Registration Statement No. 333-264388
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)
Amendment No. 13 dated May 17, 2024 to the Pricing Supplement dated
December 2, 2020 to the Product Supplement dated December 2, 2020, the Prospectus dated May 26, 2022 and the Series F Senior Medium-Term
Notes Prospectus Supplement dated April 20, 2020
Issued by Bank of Montreal
2,000,000 Notes
MicroSectorsTM Gold Miners -3X Inverse Leveraged ETNs
due June 29, 2040
This pricing supplement relates to the MicroSectorsTM Gold
Miners -3X Inverse Leveraged Exchange Traded Notes due June 29, 2040 (the “notes”) that Bank of Montreal may issue from time
to time. The return on the notes is linked to a three times leveraged participation in the daily inverse performance of the S-Network
MicroSectorsTM Gold Miners Index (the “Index”), which is described in this pricing supplement. The Index is a total
return index that tracks the performance of two exchange traded funds, the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF (the “GDX”)
and the VanEck® Junior Gold Miners ETF (the “GDXJ”).
On May 17, 2024, the closing price of the notes on the NYSE Arca was
$19.45 per note, and the closing Indicative Note Value per note was $19.3341.
The notes do not guarantee any return of principal at maturity, call
or upon early redemption. Instead, you will receive a cash payment in U.S. dollars at maturity, a call by us or redemption at your option,
based on a daily resetting three times leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the Index, less a Daily Investor Fee, any
negative Daily Interest, our ability to adjust the Interest Rate Spread, and, upon early redemption, a Redemption Fee Amount (each as
described below). We discuss in more detail below how the payments on the notes will be calculated. Because these various fees may substantially
reduce the amount of your investment at maturity, call or upon redemption, the level of the Index must decrease significantly in order
for you to receive at least the principal amount of your investment at maturity, call or upon redemption, or if you sell your notes. You
may lose some or all of your principal. Please see the “Summary” section below for important information relating to the
terms and conditions of the notes.
The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors to
manage daily trading risks as part of an overall diversified portfolio. They are designed to achieve their stated investment objectives
on a daily basis. The notes are designed to reflect a 3x leveraged inverse exposure to the inverse performance of the Index on a daily
basis (as described below), before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest, and
the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable. However, due to the daily resetting leverage, the returns on the notes over different periods
of time can, and most likely will, differ significantly from three times the return on a direct short investment in the Index. Their performance
over longer periods of time can differ significantly from their stated daily objectives. The notes are riskier than securities that have
intermediate- or long-term investment objectives, and may not be suitable for investors who plan to hold them for a period other than
one day or who have a “buy and hold” strategy. Accordingly, the notes should be purchased only by knowledgeable investors
who understand the potential consequences of investing in the Index and of seeking compounding leveraged inverse investment results. Investors
should actively and continuously monitor their investments in the notes, even intra-day. It is possible that you will suffer significant
losses in the notes even if the long-term performance of the Index is negative. You should proceed with extreme caution in considering
an investment in the notes. Any payment on the notes is subject to the credit risk of Bank of Montreal.
The notes are unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of Bank of Montreal.
Each note has a principal amount of $250, after giving effect to the reverse split that occurred on April 29, 2024. The notes do not bear
interest. The notes are listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. under the ticker symbol “GDXD.” The notes initially settled on December
7, 2020. The Investor Fee (based on a rate of 0.95% per annum) is deducted from the closing indicative value on a daily basis. The Daily
Interest (which is based on the US Federal Funds Effective Rate minus an amount that will initially be 2.00%, but which may be increased
to up to 4.00% per annum), if negative, will further reduce the closing indicative value. If you elect for us to redeem your notes, your
payment may be subject to a Redemption Fee Amount of 0.125%.
An investment in the notes involves significant risks and is not
appropriate for every investor. Investors should regularly monitor their holdings of the notes to ensure that they remain consistent with
their investment strategies. Any payment on the notes is subject to the credit risk of Bank of Montreal.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of the notes or passed upon the accuracy or the adequacy of this pricing supplement, the accompanying
product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Investing in the notes involves risks, including
those described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page PS-9 of this pricing supplement, and the “Risk Factors”
sections beginning on page PS-7 of the product supplement, page S-1 of the prospectus supplement and on page 8 of the prospectus.
The notes are our unsecured obligations and will not be savings accounts
or deposits that are insured by the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Deposit Insurance Fund, the Canada Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency or instrumentality or other entity.
BMO CAPITAL MARKETS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pricing Supplement
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Page |
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SUMMARY |
PS-1 |
RISK FACTORS |
PS-9 |
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES |
PS-22 |
INTRADAY VALUE OF THE INDEX AND THE NOTES |
PS-41 |
THE INDEX |
PS-44 |
THE ETFs |
PS-52 |
SUPPLEMENTAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS |
PS-56 |
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST) |
PS-58 |
VALIDITY OF THE NOTES |
PS-60 |
NOTICE OF EARLY REDEMPTION |
A-1 |
BROKER’S CONFIRMATION OF REDEMPTION |
B-1 |
You should read this pricing
supplement together with the product supplement ETN -2x-3x dated December 2, 2020 the prospectus supplement dated April 20, 2020 and the
prospectus dated May 26, 2022. This pricing supplement, together with the documents listed below, contains the terms of the notes and
supersedes all other prior or contemporaneous oral statements as well as any other written materials including preliminary or indicative
pricing terms, correspondence, trade ideas, structures for implementation, sample structures, fact sheets, brochures or other educational
materials of ours or the agent. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisers before you invest
in the notes. The contents of any website referred to in this pricing supplement are not incorporated by reference in this pricing supplement,
the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement or prospectus.
You may access these documents on the SEC website
at www.sec.gov as follows (or if such address has changed, by reviewing our filings for the relevant
date on the SEC website):
| · | Product supplement ETN -2x-3x dated December 2, 2020: |
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/927971/000121465920010110/g1125200424b5.htm
Since the date that the notes were initially issued,
we have prepared a new “base” prospectus dated May 26, 2022. Accordingly, please note that references in the prospectus
supplement or the product supplement to the “prospectus” shall be deemed to refer to the prospectus dated May 26, 2022.
Our Central Index Key, or CIK, on the SEC website
is 927971. As used in this pricing supplement, “we,” “us” or “our” refers to Bank of Montreal.
The notes described in this pricing supplement
are not appropriate for all investors, and involve important legal and tax consequences and investment risks, which should be discussed
with your professional advisers. You should be aware that the regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA,
and the laws of certain jurisdictions (including regulations and laws that require brokers to ensure that investments are suitable for
their customers) may limit the availability of the notes. This pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus
supplement and prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the notes in any circumstances in which
such offer or solicitation is unlawful.
SUMMARY
The information in this “Summary” section
is qualified by the more detailed information set forth in this pricing supplement, the product prospectus supplement, the prospectus
supplement, and the prospectus. You should read these documents in full, including the information in the “Risk Factors”
sections, before making an investment decision.
General
Issuer: |
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Bank of Montreal |
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Principal Amount: |
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$250 per note (2,000,000 notes are expected to be outstanding as of
May 21, 2024, representing an aggregate principal amount of $500,000,000) |
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Initial Trade Date: |
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December 2, 2020 |
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Initial Issue Date: |
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December 7, 2020 |
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Term: |
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Approximately 19.5 years, subject to your right to require us to redeem your notes on any Redemption Date, our call right or our right to extend the maturity date, each as described below. |
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Maturity Date: |
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June 29, 2040, which is scheduled to be the third Business Day following
the last Index Business Day in the Final Measurement Period. The Maturity Date for the notes may be extended at our option for up to two
additional 5-year periods, as described in the product supplement. The Maturity Date is also subject to adjustment as described herein
and under “Specific Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events” in the product supplement. |
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Listing: |
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The notes are listed on the NYSE
Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE”) under the ticker symbol listed below. The CUSIP and ISIN numbers, and the Intraday Indicative
Value ticker symbol, for the notes are:
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Ticker
Symbol |
CUSIP
Number |
ISIN Number |
Intraday
Indicative Value
Symbol |
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GDXD |
06367V600 |
US06367V6002 |
GDXDIV |
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If an active secondary market develops, we expect that investors will purchase and sell the notes primarily in this secondary market. |
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Index: |
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The return on the notes is linked to a three times leveraged participation
in the inverse performance of the S-Network MicroSectorsTM Gold Miners Index, compounded daily as described in this document,
minus the applicable fees. The Index currently tracks the performance of two exchange traded funds, the VanEck® Gold Miners
ETF (the “GDX”) and the VanEck® Junior Gold Miners ETF (the “GDXJ”). We refer to each of the GDX
and the GDXJ as an “ETF.” The Index is a total return index. Please see the section below, “The Index,” for additional
information as to the Index and the methodology by which it is calculated.
The ticker symbol of the Index is “MINERS”. S-Network Global Indexes
(the “Index Sponsor”) will publish a closing level for the Index on each Index Business Day that is based on the closing
prices of the ETFs on their primary exchanges. Cboe Global Indices will publish intra-day levels of the Index on each Index Business
Day.
In addition to the closing level of the Index described above, the Index Sponsor
will publish on each Index Business Day a separate closing level of the Index that is based on the volume weighted average prices
of the ETFs during the final 15 minutes of trading. We refer to this level as the “VWAP Closing Level.” The VWAP Closing
Level may be found under the following ticker: MINERSV.
The payments on the notes are initially linked to the closing levels of the
Index, as published under the symbol “MINERS”. However, as discussed in more detail below, the payments on the notes
may be linked during their term to the VWAP Closing Level. See “—Index Performance Factor and VWAP Closing Level”
below. |
The ETFs: |
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GDX seeks to replicate, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance
of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (GDMNTR). This index is intended to track the overall performance of companies involved in the
gold mining industry.
GDXJ seeks to replicate, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance
of the MVIS® Global Junior Gold Miners Index (MVGDXJTR), which is intended to track the overall performance of small-capitalization
companies that are involved primarily in the mining for gold and/or silver.
We provide more information about the ETFs in the section below, “The
ETFs.”
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Exchange Business Day: |
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“Exchange Business Day” means any day on which the primary exchange or market for trading of the notes is scheduled to be open for trading. |
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Index Business Day: |
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“Index Business Day” means any day on which the Index Sponsor publishes the closing level of the Index (including the VWAP Closing Level). |
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Payments on the Notes |
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Interest Payments: |
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None. |
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Payment at Maturity/Cash
Settlement Amount: |
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If you hold your notes to maturity, you will receive a cash payment in U.S. dollars at maturity in an amount equal to the arithmetic mean of the closing Indicative Note Values on each Index Business Day in the Final Measurement Period. This amount will not be less than $0. |
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Final Measurement Period: |
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The 10 consecutive Index Business Days from and including the Calculation
Date, subject to adjustment as described under “Additional Terms of the Notes – Market Disruption Events” in
the product supplement.
If the Calculation Agent determines that the “aggregate market value”
of the outstanding notes is less than or equal to $25,000,000 at the close of trading on the Index Business Day immediately preceding
the Calculation Date, the Final Measurement Period will consist solely of the Calculation Date.
The Calculation Agent will determine the aggregate market value for purposes
of this section by multiplying the closing Indicative Note Value on the applicable date by the number of units of the notes that
are outstanding on that date.
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Calculation Date: |
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June 13, 2040 |
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Indicative Note Value |
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Indicative Note Value: |
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On the Initial Trade Date, the Indicative Note Value of each note was
equal to the Principal Amount of $25. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the closing
Indicative Note Value will equal (a) the Deposit Amount on that Exchange Business Day minus (b) the Short Index Amount on that
Exchange Business Day; provided that if that calculation results in a value less than or equal to $0, the closing Indicative Note Value
will be $0. If the closing Indicative Note Value is $0 on any Exchange Business Day, or the Intraday Indicative Value at any time during
the Core Trading Session (as defined below) on an Exchange Business Day, is less than or equal to $0, then the Indicative Note Value on
all future days during the term of the notes will be $0. If the Indicative Note Value is $0, the Cash Settlement Amount will be
$0.
The NYSE currently defines the “Core Trading Session” as 9:30AM to 4:00PM, New York time. This definition
may change during the term of the notes.
On April 29, 2024, we effected a 1-for-10 reverse split of the notes.
The closing Indicative Note Value on April 26, 2024 was multiplied by 10 to determine the reverse split-adjusted Indicative Note Value.
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Short Index Amount: |
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On the Initial Trade Date, the Short Index Amount was equal to the
Daily Leverage Factor times the principal amount, which was equal to $75. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call
or redemption of the notes, the Short Index Amount will equal the product of (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately
preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Leverage Factor times (c) the Index Performance Factor on that Exchange Business Day. |
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Daily Leverage Factor: |
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3 |
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Market Disruption Events: |
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If a Market Disruption Event occurs or is continuing on any applicable Index
Business Day on which the Index Performance Factor must be determined, the Calculation Agent will determine the Index Performance
Factor for the notes on that day using an appropriate closing level of the Index (or VWAP Closing Level) for the applicable Index
Business Day, taking into account the nature and duration of such Market Disruption Event. Furthermore, if a Market Disruption
Event occurs and is continuing with respect to the notes on any Index Business Day (or occurred or was continuing on the immediately
preceding Index Business Day), the calculation of the Index Performance Factor will be modified so that the applicable leveraged
exposure does not reset until the first Index Business Day on which no Market Disruption Event with respect to the notes is continuing.
