect illiquidity and/or non-transferability, with the amount of such discount estimated by the fund in the absence of market information. Assumptions used by the fund due to the lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore the fund’s results of operations. |
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s investments as of February 28, 2011:
Quoted Prices in | Significant | |||||||||||||||
Active Markets for | Significant Other | Unobservable | ||||||||||||||
Identical Assets | Observable Inputs | Inputs | ||||||||||||||
Description | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | Total* | ||||||||||||
Common Stocks(a) | $69,375,900 | $— | $— | $69,375,900 | ||||||||||||
Other Investment Company(a) | 130,540 | — | — | 130,540 | ||||||||||||
Total | $69,506,440 | $— | $— | $69,506,440 | ||||||||||||
* | The fund had no Other Financial Instruments. | |
(a) | As categorized in Portfolio Holdings. |
In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued new guidance requiring reporting entities to make new disclosures about amounts and reasons for significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements as well as inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value for both recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements that fall in either Level 2 or Level 3, and information on purchases, sales, issuances and settlements of Level 3 securities on a gross basis. The new and revised disclosures are required to be implemented for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the disclosures surrounding purchases, sales, issuances and settlements of Level 3 fair value measurements on a gross basis, which are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010 and for interim periods within those fiscal years.
14
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
The fund has adopted the new guidance for the current period ended February 28, 2011. There were no significant transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 for the period ended February 28, 2011. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of the other provisions of the new guidance on the fund’s financial statements.
(b) Security Transactions:
Security transactions are recorded as of the date the order to buy or sell the security is executed. Realized gains and losses from security transactions are based on the identified costs of the securities involved.
(c) Real Estate Investment Trusts:
The fund invests in real estate trusts (REITs) which report information on the source of their distributions annually. Certain distributions received from REITs during the year, which are known to be a return of capital or realized gains, are recorded as a reduction to the cost of the individual REITs or as realized gains on investments, respectively.
(d) Investment Income:
Interest income is recorded as it accrues. Dividends and distributions from portfolio securities and underlying funds are recorded on the date they are effective (the ex-dividend date), although the fund records certain foreign security dividends on the day they learn of the ex-dividend date.
(e) Expenses:
Expenses that are specific to the fund are charged directly to the fund. The investment adviser will pay the operating expenses of the fund, excluding interest expenses, taxes, any brokerage expenses, and extraordinary or non-routine expenses.
(f) Distributions to Shareholders:
The fund declares distributions from net investment income quarterly and net realized capital gains, if any, once a year.
(g) Accounting Estimates:
The accounting policies described in this report conform with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Notwithstanding this, shareholders should understand that in order to follow these principles, fund management has to make estimates and assumptions that affect the information reported in the financial statements. It’s possible that once the results are known, they may turn out to be different from these estimates and these differences may be material.
(h) Federal Income Taxes:
The fund intends to meet federal income and excise tax requirements for regulated investment companies. Accordingly, the fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income and realized net capital gains (if any) to its respective shareholders each year. As long as the fund meets the tax requirements, it is not required to pay federal income tax.
(i) Indemnification:
Under the fund’s organizational documents, the officers and trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of its duties to the fund. In addition, in the normal course of business the fund enters into contracts with its vendors and others that provide general indemnifications. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the fund. However, based on experience, the fund expects the risk of loss to be remote.
3. Risk Factors:
Investing in the fund may involve certain risks, as described in the fund’s prospectus, including, but not limited to, those described below:
Stock markets rise and fall daily. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of a shareholder’s investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that the shareholder could lose money.
15
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, industries or the securities market as a whole. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. In addition, the equity market tends to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
REITs and other real estate companies may be small-cap to medium-cap sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. Historically, mid-cap and small-cap stocks have been riskier than large-cap stocks. Mid-cap and small-cap companies themselves may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. Stock prices of smaller companies may be based in substantial part on future expectations rather than current achievements and may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns. During a period when mid-cap and small-cap stocks fall behind other types of investments — bonds or large-cap stocks, for instance — the fund’s small-cap and mid-cap holdings could reduce performance.
The fund is not actively managed. Therefore, the fund follows the stocks included in the index during upturns as well as downturns. Because of its indexing strategy, the fund does not take steps to reduce market exposure or to lessen the effects of a declining market. In addition, because of the fund’s expenses, the fund’s performance is normally below that of the index.
In addition to the risks associated with investing in securities of real estate companies and real estate related companies, REITs are subject to certain additional risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying properties owned by the trusts. Further, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills and may have their investments in relatively few properties, or in a small geographic area or a single property type. Failure of a company to qualify as a REIT under federal tax law may have adverse consequences to the fund. In addition, REITs have their own expenses, and the fund will bear a proportionate share of those expenses.
