UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act file number: 811-22311
Schwab Strategic Trust – Schwab Ariel ESG ETF and Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
211 Main Street, San Francisco, California 94105
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
Omar Aguilar
Schwab Strategic Trust – Schwab Ariel ESG ETF and Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
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: March 31
Date of reporting period: March 31, 2024
Item 1: Report(s) to Shareholders.
Annual Report | March 31, 2024
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management®
Ariel Investments, LLC
THIS FUND IS DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL ETFs |
Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This fund will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example: |
• You may have to pay more money to trade the fund’s shares. This fund will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information. |
• The price you pay to buy fund shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this fund compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders. |
• These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions. |
• The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio. |
The differences between this fund and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the fund secret, this fund may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the fund’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the fund’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the fund’s performance. |
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the fund, see Proxy Portfolio Risk, Premium/Discount Risk, Trading Halt Risk, Authorized Participant Concentration Risk, Tracking Error Risk and Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV in the Principal Risks and Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap sections of the prospectus and/or the Statement of Additional Information. These risks are also discussed in the Financial Notes of this report. |
No Action Required – Notice Regarding Shareholder Report Delivery |
Beginning on July 24, 2024, fund shareholder reports will be streamlined to highlight key information deemed important for investors to assess and monitor their fund investments. Other information, including financial statements, will not appear in the streamlined shareholder reports but will available online and delivered free of charge upon request. |
• If you already receive the full shareholder reports, you will receive the streamlined shareholder reports in the same way that you currently receive the full shareholder reports (either in paper or electronically). |
• If you currently receive a notification when a shareholder report is available on a fund’s website, beginning July 24, 2024, you will begin to receive the streamlined shareholder report (in paper). |
Fund investment adviser: Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management®
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 MSCI 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 Portfolio Holdings are sub-categories of Sector classifications.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report1
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment returns 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 data quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus.
Total Returns for the 12 Months Ended March 31, 2024 |
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (Ticker Symbol: SAEF) | |
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ETF Category: Morningstar Mid-Cap Blend2 | |
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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 cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Performance does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the redemption or sale of fund shares.
Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
Active semi-transparent (also referred to as non-transparent) ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.
Value investing attempts to identify undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. Securities that exhibit value characteristics tend to perform differently and shift in and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions. As a result, the fund’s performance may at times fall behind the performance of other funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
1
ETF performance must be shown based on both a market price and NAV basis. The fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the fair 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 using the Official Closing Price on the primary stock exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) and may not represent the returns you would receive if shares were traded at other times. 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
Source for category information: Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs and mutual funds within the category as of the report date.
2Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
The Investment Environment
For the 12-month reporting period ended March 31, 2024, U.S. equity markets rose, posting strong gains despite inflation remaining elevated, interest rates rising, three U.S. regional banks failing between early March and early May 2023 raising concerns about the stability of the banking sector, and geopolitical turmoil during much of the period. In the United States, inflation eased as the period progressed, as did the likelihood of further interest rate increases, and stocks staged a strong upsurge over the final five months of the period. Outside the United States, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war that broke out following Hamas’ attack on Israel in early October weighed on global activity. For the reporting period, the S&P 500® Index, a bellwether for the overall U.S. stock market, returned 29.88%. The Russell 2500TM Index, which measures the performance of the small- to mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, returned 21.43%. Among U.S. stocks, large-cap stocks outperformed small-cap stocks, with the Russell 1000® Index and Russell 2000® Index returning 29.87% and 19.71%, respectively.
The U.S. economy continued to show unexpected resilience over the reporting period. Surprisingly robust job growth and strong consumer spending helped propel U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to a 4.9% annualized growth rate for the third quarter of 2023, up from roughly 2% the prior quarter, but GDP fell to 3.4% for the fourth quarter. Although inflationary pressures began to ease, with prices for goods generally dropping, prices for services kept inflation elevated. Inflation remained above the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) historical 2% target over the reporting period but generally declined throughout much of the period, as rents and wage growth eases, profit margins declined, and monetary policy remained restrictive. The unemployment rate remained low though ticked up slightly over the second half of the reporting period.
In its efforts to lower inflation, the Fed raised interest rates in May and July 2023, increasing the federal funds rate to a range of 5.25% to 5.50%. At its meetings in June, September, October, and December 2023, and January and March 2024, the Fed maintained the then current rates citing robust economic activity, strong—though moderating—job gains, and low unemployment while acknowledging tighter financial and credit conditions for households and businesses. The Fed also maintained its program to reduce the assets held on its balance sheet.
Asset Class Performance Comparison % returns during the 12 months ended March 31, 2024
Index figures assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Data source: Index provider websites and Schwab Asset Management.
Nothing in this report represents a recommendation of a security by the investment adviser.
Management views may have changed since the report date.
*
The net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report3
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF as of March 31, 2024
The Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (the fund) seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests primarily in exchange-traded equity securities of U.S. companies that have been evaluated based on certain environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. The fund typically invests in exchange-traded securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies which are companies with capitalizations within the range of the Russell 2500™ Index (the index), as measured at the time of purchase; however, the fund may invest in exchange-traded securities of companies outside the stated range. For more information concerning the fund’s investment objective, strategies, and risks, please see the fund’s prospectus.
Market Highlights. For the 12-month reporting period ended March 31, 2024, U.S. equity markets rose, posting strong gains despite inflation remaining elevated, interest rates rising, three U.S. regional banks failing between early March and early May 2023 raising concerns about the stability of the banking sector, and geopolitical turmoil during much of the period. In the United States, inflation eased as the period progressed, as did the likelihood of further interest rate increases, and stocks staged a strong upsurge over the final five months of the period. Outside the United States, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war that broke out following Hamas’ attack on Israel in early October weighed on global activity. Among U.S. stocks, large-cap stocks outperformed small-cap stocks.
Performance. For the 12-month reporting period ended March 31, 2024, the fund’s market price return was 16.34% and its NAV return was 16.27%. (For an explanation of the market price and NAV returns, please refer to footnote 2 on the following page.) For performance comparisons, the index returned 21.43% for the same period.
Positioning and Strategies. Leading global dental manufacturing company, Envista Holdings Corp., detracted the most from the total return of the fund. Envista declined over the reporting period on mixed earnings results and disappointing full year guidance implying a step-down in profitability. The company is navigating heightened investments in the company’s clear aligner offering and its saleforce in North America, sanctions in Russia, and pricing pressures in China due to volume-based procurement (VBP) reimbursement, as well as a weakening environment in North America for large dental equipment and implants. Meanwhile, Envista is in search of a new Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) creating another business distraction and further uncertainty for investors. Against this backdrop, Ariel Investments, LLC (Ariel) has actively been reassessing the company and thinks Envista has multiple opportunities to drive upside over the long-term. Ariel believes Envista will benefit from its rich research and development pipeline, several new products in high-growth dental segments, facility consolidation, and previous IT investments. At current levels, Ariel believes the downside is priced in and the question has become one of upside return potential.
Leading direct-to-consumer pool and spa care services company in the United States, Leslie’s, Inc., also detracted from the total return of the fund, trading lower following several consecutive quarters of declining earnings as well as a significant reduction in fiscal year 2024 guidance, largely driven by a write-down of excess inventory due to supply chain concerns. The weak outlook also reflected soft consumer demand amidst a tough macroeconomic environment. In response to these results, management installed a new CFO, who Ariel believes will be a positive catalyst. He aims to correct the inventory issues, reduce expenses, implement new processes to enhance internal financial controls, and deleverage the balance sheet. Against this backdrop, Ariel continues to find Leslie’s loyal client base, vertically integrated supply chain, scale advantage, and seamless customer experience to be differentiated.
Alternative asset manager, KKR & Co., Inc., was the top contributor to the total return of the fund over the reporting period following robust earnings results in a challenging market environment. Strong momentum within the capital markets business drove higher-than-expected transaction and monitoring fees, while management fee growth and insurance related earnings were solid. The firm has performed well across different economic and financial conditions and, in Ariel’s view, should continue generating alpha for its clients over the long-term, particularly as KKR strives to double the size of the company twice over the next 10 years.
Cruise ship operator, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., also contributed to the total return of the fund. Despite geopolitical tensions negatively affecting itineraries, Norwegian Cruise Line delivered compelling earnings results, driven by robust consumer demand, a solid pricing strategy, and healthy onboard spend. The company also provided solid full year 2024 guidance. Management remains focused on right sizing its cost base and improving margins to further strengthen Norwegian Cruise Line’s foundation for sustainable and profitable growth. With a young average fleet and solid liquidity position, Ariel remains enthusiastic about the company.
Management views and portfolio holdings may have changed since the report date.
4Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Performance and Fund Facts as of March 31, 2024
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment returns 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 data quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus.
Performance of Hypothetical $10,000 Investment (November 16, 2021 – March 31, 2024)1
Average Annual Total Returns1
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Fund: Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (11/16/21) | | |
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ETF Category: Morningstar Mid-Cap Blend3 | | |
Fund Expense Ratio4: 0.59% |
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 cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
Active semi-transparent (also referred to as non-transparent) ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.
Value investing attempts to identify undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. Securities that exhibit value characteristics tend to perform differently and shift in and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions. As a result, the fund’s performance may at times fall behind the performance of other funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
*
Inception (11/16/21) 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 or sale of fund shares.
2
ETF performance must be shown based on both a market price and NAV basis. The fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the fair 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 using the Official Closing Price on the primary stock exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) and may not represent the returns you would receive if shares were traded at other times. 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 and mutual funds within the category as of the report date.
4
As stated in the prospectus.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report5
Performance and Fund Facts as of March 31, 2024 (continued)
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Weighted Average Market Cap (millions) | |
Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E) | |
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Sector Weightings % of Investments2
Top Holdings % of Net Assets4
Portfolio holdings may have changed since the report date.
Source of Sector Classification: S&P and MSCI.
1
Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions.
2
The percentage may differ from the Portfolio Holdings because the above calculation is based on a percentage of total investments, whereas the calculation in the Portfolio Holdings is based on a percentage of net assets.
3
Includes the fund’s position(s) in money market mutual funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
4
This list is not a recommendation of any security by the investment adviser.
6Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Fund Expenses (Unaudited)
Examples for a $1,000 Investment
As a fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including brokerage commissions on purchases and sales of fund shares; and, (2) ongoing costs, including management fees.
The expense examples below are intended to help you understand your ongoing cost (in dollars) of investing in the 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 six months beginning October 1, 2023 and held through March 31, 2024.
The Actual Return line in the table below provides 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 the fund under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period.”
The Hypothetical Return line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the 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 brokerage commissions you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of a fund. Therefore, the hypothetical return line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
| | BEGINNING
ACCOUNT VALUE
AT 10/1/23 | ENDING
ACCOUNT VALUE
(NET OF EXPENSES)
AT 3/31/24 | EXPENSES PAID
DURING PERIOD
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| Based on the most recent six-month expense ratio. |
| Expenses for the fund are equal to its annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183 days in the period, and divided by 366 days in the fiscal year. |
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report7
Financial Statements
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Net asset value at beginning of period | | | | | | |
Income (loss) from investment operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)2 | | | | | | |
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | | | | | | |
Total from investment operations | | | | | | |
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Distributions from net investment income | | | | | | |
Net asset value at end of period | | | | | | |
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Ratios to average net assets: | | | | | | |
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Net investment income (loss) | | | | | | |
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Net assets, end of period (x 1,000) | | | | | | |
| Commencement of operations. |
| Calculated based on the average shares outstanding during the period. |
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| Ratio includes less than 0.005% of non-routine proxy expenses. |
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| Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions. |
8Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Portfolio Holdings as of March 31, 2024
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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT Part F. The fund’s Form N-PORT Part F is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You can also obtain this information at no cost on the fund’s website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus, by calling 1-866-414-6349, or by sending an email request to orders@mysummaryprospectus.com. The fund also makes available its complete schedule of holdings approximately 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter on the fund’s website.
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COMMON STOCKS 98.3% OF NET ASSETS |
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Automobiles & Components 3.4% |
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Resideo Technologies, Inc. * | | |
Sensata Technologies Holding PLC | | |
Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. | | |
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Commercial & Professional Services 7.4% |
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Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc. | | |
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Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail 2.6% |
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Consumer Durables & Apparel 2.8% |
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Mohawk Industries, Inc. * | | |
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Adtalem Global Education, Inc. * | | |
Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. * | | |
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. * | | |
OneSpaWorld Holdings Ltd. * | | |
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Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | | |
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Food, Beverage & Tobacco 0.5% |
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Health Care Equipment & Services 4.7% |
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Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings | | |
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Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | | |
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Household & Personal Products 0.9% |
Reynolds Consumer Products, Inc. | | |
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First American Financial Corp. | | |
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Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. * | | |
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Media & Entertainment 6.6% |
Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc. | | |
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. * | | |
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. * | | |
Manchester United PLC, Class A * | | |
Paramount Global, Class B | | |
Sphere Entertainment Co. * | | |
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Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences 5.5% |
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Class A * | | |
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. * | | |
Prestige Consumer Healthcare, Inc. * | | |
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Real Estate Management & Development 3.7% |
CBRE Group, Inc., Class A * | | |
Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc. * | | |
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report9
Portfolio Holdings as of March 31, 2024 (continued)
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Technology Hardware & Equipment 8.5% |
Keysight Technologies, Inc. * | | |
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Zebra Technologies Corp., Class A * | | |
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Total Common Stocks
(Cost $20,257,721) | |
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SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS 1.7% OF NET ASSETS |
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State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class 5.26% (a) | | |
Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost $377,716) | |
Total Investments in Securities
(Cost $20,635,437) | |
| Non-income producing security. |
| The rate shown is the annualized 7-day yield. |
The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s investments as of March 31, 2024 (see financial note 2(a) for additional information):
| QUOTED PRICES IN
ACTIVE MARKETS FOR
IDENTICAL ASSETS
(LEVEL 1) | OTHER SIGNIFICANT
OBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 2) | SIGNIFICANT
UNOBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 3) | |
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| As categorized in the Portfolio Holdings. |
10Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
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Investments in securities, at value - unaffiliated issuers (cost $20,635,437) | | |
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Capital received from investors | | |
Total distributable earnings | | |
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report11
Statement of Operations
For the period April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024 |
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Dividends received from securities - unaffiliated issuers | | |
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REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAINS (LOSSES) |
Net realized losses on sales of securities - unaffiliated issuers | | |
Net realized gains on sales of in-kind redemptions - unaffiliated issuers | | |
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Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on securities - unaffiliated issuers | | |
Net realized and unrealized gains | | |
Increase in net assets resulting from operations | | |
12Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Statement of Changes in Net Assets
For the current and prior report periods
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Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) | | | |
Increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | | | |
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DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS |
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TRANSACTIONS IN FUND SHARES |
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Net transactions in fund shares | | | | | |
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SHARES OUTSTANDING AND NET ASSETS |
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Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report13
1. Business Structure of the Fund:
Schwab Ariel ESG 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 operational funds in the trust as of the end of the period, including the fund discussed in this report, which is highlighted:
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| Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF |
| Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF |
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF | Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF |
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF |
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF |
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | Schwab 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF |
| Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF |
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF | Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF |
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF |
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF |
Schwab International Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF |
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF |
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF | Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF |
Schwab Municipal Bond ETF | Schwab High Yield Bond ETF |
The fund issues and redeems shares at its net asset value per share (NAV) only in large blocks of shares (Creation Units). These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and/or an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutional investors who have entered into an authorized participant agreement purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the fund are not redeemable securities.
