| Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Significant Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires those responsible for preparing financial statements to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Trust.
2.1. Basis of Accounting
Since the Trust’s inception, the Sponsor determined that the Trust was not an investment company within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), Topic 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies (“Topic 946”). Consequently, the Trust did not prepare its financial statements applying standards applicable to investment companies in accordance with Topic 946, including recording its investment in Bullion at “fair value” as defined in Topic 946. Instead, the Trust recorded its investment in Bullion at the lower of cost or fair value in accordance with ASC 330.
Following the release of FASB Accounting Standards Update ASU 2013-08, Financial Services—Investments Companies (Topic 946): Amendments to the Scope, Measurement and Disclosure Requirements , the Sponsor has re-evaluated whether the Trust falls within scope and has concluded that for reporting purposes, the Trust is classified as an investment company effective January 1, 2014. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such act.
As a result of the change in the evaluation of investment company status, the Trust must, from January 1, 2014, present its Bullion assets at “fair value” as defined in Topic 946.
The adoption of Topic 946 accounting changed the presentation of the Trust’s financial statements prospectively from January 1, 2014 (the date of the adoption), the most significant aspects of which are as follows:
1.
Presentation of the Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2013 has been conformed to the current year accounting standards. A Statement of Changes in Net Assets is required and has been presented for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
2.
A Schedule of Investments is required and is presented as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.
3.
Financial Highlights are required and is presented for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
4.
As the Trust meets the exemption criteria under Topic 946, a cash flow statement is not required for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. Since the adoption of the new accounting principle is prospective, the statement of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2013 is still presented.
5.
Required disclosures under Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements , have been included in the footnotes to the financial statements as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.
The quantitative effect of the adoption of investment company accounting is presented below:
Value at
Gain / (loss)
December 31, 2013
Value at
as a result of
at lower of cost
January 1, 2014
change in
(Amounts in 000's of US$)
or market value
at fair value
accounting principle
Bullion
Gold
$ 139,729
$ 139,729
$
-
Silver
$ 83,152
$ 83,152
$
-
Platinum
$ 21,057
$ 21,057
$
-
Palladium
$ 15,984
$ 16,538
$ 554
2.2. Valuation of Bullion
The Trust follows the provisions of ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"). ASC 820 provides guidance for determining fair value and requires disclosure regarding the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.
Bullion is held by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Custodian”), on behalf of the Trust, at its London, England vaulting premises on a segregated basis. The allocated platinum and palladium may also be held by UBS A.G., or any other firm selected by the Custodian to hold the Trust’s platinum and palladium in the Trust’s allocated account in the firm’s Zurich, Switzerland vault premises on a segregated basis and whose appointment has been approved by the Sponsor, (the “Zurich Sub-Custodian”). The Trust’s Bullion is recorded, per individual metal type, at fair value. The cost of Bullion is determined according to the average cost method and the fair value is based on the relevant “London Metal Price” for each metal held by the Trust. This is the applicable “London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”) PM Gold Price” for gold of the price of an ounce of gold, the “London Silver Price” for silver and for platinum and palladium the applicable “London Metal Exchange (“LME”) PM Price”.
Since March 20, 2015, the LBMA PM Gold Price is set using the afternoon session of the ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”) equilibrium auction, an electronic, tradable and auditable over-the-counter auction market with the ability to settle trades in US Dollars, Euros or British Pounds for LBMA authorized participating gold bullion banks or market makers (“gold participants”) that establishes a reference gold price for that day’s trading.
Prior to March 20, 2015, the fair value of gold was based on the London PM Fix. The London PM Fix price for gold was set using the afternoon session of the twice daily fix of the price of gold by five market making members of the London Bullion Market Association which occurred at approximately 3:00 PM London time, on each working day. The London PM Fix was discontinued on March 19, 2015.
Since December 1, 2014, the LME has been responsible for the administration of the electronic platinum and palladium bullion price fixing system (“LMEbullion”) that replicates electronically the manual London platinum and palladium fixing processes previously employed by the London Platinum and Palladium Fixing Company Ltd (“LPPFCL”) as well as providing electronic market clearing processes for platinum and palladium bullion transactions at the fixed prices established by the LME pricing mechanism. LMEbullion, like the previous London platinum and palladium fix processes, establishes and publishes fixed prices for troy ounces of platinum and palladium twice each London trading day during fixing sessions beginning at 9:45 a.m. London time (the LME AM Fix) and 2:00 p.m. London time (the LME PM Fix).