Please see the section of the product supplement, “Additional Terms
of the Notes—Market Disruption Events” for additional information about Market Disruption Events.
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Daily Interest |
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Daily Interest: |
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On the Initial Trade Date, the Daily Interest was $0. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Daily Interest will equal the product of (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Deposit Factor times (c) the Daily Interest Rate divided by (d) 365 times (e) the number of calendar days since the last Exchange Business Day. Because the Daily Interest is calculated and added to the Deposit Amount on a daily basis, the net effect of the Daily Interest accrues over time. The Daily Interest Rate will vary in time and can become negative on certain days, particularly if we increase the Interest Rate Spread as described below. On such days, the Daily Interest will also be negative. |
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Deposit Amount: |
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On the Initial Trade Date, the Deposit Amount was equal to the initial
principal amount plus the Short Index Amount on the Initial Trade Date, which sum was equal to $100. On any subsequent Exchange Business
Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Deposit Amount will equal (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately
preceding Exchange Business Day times the Daily Deposit Factor plus (b) the Daily Interest on that Exchange Business Day minus (c) the
Daily Investor Fee on that Exchange Business Day. |
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Daily Interest Rate: |
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The Daily Interest Rate will equal (a) the most recent US Federal Funds Effective Rate minus (b) the Interest Rate Spread (as defined below). The US Federal Funds Effective Rate is an interest rate that represents the rate at which U.S. banks may lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight, on an uncollateralized basis. The rate is released by the NY Federal Reserve each day at approximately 9:00 a.m. EST for the prior business day and published on Bloomberg L.P. (including any successor, “Bloomberg”) page “FEDL01 Index”. On the days when the US Federal Funds Effective Rate minus the Interest Rate Spread is less than 0%, the Daily Interest Rate will be negative. |
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Interest Rate Spread: |
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As of the Initial Trade Date, 2.00%. The Interest Rate Spread may be adjusted from time to time by the Calculation Agent, but in no case will it increase by more than 2.00% per annum, to a maximum amount of 4.00%. See “—Procedure for Adjusting the Interest Rate Spread” below. |
Daily Deposit Factor: |
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4 |
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Index Performance
Factor and VWAP
Closing Level |
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Index Performance Factor: |
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On the Initial Trade Date, the Index Performance Factor was set equal to 1.
On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Index Performance Factor will equal
(a) the Index Closing Level (or if applicable, the VWAP Closing Level) on that Exchange Business Day (or, if such day is not an
Index Business Day, the Index Closing Level (or VWAP Closing Level) on the immediately preceding Index Business Day) divided by
(b) the Index Closing Level (or VWAP Closing Level) on the immediately preceding Index Business Day, as determined by the Calculation
Agent.
The calculation of the Index Performance Factor is subject to change as described
under “—Using the VWAP Closing Level.”
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Using the VWAP Closing
Level: |
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The Calculation Agent will have the right in its discretion to calculate the Index Performance Factor based on the VWAP Closing Level on the applicable Index Business Day. For the avoidance of doubt, on the first Exchange Business Day where the VWAP Closing Level is used, for purposes calculating the Index Performance Factor, the Index Performance Factor will equal (a) the VWAP Closing Level on that Exchange Business Day divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding Index Business Day. Thereafter, “(b)” will be based on the VWAP Closing Level on the preceding Index Business Day. |
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If the Calculation Agent elects to reference the VWAP Closing Level as described
in this section, we will notify the trustee for the notes, and we will issue a press release that we will publish on our website
at least five Exchange Business Days prior to the effective date of the applicable change.
Once the VWAP Closing Level is used to calculate the Index Performance Factor,
the Calculation Agent may elect to resubstitute the closing level of the Index as published under the symbol MINERS in lieu of
the VWAP Closing Level by following the same procedures set forth in this section. For the avoidance of doubt, on the first Exchange
Business Day where the Index Closing Level is used again, for purposes calculating the Index Performance Factor, the Index Performance
Factor will equal (a) the Index Closing Level on that Exchange Business Day divided by (b) the VWAP Closing Level on the immediately
preceding Index Business Day. Thereafter, “(b)” will be based on the Index Closing Level on the preceding Index Business
Day.
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Daily Investor Fee |
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Daily Investor Fee: |
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On the Initial Trade Date, the Daily Investor Fee was $0. On any subsequent
Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Daily Investor Fee will equal the product of (a) the Indicative
Note Value at the close of the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Fee Rate divided by (c) 365 times (d) the number
of calendar days since the last Exchange Business Day.
Because the Daily Investor Fee is subtracted from the Deposit Amount
on a daily basis, the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee accumulates over time and is subtracted at a rate per year equal to the Fee
Rate specified below. Because the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee is a fixed percentage of the value of the notes, the aggregate
effect of the Daily Investor Fee will increase or decrease in a manner directly proportional to the value of the notes and the amount
of notes that are held. |
Fee Rate: |
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0.95% per annum |
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Fee Adjustments |
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Procedure for Adjusting
the Interest Rate Spread: |
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The Calculation Agent may adjust the Interest Rate Spread, subject to the limitations set forth in this document. If it elects to do so, we will notify the trustee for the notes, and issue a press release that we will publish on our website at least five Business Days prior to the effective date (a “Fee Effective Date”) of the applicable change. We refer to the date on which we publish such a press release as a “Fee Notice Date.” Notwithstanding the forgoing, the Fee Effective Date for any increase to the Interest Rate Spread may be any date after the Fee Notice Date that is designated in the applicable press release. |
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Call Right |
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Call Right: |
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On any Index Business Day after the Initial Trade Date, we may give notice
that we will redeem all or a portion of the issued and outstanding notes. To exercise our call right, we must provide notice to
the holders prior to the Call Settlement Date, as set forth below, and in the product supplement. The notice will specify the amount
of the notes that we will call. If we exercise our Call Right, you will receive a cash payment for the notes to be called equal
to the Call Settlement Amount, which will be paid on the Call Settlement Date.
If the Call Settlement Amount is less than or equal to $0, the payment upon
exercise of the Call Right will be $0.
The Call Settlement Date will be the fifth Business Day following the last
Index Business Day in the Call Measurement Period. We may elect to call a portion of the notes on more than one occasion during
the term of the notes.
The Call Measurement Period will be a period of 10 consecutive Index Business
Days from and including the applicable Call Calculation Date, except as provided below, and subject to adjustment as described
in the product supplement under “Additional Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events.”
If the Calculation Agent determines that the “aggregate market value”
of the notes to be called in a whole or partial call is less than or equal to $25,000,000 at the close of trading on the Index
Business Day immediately preceding the Call Calculation Date, then the Call Measurement Period will consist solely of the Call
Calculation Date, and will not extend for 10 Index Business Days.
The Calculation Agent will determine the aggregate market value for purposes
of this section by multiplying the closing Indicative Note Value on the applicable date by the number of units of the notes that
are outstanding on that date.
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Call Settlement Amount: |
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If we exercise our Call Right, for each note that is called, you will receive
on the Call Settlement Date a cash payment equal to the arithmetic mean of the closing Indicative Note Values on each Index Business
Day in the Call Measurement Period.
If we issue a call notice, the “Call Calculation Date” will be
the next Index Business Day after the applicable call notice is issued. The Call Settlement Date will be the fifth Business Day
following the last Index Business Day in the Call Measurement Period.
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Early Redemption at
Option of Holder |
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Early Redemption: |
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Subject to your compliance with the procedures described in the product supplement under “Additional Terms of the Notes — Early Redemption at the Option of the Holders,” upon early redemption, you will receive per note a cash payment on the relevant Redemption Date equal to (a) the Indicative Note Value as of the Redemption Measurement Date minus (b) the Redemption Fee Amount. We refer to this cash payment as the “Redemption Amount.” |
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Final Redemption Date: |
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The final Redemption Date will be the last scheduled Index Business Day prior to the Calculation Date or Call Calculation Date, as applicable. |
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Redemption Fee Amount: |
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As of any Redemption Date, an amount per note in cash equal to the product of (a) 0.125% and (b) the Indicative Note Value. We reserve the right from time to time to reduce or waive the Redemption Fee Amount in our sole discretion on a case-by-case basis. In exercising your right to have us redeem your notes, you should not assume you will be entitled to the benefit of any such waiver. |
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Minimum Redemption
Amount: |
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At least 25,000 notes. To satisfy the minimum redemption amount, your broker
or other financial intermediary may bundle your notes for redemption with those of other investors to reach this minimum amount;
however, there can be no assurance that they can or will do so. We may from time to time in our sole discretion reduce this minimum
requirement in whole or in part. Any such reduction will be applied on a consistent basis for all holders of the notes at the time
the reduction becomes effective.
The Minimum Redemption Amount will not be applicable for any redemption validly
elected on any Fee Notice Date or the following five Business Days if the Interest Rate Spread increased.
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Redemption Measurement
Date: |
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The applicable “Redemption Measurement Date” means the first Index Business Day following the applicable Redemption Notice Date, subject to adjustments as described under “— Market Disruption Events.” We reserve the right to accelerate the Redemption Measurement Date to the Redemption Notice Date, in our sole discretion. |
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Performance
Information |
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Initial Index Level: |
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1,566.56, which was the closing
level of the Closing Price Index on the Initial Trade Date.
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Index Closing Level: |
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On any Index Business Day, the closing level of the Index as reported on Bloomberg under the applicable symbol set forth above, subject to adjustment as described in the product supplement under “Additional Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events.” |
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Intraday Indicative Value: |
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The Intraday Indicative Value of the notes at any time during an Exchange Business Day will equal (a) the Deposit Amount minus (b) the Intraday Short Index Amount; provided that if such calculation results in a value less than or equal to $0, the Intraday Indicative Value will be $0. If the Intraday Indicative Value is less than or equal to $0 at any time on any Exchange Business Day, then both the Intraday Indicative Value and the closing Indicative Note Value on that day, and for the remainder of the term of the notes, will be $0. |
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Intraday Short Index
Amount: |
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The Intraday Short Index Amount will equal the product of (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Leverage Factor times (c) the Intraday Index Performance Factor. |
Intraday Index
Performance Factor: |
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The Intraday Index Performance Factor will equal (a) the most recently published level of the Index (based on ticker symbol “MINERS”) divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding Index Business Day. |
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Additional Information |
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Calculation Agent: |
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BMO Capital Markets Corp. |
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No Conversion into
Common Shares: |
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The notes will not be subject to conversion into our common shares or the common shares of any of our affiliates under subsection 39.2(2.3) of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act (the “CDIC Act”). |
The notes are not intended to be “buy
and hold” investments. The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors and are not intended to be
held to maturity. The notes are designed to reflect a -3x inverse leveraged exposure to the performance of the Index on a daily basis,
but the returns on the notes over different periods of time can, and most likely will, differ significantly from three times the return
on a direct inverse investment in the Index. Accordingly, the notes should be purchased only by knowledgeable investors who understand
the potential consequences of investing in the Index and of seeking daily compounding leveraged investment results. Investors should
actively and continuously monitor their investments in the notes, even intra-day. Because your investment in the notes is linked to a
three times leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the Index, compounded daily, any increase in the level of the Index
will result in a decrease in the Cash Settlement Amount, Call Settlement Amount or Redemption Amount, as applicable (before taking into
account the fees and charges described in this document), and you may receive less than your original investment in the notes at maturity,
call or upon redemption, or if you sell your notes in the secondary market. Due to leverage, the notes are very sensitive to changes
in the level of the Index and the path of those changes. Because the applicable fees and charges may substantially reduce the amount
of your return at maturity, call or upon redemption, the level of the Index must decrease significantly in order for you to receive at
least the principal amount of your investment at maturity, call or upon redemption, or if you sell your notes. If the level of the Index
increases or does not decrease sufficiently to offset the negative effect of these fees and charges, you will receive less than the principal
amount of your investment at maturity, call or upon redemption, or if you sell your notes.
* We are using this pricing supplement to offer up to $500,000,000 in
aggregate principal amount of the notes (2,000,000 notes). On the Initial Trade Date, we sold $4,000,000 in aggregate principal amount
of the notes (representing 160,000 notes) to BMO Capital Markets Corp. (“BMOCM”) at 100% of their stated Principal Amount.
1,500,000 notes are outstanding as of the date of this pricing supplement. We will issue an additional $125,000,000 in principal amount
of the notes (representing an additional 500,000 notes) on May 21, 2024. Accordingly, 2,000,000 notes will be outstanding as of May 21,
2024.