Individual shares of the fund trade on national securities exchanges and elsewhere during the trading day and can only be bought and sold at market prices throughout the trading day through a broker-dealer. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). A chart showing the frequency at which the fund’s daily closing market price was at a discount or premium to the fund’s NAV can be found at www.schwabassetmanagement.com.
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. The "Fund Complex" includes The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Investments, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust.
2. Significant Accounting Policies:The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies the fund uses in its preparation of financial statements. The fund follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standard Codification Topic 946 Financial Services —Investment Companies. The accounting policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
The fund may invest in certain mutual funds, which are referred to as "underlying funds". For more information about the underlying funds’ operations and policies, please refer to those funds’ semiannual and annual reports, which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board of Trustees (the Board) has designated authority to a Valuation Designee, the fund’s investment adviser, to make fair valuation determinations under adopted procedures, subject to Board oversight. The investment adviser has formed a Pricing Committee to administer the pricing and valuation of portfolio securities and other assets and liabilities as well as to ensure that prices used for internal purposes or provided by third parties reasonably reflect fair value. The Valuation Designee may utilize independent pricing services, quotations from securities and financial instrument dealers and other market sources to determine fair value.
14Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
Securities held in the fund’s portfolio are valued every business day. The following valuation policies and procedures are used by the Valuation Designee to value various types of securities:
● Securities traded on an exchange or over-the-counter: Traded securities are valued at the closing value for the day, or, on days when no closing value has been reported, at the mean of the most recent bid and ask quotes.
● Mutual funds: Mutual funds are valued at their respective NAVs.
● Securities for which no quoted value is available: The Valuation Designee has adopted procedures to fair value the fund’s securities when market prices are not “readily available” or are unreliable. For example, a security may be fair valued when it’s de-listed or its trading is halted or suspended; when a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; or when a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with adopted valuation procedures. The Valuation Designee considers a number of factors, including unobservable market inputs, when arriving at fair value. The Valuation Designee may employ methods such as the review of related or comparable assets or liabilities, related market activities, recent transactions, market multiples, book values, transactional back-testing, disposition analysis and other relevant information. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the fund could obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
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 significant inputs to valuation methods 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). If inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the valuation. If it is determined 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 the Valuation Designee’s 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 investments — Investments whose values are based on quoted market prices in active markets. These generally include active listed equities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and futures contracts. Mutual funds and ETFs are classified as Level 1 prices, without consideration to the classification level of the underlying securities held which could be Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.
● 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 and forward foreign currency exchange contracts.
● Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the Valuation Designee’s 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 readily available for these securities, one or more valuation methods are used for which sufficient and reliable data is available. The inputs used 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 in the absence of market information. Assumptions used due to the lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore a 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 levels associated with valuing the fund’s investments as of March 31, 2024, are disclosed in the fund’s Portfolio Holdings.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report15
Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
(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.
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). Any distributions from underlying funds are recorded in accordance with the character of the distributions as designated by the underlying funds.
Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement (Advisory Agreement) between the investment adviser and the trust, the investment adviser will pay the operating expenses of the fund, excluding taxes, any brokerage expenses, and extraordinary or non-routine expenses. Taxes, any brokerage expenses and extraordinary or non-routine expenses that are specific to the fund are charged directly to the fund. The Advisory Agreement excludes paying acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by a fund through its investments in underlying funds.
(e) Distributions to Shareholders:
The fund makes distributions from net investment income, if any, quarterly, and from net realized capital gains, if any, once a year. To receive a distribution, you must be a registered shareholder on the record date. Distributions are paid to shareholders on the payable date.
(f) Accounting Estimates:
The accounting policies described in this report conform to GAAP. 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.
(g) Federal Income Taxes:
The fund intends to meet federal income and excise tax requirements for regulated investment companies under subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended. Accordingly, the fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income and net realized 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.
Under the fund’s organizational documents, the officers and trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their 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 attributable to these arrangements to be remote.
Effective January 24, 2023, the SEC adopted rule and form amendments to require mutual funds and ETFs to transmit concise and visually engaging streamlined annual and semiannual reports to shareholders that highlight key information deemed important for retail investors to assess and monitor their fund investments. Other information, including financial statements, will no longer appear in a streamlined shareholder report but must be available online, delivered free of charge upon request, and filed on a semiannual basis on Form N-CSR. The rule and form amendments have a compliance date of July 24, 2024. At this time, management is evaluating the impact of these rule and form amendment changes on the content of the current shareholder report and the newly created annual and semiannual streamlined shareholder reports.
Investing in the fund may involve certain risks, as discussed in the fund’s prospectus, including, but not limited to, those described below. Any of these risks could cause an investor to lose money.
16Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
Proxy Portfolio Risk. Unlike traditional ETFs that disclose their portfolio holdings on a daily basis, the fund does not disclose its holdings daily, rather it discloses a Proxy Portfolio. The goal of the Proxy Portfolio, during all market conditions, is to track closely the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio and minimize intra-day misalignment between the performance of the Proxy Portfolio and the performance of the Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and the risk characteristics of the Actual Portfolio on any given trading day.
The Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide authorized participants and other market participants with enough information to support an effective arbitrage mechanism that keeps the market price of the fund at or close to the underlying net asset value (NAV) per share of the fund. The Proxy Portfolio methodology is novel and not yet proven as an effective arbitrage mechanism. The effectiveness of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage mechanism is contingent upon, among other things, the fund’s factor model analysis creating a Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of the Actual Portfolio and the willingness of authorized participants and other market participants to trade based on a Proxy Portfolio. There is no guarantee that this arbitrage mechanism will operate as intended. Further, while the Proxy Portfolio may include some of the fund’s holdings, it is not the fund’s Actual Portfolio. ETFs trading on the basis of a published Proxy Portfolio may exhibit wider premiums and discounts, bid/ask spreads, and tracking error than other ETFs using the same investment strategies that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility. Therefore, shares of the fund may cost investors more to trade than shares of a traditional ETF.
● Each day the fund calculates the overlap between the holdings of the prior Business Day’s Proxy Portfolio compared to the Actual Portfolio (Proxy Overlap) and the difference, in percentage terms, between the Proxy Portfolio per share NAV and that of the Actual Portfolio (Tracking Error). If the Tracking Error becomes large, there is a risk that the performance of the Proxy Portfolio may deviate from the performance of the Actual Portfolio.
● The fund’s Board of Trustees (the Board) monitors its Tracking Error, bid/ask spread and premiums/discounts. If deviations become too large, the Board will consider the continuing viability of the fund, whether shareholders are being harmed, and what, if any, corrective measures would be appropriate. See the Statement of Additional Information for further discussion of the Board’s monitoring responsibilities.
● Although the fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio to identify the fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the fund and its shareholders. The Proxy Portfolio and any related disclosures have been designed to minimize the risk of predatory trading practices, but they may not be successful in doing so.
Premium/Discount Risk. Publication of the Proxy Portfolio is not the same level of transparency as the publication of the Actual Portfolio by a fully transparent ETF. Although the Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide authorized participants and other market participants with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that is intended to keep the market price of the fund at or close to the underlying NAV per share of the fund, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from NAV per share of the fund. This means the price paid to buy shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when shares are sold.
Trading Halt Risk. If securities representing 10% or more of the fund’s Actual Portfolio do not have readily available market quotations, the fund will promptly request that the listing exchange halt trading in the fund’s shares which means that investors would not be able to trade their shares. Trading halts may have a greater impact on the fund compared to other ETFs due to the fund’s non-transparent structure. If the trading of a security held in the fund’s Actual Portfolio is halted, or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations, and the investment adviser believes that the lack of any such readily available market quotations may affect the reliability of the Proxy Portfolio as an arbitrage vehicle, or otherwise determines it is in the best interest of the fund, the investment adviser will promptly disclose on the fund’s website the identity and weighting of such security for so long as such security’s trading is halted or otherwise does not have readily available market quotations and remains in the Actual Portfolio.
Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an authorized participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. The fund may have a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants, none of which are obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the fund and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to process creation and/or redemption orders, fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be more pronounced during periods of market volatility or market disruptions. The fact that the fund is offering a novel and unique structure may affect the number of entities willing to act as authorized participants.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report17
Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
Tracking Error Risk. Although the Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposure and risk characteristics of the fund’s Actual Portfolio on any given trading day, there is a risk that the performance of the Proxy Portfolio will diverge from the performance of the Actual Portfolio, potentially materially.
Equity Risk. 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. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
Market Capitalization Risk. Securities issued by companies of different market capitalizations tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. During a period when securities of a particular market capitalization fall behind other types of investments, the fund’s performance could be impacted.
Small-Cap Company Risk. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
Mid-Cap Company Risk. Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply.
Management Risk. As with all actively managed funds, the fund is subject to the risk that its investment adviser and/or subadviser will select investments or allocate assets in a manner that could cause the fund to underperform or otherwise not meet its investment objective. The fund’s investment adviser and/or subadviser applies its own investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the fund, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results.
ESG Risk. Because the fund considers ESG metrics in addition to fundamental financial metrics when selecting securities, its portfolio may perform differently than funds that do not screen for ESG attributes. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in the fund investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole. ESG considerations may prioritize long-term rather than short-term returns. Furthermore, when screening securities’ ESG attributes, the portfolio management team utilizes information published by third-party sources and as a result there is a risk that this information might be incorrect, incomplete, inconsistent or incomparable, which could cause the subadviser to incorrectly assess a company’s business practices with respect to its ESG practices. ESG is not a uniformly defined characteristic and applying ESG criteria involves a subjective assessment.
Value Investing Risk. Value investing attempts to identify undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. Securities that exhibit value characteristics tend to perform differently and shift in and out of favor with investors depending on changes in market and economic conditions. As a result, the fund’s performance may at times fall behind the performance of other funds that invest more broadly or in securities that exhibit different characteristics.
Market Risk. Financial markets rise and fall in response to a variety of factors, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Markets may be impacted by economic, political, regulatory and other conditions, including economic sanctions and other government actions. In addition, the occurrence of global events, such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters and epidemics, may also negatively affect the financial markets. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that an investor could lose money over short or long periods.
Liquidity Risk. The fund may be unable to sell certain securities, such as illiquid securities, readily at a favorable time or price, or the fund may have to sell them at a loss.
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in, or delay in recovery of, the loaned securities if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent.
Market Trading Risk. Although fund shares are listed on national securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for fund shares will develop or be maintained. If an active market is not maintained, investors may find it difficult to buy or sell fund shares.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. 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. In addition, due to the fund’s novel and unique structure, shares of the fund may trade at a larger premium or discount to the NAV of shares of traditional ETFs that disclose their portfolio holdings daily. As a result, an investor may pay more than NAV when buying shares of the fund in the secondary market, and an investor may receive less than NAV when selling those shares in the secondary market. The market price of fund shares may deviate, sometimes significantly, from NAV during periods of market disruptions or volatility.
18Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
Please refer to the fund’s prospectus for a more complete description of the principal risks of investing in the fund.
4. Affiliates and Affiliated Transactions:Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation, serves as the fund’s investment adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement between the investment adviser and the trust. Ariel Investments, LLC (Ariel), the fund’s subadviser, provides day-to-day portfolio management services to the fund, subject to the supervision of the investment adviser.
For its advisory services to the fund, the investment adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, equal to 0.59% of the fund’s average daily net assets.
The investment adviser (not the fund) pays a portion of the management fee it receives to Ariel in return for its portfolio management services.
The fund’s investment adviser or subadviser may engage in direct transactions with certain other funds they manage in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act. When a fund is seeking to sell a security that another fund is seeking to buy, an interfund transaction can allow both funds to benefit by reducing transaction costs while allowing each fund to execute the transaction at the current market price. This practice is limited to funds that share the same investment adviser, subadviser, trustees and/or officers. The net realized gains or losses on sales of interfund transactions are recorded within Net realized gains (losses) on sales of securities — unaffiliated issuers in the Statement of Operations. For the period ended March 31, 2024, the fund did not have any purchases and sales of securities with other funds managed by the investment adviser or subadviser.
Interfund Borrowing and Lending
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the fund may enter into interfund borrowing and lending transactions with other funds in the Fund Complex. All loans are for temporary or emergency purposes and the interest rate to be charged will be the average of the overnight repurchase agreement rate and the short-term bank loan rate. All loans are subject to numerous conditions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all participating funds. The interfund lending facility is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board. The fund had no interfund borrowing or lending activity during the period.
5. Other Service Providers:SEI Investments Distribution Co. is the principal underwriter and distributor of shares of the fund.
State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street) 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. The transfer agent is also responsible for the order-taking function for the fund’s shares.
State Street also serves as custodian and accountant for the fund. The custodian is responsible for the daily safekeeping of securities and cash held by the fund. The fund’s accountant maintains all books and records related to the fund’s transactions.