The fund has a policy of concentrating its investments in real estate companies and companies related to the real estate industry. As such, the fund is subject to risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate securities and an investment in the fund will be closely linked to the performance of the real estate markets. These risks include, among others, declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds or other limits to accessing the credit or capital markets; defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during an economic downturn; and changes in interest rates.
The fund may not fully replicate the index and may hold securities not included in the index. As a result, the fund is subject to the risk that the investment adviser’s investment management strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. A fund using a sampling approach may not track the return of the index as well as they would if the fund purchased all of the equity securities in the index.
The fund’s return may not match the return of its index. For example, differences between a fund’s securities and those in the index, rounding of prices, changes to the index and regulatory requirements may cause tracking error, the divergence of a fund’s performance from that of its index. The fund may not be able to invest in certain securities in its benchmark index, or match the securities’ weighting to the benchmark, due to regulatory, operational or liquidity constraints, which may result in tracking error. The fund may attempt to offset the effects of not being invested in certain index securities by making substitute investments, but these efforts may not be successful. The fund also incurs fees and expenses while the index does not, which may result in tracking error.
The fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, a single adverse economic, political or regulatory occurrence may have a more significant effect on the fund’s investments, and the fund may experience increased volatility.
The fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments and could cause the fund to lose more than the principal amount invested. In addition, investments in derivatives may involve leverage, which means a small percentage of assets invested in derivatives can have a disproportionately larger impact on the fund.
To the extent that the fund or the index portfolio is concentrated in the securities of issuers in a particular market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class, the fund may be adversely affected by the performance of those securities, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class.
16
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
A particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell. The fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price.
The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent.
Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the fund will approximate the fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Investors may pay more than NAV when they buy shares of the fund in the secondary market, and may receive less than NAV when they sell those shares in the secondary market.
An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other governmental agency.
Please refer to the fund’s prospectus for a complete description of the principal risks of investing in the fund.
4. Affiliates and Affiliated Transactions:
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (“CSIM” or the “investment adviser”), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation, serves as the fund’s investment adviser pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement (“Advisory Agreement”) between it and the trust.
For its advisory and administrative services to the fund, the investment adviser is entitled to receive an annual fee equal to 0.13% of the fund’s average daily net assets.
The investment adviser will pay the operating expenses of the fund, excluding interest expenses, taxes, any brokerage expenses, and extraordinary or non-routine expenses.
The fund may engage in direct transactions with certain other Schwab ETFs when practical. When one fund is seeking to sell a security that another is seeking to buy, an interfund transaction can allow both funds to benefit by reducing transaction costs. This practice is limited to funds that share the same investment adviser, trustees and officers. During the period ended February 28, 2011, there were no security transactions with other Schwab ETFs.
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the fund may enter into interfund borrowing and lending transactions within the Schwab Funds including Schwab ETFs. All loans are for temporary or emergency purposes only. The interest rate charged on the loan is the average of the overnight repurchase agreement rate and the short-term bank loan rate. The interfund lending facility is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board of Trustees. The fund had no interfund borrowing or lending activity during the period.
5. Other Service Providers:
SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”) is the principal underwriter and distributor of shares of the fund.
State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as the fund’s transfer agent. As part of these services, the transfer agent maintains records pertaining to the sale, redemption and transfer of the fund’s shares.
State Street Bank and Trust Company also serves as custodian and accountant for the fund. The custodian is responsible for the daily safekeeping of securities and cash held or sold by the fund. The fund’s accountant maintains all books and records related to the fund’s transactions.
6. Board of Trustees:
Trustees may include people who are officers and/or directors of the investment adviser or an affiliate. Federal securities law limits the percentage of such “interested persons” who may serve on a trust’s board, and the trust was in compliance with these limitations throughout the report period. The trust did not pay any of these persons for their service as trustees.
17
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
7. Purchases and Sales/Maturities of Investment Securities:
For the period ended February 28, 2011, purchases and sales/maturities of securities (excluding in-kind transactions and short-term obligations) were as follows:
Purchases of Securities | Sales/Maturities of Securities | |||||
$208,517 | $— |
8. In-Kind Transactions:
The consideration for the purchase of Creation Units of the fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities, which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities involved in a relevant fund’s underlying index, and an amount of cash. Investors purchasing and redeeming Creation Units pay a purchase transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee directly to State Street Bank and Trust Company, to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units.