After the date of this document, we may sell from
time to time a portion of the notes at prices that are based on the Indicative Note Value at the time of sale, at prices related to market
prices or at negotiated prices. We will receive proceeds equal to 100% of the price at which the notes are sold to the public, less any
commissions paid to BMOCM. BMOCM may charge normal commissions in connection with any purchase or sale of the notes. In addition, BMOCM
may receive a portion of the Daily Investor Fee. Please see “Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)” for
more information.
If there is a substantial demand for the notes,
we may issue and sell additional notes to BMOCM, and BMOCM may sell those notes to investors and dealers, potentially frequently. However,
we and BMOCM are under no obligation to issue or sell additional notes at any time, and if we and BMOCM do issue and sell additional
notes, we or BMOCM may limit or restrict such sales, and we may stop and subsequently resume selling additional notes at any time. Furthermore,
number of the notes stated at the top of the cover page of this pricing supplement is the maximum amount of the notes that we have currently
authorized for issuance. Although we have the right to increase the authorized amount of the notes at any time, it is our current intention
not to issue more than the current maximum authorized amount of the notes, even if there is substantial market demand for additional
notes. We may also reduce the maximum authorized amount of the notes at any time, and we have no obligation to issue up to the maximum
authorized amount.
Understanding the Value of the Notes
The
initial offering price of the notes was determined at the inception of the notes. The initial offering price and the Intraday Indicative
Value are not the same as the trading price, which is the price at which you may be able to sell your notes in the secondary market,
or the Redemption Amount, which is the amount that you will receive from us in the event that you choose to have your notes repurchased
by us. An explanation of each type of valuation is set forth below.
Initial Offering Price to the Public.
The initial offering price to the public was equal to the principal amount of the notes. The initial offering price reflected the value
of the notes only on the Initial Trade Date.
Intraday Indicative Value. The Intraday
Indicative Value of the notes at any time during an Exchange Business Day will equal (a) the Deposit Amount minus (b) the Intraday
Short Index Amount; provided that if such calculation results in a value equal to or less than $0 as set forth above, the Intraday
Indicative Value will be $0. If the Intraday Indicative Value is equal to or less than $0 at any time on any Exchange Business
Day as set forth above, then both the Intraday Indicative Value and the closing Indicative Note Value on that Exchange Business
Day, and on all future Exchange Business Days, will be $0. The Intraday Short Index Amount will equal the product of (a) the closing
Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Leverage Factor times
(c) the Intraday Index Performance Factor. The Intraday Index Performance Factor will equal (a) the most recently published level
of the Index divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding Index Business Day.
The Intraday Indicative Value is not the same
as, and may differ from, the amount payable upon an early redemption, call or at maturity and the trading price of the notes in
the secondary market. Because the Intraday Indicative Value uses an intraday Index level for its calculation, a variation in the
intraday level of the Index from the previous Index Business Day’s Index Closing Level may cause a significant variation
between the closing Indicative Note Value and the Intraday Indicative Value on any date of determination. The Intraday Indicative
Value may vary significantly from the previous or next Index Business Day’s closing Indicative Note Value or the price of
the notes purchased intraday. The Intraday Indicative Value for the notes will be published every 15 seconds on Bloomberg under
the ticker symbol indicated herein.
Trading Price. The market value of the
notes at any given time, which we refer to as the trading price, is the price at which you may be able to buy or sell your notes
in the secondary market, if one exists. The trading price may vary significantly from the Intraday Indicative Value, because the
market value reflects investor supply and demand for the notes.
Redemption Amount. The Redemption Amount
is the price per note that we will pay you to redeem the notes upon your request. The Redemption Amount is calculated according
to the formula set forth above. The Redemption Amount may vary significantly from the Intraday Indicative Value and the trading
price of the notes.
Because the Redemption Amount is based on the
Index Closing Level (or the VWAP Closing Level) at the end of the Index Business Day after a notice of redemption is received,
you will not know the Redemption Amount you will receive at the time you elect to request that we redeem your notes.
Ticker Symbols
Trading price: |
GDXD |
Intraday indicative value: |
GDXDIV |
Intraday Index value: |
MINERS<Index>
|
RISK FACTORS
Your investment in the notes will involve certain
risks. The notes are not secured debt and do not guarantee any return of principal at, or prior to, maturity, call or upon early
redemption. As described in more detail below, the trading price of the notes may vary considerably before the maturity date. Investing
in the notes is not equivalent to investing directly in the Index constituents or any securities of the constituent issuers. In
addition, your investment in the notes entails other risks not associated with an investment in conventional debt securities. In
addition to the “Risk Factors” sections of the product supplement, the prospectus supplement and the prospectus, you
should consider carefully the following discussion of risks before investing in the notes.
Risks Relating to the Terms of the Notes
The notes are linked to the inverse performance of the Index.
Your investment in the notes is linked to the inverse,
or “short,” performance of the Index. Therefore, notwithstanding the gains resulting from the daily interest, if any,
and the cumulative negative effect of the daily investor fee, your notes will generally appreciate as the level of the Index decreases
and will decrease in value as the level of the Index increases. You may lose some or all of your investment if the level of the
Index increases over the term of your notes.
The notes do not guarantee the return of your investment.
The
notes may not return any of your investment. The amount payable at maturity, call or upon early redemption, will reflect a three times
daily resetting leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the Index minus the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily
Interest, and, in the case of an early redemption, the Redemption Fee Amount. These amounts will be determined as described in this pricing
supplement. Because these fees and charges will reduce the payments on the notes, the Index Closing Levels (or the VWAP Closing Levels,
if applicable), measured as a component of the closing Indicative Note Value during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement
Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, will need to have decreased over the term of the notes by an amount, after giving effect
to the daily resetting leverage and the compounding effect thereof, sufficient to offset the decrease in the principal amount represented
by the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable, in order for you to receive an
aggregate amount at maturity, upon a call or redemption, or if you sell your notes, that is equal to at least the principal amount of
your notes. If the decrease in the Index Closing Levels (or the VWAP Closing Levels), as measured during the Final Measurement Period
or Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, is insufficient to offset the cumulative negative effect of the Daily
Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable, you will lose some or all of your investment
at maturity, call or upon early redemption. This loss may occur even if the Index Closing Levels (or VWAP Closing Levels) during the
Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, on a Redemption Measurement Date, or when you elect to sell your notes, have decreased
since the Initial Trade Date.
The
negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable, are in addition
to the losses that may be caused by the daily resetting leverage of the notes and volatility in the Index. See “—Leverage
increases the sensitivity of your notes to changes in the level of the Index,” “—The notes are not suitable for investors
with longer-term investment objectives” and “—The notes are not suitable for all investors. In particular, the notes
should be purchased only by sophisticated investors who do not intend to hold the notes as a buy and hold investment, who are willing
to actively and continuously monitor their investment and who understand the consequences of investing in and of seeking daily resetting
leveraged investment results” below.
If the Intraday Indicative Value for the notes is equal to or less than
$0 during the Core Trading Session on an Exchange Business Day, or the closing Indicative Note Value is equal to or less than $0,
you will lose all of your investment in the notes.
If the closing Indicative Note Value or the Intraday Indicative
Value of the notes is equal to or less than $0 as set forth above, then the notes will be permanently worth $0 (a total loss of value)
and you will lose all of your investment in the notes and the Cash Settlement Amount will be $0. We would be likely to call the notes
in full under these circumstances, and you will not receive any payments on the notes.
Even if the Index Closing Levels (or VWAP Closing Levels) during
the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, have decreased since the Initial Trade
Date, you may receive less than the principal amount of your notes due to the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest, and the
Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable.
The amount of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily
Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable, will reduce the payment, if any, you will receive at maturity, call or
upon early redemption, or if you sell the notes. Although the Daily Interest will be added to the Deposit Amount, the Daily Interest
will be negative on any Index Business Day on which the Daily Interest Rate is negative. On those Index Business Days, the Daily
Interest will be subtracted from the Deposit Amount. In addition, if you elect to require us to redeem your notes prior to maturity,
you will be charged a Redemption Fee Amount equal to 0.125% of the Indicative Note Value. If the Index Closing Levels (or VWAP
Closing Levels), measured as a component of the closing Indicative Note Value during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement
Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, have decreased insufficiently to offset the cumulative negative effect of these fees
and charges, you will receive less than the principal amount of your investment at maturity, call or upon early redemption of your
notes.
As described in the “Summary” section above
(and up to the limits in that section), we may increase the Interest Rate Spread. If we do so, the Daily Interest will decrease,
and your return on the notes will be adversely affected. Please see the section “Hypothetical Examples” below.
Leverage increases the sensitivity of your notes to changes in the level
of the Index.
Because your investment in the notes is linked
to a three times leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the Index, changes in the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing
Levels) will have a greater impact on the payout on your notes than on a payout on securities that are not so leveraged. In particular,
any increase in the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) will result in a significantly greater decrease in your payment at
maturity, call or upon redemption, and you will suffer losses on your investment in the notes substantially greater than you would if
the terms of your notes did not contain a leverage component. Accordingly, as a result of this leverage component and without taking
into account any positive effect of the Daily Interest and the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, if the level of
the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) increases over the term of the notes, the leverage component will magnify any losses at maturity,
call or upon redemption.
If we use the VWAP Closing Level to determine the payments on the notes,
your return on the notes could be reduced.
We have the right to use the VWAP Closing Level in order
to determine the Index Performance Factor, and accordingly, the payments on the notes. The VWAP Closing Level is based upon the
volume weighted average prices of the ETFs during the last 15 minutes of the applicable Index Business Day. As a result, on some
Index Business Days, the VWAP Closing Level will be higher than the Index Closing Level, particularly if the final trading prices
of one or both of the ETFs on a particular Index Business Day are lower than the applicable volume weighted average prices. Accordingly,
it is possible that our use of the VWAP Closing Level could result in lower payments on the notes than if the Index Closing Level
was used on that Index Business Day.
The notes are subject to our credit risk.
The notes are subject to our credit risk, and our credit ratings
and credit spreads may adversely affect the market value of the notes. The notes are senior unsecured debt obligations of the issuer,
Bank of Montreal, and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Investors are dependent on our ability
to pay all amounts due on the notes at maturity, call or upon early redemption or on any other relevant payment dates, and therefore
investors are subject to our credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of our creditworthiness. If we were to default on
our payment obligations, you may not receive any amounts owed to you under the notes and you could lose your entire investment.
Our credit ratings are an assessment of our ability to
pay our obligations, including those on the notes. Consequently, actual or anticipated changes in our credit ratings may affect
the market value of the notes. However, because the return on the notes is dependent upon certain factors in addition to our ability
to pay our obligations on the notes, an improvement in our credit ratings will not reduce the other investment risks related to
the notes. Therefore, an improvement in our credit ratings may or may not have a positive effect on the market value of the notes.
The notes are not suitable for investors with longer-term investment objectives.
The notes are not intended to be “buy and hold”
investments. The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors, and are not intended to be held to maturity.
The notes are designed to achieve their stated investment objective on each day, but their performance over different periods of
time can differ significantly from their stated daily objective because the relationship between the level of the Index (or the
VWAP Closing Level) and the closing Indicative Note Value will begin to break down as the length of an investor’s holding
period increases. The notes are not long-term substitutes for inverse positions in the Index constituents.
Investors should carefully consider whether the
notes are appropriate for their investment portfolio. As discussed below, because the notes are meant to provide leveraged inverse exposure
to changes in the Index Closing Level (or the VWAP Closing Level) on each Index Business Day, their performance over months or years can
differ significantly from the performance of the Index during the same period of time. Therefore, it is possible that you will suffer
significant losses in the notes even if the long-term performance of the Index is negative (before taking into account the negative effect
of the Daily Investor Fee, the Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable). It is possible for the level of the Index
(or the VWAP Closing Level) to decrease over time while the market value of the notes declines over time. You should proceed with extreme
caution in considering an investment in the notes.
The notes seek to provide a leveraged
inverse return based on the performance of the Index (as adjusted for costs and fees) over a period of a single day. The notes do
not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns that reflect leverage on the return of the Index (or the VWAP Closing
Level) for periods longer than a single day. The daily resetting leverage is expected to cause the notes to experience a
“decay” effect, which will impair the performance of the notes if the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) experiences
volatility from day to day and such performance will be dependent on the path of daily returns during the holder’s holding
period. The “decay” effect refers to a likely tendency of the notes to lose value over time. At higher ranges of
volatility, there is a significant chance of a complete loss of the value of the notes even if the performance of the Index is flat
(before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee
Amount, if applicable). Although the decay effect is more likely to manifest itself the longer the notes are held, the decay effect
can have a significant impact on the performance of the notes, even over a period as short as two days. The notes should be
purchased only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of investing in the Index or its components and
of seeking daily compounding leveraged inverse investment results on each day. The notes may not be appropriate for investors who
intend to hold positions in an attempt to generate returns over periods longer than one day. See “Hypothetical
Examples—Illustrations of the "Decay" Effect on the Notes” below.