The Board may include people who are officers and/or directors of the investment adviser or its affiliates. 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 fund did not pay any interested persons or non-interested persons (independent trustees). The independent trustees are paid by the investment adviser. For information regarding the trustees, please refer to the Trustees and Officers table at the end of this report.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report19
Financial Notes (continued)
During the period, the fund was a participant with other funds in the Fund Complex in a joint, syndicated, committed $1 billion line of credit (the Syndicated Credit Facility), which matured on September 28, 2023. On September 28, 2023, the Syndicated Credit Facility was amended to run for a new 364 day period with the line of credit amount remaining unchanged, maturing on September 26, 2024. Under the terms of the Syndicated Credit Facility, in addition to the investment adviser paying the interest charged on any borrowings by the fund, the investment adviser paid a commitment fee of 0.15% per annum on the fund’s proportionate share of the unused portion of the Syndicated Credit Facility.
During the period, the fund was a participant with other funds in the Fund Complex in a joint, unsecured, uncommitted $400 million line of credit (the Uncommitted Credit Facility), with State Street, which matured on September 28, 2023. On September 28, 2023, the Uncommitted Credit Facility was amended to run for a new 364 day period with the line of credit amount remaining unchanged, maturing on September 26, 2024. Under the terms of the Uncommitted Credit Facility, the investment adviser pays interest on the amount the fund borrows. There were no borrowings by the fund from either line of credit during the period.
The fund also has access to custodian overdraft facilities. The fund may have utilized the overdraft facility and incurred an interest expense, which is paid by the investment adviser. The interest expense is determined based on a negotiated rate above the current Federal Funds Rate.
8. Purchases and Sales of Investment Securities:For the period ended March 31, 2024, purchases and sales of securities (excluding in-kind transactions and short-term obligations) were as follows:
The consideration for the purchase of Creation Units of the fund often consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities, which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities involved in the fund’s underlying index, and an amount of cash. Investors purchasing and redeeming Creation Units are subject to a standard creation transaction fee and a standard redemption transaction fee paid to the custodian to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units for cash are subject to an additional variable charge paid to the fund that will offset the transaction costs to the fund of buying or selling portfolio securities. Variable charges paid to the fund generally have no effect on net asset value per share. In addition, purchasers and redeemers of shares in Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring securities to or out of the fund. From time to time, the investment adviser may cover the cost of any transaction fees when believed to be in the best interests of the fund.
The in-kind transactions for the period ended March 31, 2024, were as follows:
IN-KIND PURCHASES
OF SECURITIES | IN-KIND SALES
OF SECURITIES |
| |
The fund may realize net capital gains or losses resulting from in-kind redemptions of 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 capital received from investors 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 gains or losses on sales of in-kind redemptions for the period ended March 31, 2024 are disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Operations.
20Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Financial Notes (continued)
10. Federal Income Taxes:
As of March 31, 2024, the tax basis cost of the fund’s investments and gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation were as follows:
| | GROSS UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION | GROSS UNREALIZED
DEPRECIATION | NET UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION
(DEPRECIATION) |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
As of March 31, 2024, the components of distributable earnings on a tax basis were as follows:
UNDISTRIBUTED
ORDINARY
INCOME | NET UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION
(DEPRECIATION)
ON INVESTMENTS | CAPITAL LOSS
CARRYFORWARDS AND OTHER LOSSES | |
| | | |
The primary difference between book basis and tax basis unrealized appreciation or unrealized depreciation of investments is the tax deferral of losses on wash sales. The tax cost of the fund’s investments, disclosed above, have been adjusted from its book amounts to reflect these unrealized appreciation or depreciation differences, as applicable.
Capital loss carryforwards have no expiration and may be used to offset future realized capital gains for federal income tax purposes. As of March 31, 2024, the fund had capital loss carryforwards of $178,450.
The tax basis components of distributions paid during the current and prior fiscal years were as follows:
| CURRENT FISCAL YEAR END DISTRIBUTIONS | PRIOR FISCAL YEAR END DISTRIBUTIONS |
| | |
| | |
Distributions paid to shareholders are based on net investment income and net realized gains determined on a tax basis, which may differ from net investment income and net realized gains for financial reporting purposes. These differences reflect the differing character of certain income items and net realized gains and losses for financial statement and tax purposes, and may result in reclassification among certain capital accounts in the financial statements. The fund may also designate a portion of the amount paid to redeeming shareholders as a distribution for tax purposes.
Permanent book and tax basis differences may result in reclassifications between components of net assets as required. The adjustments have no impact on net assets or the results of operations.
As of March 31, 2024, management has reviewed the tax positions for open periods (for federal purposes, three years from the date of filing and for state purposes, four years from the date of filing) as applicable to the fund, 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 fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
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.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report21
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Trustees of Schwab Strategic Trust and Shareholders of Schwab Ariel ESG ETF:
Opinion on the Financial Statements and Financial Highlights
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio holdings, of the Schwab Ariel ESG ETF (the “Fund”), one of the funds constituting Schwab Strategic Trust, as of March 31, 2024, the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the two years in the period then ended and for the period from November 16, 2021 (commencement of operations) through March 31, 2022, and the related notes. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of March 31, 2024, and the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the two years in the period then ended and for the period from November 16, 2021 (commencement of operations) through March 31, 2022 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and financial highlights. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of March 31, 2024 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Denver, Colorado
May 17, 2024
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the Schwab Funds Complex since 2020.
22Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Other Federal Tax Information (unaudited)
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the fund designates $95,225 of the dividend distributions as qualified dividends for the purposes of the maximum rate under section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code. Shareholders will be notified in January 2025 via IRS Form 1099 of the amounts for use in preparing their 2024 income tax return.
For corporate shareholders, 100.00% of the fund’s dividend distributions paid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report23
Trustees and Officers
The tables below give information about the trustees and officers of 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 and Laudus Trust. The Fund Complex includes 106 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 1-877-824-5615.
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Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust (Terms of office, and length of Time Served1) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by the Trustee | |
Michael J. Beer 1961 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2022) | Retired. Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Dec. 2016 – Sept. 2019), Principal Funds (investment management). | | Director (2016 – 2019), Principal Funds, Inc. |
Robert W. Burns 1959 Trustee (Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009; The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2016) | Retired/Private Investor. | | |
Nancy F. Heller 1956 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2018) | | | |
David L. Mahoney 1954 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2011; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2016) | | | Director (2004 – present), Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated Director (2009 – 2021), Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Director (2003 – 2019), Symantec Corporation |
Jane P. Moncreiff 1961 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2019) | Consultant (2018 – present), Fulham Advisers LLC (management consulting); Chief Investment Officer (2009 – 2017), CareGroup Healthcare System, Inc. (healthcare). | | |
24Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Independent Trustees (continued) |
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust (Terms of office, and length of Time Served1) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by the Trustee | |
Kimberly S. Patmore 1956 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2016) | Consultant (2008 – present), Patmore Management Consulting (management consulting). | | |
J. Derek Penn 1957 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2021) | Head of Equity Sales and Trading (2006 – 2018), BNY Mellon (financial services). | | |
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Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust (Terms of office, and length of Time Served1) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by the Trustee | |
Walter W. Bettinger II2 1960 Chairman and Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust and Schwab Annuity Portfolios since 2008; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009; Laudus Trust since 2010) | Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present), Director and Chief Executive Officer (Oct. 2008 – present) and President (Feb. 2007 – Oct. 2021), The Charles Schwab Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer (Oct. 2008 – Oct. 2021) and Director (May 2008 – Oct. 2021), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present) and Director (Apr. 2006 – present), Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present) and Director (Nov. 2017 – present), Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB; Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present) and Director (July 2019 – present), Charles Schwab Trust Bank; Director (May 2008 – present), Chief Executive Officer (Aug. 2017 – present) and President (Aug. 2017 – Nov. 2021), Schwab Holdings, Inc.; Manager (Sept. 2023 – present), TD Ameritrade Holding LLC; Director (Oct. 2020 – Aug. 2023), TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation; Director (July 2016 – Oct. 2021), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. | | Director (2008 – present), The Charles Schwab Corporation |
Richard A. Wurster2 1973 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2022) | President (Oct. 2021 – present) and Executive Vice President – Schwab Asset Management Solutions (Apr. 2019 – Oct. 2021), The Charles Schwab Corporation; President, Director (Oct. 2021 – present), Executive Vice President – Schwab Asset Management Solutions (July 2019 – Oct. 2021) and Senior Vice President – Advisory (May 2016 – July 2019), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; President (Nov. 2021 – present), Schwab Holdings, Inc.; Director (Oct. 2021 – present) and Chief Executive Officer (Nov. 2019 – Jan. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President (Mar. 2018 – Oct. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (July 2016 – Apr. 2018) and President (Mar. 2017 – Apr. 2018), ThomasPartners, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (July 2016 – Apr. 2018), Windhaven Investment Management, Inc. | | |
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report25
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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 |
Omar Aguilar 1970 Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Investment Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2011) | Chief Executive Officer (Jan. 2022 – present), President (Oct. 2023 – present), (Chief Investment Officer (Apr. 2011 – present) and Senior Vice President (Apr. 2011 – Jan. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President (Oct. 2022 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (Sept. 2023 – present), President (Oct. 2023 – present), Chief Investment Officer (June 2011 – present) and Vice President (June 2011 – Sept. 2023), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs. |
Mark Fischer 1970 Chief Operating Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2013) | Chief Operating Officer (Dec. 2020 – present) and Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2022), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Chief Financial Officer (Mar. 2020 – present), Chief Operating Officer (Oct. 2023 – present), Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present) and Vice President (Oct. 2013 – Mar. 2023), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. |
Dana Smith 1965 Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2023) | Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Jan. 2023 – present) and Assistant Treasurer (Dec. 2015 – Dec. 2022), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present), Vice President (Mar. 2022 – Mar. 2023) and Director (Oct. 2015 – Mar. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Managing Director (May 2022 – present) and Vice President (Apr. 2022 – May 2022), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. |
Patrick Cassidy 1964 Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2018) | Chief Investment Officer (Oct. 2023 – present) and Vice President (Feb. 2018 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present), Chief Investment Officer (Oct. 2023 – present), and Senior Vice President (Oct. 2012 – Mar. 2023), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. |
William P. McMahon, Jr. 1972 Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2021) | Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present), Senior Vice President (Jan. 2020 – Mar. 2023) and Chief Investment Officer (Jan. 2020 – present) Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (June 2021 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer – ThomasPartners Strategies (Apr. 2018 – Dec. 2019), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (May 2001 – Apr. 2018), ThomasPartners, Inc. |
Catherine MacGregor 1964 Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Schwab Funds and Schwab ETFs Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and Clerk, Laudus Trust (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2005; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009) | Chief Legal Officer (Mar. 2022 – present), Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present) and Vice President (Sept. 2005 – Mar. 2023), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Managing Director (May 2022 – present) and Vice President (Aug. 2005 – May 2022), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Vice President (Dec. 2005 – present) and Chief Legal Officer and Clerk (Mar. 2007 – present), Laudus Trust; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (Oct. 2021 – present), Vice President (Nov. 2005 – Oct. 2021) and Assistant Secretary (June 2007 – Oct. 2021), Schwab Funds; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (Oct. 2021 – present), Vice President and Assistant Secretary (Oct. 2009 – Oct. 2021), Schwab ETFs. |
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 retirement policy requires that each independent trustee retire by December 31 of the year in which the Trustee turns 74 or the Trustee’s twentieth year of service as an independent trustee on any trust in the Fund Complex, whichever occurs first.
2
Mr. Bettinger and Mr. Wurster are Interested Trustees. Mr. Bettinger and Mr. Wurster are Interested Trustees because each owns stock of The Charles Schwab Corporation (CSC), the parent company of Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., the investment adviser for the trusts in the Fund Complex, and is an employee of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), the principal underwriter for The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust.
3
The President, Treasurer and Secretary/Clerk 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.
26Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
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.
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index An index that is a broad-based benchmark measuring the performance of the U.S. investment grade, taxable bond market, including U.S. Treasuries, government-related and corporate bonds, mortgage pass-through securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities that are publicly available for sale in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the index, securities must be fixed rate, non-convertible, U.S. dollar-denominated with at least $300 million or more of outstanding face value and have one or more years remaining to maturity. The index excludes certain types of securities, including tax-exempt state and local government series bonds, structured notes embedded with swaps or other special features, private placements, floating rate securities, inflation-linked bonds and Eurobonds. The index is market capitalization weighted and the securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month.
Bloomberg US Treasury Bills 1–3 Month Index An index that includes all publicly issued zero-coupon U.S. Treasury Bills that have a remaining maturity of less than 3 months but more than 1 month, are rated investment grade and have $300 million or more of outstanding face value. It excludes zero-coupon STRIPS.
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.
dividend yield A stock’s indicated annual dividend divided by current price. At the portfolio level, it is the value-weighted average of the dividend yield of the securities in the portfolio.
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.
gross domestic product (GDP) The output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States.
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. Free-float market capitalization is a variation of market capitalization that only includes shares generally available to the public, and excludes shares of a company held by entities such as the government. Modified market capitalization weighting represents a mix between conventional market capitalization weighting and equal weighting.
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 these funds), 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.
MSCI EAFE Index (Net) A free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East. The Net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes, but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes; returns are calculated applying dividend withholding rates applicable to non-resident persons who do not benefit from double taxation treaties.
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.
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report27
primary market The market that deals with the issuance of new securities.
rights and warrants Rights and warrants are types of securities that entitle the holder to purchase a proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price for a specific period of time. Rights allow a shareholder to buy more shares directly from the company, usually at a price somewhat lower than the current market price of the outstanding shares. Warrants are usually issued with bonds and preferred stock. Rights and warrants can trade on the market separately from the company’s stock. The prices of rights and warrants do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying common stock. Rights usually expire within a few weeks of issuance, while warrants may not expire for several years. If a right or warrant is not exercised within the specified time period, it will become worthless and a fund will lose the purchase price it paid for the right or warrant and the right to purchase the underlying security.
Russell 1000 Index An index that measures the performance of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, and represents approximately 92% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.
Russell 2000 Index An index that measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.