The in-kind transactions for the period ended February 28, 2011 were as follows:
In-kind Purchases | In-kind Sales | |||||
$66,586,565 | $— |
For the period ended February 28, 2011, there were no in-kind redemptions. However, if the fund has such transactions, it will realize net capital gains or losses resulting from in-kind redemptions of large blocks of shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”). Because such gains or losses are not taxable to the fund and are not distributed to existing fund shareholders, the gains or losses are reclassified from accumulated net realized gains or losses to paid-in-capital at the end of the fund’s tax year. These reclassifications have no effect on net assets or net asset values per share. The net realized in-kind gains or losses will be disclosed in the fund’s Statements of Operations.
9. Federal Income Taxes:
As of February 28, 2011, the components of distributable earnings on a tax-basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income | $150,317 | |||
Undistributed long-term capital gains | — | |||
Unrealized appreciation | 2,728,695 | |||
Unrealized depreciation | (147,877 | ) | ||
Net unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) | 2,580,818 |
There were no differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation on unrealized depreciation of investments.
As of February 28, 2011, the fund had no capital loss carry forwards.
Management has reviewed the fund’s tax positions taken for its open income tax period ended February 28, 2011, and has determined that no provision for income tax is required in the fund’s financial statements. The fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. During the period ended February 28, 2011, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
On December 22, 2010, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010 (“the Act”) was signed by The President. The Act is the first major piece of legislation affecting Regulated Investment Companies (“RICs”) since 1986 and it modernizes several of the federal income and excise tax provisions related to RICs.
Certain of the enacted provisions include:
Post-enactment capital losses may now be carried forward indefinitely, but must retain the character of the original loss. Under pre-enactment law, capital losses could be carried forward for eight years, and carried forward as short-term capital, irrespective of the character of the original loss.
The Act contains simplification provisions, which are aimed at preventing disqualification of a RIC for “inadvertent” failures of the asset diversification and/or qualifying income tests. Additionally, the Act exempts RICs from the preferential dividend rule, and repeals the 60-day designation requirement for certain types of pay-through income and gains.
18
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
9. Federal Income Taxes (continued):
Finally, the Act contains several provisions aimed at preserving the character of distributions made by a fiscal year RIC during the portion of its taxable year ending after October 31 or December 31, reducing the circumstances under which a RIC might be required to file amended Forms 1099 to restate previously reported distributions.
Except for the simplification provisions related to RIC qualification, the Act is effective for taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010. The provisions related to RIC qualification are effective for taxable years for which the extended due date of the tax return is after December 22, 2010.
10. Subsequent Events:
Management has determined there are no subsequent events or transactions through the date the financial statements were issued that would have materially impacted the financial statements as presented.
19
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of:
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio holdings, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (one of the portfolios constituting Schwab Strategic Trust, hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) at February 28, 2011, and the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as “financial statements”) are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit, which included confirmation of securities at February 28, 2011 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers, provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
San Francisco, California
April 15, 2011
20
Other Information (unaudited)
Frequency Distribution of Discounts and Premiums
Bid/Offer Midpoint vs. NAV as of February 28, 2011
Bid/Offer Midpoint vs. NAV as of February 28, 2011
The following charts are provided to show the frequency at which the daily market price on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange”), the secondary market for shares of the fund, was at a discount or premium to such fund’s daily NAV. The market price of the fund generally is determined using the midpoint between the highest bid and lowest offer on the Exchange, as of the time that the fund’s NAV is calculated (referred to as the “Bid/Offer Midpoint”). The fund’s Bid/Offer Midpoint may at times be at, above or below its NAV. The discount or premium is the percentage difference between the NAV and the Bid/Offer Midpoint of the fund. A discount is the amount that the fund is trading below the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of NAV. A premium is the amount that the fund is trading above the reported NAV, expressed as a percentage of NAV. The NAV of the fund will fluctuate with changes in the market value of its portfolio holdings. The Bid/Offer Midpoint of the fund will fluctuate in accordance with changes in its NAV, as well as supply and demand.
Frequency Distribution of Discount and Premiums
Bid/Offer Midpoint vs. NAV
Bid/Offer Midpoint vs. NAV
Bid/Offer Midpoint Above NAV | Bid/Offer Midpoint Below NAV | |||||||||||||||||||||||
50-99 | 100-199 | >200 | 50-99 | 100-199 | >200 | |||||||||||||||||||
Basis Points | Basis Points | Basis Points | Basis Points | Basis Points | Basis Points | |||||||||||||||||||
Commencement of trading (1/13/11) through 2/28/11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
21
Investment Advisory Agreement Approval
The Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) requires that initial approval of, as well as the continuation of, a fund’s investment advisory agreement must be specifically approved (1) by the vote of the trustees or by a vote of the shareholders of the fund, and (2) by the vote of a majority of the trustees who are not parties to the investment advisory agreement or “interested persons” of any party (the “Independent Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. In connection with such approvals, the fund’s trustees must request and evaluate, and the investment adviser is required to furnish, such information as may be reasonably necessary to evaluate the terms of the investment advisory agreement.