In addition, the daily resetting leverage
feature will result in leverage relative to the closing Indicative Note Value that may be greater or less than the stated leverage factor
if the value of the notes has changed since the beginning of the day in which you purchase the notes.
You should regularly monitor your holdings of the notes to ensure that
they remain consistent with your investment strategies.
The notes are designed to reflect a leveraged inverse
exposure to the performance of the Index on a daily basis, as described in this document. As such, the notes will be more volatile than
a non-leveraged investment linked to the Index. You should regularly monitor your holdings of the notes to ensure that they remain consistent
with your investment strategies.
The notes are not suitable for all investors. In particular,
the notes should be purchased only by sophisticated investors who do not intend to hold the notes as a buy and hold investment,
who are willing to actively and continuously monitor their investment and who understand the consequences of investing in and of
seeking daily resetting inverse leveraged investment results.
The notes require an understanding of path dependence
of investment results and are intended for sophisticated investors to use as part of an overall diversified portfolio. The notes are risky
and may not be suitable for investors who plan to hold them for periods greater than a single day. The notes are designed to achieve their
stated investment objective on each day, but the performance of the notes over different periods of time can differ significantly from
their stated daily objectives because the relationship between the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) and the Indicative Note
Value will begin to break down as the length of an investor’s holding period increases. The notes are not long-term substitutes
for inverse positions in the Index constituents. Accordingly, there is a significant possibility that the returns on the notes will not
correlate with returns on the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) over periods longer than one day.
Investors should carefully consider whether the
notes are appropriate for their investment portfolio. The notes entail leverage risk and should be purchased only by investors who understand
leverage risk, including the risks inherent in maintaining a constant three times inverse leverage on a daily basis as described in this
document, and the consequences of seeking daily inverse leveraged investment results generally. Investing in the notes is not equivalent
to a direct investment in the Index constituents because the notes reset their theoretical leveraged exposure to the Index on each day
(subject to the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event). This resetting will impair the performance of the notes if the Index experiences
volatility from day to day, and such performance is dependent on the path of daily returns during an investor’s holding period.
If the notes experience a high amount of realized volatility, there is a significant chance of a complete loss of your investment even
if the performance of the Index is flat. In addition, the notes are meant to provide leveraged inverse exposure to changes in the Index
Closing Level (or the VWAP Closing Level), which means their performance over months or years can differ significantly from the performance
of the Index over the same period of time. It is possible that you will suffer significant losses in the notes even if the long-term
performance of the Index is negative (before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest,
and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable).
The amount you receive at maturity, call or redemption
will be contingent upon the compounded leveraged inverse daily performance of the Index during the term of the notes, as described
in this document. There is no guarantee that you will receive at maturity, call or redemption your initial investment or any return
on that investment. Significant adverse daily performances for the notes may not be offset by any beneficial daily performances
of the same magnitude.
Due to the effect of compounding, if the Indicative Note Value increases,
any subsequent increase of the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) will result in a larger dollar reduction from the Indicative
Note Value than if the Indicative Note Value remained constant.
If the Indicative Note Value increases, the dollar amount
that you can lose in any single Index Business Day from an increase of the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) will increase
correspondingly. This is because the Index Performance Factor will be applied to a larger Indicative Note Value and, consequently,
a larger Short Index Amount in calculating any subsequent Indicative Note Value. As such, the dollar amount that you can lose from
any increase will be greater than if the Indicative Note Value were maintained at a constant level. This means that if the Indicative
Note Value increases, you could lose more than 3% of your initial investment for each 1% daily increase of the Index level (or
the VWAP Closing Level).
Due to the effect of compounding, if the Indicative Note Value decreases,
any subsequent decrease of the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) will result in a smaller dollar increase on the Indicative
Note Value than if the Indicative Note Value remained constant.
If the Indicative Note Value decreases, the dollar amount that
you can gain in any single Index Business Day from a decrease of the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) will decrease correspondingly.
This is because the Index Performance Factor will be applied to a smaller Indicative Note Value and, consequently, a smaller Short Index
Amount in calculating any subsequent Indicative Note Value. As such, the dollar amount that you can gain from any decrease of the Index
level (or the VWAP Closing Level) will be less than if the Indicative Note Value were maintained at a constant level. This means that
if the Indicative Note Value decreases, it will take larger daily decreases of the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) to restore
the value of your investment back to the amount of your initial investment than would have been the case if the Indicative Note Value
were maintained at a constant level. Further, if you invest in the notes, you could gain less than 3% of your initial investment for
each 1% daily decrease of the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level).
The leverage of the notes is reset daily, and the leverage of the notes
during any given day may be greater than or less than -3.0.
The leverage of the notes is reset daily (subject
to the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event). Resetting the Indicative Note Value has the effect of resetting the then-current leverage
to approximately -3.0. During any given day, the leverage of the notes will depend on intra-day changes in the level of the Index (or
the VWAP Closing Level) and any change in the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) on any day may be greater or less than -3.0.
If the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) on any day has increased from the Index Closing Level (or the VWAP Closing Level)
on the preceding day, the leverage of the notes will be greater than -3.0 (e.g., -3.3, -4.0, -6.0); conversely, if the level of
the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) on any day has decreased from the Index Closing Level (or the VWAP Closing Level) on the preceding
day, the leverage of the notes will be less than -3.0 (e.g., -2.0, -1.0, -0.5). Thus, the leverage of the notes at the time that
you purchase them may be greater or less than the target leverage of -3.0, depending on the performance of the Index since the leverage
was reset. See “— The notes are subject to intraday purchase risk” below.
The notes are subject to our Call Right, which does not allow for participation
in any future performance of the Index. The exercise of our Call Right may adversely affect the value of, or your ability to sell,
your notes. We may call the notes prior to the maturity date.
We have the right to call the
notes prior to maturity. You will only be entitled to receive a payment on the Call Settlement Date equal to the Call Settlement Amount.
The Call Settlement Amount may be less than the stated principal amount of your notes. You will not be entitled to any further payments
after the Call Settlement Date, even if the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) decreases substantially after the Call Measurement
Period. In addition, the issuance of a notice of our election to exercise our call right in whole or in part may adversely impact your
ability to sell your notes, and/or the price at which you may be able to sell your notes prior to the Call Settlement Date. We have no
obligation to ensure that investors will not lose all or a portion of their investment in the notes if we call the notes; consequently,
a potential conflict between our interests and those of the noteholders exists with respect to our Call Right.
If we exercise our right to call
the notes prior to maturity, your payment on the Call Settlement Date may be less than the Indicative Note Value at the time we
gave the notice of our election to call the notes.
As discussed above, we have the right
to call the notes on or prior to the Maturity Date. The Call Settlement Amount will be payable on the Call Settlement Date and
we will provide notice prior to the Call Settlement Date of our election to exercise our call of the notes. The Call Settlement
Amount per note will be based principally on the closing Indicative Note Value on each Index Business Day during the Call Measurement
Period (determined as set forth above). The Call Calculation Date will be a date specified in our call notice, subject to postponement
if that date is not an Index Business Day or in the event of a Market Disruption Event. It is possible that the market prices
of the Index constituents, and, as a result, the Index Closing Level (or the VWAP Closing Level)and the Indicative Note Value,
may vary significantly between when we provide the notice of our intent to call the notes and the Call Calculation Date, including
potentially as a result of our trading activities during this period, as described further under “We or our affiliates may
have economic interests that are adverse to those of the holders of the notes as a result of our hedging and other trading activities.”
As a result, you may receive a Call Settlement Amount that is significantly less than the Indicative Value at the time of the notice
of our election to call the notes and may be less than your initial investment in the notes.
The notes do not pay any interest, and you will not have any ownership
rights in the Index constituents.
The notes do not pay any
interest, and you should not invest in the notes if you are seeking an interest-bearing investment. You will not have any ownership rights
in the Index constituents, nor will you have any right to receive dividends or other distributions paid to holders of the Index constituents,
except as reflected in the level of the Index. The Cash Settlement Amount, the Call Settlement Amount or Redemption Amount, if any, will
be paid in U.S. dollars, and you will have no right to receive delivery of any shares of the Index constituents.
The Index Closing Levels or VWAP Closing Levels used to calculate the payment
at maturity, call or upon a redemption may be greater than those levels on the Maturity Date, Call Settlement Date or at other
times during the term of the notes.
The Index Closing Level or VWAP Closing Level on the
Maturity Date, Call Settlement Date or at other times during the term of the notes, including dates near the Final Measurement
Period or the Call Measurement Period, as applicable, could be less than any of the Index Closing Levels or VWAP Closing Levels,
as applicable, during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, as applicable. This difference could be particularly
large if there is a significant decrease in the Index Closing Level or VWAP Closing Level after the Final Measurement Period or
the Call Measurement Period, as applicable, or if there is a significant increase in the Index Closing Level or VWAP Closing Level
around the Final Measurement Period or the Call Measurement Period, as applicable, or if there is significant volatility in the
Index Closing Level or VWAP Closing Levels, as applicable, during the term of the notes.
There are restrictions on the minimum number of notes you may request that
we redeem and the dates on which you may exercise your right to have us redeem your notes.
If you elect to require us to redeem your notes, except
under the circumstances set forth above, you must request that we redeem at least 25,000 notes on any Business Day, through and
including the Final Redemption Date. If you own fewer than 25,000 notes, you generally will not be able to elect to require us
to redeem your notes. Your request that we redeem your notes is only valid if we receive your Redemption Notice by email no later
than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Redemption Notice Date and a completed and signed Redemption Confirmation
by 5:00 p.m., New York City time, that same day. If we do not receive such notice and confirmation, your redemption request will
not be effective and we will not redeem your notes on the corresponding Redemption Date.
The daily redemption feature is intended to induce arbitrageurs
to counteract any trading of the notes at a premium or discount to their indicative value. There can be no assurance that arbitrageurs
will employ the redemption feature in this manner.
Because of the timing requirements of the Redemption
Notice and the Redemption Confirmation, settlement of the redemption will be prolonged when compared to a sale and settlement in
the secondary market. Because your request that we redeem your notes is irrevocable, this will subject you to loss if the level
of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) increases after we receive your request. Furthermore, our obligation to redeem the notes
prior to maturity may be postponed upon the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event.
If you want to sell your notes but are unable to meet
the minimum redemption requirements, you may sell your notes into the secondary market at any time, subject to the risks described
below. A trading market for the notes may not develop. Also, the price you may receive for the notes in the secondary market may
differ from, and may be significantly less than, the Redemption Amount.
You will not know the Redemption Amount at the time you elect to request
that we redeem your notes.
You will not know the Redemption Amount you will receive at
the time you elect to request that we redeem your notes. Your notice to us to redeem your notes is irrevocable and must be received by
us no later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Redemption Notice Date and a completed and signed confirmation
of such redemption must be received by us no later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the same day. The Redemption Measurement Date
is the Index Business Day following the applicable Redemption Notice Date, unless we elect to move that date to the Redemption Notice
Date. You will not know the Redemption Amount until after the Redemption Measurement Date, and we will pay you the Redemption Amount,
if any, on the Redemption Date, which is the third Business Day following the applicable Redemption Measurement Date. As a result, you
will be exposed to market risk in the event the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level) fluctuates after we confirm the validity
of your notice of election to exercise your right to have us redeem your notes, and prior to the relevant Redemption Date.
Significant aspects of the tax treatment of the notes are uncertain.
The tax treatment of the notes is uncertain. We do not
plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or from any Canadian authorities regarding the tax treatment of the
notes, and the Internal Revenue Service or a court may not agree with the tax treatment described in this pricing supplement.
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a notice indicating
that it and the Treasury Department are actively considering whether, among other issues, a holder should be required to accrue
interest over the term of an instrument such as the notes even though that holder will not receive any payments with respect to
the notes until maturity and whether all or part of the gain a holder may recognize upon sale or maturity of an instrument such
as the notes could be treated as ordinary income. The outcome of this process is uncertain and could apply on a retroactive basis.
Please read carefully the section entitled “Supplemental
Tax Considerations” in the product supplement and in this pricing supplement. You should consult your tax advisor about your
own tax situation.
Risks Relating to Liquidity and the Secondary Market
The Intraday Indicative Value and the Indicative Note
Value are not the same as the closing price or any other trading price of the notes in the secondary market.
The Intraday Indicative Value at any point in time during
the Core Trading Session of an Exchange Business Day will equal (a) the Deposit Amount minus (b) the Intraday Short Index Amount;
provided that if such calculation results in a value equal to or less than $0, the Intraday Indicative Value will be $0. Because
the Intraday Indicative Value uses an intraday Index level for its calculation, a variation in the intraday level of the Index
from the previous Index Business Day’s Index Closing Level (or VWAP Closing Level) may cause a significant variation between
the closing Indicative Note Value and the Intraday Indicative Value on any date of determination. The Intraday Indicative Value
also does not reflect intraday changes in the leverage; it is based on the constant Daily Leverage Factor of 3. Consequently, the
Intraday Indicative Value may vary significantly from the previous or next Index Business Day’s closing Indicative Note Value
or the price of the notes purchased intraday.