Russell 2500 Index An index that measures the performance of the small- to mid-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe, commonly referred to as “smid” cap. The Russell 2500 Index is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index. It includes approximately 2500 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current
index membership. The Russell 2500 Index is constructed to provide a comprehensive and unbiased barometer for the small- to mid-cap segment. The index is completely reconstituted annually to ensure larger stocks do not distort the performance and characteristics of the true small to mid-cap opportunity set.
S&P 500 Index An index that is designed to measure the performance of 500 leading publicly traded companies from a broad range of industries.
SEC yield A standard yield calculation developed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that allows for fairer comparisons of bond funds. It is based on the most recent 30-day period covered by the fund’s filings with the SEC. The yield figure reflects the dividends and interest earned during the period, after the deduction of the fund’s expenses. This is also referred to as the “standardized yield.”
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.
28Schwab Ariel ESG ETF | Annual Report
Schwab ETFs
Schwab ETFs are designed to serve as simple low-cost core investment products for a diversified portfolio. These ETFs seek to provide consistent, repeatable performance through a variety of investment strategies that span the equity and fixed income spectrum. The list below shows all currently available Schwab ETFs.
Investors should carefully consider information contained in the prospectus, or if available, the summary prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. Please call 1-877-824-5615 for a prospectus 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.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus, the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by contacting Schwab ETFs at 1-877-824-5615.
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 fund’s website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
U.S. ETFs
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF
Schwab 1000 Index® ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF
Schwab International Equity ETF
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF
Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab Municipal Bond ETF
Schwab High Yield Bond ETF
Fundamental Index* ETFs
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company
Index ETF
Active, Semi-Transparent (Also Known As Non-Transparent) ETF
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management
211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
1-877-824-5615
© 2024 Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management. All rights reserved.
Printed on recycled paper.
*
FUNDAMENTAL INDEX is a registered trademark of Research Affiliates LLC.
The Schwab Ariel ESG ETF is different from traditional ETFs. Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This fund will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:
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You may have to pay more money to trade the fund’s shares. This fund will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.
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The price you pay to buy fund shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this fund compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.
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These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.
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The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.
The differences between this fund and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the fund secret, this fund may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the fund’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the fund’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the fund’s performance.
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the fund, see Proxy Portfolio Risk, Premium/Discount Risk, Trading Halt Risk, Authorized Participant Concentration Risk, Tracking Error Risk and Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV in the Principal Risks and Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap sections of the prospectus and/or the Statement of Additional Information. These risks are discussed on the next page.
Active semi-transparent (also referred to as non-transparent) ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Proxy Portfolio Risk: Unlike traditional ETFs, this fund does not disclose its portfolio holdings (Actual Portfolio) daily. The fund instead posts a Proxy Portfolio on its website each day. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and risk characteristics of the fund’s actual holdings on each trading day, but it is not the same as the fund’s Actual Portfolio. Although the Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of the Fund at or close to the underlying NAV per Share of the Fund, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of the fund. ETF trading on the basis of a published Proxy Portfolio may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore may cost investors more to trade. Also, while the Fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio to identify a Fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Fund and its shareholders.
Proxy Portfolio Construction: The Proxy Portfolio is designed to recreate the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio. This is achieved by performing a “Factor Model” analysis of the Actual Portfolio. The Factor Model is comprised of three sets of factors or analytical metrics: market-based factors, fundamental factors, and industry/sector factors. The fund uses a “Model Universe” to generate its Proxy Portfolio. The Model Universe is comprised of securities that the fund can purchase and will be a financial index or stated portfolio of securities from which fund investments will be selected. The results of the Factor Model analysis are then applied to the Model Universe. The Proxy Portfolio is then generated as a result of this Model Universe analysis with the Proxy Portfolio being a small sub-set of the Model Universe. The Factor Model is applied to both the Actual Portfolio and the Model Universe to construct the fund’s Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of its Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio will only include investments the fund is permitted to hold. The fund’s SAI contains more information on the Proxy Portfolio and its construction.
Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap Information regarding the contents of the Proxy Portfolio, and the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the Proxy Portfolio and the fund’s Actual Portfolio holdings that formed the basis for its calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day (the Portfolio Overlap), is available by visiting the fund’s website www.schwabassetmanagement.com.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.
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Annual Report | March 31, 2024
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
No Action Required – Notice Regarding Shareholder Report Delivery |
Beginning on July 24, 2024, fund shareholder reports will be streamlined to highlight key information deemed important for investors to assess and monitor their fund investments. Other information, including financial statements, will not appear in the streamlined shareholder reports but will available online and delivered free of charge upon request. |
• If you already receive the full shareholder reports, you will receive the streamlined shareholder reports in the same way that you currently receive the full shareholder reports (either in paper or electronically). |
• If you currently receive a notification when a shareholder report is available on a fund’s website, beginning July 24, 2024, you will begin to receive the streamlined shareholder report (in paper). |
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Fund investment adviser: Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management®
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 MSCI 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.
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report1
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment returns 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 data quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus.
Total Returns for the 12 Months Ended March 31, 2024 |
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (Ticker Symbol: STCE) | |
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Schwab Crypto Thematic Index® (Net)3 | |
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ETF Category: Morningstar Digital Assets4 | |
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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 cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
The first index listed for the fund is the fund’s primary benchmark, as shown in the prospectus. Additional indices shown are provided for comparative purposes.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Performance does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the redemption or sale of fund shares.
Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF will not invest in any cryptocurrency or digital assets directly. It invests in companies listed in the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index and is designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from the development or utilization of cryptocurrencies (including bitcoin) and other digital assets, and the business activities connected to blockchain and other distributed ledger technology.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence may have a more significant effect on the fund’s investments, and the fund may experience increased volatility.
The technology relating to digital assets, including blockchain, is new and developing and the risks associated with digital assets may not fully emerge until the technology is widely used. In addition, the values of the companies included in the fund may not be a reflection of their connection to digital assets but may be based on other business operations or lines of business which means that such companies’ operating results may not be significantly tied to their respective activities related to digital assets.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF invests in a portfolio of securities that are based on a theme and its performance may suffer if such theme is not correctly identified or if the theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the securities included in the index do not benefit from the development of such theme.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic Index was developed by Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. and is designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from one or more of the following business activities: either directly or facilitating others in validating consensus mechanisms for (such as mining or staking), investing in, or trading cryptocurrency or other digital assets; enabling the use of cryptocurrency or other digital assets to buy or sell goods and services; or developing, distributing or implementing applications of blockchain or other distributed ledger technology including in new cryptocurrencies or digital assets. For the complete and current index methodology please refer to www.schwabassetmanagement.com/products/stce.
1
ETF performance must be shown based on both a market price and NAV basis. The fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the fair 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 using the Official Closing Price on the primary stock exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) and may not represent the returns you would receive if shares were traded at other times. 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
Total return for the report period presented in the table differs from the return in the Financial Highlights. The total return presented in the above table is calculated based on the NAV at which shareholder transactions were processed. The total return presented in the Financial Highlights section of the report is calculated in the same manner, but also takes into account certain adjustments that are necessary under generally accepted accounting principles required in the annual and semiannual reports.
3
The net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.
4
Source for category information: Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs and mutual funds within the category as of the report date.
2Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
The Investment Environment
For the 12-month reporting period ended March 31, 2024, U.S. and international equity markets rose, posting strong gains despite inflation remaining elevated, interest rates rising, three U.S. regional banks failing between early March and early May 2023 raising concerns about the stability of the banking sector, and geopolitical turmoil during much of the period. In the United States, inflation eased as the period progressed, as did the likelihood of further interest rate increases, and stocks staged a strong upsurge over the final five months of the period. Outside the United States, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war that broke out following Hamas’ attack on Israel in early October weighed on global activity. The U.S. dollar, as measured against a basket of international currencies, was volatile during the reporting period but ended the period slightly stronger than where it began. For the reporting period, the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index® (Net)*, an index designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from various cryptocurrency-related activities, returned 101.19%. The S&P 500® Index, a bellwether for the overall U.S. stock market, returned 29.88%, and the MSCI ACWI Index (Net)* returned 23.22%.
Economies around the world grew out of sync as they wrestled with record levels of government debt, rising geopolitical tensions, and weak productivity gains that stifled economic growth. The U.S. economy continued to show unexpected resilience over the reporting period. Surprisingly robust job growth and strong consumer spending helped propel U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to a 4.9% annualized growth rate for the third quarter of 2023, up from roughly 2% the prior quarter, but GDP fell to 3.4% for the fourth quarter. Although inflationary pressures began to ease, with prices for goods generally dropping, prices for services kept inflation elevated. Inflation remained above the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) historical 2% target over the reporting period but generally declined throughout much of the period, as rents and wage growth eased, profit margins declined, and monetary policy remained restrictive. The unemployment rate remained low though ticked up slightly over the second half the reporting period.
Eurozone GDP expanded slightly for the second quarter of 2023 as inflationary pressures eased, contracted slightly for the third quarter of 2023 as financing conditions remained tight, and was flat for the fourth quarter of 2023. The United Kingdom posted a small gain in GDP growth for the first quarter of 2023, was flat for the second quarter of 2023, but contracted by small—but growing—percentages for the third and fourth quarters of 2023 amid a
Asset Class Performance Comparison % returns during the 12 months ended March 31, 2024
Index figures assume dividends and distributions were reinvested. Index figures do not include trading and management costs, which would lower performance. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Data source: Index provider websites and Schwab Asset Management.
Nothing in this report represents a recommendation of a security by the investment adviser.
Management views may have changed since the report date.
*
The net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report3
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
The Investment Environment (continued)
broad-based decline in services as well as a drop in household spending. In Japan, GDP rose for the second quarter of 2023, contracted in the third quarter of 2023, and rose slightly for the fourth quarter amid declines in private consumption for three straight quarters and despite a rise in net trade and capital expenditures.
In its efforts to lower inflation, the Fed raised interest rates in May and July 2023, increasing the federal funds rate to a range of 5.25% to 5.50%. At its meetings in June, September, October, and December 2023, and January and March 2024, the Fed maintained the then current rates citing robust economic activity, strong—though moderating—job gains, and low unemployment while acknowledging tighter financial and credit conditions for households and businesses. The Fed also maintained its program to reduce the assets held on its balance sheet. Central banks outside the United States also battled with persistently high, albeit waning, inflation. After raising rates four times between May and September 2023, the European Central Bank held its rate steady since October 2023 as inflation and pricing pressures showed signs of continued easing. Similarly, the Bank of England raised its rate three times between April and August 2023 before holding rates steady through the remainder of the reporting period, leaving borrowing costs at a 15-year high. In contrast, after eight years of negative rates, the Bank of Japan raised its short-term interest rate target for the first time since 2007, from -0.1% to a range of 0.0% to 0.1%, as inflation exceeded the central bank’s target and salaries rose.
All 11 sectors in the S&P 500® Index posted positive returns with all but three returning double digits. The highest-performing sectors were the communications services and information technology, which rose on the strong performance of five of the “Magnificent Seven” stocks (Meta Platforms, Inc. and Alphabet, Inc., in the communication services sector and NVIDIA Corp., Microsoft Corp., and Apple, Inc., in the information technology sector) that largely drove stock-market gains over the reporting period. The utilities sector was the worst performing sector for the period, returning under 1%, hurt by continuing high interest rates as investors sought returns in higher-growth sectors. The consumer staples and real estate sectors were also relatively weak, posting returns in the single digits over the reporting period.
4Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
| Christopher Bliss, CFA, Managing Director and Head of Passive Equity Strategies for Schwab Asset Management, is responsible for overseeing the investment process and portfolio management of investment strategies for passive equity Schwab Funds and Schwab ETFs, and Schwab Personalized Indexing™ separately managed accounts. Before joining Schwab in 2016, Mr. Bliss spent 12 years at BlackRock (formerly Barclays Global Investors) managing and leading institutional index teams, most recently as a managing director and the head of the Americas institutional index team. In this role, Mr. Bliss was responsible for overseeing a team of portfolio managers managing domestic, developed international and emerging markets index strategies. Prior to BlackRock, he worked as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for Harris Bretall and before that, as a research analyst for JP Morgan. |
| Joselle Duncan, CFA, Portfolio Manager for Schwab Asset Management, is responsible for the day-to-day co-management of the fund. Prior to joining Schwab in 2022, Ms. Duncan worked at BlackRock, Inc. for over 20 years as a vice president and portfolio manager focused on international ETFs. Before that, she held several positions at BlackRock (formerly Barclays Global Investors) including portfolio manager for institutional and mutual funds, securities lending trader, and securities lending product specialist. |
| Jiwei Gu, CFA, Portfolio Manager for Schwab Asset Management, is responsible for the day-to-day co-management of the fund. Ms. Gu joined the portfolio management team as an associate portfolio manager in 2018. Prior to joining Schwab, she spent four years at CoBank, most recently as an enterprise risk analyst performing bank-level loan portfolio credit risk analysis, data analytics, and risk management methodology research. Before that, Ms. Gu worked in commercial credit underwriting and capital markets supporting lending activities. |
| David Rios, Portfolio Manager for Schwab Asset Management, is responsible for the day-to-day co-management of the fund. Prior to this role, Mr. Rios was an associate portfolio manager on the equity index strategies team for four years. His first role with Schwab Asset Management was as a trade operations specialist. Prior to joining Schwab in 2008, Mr. Rios was a senior fund accountant at Investors Bank & Trust (subsequently acquired by State Street Corporation). |
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report5
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF as of March 31, 2024
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF’s (the fund) goal is to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the total return of an index that is designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from the development or utilization of cryptocurrencies (including bitcoin) and other digital assets, and the business activities connected to blockchain and other distributed ledger technology. To pursue its goal, the fund generally invests in stocks that are included in the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index® (the index). For more information concerning the fund’s investment objective, strategies, and risks, please see the fund’s prospectus.
Market Highlights. For the 12-month reporting period ended March 31, 2024, U.S. and international equity markets rose, posting strong gains despite inflation remaining elevated, interest rates rising, three U.S. regional banks failing between early March and early May 2023 raising concerns about the stability of the banking sector, and geopolitical turmoil during much of the period. In the United States, inflation eased as the period progressed, as did the likelihood of further interest rate increases, and stocks staged a strong upsurge over the final five months of the period. Outside the United States, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war that broke out following Hamas’ attack on Israel in early October weighed on global activity. The U.S. dollar, as measured against a basket of international currencies, was volatile during the reporting period but ended the period slightly stronger than where it began.