Prior to December 1, 2014, the Trust utilized the London PM Fix as its benchmark for valuation purposes. The London PM Fix for platinum and palladium was the price of an ounce of platinum or palladium (respectively) as set by four fixing members of the London Platinum and Palladium Market (“LPPM”) at approximately 2:00 PM, London time, on each working day and was widely accepted among platinum and palladium market participants. The London PM Fix was discontinued on November 30, 2014.
Since August 15, 2014, CME Group, Inc. has been conducting an electronic, over-the-counter silver bullion auction in London, England to establish a fixing price for an ounce of silver once each trading day, which is disseminated by Thomson Reuters (the “London Silver Price”). The London Silver Price is established by the five LBMA authorized bullion banks and market makers participating in the auction. The “London Metal Price” for silver held by the Trust is the London Silver Price.
Prior to August 15, 2014, the Trust utilized the “London Fix” for silver as its benchmark for silver valuation purposes. The London Fix for silver, which London Silver Market Fixing Ltd. discontinued on August 14, 2014, was the price of an ounce of silver as set by three market making members of the LBMA at approximately 12:00 noon, London time, on each London business day and was widely accepted among silver market participants. Once the value of gold has been determined, the net asset value (the “NAV”) is computed by the Trustee by deducting all accrued fees and other liabilities of the Trust, including the remuneration due to the Sponsor (the “Sponsor’s Fee”), from the fair value of the gold and all other assets held by the Trust.
The Trust recognizes changes in fair value of the investment in Bullion as changes in unrealized gains or losses on investment in Bullion through the Statement of Operations.
The per Share amount of Bullion exchanged for a purchase or redemption is calculated daily by the Trustee, using the London Metal Price for each metal held by the Trust to calculate the Bullion amount in respect of any liabilities for which covering Bullion sales have not yet been made, and represents the per Share amount of Bullion held by the Trust, after giving effect to its liabilities, to cover expenses and liabilities and any losses that may have occurred.
2.2. Valuation of Bullion (continued)
Fair Value Hierarchy
Inputs
Generally accepted accounting principles establish a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The three levels of inputs are as follows:
–
Level 1.
Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the company has the ability to access.
–
Level 2.
Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instruments and similar data.
–
Level 3.
Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability to the extent that relevant observable inputs are not available, representing the company’s own assumptions about the assumptions that a market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and that would be based on the best information available.
To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in level 3.
The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.
The investment in Bullion is classified as a level 2 asset, as the Trust’s investment in Bullion is calculated using third party pricing sources supported by observable, verifiable inputs.
The categorization of the Trust’s assets is as shown below:
(Amounts in 000's of US$)
December 31, 2015
December 31, 2014
Level 2
Investment in Bullion
$ 161,846
$ 234,158
There were no re-allocations or transfers between levels during the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
2.3. Bullion Receivable and Payable
Bullion receivable or payable represents the quantity of Bullion covered by contractually binding orders for the creation or redemption of Shares respectively, where the Bullion has not yet been transferred to or from the Trust’s account. Generally, ownership of the Bullion is transferred within three days of the trade date.
2.4. Creations and Redemptions of Shares
The Trust expects to create and redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 50,000 Shares). The Trust issues Shares in Baskets to Authorized Participants on an ongoing basis. Individual investors cannot purchase or redeem Shares in direct transactions with the Trust. An Authorized Participant is a person who (1) is registered as a broker-dealer or other securities market participant such as a bank or other financial institution which is not required to register as a broker-dealer to engage in securities transactions, (2) is a participant in The Depository Trust Company, (3) has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Trustee, and (4) has established an Authorized Participant Unallocated Account with the Trust’s Custodian. An Authorized Participant Agreement is an agreement entered into by each Authorized Participant, the Sponsor and the Trustee which provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of Baskets and for the delivery of the Bullion required for such creations and redemptions. An Authorized Participant Unallocated Account is an unallocated Bullion account, either loco London or loco Zurich, established with the Custodian or a Bullion clearing bank by an Authorized Participant.
The creation and redemption of Baskets is only made in exchange for the delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of Bullion and any cash represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which is based on the combined NAV of the number of Shares included in the Baskets being created or redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received.