The trading price of the notes at any time is the price
at which you may be able to sell your notes in the secondary market at such time, if one exists. The trading price of the notes
at any time may vary significantly from the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes at such time due to, among other things, imbalances
of supply and demand, lack of liquidity, transaction costs, credit considerations and bid-offer spreads, and any corresponding
premium in the trading price may be reduced or eliminated at any time. Paying a premium purchase price over the Intraday Indicative
Value of the notes could lead to significant losses in the event the investor sells such notes at a time when that premium is no
longer present in the market place or the notes are called, in which case investors will receive a cash payment based on the closing
Indicative Note Value of the notes during the Call Measurement Period. See “— There is no assurance that your notes
will continue to be listed on a securities exchange, and they may not have an active trading market” below. We may, without
providing you notice or obtaining your consent, create and issue notes in addition to those offered by this pricing supplement
having the same terms and conditions as the notes. However, we are under no obligation to sell additional notes at any time, and
we may suspend issuance of new notes at any time and for any reason without providing you notice or obtaining your consent. If
we limit, restrict or stop sales of additional notes, or if we subsequently resume sales of such additional notes, the price and
liquidity of the notes could be materially and adversely affected, including an increase or decline in the premium purchase price
of the notes over the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes. Before trading in the secondary market, you should compare the Intraday
Indicative Value with the then-prevailing trading price of the notes.
Publication of the Intraday Indicative Value may be delayed,
particularly if the publication of the intraday Index value is delayed. See “Intraday Value of the Index and the Notes—Intraday
Indicative Note Values.”
There is no assurance that your notes will continue to be listed on a securities
exchange, and they may not have an active trading market.
The notes are listed on the NYSE under the ticker
symbol “GDXD”. No assurance can be given as to the continued listing of the notes for their term or of the liquidity or trading
market for the notes. There can be no assurance that a secondary market for the notes will be maintained. We are not required to maintain
any listing of the notes on any securities exchange.
If the notes are delisted, they will no longer trade
on a national securities exchange. Trading in delisted notes, if any, would be on an over-the-counter basis. If the notes are removed
from their primary source of liquidity, it is possible that holders may not be able to trade their notes at all. We cannot predict
with certainty what effect, if any, a delisting would have on the trading price of the notes; however, the notes may trade at a
significant discount to their indicative value. If a holder had paid a premium over the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes
and wanted to sell the notes at a time when that premium has declined or is no longer present, the investor may suffer significant
losses and may be unable to sell the notes in the secondary market.
The liquidity of the market for the notes may vary materially over time,
and may be limited if you do not hold at least 25,000 notes.
As stated on the cover of this pricing supplement, we
sold a portion of the notes on the Initial Trade Date, and the remainder of the notes may be offered and sold from time to time,
through BMOCM, our affiliate, as agent, to investors and dealers acting as principals. Certain affiliates of BMOCM may engage in
limited purchase and resale transactions in the notes, and we or BMOCM may purchase notes from holders in amounts and at prices
that may be agreed from time to time, although none of us are required to do so. Also, the number of notes outstanding or held
by persons other than our affiliates could be reduced at any time due to early redemptions of the notes or due to our or our affiliates’
purchases of notes in the secondary market. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for the notes could vary materially over the
term of the notes. There may not be sufficient liquidity to enable you to sell your notes readily and you may suffer substantial
losses and/or sell your notes at prices substantially less than their Intraday Indicative Value or Indicative Note Value, including
being unable to sell them at all or only for a minimal price in the secondary market. You may elect to require us to redeem your
notes, but such redemption is subject to the restrictive conditions and procedures described in this pricing supplement, including
the condition that, except to the extent set forth above, you must request that we redeem a minimum of 25,000 notes on any Redemption
Date.
We may sell additional notes at different prices, but we are under no obligation
to issue or sell additional notes at any time, and if we do sell additional notes, we may limit or restrict such sales, and we
may stop selling additional notes at any time.
In our sole discretion, we may decide to issue and sell
additional notes from time to time at a price that is higher or lower than the stated principal amount, based on the Indicative
Note Value at that time. The price of the notes in any subsequent sale may differ substantially (higher or lower) from the issue
price paid in connection with any other issuance of such notes. Additionally, any notes held by us or an affiliate in inventory
may be resold at prevailing market prices. However, we are under no obligation to issue or sell additional notes at any time, and
if we do sell additional notes, we may limit or restrict such sales, and we may stop selling additional notes at any time. If we
start selling additional notes, we may stop selling additional notes for any reason, which could materially and adversely affect
the price and liquidity of such notes in the secondary market.
Any limitation or suspension on the issuance or sale of the
notes by us or BMOCM may materially and adversely affect the price and liquidity of the notes in the secondary market. Alternatively,
the decrease in supply may cause an imbalance in the market supply and demand, which may cause the notes to trade at a premium over the
indicative value of the notes. Any premium may be reduced or eliminated at any time. Paying a premium purchase price over the Indicative
Note Value could lead to significant losses if you sell those notes at a time when that premium is no longer present in the marketplace
or if the notes are called at our option. If we call the notes prior to maturity, investors will receive a cash payment in an amount
equal to the Call Settlement Amount, which will not include any premium. Investors should consult their financial advisors before purchasing
or selling the notes, especially if they are trading at a premium.
The value of the notes in the secondary market may be influenced by many
unpredictable factors.
The market value of your notes may fluctuate between
the date you purchase them and the relevant date of determination. You may also sustain a significant loss if you sell your notes
in the secondary market. Several factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the market value of the notes. We
expect that, generally, the Index level (or VWAP Closing Level) on any day will affect the value of the notes more than any other
single factor. The value of the notes may be affected by a number of other factors that may either offset or magnify each other.
The notes are subject to intraday purchase risk.
The notes may be purchased in the secondary market
at prices other than the closing Indicative Note Value, which will have an effect on the effective leverage amount of the notes. Because
the exposure is fixed after the close of each trading day (subject to the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event) and does not change
intraday as the level of the Index moves in favor of the notes (i.e., the level of the Index decreases), the actual exposure in
the notes decreases. The reverse is also true. The table below presents the hypothetical exposure an investor has (ignoring all costs,
fees and other factors) when purchasing a note intraday given the movement of the level of the Index since the closing level of the Index
(or VWAP Closing Level) on the prior Index Business Day. The resulting effective exposure amount will then be constant for that purchaser
until the earlier of (i) a sale or (ii) the end of the relevant day. The table below assumes the closing Indicative Note Value for the
notes was $25 on the prior Index Business Day and the closing level of the Index (or VWAP Closing Level) on the prior Index Business Day
was 100.00.
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
Index
Level or
VWAP
Closing
Level |
% Change
in Index Level or
VWAP Closing
Level |
Hypothetical
Price for -3x Notes
C=$25*(1-3*B) |
Hypothetical Notional
Exposure for -3x Notes
D=$25*(1+B)*-3 |
Effective Leverage
Amount of -3x Notes
E=D/C |
120.00 |
20% |
$10.00 |
-$90.00 |
-9.00 |
115.00 |
15% |
$13.75 |
-$86.25 |
-6.27 |
110.00 |
10% |
$17.50 |
-$82.50 |
-4.71 |
105.00 |
5% |
$21.25 |
-$78.75 |
-3.71 |
104.00 |
4% |
$22.00 |
-$78.00 |
-3.55 |
103.00 |
3% |
$22.75 |
-$77.25 |
-3.40 |
102.00 |
2% |
$23.50 |
-$76.50 |
-3.26 |
101.00 |
1% |
$24.25 |
-$75.75 |
-3.12 |
100.00 |
0% |
$25.00 |
-$75.00 |
-3.00 |
99.00 |
-1% |
$25.75 |
-$74.25 |
-2.88 |
98.00 |
-2% |
$26.50 |
-$73.50 |
-2.77 |
97.00 |
-3% |
$27.25 |
-$72.75 |
-2.67 |
96.00 |
-4% |
$28.00 |
-$72.00 |
-2.57 |
95.00 |
-5% |
$28.75 |
-$71.25 |
-2.48 |
85.00 |
-15% |
$36.25 |
-$63.75 |
-1.76 |
80.00 |
-20% |
$40.00 |
-$60.00 |
-1.50 |
The table above shows that if the level of the Index
increases during the Index Business Day, your effective exposure increases from three times leveraged short. For example, if the
level of the Index increases by 20%, your effective exposure increases from -3x to -9x.
The table above also shows that if the level of the Index decreases
during the Index Business Day, your effective exposure decreases from three times leveraged short. For example, if the level of the Index
decreases by 20%, your effective exposure decreases from -3x to -1.5x.
Risks Relating to Conflicts of Interest and Hedging
Please see the discussion in the product supplement
under the caption “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Conflicts of Interest and Hedging” for important information relating
to the different roles that we and our affiliates will play in connection with the offering of the notes, and the variety of conflicts
of interest that may arise.
In addition to the conflicts of interest noted in that
section, please note that we will have the rights set forth in the “Summary” section above, including the right to
substitute the VWAP Closing Level for the closing level of the Index in order to determine the payments on the notes. We may also
elect to increase the Interest Rate Spread, up to the limits set forth in the “Summary” section.
Risks Relating to the Index
The holdings of the ETFs are concentrated in the gold and silver mining
industries.
All or substantially all of the equity securities held
by the ETFs are issued by gold or silver mining companies. An investment in the notes will be exposed to risks in the gold and
silver mining industries. As a result of being linked to a single industry or sector, the notes may have increased volatility as
the share prices of the ETFs, and therefore, the level of the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level), may be more susceptible to factors
that affect that industry or sector. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of companies
in these industries.
In addition, these companies are highly dependent on the
price of gold or silver, as applicable. These prices fluctuate widely and may be affected by numerous factors. Factors affecting
gold prices 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. Factors affecting silver prices 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 level of the Index and the prices of its components are not necessarily
related to the price of gold and silver bullion.
The ETFs invest in shares of gold and silver mining companies,
but not in gold bullion or silver bullion. The level of the Index and the prices of the index components may under- or over-perform
gold bullion and/or silver bullion over the term of the notes.
The Index has limited actual historical information.
The Index was launched on August 20, 2020. Because the
Index is of recent origin and limited actual historical performance data exists with respect to it, your investment in the notes
may involve a greater risk than investing in securities linked to an Index with a more established record of performance.
The historical performance of the Index should not be taken
as an indication of its future performance. While the trading prices of the Index constituents will determine the Index level (and the
VWAP Closing Level), it is impossible to predict whether the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) will fall or rise. Trading prices
of the Index constituents will be influenced by the complex and interrelated economic, financial, regulatory, geographic, judicial, tax,
political and other factors that can affect the capital markets generally and the equity trading markets on which the Index constituents
are traded, and by various circumstances that can influence the prices of the Index constituents.
The Index Sponsor may adjust the Index in a way that may affect its level,
and the Index Sponsor and the Intraday Index Calculation Agent have no obligation to consider your interests.
S-Network Global Indexes, Inc. (“S-Network”),
as the Index Sponsor, is responsible for maintaining the Index. The Index Sponsor can add, delete or substitute an Index constituent
or make other methodological changes that could change the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level). The Index Sponsor will determine,
for example, which exchange traded funds have an appropriate business for inclusion in the Index. Changes to the Index constituents
may affect the Index (or the VWAP Closing Level), as a newly added equity security may perform significantly better or worse than
the Index constituent or constituents it replaces. Additionally, the Index Sponsor or the Intraday Index Calculation Agent may
alter, discontinue or suspend calculation or dissemination of the Index. Any of these actions could adversely affect the value
of the notes. The Index Sponsor and the Intraday Index Calculation Agent have no obligation to consider your interests in calculating
or revising the Index, and you will not have any rights against any of these parties if they take any such action. See “The
Index.”
We and our affiliates have no affiliation with the Index Sponsor are not
responsible for any of its public disclosure of information.
We and our affiliates are not affiliated with the Index
Sponsor (except for licensing arrangements discussed under “The Index — License Agreement”) and have no ability
to control or predict its actions, including any errors in or discontinuation of public disclosure regarding methods or policies
relating to the calculation of the Index. If the Index Sponsor discontinues or suspends the calculation of the Index, it may become
difficult to determine the market value of the notes and the payment at maturity, call or upon early redemption. The Calculation
Agent may designate a successor index in its sole discretion. If the Calculation Agent determines in its sole discretion that no
successor index comparable to the Index exists, the payment you receive at maturity, call or upon early redemption will be determined
by the Calculation Agent in its sole discretion. See the section in the product supplement, “Additional Terms of the Notes
— Discontinuance or Modification of an Index.”
The Index Sponsor is not involved in the offering of the
notes in any way and does not have any obligation of any sort with respect to your notes. We are not affiliated with the Index
Sponsor, and the Index Sponsor does not have any obligation to take your interests into consideration for any reason, including
when taking any actions that might affect the value of the notes.