Initial Approval of Investment Advisory Agreement
The Board of Trustees (the “Board” or the “Trustees”, as appropriate) called and held a meeting on November 18, 2010, in part, for the purpose of considering whether to appoint Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (“CSIM”) as investment adviser to the Schwab U.S. REIT ETF (the “Fund”) under the investment advisory agreement between Schwab Strategic Trust (the “Trust’) and CSIM (the “Agreement”). In preparation for the meeting, the Board requested and reviewed a variety of materials provided by CSIM with respect to the services to be provided to the Fund under the Agreement. The Independent Trustees met in executive session outside the presence of fund management and participated in question and answer sessions with representatives of CSIM.
The Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees approved the Agreement with respect to the Fund. The Board’s approval was based on consideration and evaluation of a variety of specific factors discussed at this meeting, including:
1. | the nature, extent and quality of the services to be provided to the Fund under the Agreement, including the resources of CSIM and its affiliates dedicated to the Fund; |
2. | CSIM’s investment performance in managing other Fund having relevant investment objectives and strategies; |
3. | the Fund’s estimated expenses and how those expenses compared to those of certain other comparable exchange-traded funds; |
4. | the profitability of CSIM and its affiliates, including Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”), with respect to management of other funds, including both direct and indirect benefits accruing to CSIM and its affiliates; and |
5. | the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as the Fund grows and whether fee levels in the Agreement relating to the Fund reflect those economies of scale for the benefit of Fund investors. |
Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. The Board considered the nature, extent and quality of the services to be provided by CSIM to the Fund and the resources of CSIM and its affiliates will dedicate to the Fund. In this regard, the trustees evaluated, among other things, CSIM’s personnel, experience, track record and compliance program. The trustees also considered the fact that Schwab’s extensive branch network, Internet access, investment and research tools, telephone services, and array of account features may be expected to benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The trustees also considered Schwab’s excellent reputation as a full service brokerage firm and its overall financial condition. Following such evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the nature, extent and quality of services to be provided by CSIM to the Fund and the resources of CSIM and its affiliates dedicated to the Fund supported approval of the Agreement with respect to the Fund.
Performance. With regard to Fund performance, since the Fund had not commenced operations and therefore did not have any performance of its own, the Board considered performance of other funds having comparable investment objectives in determining whether to approve the Agreement. The trustees also considered both risk and shareholder risk expectations for the Fund and the appropriateness of the benchmark that would be used to compare the performance of the Fund. Following such evaluation the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the performance of CSIM supported approval of the Agreement with respect to the Fund.
Fund Expenses. With respect to the Fund’s expenses, the trustees considered the rate of compensation called for by the Agreement, and the Fund’s estimated net operating expense ratio in comparison to those of other comparable exchange-traded funds. The Board evaluated the Fund’s unitary fee through review of comparative information with respect to fees paid by similar exchange-traded funds tracking equity indexes. Following such evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the expenses of the Fund are reasonable and supported approval of the Agreement with respect to the Fund.
Profitability. With regard to profitability, the trustees considered the compensation flowing to CSIM and its affiliates directly or indirectly. The Trustees also considered any other benefits derived by CSIM from its relationship with the Fund, such as whether, by virtue of its management of the Fund, CSIM obtains investment information or other research resources that aid it in providing advisory services to other clients. The Trustees considered whether the varied
22
levels of compensation and profitability under the Agreement and other service agreements were reasonable and justified in light of the quality of all services rendered to the Fund by CSIM and its affiliates. Based on this evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the expected profitability of CSIM, albeit uncertain, is reasonable and supported approval of the Agreement with respect to the Fund.
Economies of Scale. Recognizing that the Fund had not yet commenced operations and had no assets, the Trustees considered the possible development of any economies of scale and whether those could be expected to be passed along to the Fund’s shareholders through various efficiencies that may result from increases in the Fund’s assets. The Board determined that such economies of scale will be shared by way of the relatively low advisory fee and unitary fee structure of the Fund, although the Board will continue to monitor fees as the Fund grows in size and assess whether breakpoints may be warranted. Based on this evaluation, the Board concluded, within the context of its full deliberations, that the Fund may be expected to obtain reasonable benefit from economies of scale if such economies develop.
In the course of their deliberations, the Trustees did not identify any particular information or factor that was all important or controlling. Based on the Trustees’ deliberation and their evaluation of the information described above, the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the Agreement as it relates to the Fund and concluded that the compensation under the Agreement relating to the Fund is fair and reasonable in light of such services and expenses and such other matters as the Trustees have considered to be relevant in the exercise of their reasonable judgment.