Performance. For the 12-month reporting period ended March 31, 2024, the fund’s market price return was 100.78% and its NAV return was 100.48%1 (for an explanation of the market price and NAV returns, please refer to footnote 2 on the following page). The index returned 101.19% during the same period. Differences between the return of the fund and the return of the index may be attributable to, among other things, the trading and management costs incurred by the fund and not the index.
Contributors and Detractors. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., which through its subsidiaries, provides theatrical exhibition, movie screening, food distribution, online ticket booking, and other related services, detracted the most from the total return of the fund over the reporting period. The fund’s Class A holdings of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. represented an average weight of approximately 1% of the fund’s investments and returned approximately -92% for the reporting period.
PayPal Holdings, Inc., which provides technology platform that enables digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants, also detracted from the total return of the fund over the reporting period. The fund’s holdings of PayPal Holdings, Inc. represented an average weight of approximately 4% of the fund’s investments and returned approximately -12% for the reporting period.
MicroStrategy, Inc., which provides a platform that enables departments and enterprises to deploy web-based reporting and analysis solutions, contributed the most to the total return of the fund over the reporting period. The fund’s Class A holdings of MicroStrategy, Inc. represented an average weight of approximately 9% of the fund’s investments and returned approximately 483% for the reporting period.
Cleanspark, Inc., a bitcoin mining company, also contributed to the total return of the fund over the reporting period. The fund’s holdings of Cleanspark, Inc. represented an average weight of approximately 6% of the fund’s investments and returned approximately 447% for the reporting period.
Management views and portfolio holdings may have changed since the report date.
1
Total return for the report period above differs from the return in the Financial Highlights. The total return presented above is calculated based on the net asset value (NAV) at which shareholder transactions were processed. The total return presented in the Financial Highlights section of the report is calculated in the same manner, but also takes into account certain adjustments that are necessary under generally accepted accounting principles required in the annual and semiannual reports.
6Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Performance and Fund Facts as of March 31, 2024
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment returns 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 data quoted. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus.
Performance of Hypothetical $10,000 Investment (August 4, 2022 – March 31, 2024)1
Average Annual Total Returns1
| | |
Fund: Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (8/4/22) | | |
| | |
| | |
Schwab Crypto Thematic Index® (Net)3 | | |
| | |
ETF Category: Morningstar Digital Assets5 | | |
Fund Expense Ratio6: 0.30% |
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 cannot be invested in directly. Performance results less than one year are not annualized.
The first index listed for the fund is the fund’s primary benchmark, as shown in the prospectus. Additional indices shown are provided for comparative purposes.
For index definitions, please see the Glossary.
Shares are bought and sold at market price, which may be higher or lower than the net asset value (NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF will not invest in any cryptocurrency or digital assets directly. It invests in companies listed in the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index and is designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from the development or utilization of cryptocurrencies (including bitcoin) and other digital assets, and the business activities connected to blockchain and other distributed ledger technology.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence may have a more significant effect on the fund’s investments, and the fund may experience increased volatility.
The technology relating to digital assets, including blockchain, is new and developing and the risks associated with digital assets may not fully emerge until the technology is widely used. In addition, the values of the companies included in the fund may not be a reflection of their connection to digital assets but may be based on other business operations or lines of business which means that such companies’ operating results may not be significantly tied to their respective activities related to digital assets.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF invests in a portfolio of securities that are based on a theme and its performance may suffer if such theme is not correctly identified or if the theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the securities included in the index do not benefit from the development of such theme.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic Index was developed by Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. and is designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from one or more of the following business activities: either directly or facilitating others in validating consensus mechanisms for (such as mining or staking), investing in, or trading cryptocurrency or other digital assets; enabling the use of cryptocurrency or other digital assets to buy or sell goods and services; or developing, distributing or implementing applications of blockchain or other distributed ledger technology including in new cryptocurrencies or digital assets. For the complete and current index methodology please refer to www.schwabassetmanagement.com/products/stce.
*
Inception (8/4/22) 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 or sale of fund shares.
2
ETF performance must be shown based on both a market price and NAV basis. The fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the fund. NAV is calculated by taking the fund’s total assets (including the fair 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 using the Official Closing Price on the primary stock exchange (generally, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) and may not represent the returns you would receive if shares were traded at other times. 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
The net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.
4
Total return for the report period presented in the table differs from the return in the Financial Highlights. The total return presented in the above table is calculated based on the NAV at which shareholder transactions were processed. The total return presented in the Financial Highlights section of the report is calculated in the same manner, but also takes into account certain adjustments that are necessary under generally accepted accounting principles required in the annual and semiannual reports.
5
Source for category information: Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Category return represents all passively- and actively-managed ETFs and mutual funds within the category as of the report date.
6
As stated in the prospectus.
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report7
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Performance and Fund Facts as of March 31, 2024 (continued)
| |
Weighted Average Market Cap (millions) | |
Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E) | |
| |
| |
Sector Weightings % of Investments
Top Holdings % of Net Assets4
Country Weightings % of Investments5
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 trading and management costs incurred by the fund.
Source of Sector Classification: S&P and MSCI.
1
Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions.
2
Amount is less than 0.05%.
3
Includes the fund’s position(s) in money market mutual funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
4
This list is not a recommendation of any security by the investment adviser.
5
The percentage may differ from the Portfolio Holdings because the above calculation is based on a percentage of total investments, whereas the calculation in the Portfolio Holdings is based on a percentage of net assets.
8Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Fund Expenses (Unaudited)
Examples for a $1,000 Investment
As a fund shareholder, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including brokerage commissions on purchases and sales of fund shares; and, (2) ongoing costs, including management fees.
The expense examples below are intended to help you understand your ongoing cost (in dollars) of investing in the 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 six months beginning October 1, 2023 and held through March 31, 2024.
The Actual Return line in the table below provides 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 the fund under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period.”
The Hypothetical Return line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the 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 brokerage commissions you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of a fund. Therefore, the hypothetical return line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
| | BEGINNING
ACCOUNT VALUE
AT 10/1/23 | ENDING
ACCOUNT VALUE
(NET OF EXPENSES)
AT 3/31/24 | EXPENSES PAID
DURING PERIOD
|
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| Based on the most recent six-month expense ratio. |
| Expenses for the fund are equal to its annualized expense ratio, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 183 days in the period, and divided by 366 days in the fiscal year. |
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report9
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Financial Statements
| | | | | | |
|
Net asset value at beginning of period | | | | | | |
Income (loss) from investment operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)2 | | | | | | |
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | | | | | | |
Total from investment operations | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Distributions from net investment income | | | | | | |
Net asset value at end of period | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|
Ratios to average net assets: | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Net assets, end of period (x 1,000) | | | | | | |
| Commencement of operations. |
| Calculated based on the average shares outstanding during the period. |
| |
| |
| Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from processing of in-kind creations or redemptions. |
10Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Portfolio Holdings as of March 31, 2024
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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT Part F. The fund’s Form N-PORT Part F is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You can also obtain this information at no cost on the fund’s website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus, by calling 1-866-414-6349, or by sending an email request to orders@mysummaryprospectus.com. The fund also makes available its complete schedule of portfolio holdings on a daily basis on the fund’s website.
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF will not invest in any cryptocurrency or digital assets directly. The fund invests in companies listed in the Schwab Crypto Thematic Index and is designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from the development or utilization of cryptocurrencies (including bitcoin) and other digital assets, and the business activities connected to blockchain and other distributed ledger technology. The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence may have a more significant effect on the fund’s investments, and the fund may experience increased volatility.
See performance and fund facts section for additional details related to sector concentration and financial note 3 for risk factors associated with the Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF.
| | |
COMMON STOCKS 99.9% OF NET ASSETS |
|
|
| | |
Hive Digital Technologies Ltd. * | | |
| | |
| | |
|
|
| | |
Internet Initiative Japan, Inc. | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|
|
| | |
|
|
Bitdeer Technologies Group, Class A * | | |
|
|
| | |
|
|
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc., Class A * | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Coinbase Global, Inc., Class A * | | |
Customers Bancorp, Inc. * | | |
GameStop Corp., Class A * | | |
Interactive Brokers Group, Inc., Class A | | |
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. | | |
Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. * | | |
MicroStrategy, Inc., Class A * | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Robinhood Markets, Inc., Class A * | | |
Shift4 Payments, Inc., Class A * | | |
| | |
Virtu Financial, Inc., Class A | | |
| | |
| | |
Total Common Stocks
(Cost $24,440,170) | |
| | |
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS 0.1% OF NET ASSETS |
|
|
State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Premier Class 5.26% (a) | | |
Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost $17,187) | |
Total Investments in Securities
(Cost $24,457,357) | |
| Non-income producing security. |
| The rate shown is the annualized 7-day yield. |
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report11
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Portfolio Holdings as of March 31, 2024 (continued)
The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the fund’s investments as of March 31, 2024 (see financial note 2(a) for additional information):
| QUOTED PRICES IN
ACTIVE MARKETS FOR
IDENTICAL ASSETS
(LEVEL 1) | OTHER SIGNIFICANT
OBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 2) | SIGNIFICANT
UNOBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 3) | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| As categorized in the Portfolio Holdings. |
12Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
|
Investments in securities, at value - unaffiliated issuers (cost $24,457,357) | | |
| | |
Foreign currency, at value (cost $1,101) | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|
|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|
|
Capital received from investors | | |
Total distributable earnings | | |
| | |
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report13
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Statement of Operations
For the period April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2024 |
|
Dividends received from securities - unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign withholding tax of $3,578) | | |
|
|
| | |
| | |
| | |
|
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAINS (LOSSES) |
Net realized losses on sales of securities - unaffiliated issuers | | |
Net realized gains on sales of in-kind redemptions - unaffiliated issuers | | |
Net realized losses on foreign currency transactions | | |
| | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on securities - unaffiliated issuers | | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on foreign currency translations | | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) | | |
Net realized and unrealized gains | | |
Increase in net assets resulting from operations | | |
14Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Statement of Changes in Net Assets
For the current and prior report periods
|
| | |
| | | |
Net realized gains (losses) | | | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) | | | |
Increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | | | |
|
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS |
| | | |
TRANSACTIONS IN FUND SHARES |
| | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
Net transactions in fund shares | | | | | |
|
SHARES OUTSTANDING AND NET ASSETS |
| | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| Commencement of operations. |
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report15
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
1. Business Structure of the Fund:
Schwab Crypto Thematic 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 operational funds in the trust as of the end of the period, including the fund discussed in this report, which is highlighted:
|
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | |
| Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF |
| Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF |
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF | Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF |
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF | Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF |
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF |
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | Schwab 5-10Year Corporate Bond ETF |
| Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF |
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF | Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF |
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF |
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF |
Schwab International Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF |
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF | Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company Index ETF |
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF | |
Schwab Municipal Bond ETF | Schwab High Yield Bond ETF |
The fund issues and redeems shares at its net asset value per share (NAV) only in large blocks of shares (Creation Units). These transactions are usually in exchange for a basket of securities and/or an amount of cash. As a practical matter, only institutional investors who have entered into an authorized participant agreement purchase or redeem Creation Units. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the fund are not redeemable securities.
Individual shares of the fund trade on national securities exchanges and elsewhere during the trading day and can only be bought and sold at market prices throughout the trading day through a broker-dealer. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). A chart showing the frequency at which the fund’s daily closing market price was at a discount or premium to the fund’s NAV can be found at www.schwabassetmanagement.com.
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. The "Fund Complex" includes The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Investments, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust.
2. Significant Accounting Policies:The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies the fund uses in its preparation of financial statements. The fund follows the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standard Codification Topic 946 Financial Services — Investment Companies. The accounting policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
The fund may invest in certain mutual funds which are referred to as “underlying funds”. For more information about the underlying funds’ operations and policies, please refer to those funds’ semiannual and annual reports, which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board of Trustees (the Board) has designated authority to a Valuation Designee, the fund’s investment adviser, to make fair valuation determinations under adopted procedures, subject to Board oversight. The investment adviser has formed a Pricing Committee to administer the pricing and valuation of portfolio securities and other assets and liabilities as well as to ensure that prices used for internal purposes or provided by third parties reasonably reflect fair value. The Valuation Designee may utilize independent pricing services, quotations from securities and financial instrument dealers and other market sources to determine fair value.
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Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
Securities held in the fund’s portfolio are valued every business day. The following valuation policies and procedures are used by the Valuation Designee to value various types of securities:
● Securities traded on an exchange or over-the-counter: Traded securities are valued at the closing value for the day, or, on days when no closing value has been reported, at the mean of the most recent bid and ask quotes. Securities that are primarily traded on foreign exchanges are valued at the official closing price or the last sales price on the exchange where the securities are principally traded with these values then translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate, unless these securities are fair valued as discussed below.
● Mutual funds: Mutual funds are valued at their respective NAVs.
● Securities for which no quoted value is available: The Valuation Designee has adopted procedures to fair value the fund’s securities when market prices are not “readily available” or are unreliable. For example, a security may be fair valued when it’s de-listed or its trading is halted or suspended; when a security’s primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; or when a security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours. Fair value determinations are made in good faith in accordance with adopted valuation procedures. The Valuation Designee considers a number of factors, including unobservable market inputs, when arriving at fair value. The Valuation Designee may employ methods such as the review of related or comparable assets or liabilities, related market activities, recent transactions, market multiples, book values, transactional back-testing, disposition analysis and other relevant information. Due to the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no assurance that the fund could obtain the fair value assigned to the security upon the sale of such security.
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 significant inputs to valuation methods 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). If inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the valuation. If it is determined 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 the Valuation Designee’s 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 investments — Investments whose values are based on quoted market prices in active markets. These generally include active listed equities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and futures contracts. Mutual funds and ETFs are classified as Level 1 prices, without consideration to the classification level of the underlying securities held which could be Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.
● 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 and forward foreign currency exchange contracts.
● Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the Valuation Designee’s 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 readily available for these securities, one or more valuation methods are used for which sufficient and reliable data is available. The inputs used 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 in the absence of market information. Assumptions used 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 levels associated with valuing the fund’s investments as of March 31, 2024, are disclosed in the fund’s Portfolio Holdings.