We have derived the information about the Index Sponsor
and the Index from publicly available information, without independent verification. Neither we nor any of our affiliates have
undertaken any independent review of the publicly available information about the Index Sponsor or the Index contained in this
pricing supplement. You, as an investor in the notes, should make your own independent investigation into the Index Sponsor
and the Index.
The Intraday Index Calculation Agent and/or the Index Sponsor may, in its
sole discretion, discontinue the public disclosure of the intraday Index value and the end-of-day closing value of the Index.
The Intraday Index Calculation Agent and the Index Sponsor
are under no obligation to holders of the notes to continue to calculate the intraday Index value and end-of-day official closing
value of the Index (as applicable), or to calculate similar values for any successor index. If either party discontinues such public
disclosure, we may not be able to provide the Intraday Indicative Values related to the Index or the Intraday Indicative Value
of the notes.
An Index constituent may be replaced upon the occurrence of certain adverse
events.
An exchange may delist an Index constituent. Procedures have
been established by the Index Sponsor to address such an event. There can be no assurance that the replacement or delisting of the Index
constituents, or any other force majeure event, will not have an effect on the Index level (or the VWAP Closing Level) that is adverse
to the holders of the notes or the manner in which the Index is calculated and, therefore, may have any adverse impact on the value of
the notes. An Index constituent may also be removed from the Index, as described under “The Index.”
An investment in the notes is subject to risks associated with foreign
securities markets.
As discussed in this document, ETFs hold the securities
of several Canadian issuers. You should be aware that investments in securities linked to the value of non-U.S. equity securities
involve particular risks. The Canadian securities markets may be more volatile than U.S. or other securities markets and market
developments may affect the Canadian markets differently from U.S. or other securities markets. Direct or indirect government intervention
to stabilize these Canadian securities markets, as well as cross-shareholdings in Canadian companies, may affect trading prices
and volumes in these markets. Also, there is generally less publicly available information about Canadian companies than about
those U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Canadian
companies are subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements that differ from those applicable
to U.S. reporting companies.
The level of the Index (and the VWAP Closing Level) will
only be calculated on trading days on which the U.S. markets are open for trading. Accordingly, there may be significant changes
in the value of one or more of the Canadian securities that are included in the Index, but which will not be reflected in the Index
(or the VWAP Closing Level) until the U.S. markets are open for trading. Accordingly, you may not be able to determine the value
of the notes at times when there are significant changes in the value of one or more Index constituents.
Additional Risk Factors Relating to the ETFs
Changes that affect the Underlying Indices will affect the market value
of the notes and the amount you will receive at maturity.
The policies of the index sponsor of each Underlying Index,
concerning the calculation of the Underlying Index, additions, deletions or substitutions of the components of the Underlying Index
and the manner in which changes affecting those components, such as stock dividends, reorganizations or mergers, may be reflected
in the Underlying Index and, therefore, could affect the share price of the ETFs, the level of the Index (and the VWAP Closing
Level), the amounts payable on the notes, and the market value of the notes prior to maturity. The amounts payable on the notes
and their market value could also be affected if the index sponsor changes these policies, for example, by changing the manner
in which it calculates the Underlying Index, or if the index sponsor discontinues or suspends the calculation or publication of
the Underlying Index.
We have no affiliation with the index sponsors of the Underlying Indices
and will not be responsible for their actions.
The sponsors of the Underlying Indices are not our affiliates,
and will not be involved in the offering of the notes in any way. Consequently, we have no control over the actions of these index
sponsors, including any actions of the type that would require the calculation agent to adjust the payment to you at maturity.
The index sponsors have no obligation of any sort with respect to the notes. Thus, the index sponsors have no obligation to take
your interests into consideration for any reason, including in taking any actions that might affect the value of the notes. None
of our proceeds from the issuance of the notes will be delivered to the index sponsors.
Adjustments to the ETFs could adversely affect the notes.
The sponsor and advisor of each ETF is responsible for
calculating and maintaining that ETF. The sponsor and advisor of each ETF can add, delete or substitute the stocks comprising an
ETF or make other methodological changes that could change the share price of the ETFs at any time. If one or more of these events
occurs, the calculation of the amount payable at maturity may be adjusted to reflect such event or events. Consequently, any of
these actions could adversely affect the amounts payable on the notes and/or the market value of the notes.
We and our affiliates do not have any affiliation with the investment advisor
of either ETF and are not responsible for its public disclosure of information.
The investment advisor of each ETF advised each ETF on
various matters, including matters relating to the policies, maintenance and calculation of that ETF. We and our affiliates are
not affiliated with that investment advisor or the ETFs in any way and have no ability to control or predict their actions, including
any errors in or discontinuance of disclosure regarding the methods or policies relating to the ETFs. Neither the investment advisors
nor the ETFs are involved in the offering of the notes in any way or have any obligation to consider your interests as an owner
of the notes in taking any actions relating to the ETFs that might affect the value of the notes. Neither we nor any of our affiliates
has independently verified the adequacy or accuracy of the information about the investment advisor or the ETFs contained in any
public disclosure of information. You, as an investor in the notes, should make your own investigation into the ETFs.
The correlation between the performance of the ETFs and the performance
of the Underlying Indices may be imperfect.
The performance of an ETF is linked principally to the
performance of the applicable Underlying Index. However, an ETF generally invests in a representative sample of the stocks included
in its Underlying Index, and generally does not hold all or substantially all of the stocks included in such ETF’s Underlying
Index. Finally, the performance of an ETF and of its Underlying Index will generally vary due to transaction costs, certain corporate
actions and timing variances.
Imperfect correlation between the stocks held by an ETF
and the stocks included in its Underlying Index; rounding of prices; changes to an ETF’s Underlying Index; and changes to
regulatory policies, may cause the performance of an ETF to differ from the performance of the ETF’s Underlying Index, especially
during periods of market volatility when the liquidity and the market price of shares of the ETF and/or securities held by the
ETF may be adversely affected, sometimes materially. In addition, because shares of ETFs are traded on exchanges and are subject
to market supply and investor demand, the market value of one share of an ETF may differ from its net asset value per share and
the shares of an ETF may trade at, above or below their net asset value per share.
The ETFs are subject to management risks.
The ETFs are subject to management risk, which is the
risk that the investment advisor’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints,
may not produce the intended results. For example, an investment advisor may invest a portion of the applicable ETF’s assets
in securities not included in the relevant industry or sector but which the investment advisor believes will help the ETF track
the relevant industry or sector.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES
Hypothetical Payment at Maturity
The following
examples and table illustrate how the notes would perform at maturity in hypothetical circumstances. They are intended to highlight how
the return on the notes is affected by the daily performance of the Index, fees, leverage, compounding and path dependency. For ease of
review, the hypotheticals cover a 22-day period.
The
resetting of the leverage on each day is likely to cause each note to experience a “decay” effect, which is likely to worsen
over time and will be greater the more volatile the level of the Index. The “decay” effect refers to a likely tendency of
the notes to lose value over time. Accordingly, the notes are not suitable for intermediate- or long-term investment, as any intermediate-
or long-term investment is very likely to sustain significant losses, even if the Index depreciates over the relevant time period. Although
the decay effect is more likely to impact the return on the notes the longer the notes are held, the decay effect can have a significant
impact on the note performance even over a period as short as two days. The notes are suitable only for sophisticated investors. If you
invest in the notes, you should continuously monitor your holdings of the notes and make investment decisions at least on each trading
day. Please see the section “—Illustrations of the "Decay” Effect on the
Notes" below.
We have shown
two sets of examples: 1 to 5 and 6 to 10. Examples 1 to 5 are based upon the minimum Interest Rate Spread of 2.00%. Examples 6 to 10 show
the impact if we elect to increase this amount to the maximum extent described above, to an Interest Rate Spread of 4.00%. All of these
examples assume that the US Federal Funds Effective Rate remains constant at 0% during the relevant period.
We have included
examples in which the Index level alternatively decreases and increases at a constant rate of 3.00% per day, with the Index level decreasing
by 0.99 points by day 22 (Examples 1 and 6), with a Note Return of -9.05% (Example 1) and -9.50% (Example 6); we have also included examples
in which the Index level increases at a constant rate of 3.00% per day, increasing 91.61 points by day 22 (Examples 2 and 7) and a Note
Return of -87.52% (Example 2) and -87.58% (Example 7). Examples 3 to 5 and 8 to 10 highlight the effect of volatility in the Index. In
Examples 3 and 8, the Index level decreases by a constant 1% per day, with a decrease of 19.84 points by day 22 and a Note Return of 90.61%
(Example 3) and 89.72% (Example 8). In contrast, in Examples 4 and 9, at day 22, the Index has decreased 19.63 points; however, due to
the volatility of the Index on a daily basis, the Note Return is -72.90% (Example 4) and -73.05% (Example 9), a significant difference
from the returns in Examples 3 and 8. Examples 5 and 10 also highlight the effect of volatility in the Index, in that the Index increases
and decreases in a volatile manner over the 22-day period, and ends at close to the same level as on day one. The Note Return is -37.25%
(Example 5) and -37.57% (Example 10) even though the Index level is still at approximately 100.
For ease of
analysis and presentation, all of the examples assume that the notes were purchased on the Initial Trade Date at the Indicative Note Value
and disposed of on the Maturity Date, no Market Disruption Events occurred and that the term of the notes is 22 days. In Examples 1-10,
the Daily Investor Fee and the Daily Interest assume that there are no weekends or holidays. The examples assume that every calendar day
is an Exchange Business Day. The examples do not contemplate a call or early redemption during the relevant period.
These examples
highlight the impact of the Daily Investor Fee, leverage and compounding on the payment at maturity under different circumstances. Many
other factors will affect the value of the notes, and these figures are provided for illustration only. These hypothetical examples should
not be taken as an indication or a prediction of future Index performance or investment results and are intended to illustrate a few of
the possible returns on the notes. Because the Indicative Note Value takes into account the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee, which
is a fixed percentage of the value of the notes, and the performance of the Index, the Indicative Note Value is dependent on the path
taken by the Index level to arrive at its ending level. The figures in these examples have been rounded for convenience.
We cannot predict
the actual Index level at any time during the term of the notes or the market value of the notes, nor can we predict the relationship
between the Index level and the market value of your notes at any time prior to the Maturity Date. The actual amount that a holder of
the notes will receive at maturity or call, or upon early redemption, as the case may be, and the rate of return on the notes will depend
on the actual Index Closing Levels during the term of the notes and during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, or
on a Redemption Measurement Date, the Daily Investor Fee, Daily Interest, Index volatility and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable.
Moreover, the assumptions on which the hypothetical returns are based are purely for illustrative purposes. Consequently, the amount to
be paid in respect of your notes, if any, on the Maturity Date, Call Settlement Date or the relevant Redemption Date, as applicable, may
be very different from the information reflected in this section.