23
Trustees and Officers
The tables below give information about the trustees and officers for the Schwab Strategic Trust which includes the funds covered in this report. The “Fund Complex” includes the Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Investments, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust, Laudus Trust and Laudus Institutional Trust. The Fund Complex includes 86 funds.
The address for all trustees and officers is 211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. You can find more information about the trustees and officers in the Statement of Additional Information, which is available free by calling 1-800-435-4000.
Independent Trustees
Name, Year of Birth, | Number of | |||||
and Position(s) with | Portfolios in | |||||
the trust; (Terms of | Fund Complex | |||||
office, and length of | Principal Occupations | Overseen by | ||||
Time Served1) | During the Past Five Years | the Trustee | Other Directorships | |||
Robert W. Burns 1959 Trustee (Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | Retired. Consulting Managing Director, PIMCO (investment adviser) (January 2003 – December 2008); Managing Director, PIMCO (February 1999 – December 2002); President and Trustee, PIMCO Funds and PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust (investments) (February 1994 – May 2005). | 13 | Independent Director and Chairman of Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee, PS Business Parks, Inc. (2005 – present). Trustee and member of Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, PIMCO Funds (investment company consisting of 84 portfolios) (1997 – 2008). Trustee and member of Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust (investment company consisting of 16 portfolios) (1997 – 2008). Trustee and Chairman, PIMCO Strategic Global Government Fund (investment company consisting of one portfolio) (1997 – 2008). Trustee, PCIM Fund, Inc. (investment company consisting of one portfolio) (1997 – 2008). | |||
Mark A. Goldfarb 1952 Trustee (Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | Founder and Managing Director, SS&G Financial Services (financial services) (May 1987 – present). | 13 | None | |||
Charles A. Ruffel 1956 Trustee (Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | Advisor (June 2008 – present) and Chief Executive Officer (January 1998 – January 2008), Asset International, Inc. (publisher of financial services information); Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Kudu Advisors, LLC (financial services) (June 2008 – present). | 13 | None | |||
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Interested Trustees
Name, Year of Birth, | Number of | |||||
and Position(s) with | Portfolios in | |||||
the trust; (Terms of | Fund Complex | |||||
office, and length of | Principal Occupations | Overseen by | ||||
Time Served ) | During the Past Five Years | the Trustee | Other Directorships | |||
Walter W. Bettinger II2 1960 Trustee (Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | As of October 2008, President and Chief Executive Officer, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and The Charles Schwab Corporation. Since October 2008, Director, The Charles Schwab Corporation. Since May 2008, Director, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and Schwab Holdings, Inc. Since 2006, Director, Charles Schwab Bank. From 2004 through 2007, Executive Vice President and President, Schwab Investor Services. From 2004 through 2005, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Individual Investor Enterprise, and from 2002 through 2004, Executive Vice President, Corporate Services. Until October 2008, President and Chief Operating Officer, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and The Charles Schwab Corporation. | 86 | None | |||
Officers of the Trust
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) | ||
with the trust; (Terms of office, and | ||
length of Time Served3) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | |
Marie Chandoha 1961 President and Chief Executive Officer (Officer of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2010.) | Executive Vice President, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Sept. 2010 – present); Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Dec. 2010 – present), Chief Investment Officer, (Sept. 2010 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; President and Chief Executive Officer, Schwab Funds, Laudus Funds and Schwab ETFs (Dec. 2010 – present); Global Head of Fixed Income Business Division, BlackRock, Inc. (formerly Barclays Global Investors) (March 2007 – August 2010); Co-Head and Senior Portfolio Manager, Wells Capital Management (June 1999 – March 2007). | |
George Pereira 1964 Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer (Officer of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Nov. 2004 – present); Chief Operating Officer (Jan. 2011 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, Laudus Funds (June 2006 – present); Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer, Schwab Funds (Nov. 2004 – present) and Schwab ETFs (Oct. 2009 – present); Director, Charles Schwab Worldwide Fund, PLC and Charles Schwab Asset Management (Ireland) Limited (April 2005 – present); Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, Excelsior Funds (June 2006 – June 2007). | |
Catherine MacGregor 1964 Vice President and Assistant Secretary (Officer of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | Vice President, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (July 2005 – present); Vice President (Dec. 2005 – present), Chief Legal Officer and Clerk, Laudus Funds (March 2007 – present); Vice President and Assistant Clerk, Schwab Funds (Dec. 2005 – present) and Schwab ETFs (Oct. 2009 – present). | |
Michael Haydel 1972 Vice President (Officer of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009.) | Senior Vice President (March 2011 – present), Vice President (2004 – March 2011), Asset Management Client Services, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Vice President (Sept. 2005 – present), Anti-Money Laundering Officer (Oct. 2005 – Feb. 2009), Laudus Funds; Vice President, Schwab Funds (June 2007 – present) and Schwab ETFs (Oct. 2009 – present). | |
1 | Each Trustee shall hold office until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or until he or she dies, resigns or is removed. The Trust’s retirement policy requires that independent trustees retire by December 31 of the year in which the Trustee turns 72 or the Trustee’s twentieth year of service as an independent trustee, whichever comes first. | |
2 | Mr. Bettinger is an Interested Trustee because he is an employee of Schwab and/or the investment adviser. In addition to his employment with the investment adviser and Schwab, Mr. Bettinger also owns stock of The Charles Schwab Corporation. | |
3 | The President, Treasurer and Secretary hold office until their respective successors are chosen and qualified or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each of the other officers serves at the pleasure of the Board. |
25
Glossary
ask See “offer.”