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Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
(b) Accounting Policies for certain Portfolio Investments (if held):
Securities Lending: Under the trust’s Securities Lending Program, the fund (lender) may make short-term loans of its securities to another party (borrower) to generate additional revenue for the fund. The borrower pledges collateral in the form of cash, securities issued or fully guaranteed by the U.S. government or foreign governments, or letters of credit issued by a bank. Collateral at the individual loan level is required to be maintained on a daily marked-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to the current value of the securities loaned. The lending agent provides the fund with indemnification against borrower default (the borrower fails to return the security on loan) reducing the risk of loss as a result of default. The cash collateral of securities loaned is currently invested in money market portfolios operating pursuant to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act. The fund bears the risk of loss with respect to the investment of cash collateral. The terms of the securities lending agreement allow the fund or the lending agent to terminate any loan at any given time and the securities must be returned within the earlier of the standard trade settlement period or the specified time period under the relevant securities lending agreement. Securities lending income, as disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Operations, if applicable, represents the income earned from the investment of the cash collateral plus any fees paid by borrowers, less the fees paid to the lending agent and broker rebates which are subject to adjustments pursuant to the securities lending agreement. On loans not collateralized by cash, a fee is received from the borrower, and is allocated between the fund and the lending agent. The aggregate fair value of securities loaned will not at any time exceed one-third of the total assets of the fund, including collateral received from the loan. Securities lending fees paid to the unaffiliated lending agents start at 9% of gross lending revenue, with subsequent breakpoints to a low of 5%. In this context, the gross lending revenue equals the income received from the investment of cash collateral and fees paid by borrowers less any rebates paid to the borrowers. Any expenses charged by the cash collateral fund are in addition to these fees. All remaining revenue is retained by the fund, as applicable. No portion of lending revenue is paid to or retained by the investment adviser or any of its affiliates.
As of March 31, 2024, the fund had no securities on loan.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies: The fund may own shares in certain foreign corporations that meet the Internal Revenue Code definition of a Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC). The fund may elect for tax purposes to mark-to-market annually the shares of each PFIC lot held and would be required to distribute as ordinary income to shareholders any such marked-to- market gains (as well as any gains realized on sale).
Central Securities Depositories Regulation: The Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) introduced measures for the authorization and supervision of European Union Central Security Depositories and created a common set of prudential, organizational, and conduct of business standards at a European level. CSDR is designed to support securities settlement and operational aspects of securities settlement, including the provision of shorter settlement periods; mandatory buy-ins; and cash penalties, to prevent and address settlement fails. CSDR measures are aimed to prevent settlement fails by ensuring that all transaction details are provided to facilitate settlement, as well as further incentivizing timely settlement by imposing cash penalty fines and buy-ins. The fund may be subject to pay cash penalties and may also receive cash penalties with certain counterparties in instances where there are settlement fails. These cash penalties are included in net realized gains (losses) on sales of securities in the fund’s Statement of Operations, if any.
(c) 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.
Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are reported in U.S. dollars. For assets and liabilities held on a given date, the dollar value is based on market exchange rates in effect on that date. Transactions involving foreign currencies, including purchases, sales, income receipts and expense payments, are calculated using exchange rates in effect on the transaction date. Realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions and the difference between the recorded amounts of dividends, interest, and foreign withholding taxes and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange appreciation or depreciation arises from changes in foreign exchange rates on foreign denominated assets and liabilities other than investments in securities held at the end of the reporting period. These realized and unrealized foreign exchange gains or losses are reported in foreign currency transactions or translations in the fund’s Statement of Operations. The fund does not isolate the portion of the fluctuations on investments resulting from changes in foreign currency exchange rates from the fluctuations in market prices of investments held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss from investments, if any.
Gains realized by the fund on the sale of securities in certain foreign countries may be subject to non-U.S. taxes. In those instances, the fund records a liability based on unrealized appreciation to provide for potential non-U.S. taxes payable upon the sale of these securities.
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Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
(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 date the ex-dividend date is confirmed. Any distributions from underlying funds are recorded in accordance with the character of the distributions as designated by the underlying funds.
Income received from foreign sources may result in withholding tax. Withholding taxes are accrued at the same time as the related income if the tax rate is fixed and known, unless a tax withheld is reclaimable from the local tax authorities in which case it is recorded as receivable. If the tax rate is not known or estimable, such expense or reclaim receivable is recorded when the net proceeds are received.
Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Advisory Agreement (Advisory Agreement) between the investment adviser and the trust, the investment adviser will pay the operating expenses of the fund, excluding taxes, any brokerage expenses, and extraordinary or non-routine expenses. Taxes, any brokerage expenses and extraordinary or non-routine expenses that are specific to the fund are charged directly to the fund. The Advisory Agreement excludes paying acquired fund fees and expenses, which are indirect expenses incurred by a fund through its investments in underlying funds.
(f) Distributions to Shareholders:
The fund makes distributions from net investment income, if any, semiannually, and from net realized capital gains, if any, once a year. To receive a distribution, you must be a registered shareholder on the record date. Distributions are paid to shareholders on the payable date.
(g) Accounting Estimates:
The accounting policies described in this report conform to GAAP. 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 under subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended. Accordingly, the fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income and net realized 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.
The fund may be subject to foreign taxes (a portion of which may be reclaimable) on income, corporate events, foreign currency exchanges and capital gains on investments. All foreign taxes are recorded in accordance with the applicable foreign tax regulations and rates that exist in foreign markets in which the fund invests. These foreign taxes, if any, are paid by the fund and are disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Operations. Foreign taxes accrued as of March 31, 2024, if any, are reflected in the fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
Under the fund’s organizational documents, the officers and trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their 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 attributable to these arrangements to be remote.
Effective January 24, 2023, the SEC adopted rule and form amendments to require mutual funds and ETFs to transmit concise and visually engaging streamlined annual and semiannual reports to shareholders that highlight key information deemed important for retail investors to assess and monitor their fund investments. Other information, including financial statements, will no longer
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Financial Notes (continued)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (continued):
appear in a streamlined shareholder report but must be available online, delivered free of charge upon request, and filed on a semiannual basis on Form N-CSR. The rule and form amendments have a compliance date of July 24, 2024. At this time, management is evaluating the impact of these rule and form amendment changes on the content of the current shareholder report and the newly created annual and semiannual streamlined shareholder reports.
Investing in the fund may involve certain risks, as discussed in the fund’s prospectus, including, but not limited to, those described below. Any of these risks could cause an investor to lose money.
Market Risk. Financial markets rise and fall in response to a variety of factors, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Markets may be impacted by economic, political, regulatory and other conditions, including economic sanctions and other government actions. In addition, the occurrence of global events, such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters and epidemics, may also negatively affect the financial markets. As with any investment whose performance is tied to these markets, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate, which means that an investor could lose money over short or long periods.
Risk of Investing in Crypto Ecosystem Companies. The technology relating to digital assets, including blockchain, is new and developing and the risks associated with digital assets may not fully emerge until the technology is widely used. Currently, there are relatively few companies for which digital assets represents an attributable and significant revenue stream or source of profit. Therefore, the values of the companies included in the index may not be a reflection of their connection to digital assets but may be based on other business operations or lines of business which means that such companies’ operating results may not be significantly tied to their respective activities related to digital assets. These companies also may not be able to develop digital asset technology applications or may not be able to capitalize on those applications. Digital asset technologies may never be fully implemented, which could adversely affect an investment in the fund. Additionally, there may be risks posed by the lack of regulation for digital assets and any future regulatory developments could affect the viability and expansion of the use of digital assets.
Investment Style Risk. The fund is an index fund. Therefore, the fund follows the securities 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 may be below that of the index. Errors relating to the index may occur from time to time and may not be identified by the index provider for a period of time. In addition, market disruptions could cause delays in the index’s rebalancing schedule. Such errors and/or market disruptions may result in losses for the fund.
Equity Risk. 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. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.
Market Capitalization Risk. Securities issued by companies of different market capitalizations tend to go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions. During a period when securities of a particular market capitalization fall behind other types of investments, the fund’s performance could be impacted.
Large-Cap Company Risk. Large-cap companies are generally more mature and the securities issued by these companies may not be able to reach the same levels of growth as the securities issued by small- or mid-cap companies.
Mid-Cap Company Risk. Certain funds invest in mid-cap company stocks. Mid-cap companies may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies and the value of securities issued by these companies may move sharply.
Small-Cap Company Risk. Certain funds invest in small-cap company stocks. Securities issued by small-cap companies may be riskier than those issued by larger companies, and their prices may move sharply, especially during market upturns and downturns.
Foreign Investment Risk. The fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers involve certain risks that may be greater than those associated with investments in securities of U.S. issuers. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions; changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations (including limitations on currency movements and exchanges); the imposition of economic sanctions or other government restrictions; differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting and legal standards and practices; differing securities market structures; and higher transaction costs. These risks may negatively impact the value or liquidity of the fund’s investments and could impair the fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategy. There is a risk that investments in securities denominated in, and/or receiving revenues in, foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign securities also include
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Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), and European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), which are receipts issued by U.S. and foreign banks that represent shares of foreign-based corporations. Investment in ADRs, GDRs and EDRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market, and GDRs, in particular, many of which are issued by companies in emerging markets, may be more volatile. Foreign securities may also include investments in variable interest entities (VIEs) structures, which are created by China-based operating companies in jurisdictions outside of China to obtain indirect financing due to Chinese regulations that prohibit non-Chinese ownership of those companies. To the extent the fund’s investments in a single country or a limited number of countries represent a large percentage of the fund’s assets, the fund’s performance may be adversely affected by the economic, political, regulatory and social conditions in those countries and the fund’s price may be more volatile than the price of a fund that is geographically diversified.
Emerging Markets Risk. Emerging market countries may be more likely to experience political turmoil or rapid changes in market or economic conditions than more developed countries. Emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements and greater risk associated with the custody of securities. In addition, the financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in developed countries. As a result, there may be an increased risk of illiquidity and price volatility associated with the fund’s investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar, and, at times, it may be difficult to value such investments.
Non-Diversification Risk. The fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest in the securities of relatively few issuers. As a result, a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence may have a more significant effect on the fund’s investments, and the fund may experience increased volatility.
Thematic Investing Risk. The fund invests in a portfolio of securities that are based on a theme and its performance may suffer if such theme is not correctly identified or if the theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the securities included in the index do not benefit from the development of such theme. A failure to correctly identify the theme or a failure of the theme to develop in the manner expected by the index provider may result from many causes, including government or other oppositions to the theme, incorrect or incomplete demographic or economic data, social and political changes or natural disasters. In addition, the theme may go in and out of favor, which could cause the fund to outperform or underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but employ different investment strategies.
Thematic Index Methodology Risk. The index uses certain proprietary methodology to help assess the criteria of companies to be included in the index, including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the fund nor the investment adviser can offer assurances that the index methodology will provide an accurate assessment of included companies. The index’s proprietary natural language algorithm may not identify companies that would otherwise have been included in the index if the publicly available data for those companies had used the key words analyzed by the natural language algorithm or, alternatively, the natural language algorithm may identify companies that would not otherwise have been included in the index if the publicly available data for those companies had not used the key words analyzed by the natural language algorithm. There is no guarantee that the index will reflect the Theme exposures intended.
Sampling Index Tracking Risk. 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. Because the fund utilizes a sampling approach, it may not track the return of the index as well as it would if the fund purchased all of the securities in the index.
Tracking Error Risk. As an index fund, the fund seeks to track the performance of its index, although it may not be successful in doing so. The divergence between the performance of the fund and the index, positive or negative, is called “tracking error.” Tracking error can be caused by many factors and it may be significant.
Derivatives Risk. The fund may invest in derivative instruments. The principal types of derivatives the fund may use are futures contracts. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a financial instrument at a specific price on a specific day. 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. Certain of these risks, such as market risk, liquidity risk and leverage risk, are discussed elsewhere in this section. The fund’s use of derivatives is also subject to counterparty risk, lack of availability risk, valuation risk, correlation risk and tax risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to a derivative transaction may not fulfill its contractual obligations either because the financial condition of the counterparty declines, or because the counterparty is otherwise unable or unwilling to perform under the contract. Lack of availability risk is the risk that suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Valuation risk is the risk that a particular derivative may be valued incorrectly. Correlation risk is the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the
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Financial Notes (continued)
3. Risk Factors (continued):
underlying asset, rate or index. Tax risk is the risk that the use of derivatives may cause the fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains. The fund’s use of derivatives could reduce the fund’s performance, increase its volatility and cause the fund to lose more than the initial amount invested. The fund’s use of derivatives also could create a risk of counterparty default under certain transactions, risks that the fund would need to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so in order to meet margin and payment obligations, and legal risks relating to insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of a counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract. Furthermore, the use of derivatives subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) could cause the fund to become a commodity pool, which would require the fund to comply with certain CFTC rules.
Liquidity Risk. The fund may be unable to sell certain securities, such as illiquid securities, readily at a favorable time or price, or the fund may have to sell them at a loss.
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in, or delay in recovery of, the loaned securities if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent.
Concentration Risk. To the extent that the fund’s or the index’s portfolio is concentrated in the securities of issuers in a particular market, industry, group of industries, sector, country 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 vulnerable to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that market, industry, group of industries, sector, country or asset class.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. High portfolio turnover may result in the fund paying higher levels of transaction costs and may generate greater tax liabilities for shareholders. Portfolio turnover risk may cause the fund’s performance to be less than expected.
Market Trading Risk. Although fund shares are listed on national securities exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for fund shares will develop or be maintained. If an active market is not maintained, investors may find it difficult to buy or sell fund shares.
Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. 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. An investor may pay more than NAV when buying shares of the fund in the secondary market, and an investor may receive less than NAV when selling those shares in the secondary market. The market price of fund shares may deviate, sometimes significantly, from NAV during periods of market volatility or market disruption, or as a result of other factors impacting foreign securities, including liquidity, irregular trading activity and timing differences between foreign markets where securities trade and the secondary market where fund shares are sold.