Examples 1-5: Minimum Amount of the Interest Rate Spread
Example 1: The Index level alternatively decreases and increases by a constant
3.00% per day.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-2.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-9.05% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-0.99% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily
Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Daily
Deposit
Factor *
Daily
Interest Rate
/ 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
97.00 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.00548 |
$99.99 |
$72.75 |
$27.24 |
8.98% |
2 |
99.91 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0014 |
-$0.00597 |
$108.97 |
$84.18 |
$24.79 |
-9.02% |
3 |
96.91 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0020 |
-$0.00543 |
$99.13 |
$72.13 |
$27.01 |
8.98% |
4 |
99.82 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0027 |
-$0.00592 |
$108.03 |
$83.46 |
$24.57 |
-9.02% |
5 |
96.83 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0033 |
-$0.00539 |
$98.28 |
$71.51 |
$26.78 |
8.98% |
6 |
99.73 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0040 |
-$0.00587 |
$107.10 |
$82.74 |
$24.36 |
-9.02% |
7 |
96.74 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0047 |
-$0.00534 |
$97.44 |
$70.89 |
$26.55 |
8.98% |
8 |
99.64 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0054 |
-$0.00582 |
$106.18 |
$82.03 |
$24.15 |
-9.02% |
9 |
96.65 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0060 |
-$0.00529 |
$96.60 |
$70.28 |
$26.32 |
8.98% |
10 |
99.55 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0067 |
-$0.00577 |
$105.27 |
$81.33 |
$23.94 |
-9.02% |
11 |
96.56 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0073 |
-$0.00525 |
$95.77 |
$69.68 |
$26.09 |
8.98% |
12 |
99.46 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0080 |
-$0.00572 |
$104.37 |
$80.63 |
$23.74 |
-9.02% |
13 |
96.48 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0086 |
-$0.00520 |
$94.95 |
$69.08 |
$25.87 |
8.98% |
14 |
99.37 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0093 |
-$0.00567 |
$103.47 |
$79.94 |
$23.53 |
-9.02% |
15 |
96.39 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0099 |
-$0.00516 |
$94.13 |
$68.49 |
$25.65 |
8.98% |
16 |
99.28 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0106 |
-$0.00562 |
$102.58 |
$79.25 |
$23.33 |
-9.02% |
17 |
96.30 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0112 |
-$0.00511 |
$93.33 |
$67.90 |
$25.43 |
8.98% |
18 |
99.19 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0118 |
-$0.00557 |
$101.70 |
$78.57 |
$23.13 |
-9.02% |
19 |
96.22 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0124 |
-$0.00507 |
$92.52 |
$67.31 |
$25.21 |
8.98% |
20 |
99.10 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0131 |
-$0.00553 |
$100.83 |
$77.89 |
$22.93 |
-9.02% |
21 |
96.13 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0137 |
-$0.00503 |
$91.73 |
$66.74 |
$24.99 |
8.98% |
22 |
99.01 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0143 |
-$0.00548 |
$99.96 |
$77.23 |
$22.74 |
-9.02% |
Example 2: The Index level increases by a constant 3.00% per day.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-2.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-87.52% |
Cumulative Index Return |
91.61% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily
Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Daily
Deposit
Factor *
Daily
Interest Rate
/ 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
103.00 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.00548 |
$99.99 |
$77.25 |
$22.74 |
-9.02% |
2 |
106.09 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0012 |
-$0.00498 |
$90.97 |
$70.28 |
$20.69 |
-9.02% |
3 |
109.27 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0018 |
-$0.00454 |
$82.76 |
$63.94 |
$18.82 |
-9.02% |
4 |
112.55 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0023 |
-$0.00413 |
$75.29 |
$58.17 |
$17.13 |
-9.02% |
5 |
115.93 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0027 |
-$0.00375 |
$68.50 |
$52.92 |
$15.58 |
-9.02% |
6 |
119.41 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0031 |
-$0.00341 |
$62.32 |
$48.14 |
$14.17 |
-9.02% |
7 |
122.99 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.00311 |
$56.69 |
$43.80 |
$12.89 |
-9.02% |
8 |
126.68 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0038 |
-$0.00283 |
$51.58 |
$39.84 |
$11.73 |
-9.02% |
9 |
130.48 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0041 |
-$0.00257 |
$46.92 |
$36.25 |
$10.67 |
-9.02% |
10 |
134.39 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0044 |
-$0.00234 |
$42.69 |
$32.98 |
$9.71 |
-9.02% |
11 |
138.42 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0047 |
-$0.00213 |
$38.83 |
$30.00 |
$8.83 |
-9.02% |
12 |
142.58 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0049 |
-$0.00194 |
$35.33 |
$27.29 |
$8.04 |
-9.02% |
13 |
146.85 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0051 |
-$0.00176 |
$32.14 |
$24.83 |
$7.31 |
-9.02% |
14 |
151.26 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0053 |
-$0.00160 |
$29.24 |
$22.59 |
$6.65 |
-9.02% |
15 |
155.80 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0055 |
-$0.00146 |
$26.60 |
$20.55 |
$6.05 |
-9.02% |
16 |
160.47 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0056 |
-$0.00133 |
$24.20 |
$18.70 |
$5.50 |
-9.02% |
17 |
165.28 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0058 |
-$0.00121 |
$22.02 |
$17.01 |
$5.01 |
-9.02% |
18 |
170.24 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0059 |
-$0.00110 |
$20.03 |
$15.47 |
$4.56 |
-9.02% |
19 |
175.35 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0060 |
-$0.00100 |
$18.22 |
$14.08 |
$4.14 |
-9.02% |
20 |
180.61 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0061 |
-$0.00091 |
$16.58 |
$12.81 |
$3.77 |
-9.02% |
21 |
186.03 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0062 |
-$0.00083 |
$15.08 |
$11.65 |
$3.43 |
-9.02% |
22 |
191.61 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0063 |
-$0.00075 |
$13.72 |
$10.60 |
$3.12 |
-9.02% |
Example 3: The Index level decreases by a constant 1.00% per day.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-2.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
90.61% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-19.84% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
99.00 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.00548 |
$99.99 |
$74.25 |
$25.74 |
2.98% |
2 |
98.01 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0013 |
-$0.00564 |
$102.97 |
$76.46 |
$26.51 |
2.98% |
3 |
97.03 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0020 |
-$0.00581 |
$106.03 |
$78.73 |
$27.30 |
2.98% |
4 |
96.06 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0027 |
-$0.00598 |
$109.19 |
$81.08 |
$28.11 |
2.98% |
5 |
95.10 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.00616 |
$112.44 |
$83.49 |
$28.95 |
2.98% |
6 |
94.15 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0042 |
-$0.00634 |
$115.78 |
$85.97 |
$29.81 |
2.98% |
7 |
93.21 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0050 |
-$0.00653 |
$119.23 |
$88.53 |
$30.70 |
2.98% |
8 |
92.27 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0058 |
-$0.00673 |
$122.78 |
$91.17 |
$31.61 |
2.98% |
9 |
91.35 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0066 |
-$0.00693 |
$126.43 |
$93.88 |
$32.55 |
2.98% |
10 |
90.44 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0075 |
-$0.00713 |
$130.19 |
$96.67 |
$33.52 |
2.98% |
11 |
89.53 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0083 |
-$0.00735 |
$134.06 |
$99.55 |
$34.52 |
2.98% |
12 |
88.64 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0092 |
-$0.00757 |
$138.05 |
$102.51 |
$35.54 |
2.98% |
13 |
87.75 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0101 |
-$0.00779 |
$142.16 |
$105.56 |
$36.60 |
2.98% |
14 |
86.87 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0111 |
-$0.00802 |
$146.39 |
$108.70 |
$37.69 |
2.98% |
15 |
86.01 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0121 |
-$0.00826 |
$150.75 |
$111.94 |
$38.81 |
2.98% |
16 |
85.15 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0131 |
-$0.00851 |
$155.23 |
$115.27 |
$39.97 |
2.98% |
17 |
84.29 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0141 |
-$0.00876 |
$159.85 |
$118.70 |
$41.15 |
2.98% |
18 |
83.45 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0152 |
-$0.00902 |
$164.61 |
$122.23 |
$42.38 |
2.98% |
19 |
82.62 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0163 |
-$0.00929 |
$169.50 |
$125.87 |
$43.64 |
2.98% |
20 |
81.79 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0174 |
-$0.00956 |
$174.55 |
$129.61 |
$44.94 |
2.98% |
21 |
80.97 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0012 |
$0.0186 |
-$0.00985 |
$179.74 |
$133.47 |
$46.28 |
2.98% |
22 |
80.16 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0012 |
$0.0198 |
-$0.01014 |
$185.09 |
$137.44 |
$47.65 |
2.98% |
Example 4: The Index level decreases in a volatile manner.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-2.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-72.90% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-19.63% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
89.00 |
-11.0% |
0.89 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.00548 |
$99.99 |
$66.75 |
$33.24 |
32.98% |
2 |
92.56 |
4.0% |
1.04 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0015 |
-$0.00729 |
$132.97 |
$103.72 |
$29.25 |
-12.02% |
3 |
95.34 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0023 |
-$0.00641 |
$116.98 |
$90.37 |
$26.61 |
-9.02% |
4 |
103.92 |
9.0% |
1.09 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0030 |
-$0.00583 |
$106.42 |
$87.01 |
$19.42 |
-27.02% |
5 |
109.11 |
5.0% |
1.05 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.00426 |
$77.66 |
$61.16 |
$16.50 |
-15.02% |
6 |
121.12 |
11.0% |
1.11 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0039 |
-$0.00362 |
$65.99 |
$54.94 |
$11.05 |
-33.02% |
7 |
128.38 |
6.0% |
1.06 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0042 |
-$0.00242 |
$44.20 |
$35.14 |
$9.06 |
-18.02% |
8 |
134.80 |
5.0% |
1.05 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0044 |
-$0.00199 |
$36.23 |
$28.54 |
$7.70 |
-15.02% |
9 |
161.76 |
20.0% |
1.20 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0046 |
-$0.00169 |
$30.79 |
$27.71 |
$3.08 |
-60.02% |
10 |
127.79 |
-21.0% |
0.79 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0047 |
-$0.00067 |
$12.31 |
$7.29 |
$5.02 |
62.98% |
11 |
122.68 |
-4.0% |
0.96 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0048 |
-$0.00110 |
$20.06 |
$14.44 |
$5.62 |
11.98% |
12 |
131.27 |
7.0% |
1.07 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0050 |
-$0.00123 |
$22.46 |
$18.03 |
$4.43 |
-21.02% |
13 |
154.90 |
18.0% |
1.18 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0051 |
-$0.00097 |
$17.74 |
$15.70 |
$2.04 |
-54.02% |
14 |
165.74 |
7.0% |
1.07 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0052 |
-$0.00045 |
$8.16 |
$6.55 |
$1.61 |
-21.02% |
15 |
159.11 |
-4.0% |
0.96 |
$0.0000 |
$0.0052 |
-$0.00035 |
$6.44 |
$4.64 |
$1.80 |
11.98% |
16 |
120.92 |
-24.0% |
0.76 |
$0.0000 |
$0.0052 |
-$0.00040 |
$7.21 |
$4.11 |
$3.10 |
71.98% |
17 |
106.41 |
-12.0% |
0.88 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0053 |
-$0.00068 |
$12.40 |
$8.19 |
$4.22 |
35.98% |
18 |
92.58 |
-13.0% |
0.87 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0054 |
-$0.00092 |
$16.87 |
$11.01 |
$5.86 |
38.98% |
19 |
82.39 |
-11.0% |
0.89 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0056 |
-$0.00128 |
$23.44 |
$15.65 |
$7.79 |
32.98% |
20 |
76.63 |
-7.0% |
0.93 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0058 |
-$0.00171 |
$31.17 |
$21.74 |
$9.43 |
20.98% |
21 |
70.50 |
-8.0% |
0.92 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0060 |
-$0.00207 |
$37.71 |
$26.02 |
$11.69 |
23.98% |
22 |
80.37 |
14.0% |
1.14 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0063 |
-$0.00256 |
$46.75 |
$39.97 |
$6.78 |
-42.02% |
Example 5: The Index level increases and decreases in a volatile manner,
ending at the same level.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-2.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-37.25% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-0.02% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
102.00 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.00548 |
$99.99 |
$76.50 |
$23.49 |
-6.02% |
2 |
105.06 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0013 |
-$0.00515 |
$93.97 |
$72.60 |
$21.37 |
-9.02% |
3 |
109.26 |
4.0% |
1.04 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0018 |
-$0.00468 |
$85.49 |
$66.69 |
$18.80 |
-12.02% |
4 |
98.34 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0023 |
-$0.00412 |
$75.21 |
$50.77 |
$24.44 |
29.98% |
5 |
100.30 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0029 |
-$0.00536 |
$97.75 |
$74.79 |
$22.97 |
-6.02% |
6 |
103.31 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.00503 |
$91.86 |
$70.97 |
$20.89 |
-9.02% |
7 |
92.98 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0041 |
-$0.00458 |
$83.57 |
$56.42 |
$27.16 |
29.98% |
8 |
94.84 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0048 |
-$0.00595 |
$108.63 |
$83.10 |
$25.52 |
-6.02% |
9 |
96.74 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0055 |
-$0.00559 |
$102.08 |
$78.10 |
$23.98 |
-6.02% |
10 |
87.06 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0061 |
-$0.00526 |
$95.93 |
$64.76 |
$31.17 |
29.98% |
11 |
88.80 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0069 |
-$0.00683 |
$124.69 |
$95.39 |
$29.30 |
-6.02% |
12 |
90.58 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0077 |
-$0.00642 |
$117.18 |
$89.65 |
$27.53 |
-6.02% |
13 |
81.52 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0084 |
-$0.00603 |