asset allocation The practice of dividing a portfolio among different asset classes, with each asset class assigned a particular percentage to help offset risks and rewards, based on your goals, time horizon and risk tolerance.
asset class A group of securities with similar structure and basic characteristics. Stocks, bonds and cash are the three main examples of asset classes.
authorized participant (AP) A large institutional investor that places orders for creation units with the funds’ distributor.
beta A historical measure of an investment’s volatility relative to a market index (usually the S&P 500®). The index is defined as having a beta of 1.00. Investments with a beta higher than 1.00 have been more volatile than the index; those with a beta of less than 1.00 have been less volatile.
bid The highest price at which someone is willing to buy a security.
cap, capitalization See “market cap.”
capital gain, capital loss The difference between the amount paid for an investment and its value at a later time. If the investment has been sold, the capital gain or loss is considered a realized gain or loss. If the investment is still held, the gain or loss is still “on paper” and is considered unrealized.
commencement of operations The date that the first NAV was calculated.
creation unit (C.U.) A basket of securities that is delivered by an authorized participant (AP) to the fund equal to the current holdings of the ETF, plus a designated cash component. In return, the APs receive a large block of ETF shares (typically 50,000 shares), which investors can then buy and sell in the secondary market.
Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index A float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index comprised of real estate investment trusts (REITs).
exchange A marketplace, or any organization or group that provides or maintains a marketplace for trading securities, options, futures, or commodities.
expense ratio The amount that is taken from the fund’s assets each year to cover the operating expenses. An expense ratio of 0.50% means that a fund’s expenses amount to half of one percent of its average net assets a year.
inception date The date that the shares began trading in the secondary market.
indicative optimized portfolio value (IOPV) A calculation disseminated by the stock exchange that approximates the fund’s NAV every 15 seconds throughout the trading day.
liquidity The ability to convert a security or asset quickly into cash.
market cap, market capitalization The value of a company as determined by the total value of all shares of its stock outstanding.
market price return The return based on the change in market price per share of the fund over a given time period. Market price returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund at market price.
median market cap The midpoint of the range of market caps of the stocks held by a fund. There are different ways of calculating median market cap. With a simple median, half of the stocks in the fund’s portfolio would be larger than the median, and half would be smaller. With a weighted median (the type that is calculated for this fund), half of the fund’s assets are invested in stocks that are larger than the median market cap, and half in stocks that are smaller.
net asset value (NAV) The value of one share of a fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets, subtracting liabilities, and dividing by the number of shares outstanding.
NAV return The return based on the change in NAV of the fund over a given time period. NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the fund.
offer (ask) The lowest price at which an individual is willing to sell a security.
open The price at which a security opened for trading on a given day.
outstanding shares, shares outstanding When speaking of the fund, indicates all shares currently held by investors.
price-to-book ratio (P/B) The market price of a company’s stock compared with its “book value.” A mutual fund’s P/B is the weighted average of the P/B of all stocks in the fund’s portfolio.
price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) The market price of a company’s stock compared with earnings over the past year. A mutual fund’s P/E is the weighted average of the P/E of all stocks in the fund’s portfolio.
real estate investment trust (REIT) A real estate company that owns and commonly operates income producing commercial and/or residential real estate.
primary market The market that deals with the issuance of new securities.
sampling If a fund uses a sampling method, the fund will not fully replicate the benchmark index and may hold securities not included in the index. A fund that utilizes a sampling approach may not track the return of the index.
secondary market The market in which investors purchase securities from other investors rather than directly from the issuing companies. Organized exchanges facilitate the trading of securities in the secondary market.
spread The gap between bid and ask prices of a security.
stock A share of ownership, or equity, in the issuing company.
total return The percentage that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the fund assuming dividends and distributions were reinvested.
tracking error The difference between the performance of the fund and its benchmark index, positive or negative.