Please refer to the fund’s prospectus for a more complete description of the principal risks of investing in the fund.
4. Affiliates and Affiliated Transactions:Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation, serves as the fund’s investment adviser pursuant to the Advisory Agreement between the investment adviser and the trust.
For its advisory services to the fund, the investment adviser is entitled to receive an annual management fee, payable monthly, equal to 0.30% of the fund’s average daily net assets.
The fund may engage in direct transactions with certain other funds in the Fund Complex in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board pursuant to Rule 17a-7 under the 1940 Act. When one fund is seeking to sell a security that another fund is seeking to buy, an interfund transaction can allow both funds to benefit by reducing transaction costs while allowing each fund to execute the transaction at the current market price. This practice is limited to funds that share the same investment adviser, trustees and/or officers. The net realized gains or losses on sales of interfund transactions are recorded within Net realized gains (losses) on sales of securities — unaffiliated issuers in the Statement of Operations. For the period ended March 31, 2024, the fund’s purchases and sales of securities with other funds in the Fund Complex was $1,657,049 and $6,442,707, respectively, and includes realized gains of $606,742.
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Financial Notes (continued)
4. Affiliates and Affiliated Transactions (continued):
Interfund Borrowing and Lending
Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, the fund may enter into interfund borrowing and lending transactions with other funds in the Fund Complex. All loans are for temporary or emergency purposes and the interest rate to be charged will be the average of the overnight repurchase agreement rate and the short-term bank loan rate. All loans are subject to numerous conditions designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all participating funds. The interfund lending facility is subject to the oversight and periodic review of the Board. The fund had no interfund borrowing or lending activity during the period.
5. Other Service Providers:SEI Investments Distribution Co. is the principal underwriter and distributor of shares of the fund.
State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street) 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. The transfer agent is also responsible for the order-taking function for the fund’s shares.
State Street also serves as custodian and accountant for the fund. The custodian is responsible for the daily safekeeping of securities and cash held by the fund. The fund’s accountant maintains all books and records related to the fund’s transactions.
The Board may include people who are officers and/or directors of the investment adviser or its affiliates. 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 fund did not pay any interested persons or non-interested persons (independent trustees). The independent trustees are paid by the investment adviser. For information regarding the trustees, please refer to the Trustees and Officers table at the end of this report.
During the period, the fund was a participant with other funds in the Fund Complex in a joint, syndicated, committed $1 billion line of credit (the Syndicated Credit Facility), which matured on September 28, 2023. On September 28, 2023, the Syndicated Credit Facility was amended to run for a new 364 day period with the line of credit amount remaining unchanged, maturing on September 26, 2024. Under the terms of the Syndicated Credit Facility, in addition to the investment adviser paying the interest charged on any borrowing by the fund, the investment adviser paid a commitment fee of 0.15% per annum on the fund’s proportionate share of the unused portion of the Syndicated Credit Facility.
During the period, the fund was a participant with other funds in the Fund Complex in a joint, unsecured, uncommitted $400 million line of credit (the Uncommitted Credit Facility), with State Street, which matured on September 28, 2023. On September 28, 2023, the Uncommitted Credit Facility was amended to run for a new 364 day period with the line of credit amount remaining unchanged, maturing on September 26, 2024. Under the terms of the Uncommitted Credit Facility, the investment adviser pays interest on the amount the fund borrows. There were no borrowings by the fund from either line of credit during the period.
The fund also has access to custodian overdraft facilities. The fund may have utilized the overdraft facility and incurred an interest expense, which is paid by the investment adviser. The interest expense is determined based on a negotiated rate above the current Federal Funds Rate.
8. Purchases and Sales of Investment Securities:For the period ended March 31, 2024, purchases and sales of securities (excluding in-kind transactions and short-term obligations) were as follows:
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Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
The consideration for the purchase of Creation Units of the fund often consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities, which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities involved in the relevant fund’s underlying index, and an amount of cash. Investors purchasing and redeeming Creation Units are subject to a standard creation transaction fee and a standard redemption transaction fee paid to the custodian to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units for cash are subject to an additional variable charge paid to the fund that will offset the transaction costs to the fund of buying or selling portfolio securities. Variable charges paid to the fund generally have no effect on net asset value per share. In addition, purchasers and redeemers of shares in Creation Units are responsible for payment of the costs of transferring securities to or out of the fund. From time to time, the investment adviser may cover the cost of any transaction fees when believed to be in the best interests of the fund.
The in-kind transactions for the period ended March 31, 2024, were as follows:
IN-KIND PURCHASES
OF SECURITIES | IN-KIND SALES
OF SECURITIES |
| |
The fund may realize net capital gains or losses resulting from in-kind redemptions of 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 capital received from investors at the end of the fund’s tax year. These reclassifications have no effect on net assets or net asset value per share. The net realized gains or losses on sales of in-kind redemptions for the period ended March 31, 2024, are disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Operations.
10. Federal Income Taxes:As of March 31, 2024, the tax basis cost of the fund’s investments and gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation were as follows:
| | GROSS UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION | GROSS UNREALIZED
DEPRECIATION | NET UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION
(DEPRECIATION) |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
As of March 31, 2024, the components of distributable earnings on a tax basis were as follows:
UNDISTRIBUTED
ORDINARY
INCOME | NET UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION
(DEPRECIATION)
ON INVESTMENTS | NET OTHER UNREALIZED
APPRECIATION
(DEPRECIATION) | CAPITAL LOSS
CARRYFORWARDS AND OTHER LOSSES | |
| | | | |
The primary difference between book basis and tax basis unrealized appreciation or unrealized depreciation of investments is the tax deferral of losses on wash sales and the realization for tax purposes of unrealized appreciation on investments in PFICs. The tax cost of the fund’s investments, disclosed above, have been adjusted from its book amounts to reflect these unrealized appreciation or depreciation differences, as applicable.
Capital loss carryforwards have no expiration and may be used to offset future realized capital gains for federal income tax purposes. As of March 31, 2024, the fund had capital loss carryforwards of $1,322,398.
The tax basis components of distributions paid during the current and prior fiscal years were as follows:
| CURRENT FISCAL YEAR END DISTRIBUTIONS | PRIOR FISCAL YEAR END DISTRIBUTIONS |
| | |
| | |
24Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Financial Notes (continued)
10. Federal Income Taxes (continued):
Distributions paid to shareholders are based on net investment income and net realized gains determined on a tax basis, which may differ from net investment income and net realized gains for financial reporting purposes. These differences reflect the differing character of certain income items and net realized gains and losses for financial statement and tax purposes, and may result in reclassification among certain capital accounts in the financial statements. The fund may also designate a portion of the amount paid to redeeming shareholders as a distribution for tax purposes.
Permanent book and tax basis differences may result in reclassifications between components of net assets as required. The adjustments have no impact on net assets or the results of operations.
As of March 31, 2024, management has reviewed the tax positions for open periods (for federal purposes, three years from the date of filing and for state purposes, four years from the date of filing) as applicable to the fund, 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 fund’s Statement of Operations. During the fiscal period ended March 31, 2024, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
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.
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | Annual Report25
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Trustees of Schwab Strategic Trust and Shareholders of Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF:
Opinion on the Financial Statements and Financial Highlights
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the portfolio holdings, of Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (the “Fund”), one of the funds constituting Schwab Strategic Trust, as of March 31, 2024, the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets and the financial highlights for the year then ended and for the period from August 4, 2022 (commencement of operations) through March 31, 2023, and the related notes. In our opinion, the financial statements and financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of March 31, 2024, and the results of its operations for the year then ended and the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for the year then ended and for the period from August 4, 2022 (commencement of operations) through March 31, 2023 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
These financial statements and financial highlights are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and financial highlights based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements and financial highlights are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements and financial highlights, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements and financial highlights. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements and financial highlights. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of March 31, 2024, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Denver, Colorado
May 17, 2024
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the Schwab Funds Complex since 2020.
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Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Other Federal Tax Information (unaudited)
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the fund designates $45,950 of the dividend distributions as qualified dividends for the purposes of the maximum rate under section 1(h)(11) of the Internal Revenue Code. Shareholders will be notified in January 2025 via IRS Form 1099 of the amounts for use in preparing their 2024 income tax return.
For corporate shareholders, 45.58% of the fund’s dividend distributions paid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction.
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Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Trustees and Officers
The tables below give information about the trustees and officers of Schwab Strategic Trust, which includes the fund 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 and Laudus Trust. The Fund Complex includes 106 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 1-877-824-5615.
|
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust (Terms of office, and length of Time Served1) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by the Trustee | |
Michael J. Beer 1961 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2022) | Retired. Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (Dec. 2016 – Sept. 2019), Principal Funds (investment management). | | Director (2016 – 2019), Principal Funds, Inc. |
Robert W. Burns 1959 Trustee (Trustee of Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009; The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2016) | Retired/Private Investor. | | |
Nancy F. Heller 1956 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2018) | | | |
David L. Mahoney 1954 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2011; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2016) | | | Director (2004 – present), Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated Director (2009 – 2021), Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Director (2003 – 2019), Symantec Corporation |
Jane P. Moncreiff 1961 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2019) | Consultant (2018 – present), Fulham Advisers LLC (management consulting); Chief Investment Officer (2009 – 2017), CareGroup Healthcare System, Inc. (healthcare). | | |
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Independent Trustees (continued) |
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust (Terms of office, and length of Time Served1) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by the Trustee | |
Kimberly S. Patmore 1956 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2016) | Consultant (2008 – present), Patmore Management Consulting (management consulting). | | |
J. Derek Penn 1957 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2021) | Head of Equity Sales and Trading (2006 – 2018), BNY Mellon (financial services). | | |
|
Name, Year of Birth, and Position(s) with the trust (Terms of office, and length of Time Served1) | Principal Occupations During the Past Five Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by the Trustee | |
Walter W. Bettinger II2 1960 Chairman and Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust and Schwab Annuity Portfolios since 2008; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009; Laudus Trust since 2010) | Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present), Director and Chief Executive Officer (Oct. 2008 – present) and President (Feb. 2007 – Oct. 2021), The Charles Schwab Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer (Oct. 2008 – Oct. 2021) and Director (May 2008 – Oct. 2021), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present) and Director (Apr. 2006 – present), Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present) and Director (Nov. 2017 – present), Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB; Co-Chairman of the Board (July 2022 – present) and Director (July 2019 – present), Charles Schwab Trust Bank; Director (May 2008 – present), Chief Executive Officer (Aug. 2017 – present) and President (Aug. 2017 – Nov. 2021), Schwab Holdings, Inc.; Manager (Sept. 2023 – present), TD Ameritrade Holding LLC; Director (Oct. 2020 – Aug. 2023), TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation; Director (July 2016 – Oct. 2021), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. | | Director (2008 – present), The Charles Schwab Corporation |
Richard A. Wurster2 1973 Trustee (Trustee of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2022) | President (Oct. 2021 – present) and Executive Vice President – Schwab Asset Management Solutions (Apr. 2019 – Oct. 2021), The Charles Schwab Corporation; President, Director (Oct. 2021 – present), Executive Vice President – Schwab Asset Management Solutions (July 2019 – Oct. 2021) and Senior Vice President – Advisory (May 2016 – July 2019), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; President (Nov. 2021 – present), Schwab Holdings, Inc.; Director (Oct. 2021 – present) and Chief Executive Officer (Nov. 2019 – Jan. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President (Mar. 2018 – Oct. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (July 2016 – Apr. 2018) and President (Mar. 2017 – Apr. 2018), ThomasPartners, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (July 2016 – Apr. 2018), Windhaven Investment Management, Inc. | | |
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Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
|
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 |
Omar Aguilar 1970 Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Investment Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2011) | Chief Executive Officer (Jan. 2022 – present), President (Oct. 2023 – present), (Chief Investment Officer (Apr. 2011 – present) and Senior Vice President (Apr. 2011 – Jan. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President (Oct. 2022 – present), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer (Sept. 2023 – present), President (Oct. 2023 – present), Chief Investment Officer (June 2011 – present) and Vice President (June 2011 – Sept. 2023), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs. |
Mark Fischer 1970 Chief Operating Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2013) | Chief Operating Officer (Dec. 2020 – present) and Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2022), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Chief Financial Officer (Mar. 2020 – present), Chief Operating Officer (Oct. 2023 – present), Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present) and Vice President (Oct. 2013 – Mar. 2023), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. |
Dana Smith 1965 Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2023) | Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer (Jan. 2023 – present) and Assistant Treasurer (Dec. 2015 – Dec. 2022), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present), Vice President (Mar. 2022 – Mar. 2023) and Director (Oct. 2015 – Mar. 2022), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Managing Director (May 2022 – present) and Vice President (Apr. 2022 – May 2022), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. |
Patrick Cassidy 1964 Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2018) | Chief Investment Officer (Oct. 2023 – present) and Vice President (Feb. 2018 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present), Chief Investment Officer (Oct. 2023 – present), and Senior Vice President (Oct. 2012 – Mar. 2023), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. |
William P. McMahon, Jr. 1972 Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios, Schwab Strategic Trust and Laudus Trust since 2021) | Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present), Senior Vice President (Jan. 2020 – Mar. 2023) and Chief Investment Officer (Jan. 2020 – present) Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (June 2021 – present), Schwab Funds, Laudus Trust and Schwab ETFs; Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer – ThomasPartners Strategies (Apr. 2018 – Dec. 2019), Charles Schwab Investment Advisory, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (May 2001 – Apr. 2018), ThomasPartners, Inc. |
Catherine MacGregor 1964 Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Schwab Funds and Schwab ETFs Chief Legal Officer, Vice President and Clerk, Laudus Trust (Officer of The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust since 2005; Schwab Strategic Trust since 2009) | Chief Legal Officer (Mar. 2022 – present), Managing Director (Mar. 2023 – present) and Vice President (Sept. 2005 – Mar. 2023), Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.; Managing Director (May 2022 – present) and Vice President (Aug. 2005 – May 2022), Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Vice President (Dec. 2005 – present) and Chief Legal Officer and Clerk (Mar. 2007 – present), Laudus Trust; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (Oct. 2021 – present), Vice President (Nov. 2005 – Oct. 2021) and Assistant Secretary (June 2007 – Oct. 2021), Schwab Funds; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary (Oct. 2021 – present), Vice President and Assistant Secretary (Oct. 2009 – Oct. 2021), Schwab ETFs. |
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 retirement policy requires that each independent trustee retire by December 31 of the year in which the Trustee turns 74 or the Trustee’s twentieth year of service as an independent trustee on any trust in the Fund Complex, whichever occurs first.