Authorized Participants may, on any business day, place an order with the Trustee to create or redeem one or more Baskets. The typical settlement period for Shares is three business days. In the event of a trade date at period end, where a settlement is pending, a respective account receivable and/or payable will be recorded. When Bullion is exchanged in settlement of redemption, it is considered a sale of Bullion for financial statement purposes.
The amount of Bullion represented by the Baskets created or redeemed can only be settled to the nearest 1/1000 th of an ounce. As a result, the value attributed to the creation or redemption of Shares may differ from the value of Bullion to be delivered or distributed by the Trust. In order to ensure that the correct metal is available at all times to back the Shares, the Sponsor accepts an adjustment to its management fees in the event of any shortfall or excess. For each transaction, this amount is not more than 1/1000 th of an ounce.
As the Shares of the Trust are subject to redemption at the option of Authorized Participants, the Trust has classified the outstanding Shares as Redeemable Capital Shares as of December 31, 2013 and as Net Assets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.
For the year ended December 31, 2013, the Trust recorded the redemption value, which represents the maximum obligation (based on NAV per Share), with the difference from historical cost recorded as an offsetting amount to Shareholders’ Equity.
Changes in Shares for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 are presented in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets. Changes in the Shares for the year ended December 31, 2013 are set out below:
Year
Ended
December 31, 2013
(Amounts in 000's of US$, except for Share and per Share data)
Number of redeemable Shares
Opening balance
2,200,000
Creations
2,050,000
Redemptions
(300,000)
Closing balance
3,950,000
Redeemable Shares
Opening balance
$ 202,243
Creations
149,235
Redemptions
(20,607)
Adjustment to redemption value
(70,513)
Closing balance
$ 260,358
Redemption value per Share at period end
$ 65.91
2.5. Income Taxes
The Trust is classified as a “grantor trust” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust itself will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, the Trust’s income and expenses will “flow through” to the Shareholders, and the Trustee will report the Trust’s proceeds, income, deductions, gains, and losses to the Internal Revenue Service on that basis.
The Trust has adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 740-10, Income Taxes. The Sponsor has evaluated the application of ASC 740 to the Trust, to determine whether or not there are uncertain tax positions in its major jurisdictions that require financial statement recognition. Based on this evaluation, the Sponsor has determined the Trust’s major jurisdictions to be where it is organized and where bullion is held. No uncertain tax positions have been identified. As a result, no income tax liability or expense has been recorded in the accompanying financial statements.
2.6. Investment in Bullion
The following represents the changes in ounces of Bullion and the respective values for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 :
(Amounts in 000's of US$, except for ounces data)
Year Ended December 31, 2015
Ounces of Bullion
Gold
Silver
Platinum
Palladium
Total
Opening balance
111,199.3
4,077,306.0
14,826.5
22,239.7
4,225,571.5
Creations
30,589.1
1,121,600.0
4,078.5
6,117.8
1,162,385.4
Redemptions
(51,145.0)
(1,875,318.5)
(6,819.3)
(10,229.0)
(1,943,511.8)
Transfers of Bullion to pay expenses
(460.9)
(16,899.9)
(61.5)
(92.2)
(17,514.5)
Closing balance
90,182.5
3,306,687.6
12,024.2
18,036.3
3,426,930.6
Investment in Bullion
Opening balance
$ 133,356
$ 65,115
$ 17,940
$ 17,747
$ 234,158
Creations
33,895
16,659
3,909
3,773
58,236
Redemptions
(63,671)
(32,014)
(8,176)
(7,894)
(111,755)
Realized gain / (loss) on Bullion distributed for the redemption of Shares
2,404
(1,697)
(611)
295
391
Transfers of Bullion to pay expenses
(540)
(269)
(67)
(67)
(943)
Realized loss on Bullion transferred to pay expenses
(11)
(32)
(11)
(1)
(55)
Change in unrealized loss on investment in Bullion
(9,637)
(2,063)
(2,499)
(3,987)
(18,186)
Closing balance
$ 95,796
$ 45,699
$ 10,485
$ 9,866
$ 161,846
(Amounts in 000's of US$, except for ounces data)
Year Ended December 31, 2014
Ounces of Bullion
Gold
Silver
Platinum
Palladium
Total
Opening balance
116,295.9
4,264,181.5
15,506.1
23,259.1
4,419,242.6
Creations
52,698.7
1,932,284.8
7,026.5
10,539.7
2,002,549.7
Redemptions
(57,312.5)
(2,101,456.8)