26
PRIVACY NOTICE
THIS IS NOT PART OF THE SHAREHOLDER REPORT
THIS IS NOT PART OF THE SHAREHOLDER REPORT
A Commitment to Your Privacy
Your Privacy Is Not for Sale
We do not and will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any reason.
We are committed to protecting the privacy of information we maintain about you. Below are details about our commitment, including the types of information we collect and how we use and share that information. This Privacy Notice applies to you only if you are an individual who invests directly in the funds by placing orders through the funds’ transfer agent. If you place orders through your brokerage account at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. or an account with another broker-dealer, investment advisor, 401(k) plan, employee benefit plan, administrator, bank or other financial intermediary, you are covered by the privacy policies of that financial institution and should consult those policies.
How We Collect Information About You
We collect personal information about you in a number of ways.
• | APPLICATION AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION. |
We collect personal information from you when you open an account or utilize one of our services. We may also collect information about you from third parties such as consumer reporting agencies to verify your identity. The information we collect may include personal information, including your Social Security number, as well as details about your interests, investments and investment experience.
• | TRANSACTION AND EXPERIENCE INFORMATION. |
Once your account has been opened, we collect and maintain personal information about your account activity, including your transactions, balances, positions and history. This information allows us to administer your account and provide the services you have requested.
• | WEBSITE USAGE. |
When you visit our websites, we may use devices known as “cookies,” graphic interchange format files (GIFs), or other similar web tools to enhance your web experience. These tools help us to recognize you, maintain your web session, and provide a more personalized experience. To learn more, please click the Privacy link on our website.
How We Share and Use Your Information
We provide access to information about you to our affiliated companies, outside companies and other third parties in certain limited circumstances, including:
• | to help us process transactions for your account; |
• | when we use other companies to provide services for us, such as printing and mailing your account statements; |
• | when we believe that disclosure is required or permitted under law (for example, to cooperate with regulators or law enforcement, resolve consumer disputes, perform credit/authentication checks, or for risk control). |
State Laws
We will comply with state laws that apply to the disclosure or use of information about you.
Safeguarding Your Information — Security Is a Partnership
We take precautions to ensure the information we collect about you is protected and is accessed only by authorized individuals or organizations.
Companies we use to provide support services are not allowed to use information about our shareholders for their own purposes and are contractually obligated to maintain strict confidentiality. We limit their use of information to the performance of the specific services we have requested.
We restrict access to personal information by our employees and agents. Our employees are trained about privacy and are required to safeguard personal information.
We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to guard your nonpublic personal information.
Contact Us
To provide us with updated information, report suspected fraud or identity theft, or for any other questions, please call the number below.
Schwab ETFtm direct investors: 1-800-435-4000
© 2010 Schwab ETFstm. All rights reserved.
27
Notes
Schwab ETFstmare designed to be low-cost, diversified investments. Each fund follows broad market indices and provides exposure to specific segments of the market making them solid investment options for the core portions of an investor portfolio. The list to the right shows all currently available Schwab ETFs.
Investors should carefully consider information contained in the prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. Please call 1-800-435-4000 for a prospectus and brochure for any Schwab ETF. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. This report must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus.
Proxy Voting Policies, Procedures and Results
A description of the proxy voting policies and procedures used to determine how to vote proxies on behalf of the funds is available without charge, upon request, by visiting the Schwab ETFs’ website at www.schwabetfs.com, the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, or by contacting Schwab ETFs at 1-800-435-4000.
Information regarding how a fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available, without charge, by visiting the Schwab ETFs’ website at www.schwabetfs.com or the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Schwab ETFs
U.S. ETFs
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETFtm
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETFtm
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtm
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETFtm
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETFtm
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETFtm
Schwab U.S. REIT ETFtm
International ETFs
Schwab International Equity ETFtm
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETFtm
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETFtm
Fixed Income ETFs
Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETFtm
Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETFtm
Schwab U.S. TIPS ETFtm
Investment Adviser
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.
211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Schwab ETFstm
1-800-435-4000
This report is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors
unless preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus.
© 2011 Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed on recycled paper.
MFR60994-00
Item 2: Code of Ethics.
(a) | Registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and any other persons who perform a similar function, regardless of whether these individuals are employed by Registrant or a third party. |
(c) | During the period covered by the report, no amendments were made to the provisions of this code of ethics. |
(d) | During the period covered by the report, Registrant did not grant any waivers, including implicit waivers, from the provisions of this code of ethics. |
(f)(1) | Registrant has filed this code of ethics as an exhibit pursuant to Item 12(a)(1) of Form N-CSR. |
Item 3: Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Registrant’s Board of Trustees has determined that Mark A. Goldfarb, currently serving on its audit committee, is an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. Each member of Registrant’s audit committee is “independent” under the standards set forth in Item 3 of Form N-CSR.
