and silver mining industry. The stocks included in the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index and that are generally tracked by the GDX Shares are stocks of companies primarily engaged in the mining of gold or silver. The underlying shares may be subject to increased price volatility as they are linked to a single industry, market or sector and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that industry, market or sector.
Because the GDX Shares primarily invest in stocks, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) of companies that are involved in the gold mining industry, the underlying shares are subject to certain risks associated with such companies.
Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of companies in the gold mining industry. Also, gold mining companies are highly dependent on the price of gold. Gold prices are subject to volatile price movements over short periods of time and are affected by numerous factors. These include economic factors, including, among other things, the structure of and confidence in the global monetary system, expectations of the future rate of inflation, the relative strength of, and confidence in, the U.S. dollar (the currency in which the price of gold is generally quoted), interest rates and gold borrowing and lending rates, and global or regional economic, financial, political, regulatory, judicial or other events. Gold prices may also be affected by industry factors such as industrial and jewelry demand, lending, sales and purchases of gold by the official sector, including central banks and other governmental agencies and multilateral institutions which hold gold, levels of gold production and production costs, and short-term changes in supply and demand because of trading activities in the gold market.
The GDX Shares invest to a lesser extent in stocks, ADRs and GDRs of companies involved in the silver mining industry. Silver mining companies are highly dependent on the price of silver. Silver prices can fluctuate widely and may be affected by numerous factors. These include general economic trends, technical developments, substitution issues and regulation, as well as specific factors including industrial and jewelry demand, expectations with respect to the rate of inflation, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar (the currency in which the price of silver is generally quoted) and other currencies, interest rates, central bank sales, forward sales by producers, global or regional political or economic events, and production costs and disruptions in major silver producing countries such as Mexico and Peru. The supply of silver consists of a combination of new mine production and existing stocks of bullion and fabricated silver held by governments, public and private financial institutions, industrial organizations and private individuals. In addition, the price of silver has on occasion been subject to very rapid short-term changes due to speculative activities. From time to time, above-ground inventories of silver may also influence the market. The major end-uses for silver include industrial applications, jewelry, photography and silverware.
■There are risks associated with investments in securities linked to the value of foreign equity securities. The price of the GDX Shares tracks the performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index, which measures the value of foreign equity securities. Investments in securities linked to the value of foreign equity securities involve risks associated with the securities markets in those countries, including risks of volatility in those markets, governmental intervention in those markets and cross-shareholdings in companies in certain countries. Also, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than about U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and foreign companies are subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements different from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies. The prices of securities issued in foreign markets may be affected by political, economic, financial and social factors in those countries, or global regions, including changes in government, economic and fiscal policies and currency exchange laws. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. Moreover, the economies in such countries may differ unfavorably from the economy in the United States in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions between countries.
■The securities are subject to currency exchange risk. Because the price of the GDX Shares tracks the performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index, holders of the securities will be exposed to currency exchange rate risk with respect to each of the currencies in which such component securities trade. Exchange rate movements for a particular currency are volatile and are the result of numerous factors including the supply of, and the demand for, those currencies, as well as relevant government policy, intervention or actions, but are also influenced significantly from time to time by political or economic developments, and by macroeconomic factors and speculative actions related to the relevant region. An investor’s net exposure will depend on the extent to which the currencies of the component securities strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar and the relative weight of each security. If, taking into account such weighting, the dollar strengthens against the currencies of the component securities represented in the share underlying index, the price of the GDX Shares will be adversely affected and the payment at maturity on the securities may be reduced.
Of particular importance to potential currency exchange risk are:
oexisting and expected rates of inflation;