(7,641.7)
(11,462.5)
(2,177,873.5)
Transfers of Bullion to pay expenses
(482.8)
(17,703.5)
(64.4)
(96.6)
(18,347.3)
Closing balance
111,199.3
4,077,306.0
14,826.5
22,239.7
4,225,571.5
Investment in Bullion
Opening balance
$ 139,729
$ 83,152
$ 21,057
$ 16,538
$ 260,476
Creations
63,012
31,840
8,584
8,457
111,893
Redemptions
(71,795)
(40,304)
(10,609)
(8,415)
(131,123)
Realized (loss) / gain on Bullion distributed for the redemption of Shares
2,793
(729)
216
516
2,796
Transfers of Bullion to pay expenses
(610)
(344)
(90)
(77)
(1,121)
Realized (loss) / gain on Bullion transferred to pay expenses
27
(3)
2
10
36
Change in unrealized gain / (loss) on investment in Bullion
200
(8,497)
(1,220)
718
(8,799)
Closing balance
$ 133,356
$ 65,115
$ 17,940
$ 17,747
$ 234,158
2.7. Expenses / Realized Gains / Losses
The primary expense of the Trust is the Sponsor’s Fee, which is paid by the Trust through in-kind transfers of Bullion to the Sponsor.
The Trust will transfer Bullion to the Sponsor to pay the Sponsor’s Fee that will accrue daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.60% of the adjusted net asset value (“ANAV”) of the Trust, paid monthly in arrears.
The Sponsor has agreed to assume administrative and marketing expenses incurred by the Trust, including the Trustee’s monthly fee and out of pocket expenses, the Custodian’s fee and the reimbursement of the Custodian’s expenses, exchange listing fees, United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and certain legal expenses.
For the year ended December 31, 2015 the Sponsor’s Fee was $ 937,624 ( December 31, 2014 : $ 1,089,397 ; December 31, 2013: $1,201,105 ) .
As of December 31, 2015 , $ 80,206 was payable to the Sponsor ( December 31, 2014 : $ 86,196 ).
With respect to expenses not otherwise assumed by the Sponsor, the Trustee will, at the direction of the Sponsor or in its own discretion, sell the Trust’s Bullion as necessary to pay these expenses. When selling Bullion to pay expenses, the Trustee will endeavor to sell the smallest amounts of Bullion needed to pay these expenses in order to minimize the Trust’s holdings of assets other than Bullion. Other than the Sponsor’s Fee, the Trust had no expenses during the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.
Unless otherwise directed by the Sponsor, when selling Bullion the Trustee will endeavor to sell at the price established by the London Metal Price for each metal held by the Trust. The Trustee will place orders with dealers (which may include the Custodian) through which the Trustee expects to receive the most favorable price and execution of orders. The Custodian may be the purchaser of such Bullion only if the sale transaction is made at the London Metal Price for each metal held by the Trust used by the Trustee to value the Trust’s Bullion. A gain or loss is recognized based on the difference between the selling price and the cost of the Bullion sold. Neither the Trustee nor the Sponsor is liable for depreciation or loss incurred by reason of any sale.
Realized gains and losses result from the transfer of Bullion for Share redemptions and / or to pay expenses and are recognized on a trade date basis as the difference between the fair value and cost of the Bullion transferred.
2.8. Change of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
On December 15, 2015, KPMG LLP replaced Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm to audit and report on the financial statements included in the Trust’s Form 10-K and the Trust’s 10-Qs. The predecessor independent registered public accounting firm’s reports on the Trust’s financial statements for each of the years ending December 31, 2014 and 2013 contained no adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles. During the fiscal periods and through December 15, 2015, there were no disagreements between the Trust and the predecessor independent registered public accounting firm on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which such disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of the predecessor independent registered public accounting firm, would have caused them to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with their reports on the financial statements for such periods.
2.9. Subsequent Events
In accordance with the provisions set forth in FASB ASC 855-10, Subsequent Events , the Trust’s management has evaluated the possibility of subsequent events existing in the Trust’s financial statements through the filing date.
During this period, no material subsequent events requiring adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements were identified. |