The designation of Mr. Goldfarb as an “audit committee financial expert” pursuant to Item 3 of Form N-CSR does not (i) impose upon such individual any duties, obligations, or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations and liability imposed upon such individual as a member of Registrant’s audit committee or Board of Trustees in the absence of such designation; and (ii) affect the duties, obligations or liability of any other member of Registrant’s audit committee or Board of Trustees.
Item 4: Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Registrant is composed of thirteen series. Nine series have a fiscal year-end of August 31, three series have a fiscal year-end of December 31, and one series has a fiscal year-end of February 28, whose annual financial statements are reported in Item 1. Principal accountant fees disclosed in Items 4(a)-(d) and 4(g) include fees billed for services rendered to each of the thirteen series, based on their respective 2010 and 2011 fiscal years, as applicable.
(a) Below are the aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of Registrant’s annual financial statements or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
Audit Fees
2011/2010: $104,160 | 2009: Not applicable |
(b) Below are the aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of Registrant’s financial statements and are not reported under paragraph (a) above.
Audit-Related Fees
For services rendered to Registrant:
2011/2010: None | 2009: Not applicable |
Nature of these services: tax provision review.
In each of the last two fiscal years there were no “Audit-Related Fees” required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(c) Below are the aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning.
Tax Fees
For services rendered to Registrant:
2011/2010: $38,300 | 2009: Not applicable |
Nature of these services: preparation and review of tax returns.
In each of the last two fiscal years there were no “Tax Fees” required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X
(d) Below are the aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for products and services provided by the principal accountant, other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) above.
All Other Fees
For services rendered to Registrant:
2011/2010: None | 2009: Not applicable |
In each of the last two fiscal years there were no “All Other Fees” required to be approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(e)(1) Registrant’s audit committee does not have pre-approval policies and procedures as described in paragraph (c)(7) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(2) There were no services described in each of paragraphs (b) through (d) above (including services required to be approved by Registrant’s audit committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X) that were approved by Registrant’s audit committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(f) Not applicable.
(g) Below are the aggregate non-audit fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years by Registrant’s principal accountant for services rendered to Registrant, to Registrant’s investment adviser, and to any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with Registrant’s investment adviser that provides ongoing services to Registrant.
2011/2010: $38,300 | 2009: Not applicable |
(h) During the past fiscal year, all non-audit services provided by Registrant’s principal accountant to either Registrant’s investment adviser or to any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with Registrant’s investment adviser that provides ongoing services to Registrant were pre-approved. Included in the audit committee’s pre-approval was the review and consideration as to whether the provision of these non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.
Item 5: Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.
The Registrant is a listed issuer as defined in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act and has separately-designated standing audit committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The Registrant’s audit committee members are Robert W. Burns, Mark A. Goldfarb, and Charles A. Ruffel.
Item 6: Schedule of Investments.
The schedules of investments are included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.
Item 7: Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 8: Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 9: Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable.
Item 10: Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
Not applicable.
Item 11: Controls and Procedures.
(a) | Based on their evaluation of Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days of the filing date, Registrant’s Chief Executive Officer, Marie Chandoha and Registrant’s Principal Financial Officer, George Pereira, have concluded that Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures are: (i) reasonably designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in this report is appropriately communicated to Registrant’s officers to allow timely decisions regarding disclosures required in this report; (ii) reasonably designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely manner; and (iii) are effective in achieving the goals described in (i) and (ii) above. |
(b) | There have been no changes in Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that the above officers believe to have materially affected, or to be reasonably likely to materially affect, Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Item 12: Exhibits.
(a) | (1) | Registrant’s code of ethics (that is the subject of the disclosure required by Item 2(a)) is attached. | ||
(2) | Separate certifications for Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act, are attached. | |||
(3) | Not applicable. |
(b) | A certification for Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act, is attached. This |
certification is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission solely pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 1350 and is not being filed as part of the Form N-CSR with the Commission. |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
(Registrant ) Schwab Strategic Trust — Schwab U.S. REIT ETF Fund
By: | /s/ Marie Chandoha | |||
Marie Chandoha | ||||
Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Date: 4/14/11 |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
By: | /s/ Marie Chandoha | |||
Marie Chandoha | ||||
Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Date: 4/14/11 | ||||
By: | /s/ George Pereira | |||
George Pereira | ||||
Principal Financial Officer | ||||
Date: 4/13/11 |