2
Mr. Bettinger and Mr. Wurster are Interested Trustees. Mr. Bettinger and Mr. Wurster are Interested Trustees because each owns stock of The Charles Schwab Corporation (CSC), the parent company of Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., the investment adviser for the trusts in the Fund Complex, and is an employee of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab), the principal underwriter for The Charles Schwab Family of Funds, Schwab Investments, Schwab Capital Trust, Schwab Annuity Portfolios and Laudus Trust.
3
The President, Treasurer and Secretary/Clerk 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.
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Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
144A securities These securities may be sold only to qualified institutional buyers under Securities Act Rule 144A.
American Depositary Receipt (ADR) U.S. dollar-denominated receipts issued by U.S. banks or trust companies that represent shares of foreign-based corporations.
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.
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index An index that is a broad-based benchmark measuring the performance of the U.S. investment grade, taxable bond market, including U.S. Treasuries, government-related and corporate bonds, mortgage pass-through securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities that are publicly available for sale in the United States. To be eligible for inclusion in the index, securities must be fixed rate, non-convertible, U.S. dollar-denominated with at least $300 million or more of outstanding face value and have one or more years remaining to maturity. The index excludes certain types of securities, including tax-exempt state and local government series bonds, structured notes embedded with swaps or other special features, private placements, floating rate securities, inflation-linked bonds and Eurobonds. The index is market capitalization weighted and the securities in the index are updated on the last business day of each month.
Bloomberg US Treasury Bills 1–3 Month Index An index that includes all publicly issued zero-coupon U.S. Treasury Bills that have a remaining maturity of less than 3 months but more than 1 month, are rated investment grade and have $300 million or more of outstanding face value. It excludes zero-coupon STRIPS.
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.
European Depositary Receipt (EDR) A negotiable security (receipt) that is issued by a European bank, and that represents shares of foreign-based corporations.
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.
Global Depositary Receipt (GDR) A negotiable security (receipt) that is issued by a foreign bank, and that represents shares of foreign-based corporations.
gross domestic product (GDP) The output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States.
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. Free-float market capitalization is a variation of market capitalization that only includes shares generally available to the public, and excludes shares of a company held by entities such as the government. Modified market capitalization weighting represents a mix between conventional market capitalization weighting and equal weighting.
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 these funds), 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.
MSCI ACWI Index (Net) A free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of both developed markets and emerging markets. The index includes both large- and mid-cap stocks. The Net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes.
MSCI EAFE Index (Net) A free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East. The Net version of the index reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes, but reflects no deductions for expenses or other taxes; returns are calculated applying dividend withholding rates applicable to non-resident persons who do not benefit from double taxation treaties.
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.
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Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
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.
primary market The market that deals with the issuance of new securities.
rights and warrants Rights and warrants are types of securities that entitle the holder to purchase a proportionate amount of common stock at a specified price for a specific period of time. Rights allow a shareholder to buy more shares directly from the company, usually at a price somewhat lower than the current market price of the outstanding shares. Warrants are usually issued with bonds and preferred stock. Rights and warrants can trade on the market separately from the company’s stock. The prices of rights and warrants do not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying common stock. Rights usually expire within a few weeks of issuance, while warrants may not expire for several years. If a right or warrant is not exercised within the specified time period, it will become worthless and a fund will lose the purchase price it paid for the right or warrant and the right to purchase the underlying security.
Russell 2000 Index An index that measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. The Russell 3000 Index measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 98% of the investable U.S. equity market.
S&P 500 Index An index that is designed to measure the performance of 500 leading publicly traded companies from a broad range of industries.
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.
Schwab Crypto Thematic Index An index developed by Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. and designed to deliver global exposure to companies that may benefit from one or more of the following business activities: either directly or facilitating others in validating consensus mechanisms for (such as mining or staking), investing in, or trading cryptocurrency or other digital assets; enabling the use of cryptocurrency or other digital assets to buy or sell goods and services; or developing, distributing or implementing applications of blockchain or other distributed ledger technology including in new cryptocurrencies or digital assets. The index is comprised of equity securities, including depositary receipts which may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), of companies listed and traded on major exchanges in the U.S. and non-U.S. markets, including developed and emerging markets, as determined by the index provider. The underlying securities comprising the index and their weights are based on a determination of relevance to the theme based on a proprietary rules-based methodology that utilizes a natural language processing algorithm.
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.
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Schwab ETFs
Schwab ETFs are designed to serve as simple low-cost core investment products for a diversified portfolio. These ETFs seek to provide consistent, repeatable performance through a variety of investment strategies that span the equity and fixed income spectrum. The list below shows all currently available Schwab ETFs.
Investors should carefully consider information contained in the prospectus, or if available, the summary prospectus, including investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. Please call 1-877-824-5615 for a prospectus 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.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus, the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by contacting Schwab ETFs at 1-877-824-5615.
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 fund’s website at www.schwabassetmanagement.com/schwabetfs_prospectus or the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
U.S. ETFs
Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF
Schwab 1000 Index® ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF
Schwab U.S. REIT ETF
Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF
Schwab International Equity ETF
Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Schwab U.S. TIPS ETF
Schwab Short-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab Intermediate-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab Long-Term U.S. Treasury ETF
Schwab U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
Schwab 1-5 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab 5-10 Year Corporate Bond ETF
Schwab Municipal Bond ETF
Schwab High Yield Bond ETF
Fundamental Index* ETFs
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Broad Market Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental U.S. Small Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental International Large Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental International Small Company Index ETF
Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Company
Index ETF
Active, Semi-Transparent (Also Known As Non-Transparent) ETF
Schwab Ariel ESG ETF
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management
211 Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
1-877-824-5615
© 2024 Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc., dba Schwab Asset Management. All rights reserved.
Printed on recycled paper.
*
FUNDAMENTAL INDEX is a registered trademark of Research Affiliates LLC.
The Schwab Ariel ESG ETF is different from traditional ETFs. Traditional ETFs tell the public what assets they hold each day. This fund will not. This may create additional risks for your investment. For example:
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You may have to pay more money to trade the fund’s shares. This fund will provide less information to traders, who tend to charge more for trades when they have less information.
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The price you pay to buy fund shares on an exchange may not match the value of the fund’s portfolio. The same is true when you sell shares. These price differences may be greater for this fund compared to other ETFs because it provides less information to traders.
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These additional risks may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions.
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The ETF will publish on its website each day a “Proxy Portfolio” designed to help trading in shares of the ETF. While the Proxy Portfolio includes some of the ETF’s holdings, it is not the ETF’s actual portfolio.
The differences between this fund and other ETFs may also have advantages. By keeping certain information about the fund secret, this fund may face less risk that other traders can predict or copy its investment strategy. This may improve the fund’s performance. If other traders are able to copy or predict the fund’s investment strategy, however, this may hurt the fund’s performance.
For additional information regarding the unique attributes and risks of the fund, see Proxy Portfolio Risk, Premium/Discount Risk, Trading Halt Risk, Authorized Participant Concentration Risk, Tracking Error Risk and Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV in the Principal Risks and Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap sections of the prospectus and/or the Statement of Additional Information. These risks are discussed on the next page.
Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
Active semi-transparent (also referred to as non-transparent) ETFs operate differently from other exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Unlike other ETFs, an active semi-transparent ETF does not publicly disclose its entire portfolio composition each business day, which may affect the price at which shares of the ETF trade in the secondary market. Active semi-transparent ETFs have limited public trading history. There can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop, be maintained or operate as intended. There is a risk that the market price of an active semi-transparent ETF may vary significantly from the ETF’s net asset value and that its shares may trade at a wider bid/ask spread and, therefore, cost investors more to trade than shares of other ETFs. These risks are heightened during periods of market disruption or volatility.
Proxy Portfolio Risk: Unlike traditional ETFs, this fund does not disclose its portfolio holdings (Actual Portfolio) daily. The fund instead posts a Proxy Portfolio on its website each day. The Proxy Portfolio is designed to reflect the economic exposures and risk characteristics of the fund’s actual holdings on each trading day, but it is not the same as the fund’s Actual Portfolio. Although the Proxy Portfolio is intended to provide investors with enough information to allow for an effective arbitrage mechanism that will keep the market price of the Fund at or close to the underlying NAV per Share of the Fund, there is a risk (which may increase during periods of market disruption or volatility) that market prices will vary significantly from the underlying NAV of the fund. ETF trading on the basis of a published Proxy Portfolio may trade at a wider bid/ask spread than ETFs that publish their portfolios on a daily basis, especially during periods of market disruption or volatility, and therefore may cost investors more to trade. Also, while the Fund seeks to benefit from keeping its portfolio information secret, market participants may attempt to use the Proxy Portfolio to identify a Fund’s trading strategy, which if successful, could result in such market participants engaging in certain predatory trading practices that may have the potential to harm the Fund and its shareholders.
Proxy Portfolio Construction: The Proxy Portfolio is designed to recreate the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio. This is achieved by performing a “Factor Model” analysis of the Actual Portfolio. The Factor Model is comprised of three sets of factors or analytical metrics: market-based factors, fundamental factors, and industry/sector factors. The fund uses a “Model Universe” to generate its Proxy Portfolio. The Model Universe is comprised of securities that the fund can purchase and will be a financial index or stated portfolio of securities from which fund investments will be selected. The results of the Factor Model analysis are then applied to the Model Universe. The Proxy Portfolio is then generated as a result of this Model Universe analysis with the Proxy Portfolio being a small sub-set of the Model Universe. The Factor Model is applied to both the Actual Portfolio and the Model Universe to construct the fund’s Proxy Portfolio that performs in a manner substantially identical to the performance of its Actual Portfolio. The Proxy Portfolio will only include investments the fund is permitted to hold. The fund’s SAI contains more information on the Proxy Portfolio and its construction.
Proxy Portfolio and Proxy Overlap Information regarding the contents of the Proxy Portfolio, and the percentage weight overlap between the holdings of the Proxy Portfolio and the fund’s Actual Portfolio holdings that formed the basis for its calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day (the Portfolio Overlap), is available by visiting the fund’s website www.schwabassetmanagement.com.
Because environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies exclude some securities, ESG-focused products may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as products that do not use such strategies. Additionally, the criteria used to select companies for investment may result in investing in securities, industries or sectors that underperform the market as a whole.
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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 19(a)(1) of Form N-CSR. |
Item 3: Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Registrant’s Board of Trustees has determined that Kimberly S. Patmore, Michael J. Beer and J. Derek Penn, each currently serving on its audit, compliance and valuation committee, are each an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. Each member of Registrant’s audit, compliance and valuation committee is “independent” under the standards set forth in Item 3 of Form N-CSR.
The designation of each of Ms. Patmore, Mr. Beer and Mr. Penn 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, compliance and valuation 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, compliance and valuation committee or Board of Trustees.
Item 4: Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Registrant is composed of thirty operational series. Two have a fiscal year-end of March 31, whose annual financial statements are reported in Item 1, seven series have a fiscal year-end of the last day of February, thirteen series have a fiscal year-end of August 31, and eight series have a fiscal year-end of December 31. Principal accountant fees disclosed in Items 4(a)-(d) and 4(g) include fees billed for services rendered to each of the thirty operational series during 2023/2024 and the twenty-nine operational series during 2022/2023, based on their respective 2023/2024 and 2022/2023 fiscal years, as applicable.
The following table presents fees billed by the principal accountant in each of the last two fiscal years for the services rendered to the Funds:
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(a) Audit Fees1 | | (b)Audit-Related Fees | | (c) Tax Fees2 | | (d) All Other Fees |
Fiscal Year 2023/2024 | | Fiscal Year 2022/2023 | | Fiscal Year 2023/2024 | | Fiscal Year 2022/2023 | | Fiscal Year 2023/2024 | | Fiscal Year 2022/2023 | | Fiscal Year 2023/2024 | | Fiscal Year 2022/2023 |
| $558,674 | | $505,650 | | $0 | | $0 | | $98,550 | | $89,900 | | $0 | | $0 |
| 1 | The nature of the services includes audit of the registrant’s annual financial statements and normally provided services in connection with regulatory filings for those fiscal years. |
| 2 | The nature of the services includes tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. |
(e) (1) Registrant’s audit, compliance and valuation 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 that were approved by Registrant’s audit, compliance and valuation 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.
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| | 2023/2024: $4,034,714 | | | 2022/2023: $ | 3,136,515 | |
(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, compliance and valuation 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.
(i) Not applicable.
(j) Not applicable.
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, compliance and valuation committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The Registrant’s audit, compliance and valuation committee members are Michael J. Beer, J. Derek Penn and Kimberly S. Patmore.
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: Financial Statements and Financial Highlights for Open-End Management Investment Companies.
The financial statements and financial highlights are included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.
Item 8: Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants for Open-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 9: Proxy Disclosures for Open-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 10: Remuneration Paid to Directors, Officers, and Others of Open-End Management Investment Companies.
The remuneration paid to directors, officers and others are included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.
Item 11: Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Investment Advisory Contract.
Not applicable.
Item 12: Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 13: Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 14: Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable.
Item 15: Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
Not applicable.
Item 16: 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 Principal Executive Officer, Omar Aguilar and Registrant’s Principal Financial Officer, Dana Smith, 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) | During the period covered by this report, 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 17: Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
Item 18: Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation.
(a) Not applicable.
(b) Not applicable.
Item 19: Exhibits.
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 Ariel ESG ETF and Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF
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| By: | | /s/ Omar Aguilar |
| | Omar Aguilar Principal Executive Officer |
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| Date: | | May 17, 2024 |
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.
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| By: | | /s/ Omar Aguilar |
| | Omar Aguilar Principal Executive Officer |
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| Date: | | May 17, 2024 |
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| By: | | /s/ Dana Smith |
| | Dana Smith Principal Financial Officer |
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| Date: | | May 17, 2024 |