$110.12 |
$74.33 |
$35.78 |
29.98% |
14 |
83.15 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0093 |
-$0.00784 |
$143.13 |
$109.50 |
$33.63 |
-6.02% |
15 |
84.82 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0102 |
-$0.00737 |
$134.50 |
$102.90 |
$31.60 |
-6.02% |
16 |
76.33 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0110 |
-$0.00693 |
$126.40 |
$85.32 |
$41.07 |
29.98% |
17 |
77.86 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0121 |
-$0.00900 |
$164.29 |
$125.69 |
$38.60 |
-6.02% |
18 |
79.42 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0131 |
-$0.00846 |
$154.39 |
$118.12 |
$36.27 |
-6.02% |
19 |
81.01 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0140 |
-$0.00795 |
$145.09 |
$111.00 |
$34.09 |
-6.02% |
20 |
89.11 |
10.0% |
1.10 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0149 |
-$0.00747 |
$136.35 |
$112.49 |
$23.85 |
-30.02% |
21 |
90.89 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0155 |
-$0.00523 |
$95.41 |
$72.99 |
$22.42 |
-6.02% |
22 |
99.98 |
10.0% |
1.10 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0161 |
-$0.00491 |
$89.66 |
$73.98 |
$15.69 |
-30.02% |
Examples 6 to 10: Maximum Amount of the Interest Rate Spread
Example 6: The Index level alternatively decreases and increases by a constant
3.00% per day.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-4.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-9.50% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-0.99% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current Index
Level /
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
97.00 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.01096 |
$99.99 |
$72.75 |
$27.24 |
8.95% |
2 |
99.91 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0014 |
-$0.01194 |
$108.94 |
$84.17 |
$24.77 |
-9.05% |
3 |
96.91 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0020 |
-$0.01086 |
$99.09 |
$72.09 |
$26.99 |
8.95% |
4 |
99.82 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0027 |
-$0.01183 |
$107.96 |
$83.41 |
$24.55 |
-9.05% |
5 |
96.83 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0033 |
-$0.01076 |
$98.19 |
$71.44 |
$26.75 |
8.95% |
6 |
99.73 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0040 |
-$0.01173 |
$106.98 |
$82.65 |
$24.33 |
-9.05% |
7 |
96.74 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0047 |
-$0.01066 |
$97.30 |
$70.80 |
$26.51 |
8.95% |
8 |
99.64 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0054 |
-$0.01162 |
$106.02 |
$81.91 |
$24.11 |
-9.05% |
9 |
96.65 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0060 |
-$0.01057 |
$96.43 |
$70.16 |
$26.27 |
8.95% |
10 |
99.55 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0067 |
-$0.01151 |
$105.06 |
$81.17 |
$23.89 |
-9.05% |
11 |
96.56 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0073 |
-$0.01047 |
$95.56 |
$69.52 |
$26.03 |
8.95% |
12 |
99.46 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0080 |
-$0.01141 |
$104.11 |
$80.44 |
$23.68 |
-9.05% |
13 |
96.48 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0086 |
-$0.01038 |
$94.69 |
$68.90 |
$25.80 |
8.95% |
14 |
99.37 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0093 |
-$0.01131 |
$103.17 |
$79.71 |
$23.46 |
-9.05% |
15 |
96.39 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0099 |
-$0.01028 |
$93.84 |
$68.27 |
$25.56 |
8.95% |
16 |
99.28 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0105 |
-$0.01121 |
$102.24 |
$78.99 |
$23.25 |
-9.05% |
17 |
96.30 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0111 |
-$0.01019 |
$92.99 |
$67.66 |
$25.33 |
8.95% |
18 |
99.19 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0118 |
-$0.01110 |
$101.32 |
$78.28 |
$23.04 |
-9.05% |
19 |
96.22 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0124 |
-$0.01010 |
$92.15 |
$67.05 |
$25.10 |
8.95% |
20 |
99.10 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0131 |
-$0.01100 |
$100.40 |
$77.57 |
$22.83 |
-9.05% |
21 |
96.13 |
-3.0% |
0.97 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0137 |
-$0.01001 |
$91.32 |
$66.44 |
$24.88 |
8.95% |
22 |
99.01 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0143 |
-$0.01090 |
$99.50 |
$76.87 |
$22.63 |
-9.05% |
Example 7: The Index level increases by a constant 3.00% per day.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-4.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-87.58% |
Cumulative Index Return |
91.61% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
103.00 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.01096 |
$99.99 |
$77.25 |
$22.74 |
-9.05% |
2 |
106.09 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0012 |
-$0.00997 |
$90.94 |
$70.26 |
$20.68 |
-9.05% |
3 |
109.27 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0018 |
-$0.00907 |
$82.72 |
$63.91 |
$18.81 |
-9.05% |
4 |
112.55 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0023 |
-$0.00825 |
$75.23 |
$58.12 |
$17.11 |
-9.05% |
5 |
115.93 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0027 |
-$0.00750 |
$68.43 |
$52.87 |
$15.56 |
-9.05% |
6 |
119.41 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0031 |
-$0.00682 |
$62.24 |
$48.08 |
$14.15 |
-9.05% |
7 |
122.99 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.00620 |
$56.61 |
$43.73 |
$12.87 |
-9.05% |
8 |
126.68 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0038 |
-$0.00564 |
$51.49 |
$39.78 |
$11.71 |
-9.05% |
9 |
130.48 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0041 |
-$0.00513 |
$46.83 |
$36.18 |
$10.65 |
-9.05% |
10 |
134.39 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0044 |
-$0.00467 |
$42.59 |
$32.91 |
$9.69 |
-9.05% |
11 |
138.42 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0047 |
-$0.00425 |
$38.74 |
$29.93 |
$8.81 |
-9.05% |
12 |
142.58 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0049 |
-$0.00386 |
$35.23 |
$27.22 |
$8.01 |
-9.05% |
13 |
146.85 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0051 |
-$0.00351 |
$32.05 |
$24.76 |
$7.29 |
-9.05% |
14 |
151.26 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0053 |
-$0.00319 |
$29.15 |
$22.52 |
$6.63 |
-9.05% |
15 |
155.80 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0055 |
-$0.00291 |
$26.51 |
$20.48 |
$6.03 |
-9.05% |
16 |
160.47 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0056 |
-$0.00264 |
$24.11 |
$18.63 |
$5.48 |
-9.05% |
17 |
165.28 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0058 |
-$0.00240 |
$21.93 |
$16.94 |
$4.99 |
-9.05% |
18 |
170.24 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0059 |
-$0.00219 |
$19.95 |
$15.41 |
$4.54 |
-9.05% |
19 |
175.35 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0060 |
-$0.00199 |
$18.14 |
$14.02 |
$4.13 |
-9.05% |
20 |
180.61 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0061 |
-$0.00181 |
$16.50 |
$12.75 |
$3.75 |
-9.05% |
21 |
186.03 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0062 |
-$0.00164 |
$15.01 |
$11.60 |
$3.41 |
-9.05% |
22 |
191.61 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0063 |
-$0.00150 |
$13.65 |
$10.55 |
$3.10 |
-9.05% |
Example 8: The Index level decreases by a constant 1.00% per day.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-4.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
89.72% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-19.84% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
99.00 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.01096 |
$99.99 |
$74.25 |
$25.74 |
2.95% |
2 |
98.01 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0013 |
-$0.01128 |
$102.94 |
$76.44 |
$26.50 |
2.95% |
3 |
97.03 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0020 |
-$0.01162 |
$105.98 |
$78.70 |
$27.28 |
2.95% |
4 |
96.06 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0027 |
-$0.01196 |
$109.11 |
$81.03 |
$28.09 |
2.95% |
5 |
95.10 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.01231 |
$112.33 |
$83.42 |
$28.92 |
2.95% |
6 |
94.15 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0042 |
-$0.01268 |
$115.65 |
$85.88 |
$29.77 |
2.95% |
7 |
93.21 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0050 |
-$0.01305 |
$119.07 |
$88.42 |
$30.65 |
2.95% |
8 |
92.27 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0058 |
-$0.01344 |
$122.59 |
$91.03 |
$31.56 |
2.95% |
9 |
91.35 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0066 |
-$0.01383 |
$126.21 |
$93.72 |
$32.49 |
2.95% |
10 |
90.44 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0074 |
-$0.01424 |
$129.93 |
$96.49 |
$33.45 |
2.95% |
11 |
89.53 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0083 |
-$0.01466 |
$133.77 |
$99.34 |
$34.43 |
2.95% |
12 |
88.64 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0092 |
-$0.01509 |
$137.72 |
$102.27 |
$35.45 |
2.95% |
13 |
87.75 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0101 |
-$0.01554 |
$141.79 |
$105.29 |
$36.50 |
2.95% |
14 |
86.87 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0111 |
-$0.01600 |
$145.98 |
$108.40 |
$37.58 |
2.95% |
15 |
86.01 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0121 |
-$0.01647 |
$150.29 |
$111.60 |
$38.69 |
2.95% |
16 |
85.15 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0131 |
-$0.01696 |
$154.73 |
$114.90 |
$39.83 |
2.95% |
17 |
84.29 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0141 |
-$0.01746 |
$159.30 |
$118.29 |
$41.01 |
2.95% |
18 |
83.45 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0152 |
-$0.01798 |
$164.00 |
$121.79 |
$42.22 |
2.95% |
19 |
82.62 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0163 |
-$0.01851 |
$168.85 |
$125.38 |
$43.46 |
2.95% |
20 |
81.79 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0174 |
-$0.01905 |
$173.83 |
$129.09 |
$44.75 |
2.95% |
21 |
80.97 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0012 |
$0.0186 |
-$0.01962 |
$178.97 |
$132.90 |
$46.07 |
2.95% |
22 |
80.16 |
-1.0% |
0.99 |
$0.0012 |
$0.0198 |
-$0.02019 |
$184.25 |
$136.82 |
$47.43 |
2.95% |
Example 9: The Index level decreases in a volatile manner.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-4.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-73.05% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-19.63% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Fee Rate
/ 365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily Deposit
Factor *
Daily Interest
Rate / 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor * D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
89.00 |
-11.0% |
0.89 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.01096 |
$99.99 |
$66.75 |
$33.24 |
32.95% |
2 |
92.56 |
4.0% |
1.04 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0015 |
-$0.01457 |
$132.94 |
$103.70 |
$29.23 |
-12.05% |
3 |
95.34 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0023 |
-$0.01282 |
$116.92 |
$90.33 |
$26.59 |
-9.05% |
4 |
103.92 |
9.0% |
1.09 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0030 |
-$0.01166 |
$106.35 |
$86.95 |
$19.40 |
-27.05% |
5 |
109.11 |
5.0% |
1.05 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.00850 |
$77.58 |
$61.10 |
$16.48 |
-15.05% |
6 |
121.12 |
11.0% |
1.11 |
$0.0004 |
$0.0039 |
-$0.00722 |
$65.91 |
$54.88 |
$11.03 |
-33.05% |
7 |
128.38 |
6.0% |
1.06 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0042 |
-$0.00484 |
$44.13 |
$35.09 |
$9.04 |
-18.05% |
8 |
134.80 |
5.0% |
1.05 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0044 |
-$0.00396 |
$36.17 |
$28.48 |
$7.68 |
-15.05% |
9 |
161.76 |
20.0% |
1.20 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0046 |
-$0.00337 |
$30.72 |
$27.65 |
$3.07 |
-60.05% |
10 |
127.79 |
-21.0% |
0.79 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0047 |
-$0.00135 |
$12.28 |
$7.27 |
$5.00 |
62.95% |
11 |
122.68 |
-4.0% |
0.96 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0048 |
-$0.00219 |
$20.00 |
$14.40 |
$5.60 |
11.95% |
12 |
131.27 |
7.0% |
1.07 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0050 |
-$0.00245 |
$22.39 |
$17.97 |
$4.42 |
-21.05% |
13 |
154.90 |
18.0% |
1.18 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0051 |
-$0.00194 |
$17.68 |
$15.65 |
$2.03 |
-54.05% |
14 |
165.74 |
7.0% |
1.07 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0051 |
-$0.00089 |
$8.12 |
$6.52 |
$1.60 |
-21.05% |
15 |
159.11 |
-4.0% |
0.96 |
$0.0000 |
$0.0052 |
-$0.00070 |
$6.41 |
$4.62 |
$1.80 |
11.95% |
16 |
120.92 |
-24.0% |
0.76 |
$0.0000 |
$0.0052 |
-$0.00079 |
$7.18 |
$4.09 |
$3.09 |
71.95% |
17 |
106.41 |
-12.0% |
0.88 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0053 |
-$0.00135 |
$12.35 |
$8.15 |
$4.20 |
35.95% |
18 |
92.58 |
-13.0% |
0.87 |
$0.0001 |
$0.0054 |
-$0.00184 |
$16.79 |
$10.96 |
$5.83 |
38.95% |
19 |
82.39 |
-11.0% |
0.89 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0056 |
-$0.00256 |
$23.33 |
$15.57 |
$7.76 |
32.95% |
20 |
76.63 |
-7.0% |
0.93 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0058 |
-$0.00340 |
$31.02 |
$21.64 |
$9.38 |
20.95% |
21 |
70.50 |
-8.0% |
0.92 |
$0.0002 |
$0.0060 |
-$0.00411 |
$37.52 |
$25.89 |
$11.63 |
23.95% |
22 |
80.37 |
14.0% |
1.14 |
$0.0003 |
$0.0063 |
-$0.00510 |
$46.50 |
$39.76 |
$6.74 |
-42.05% |
Example 10: The Index level increases and decreases in a volatile manner,
ending at the same level.
Assumptions |
|
Fee Rate |
0.95% per annum |
Daily Leverage Factor |
3 |
Daily Deposit Factor |
4 |
Daily Interest Rate |
-4.00% |
Principal Amount |
$25.00 |
Initial Index Level |
100 |
Note Return |
-37.57% |
Cumulative Index Return |
-0.02% |
Day |
Index
Level |
Daily Index
Performance |
Index
Performance
Factor |
Daily
Investor
Fee |
Fee
Accrual |
Daily
Interest |
Deposit
Amount |
Short
Index
Amount |
Indicative
Note
Value |
Note Return |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
|
Previous
Index
Level *
(1+C) |
|
Current
Index Level
/
Previous
Index Level |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Fee Rate /
365 |
Total of
E |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value *
Daily
Deposit
Factor *
Daily
Interest Rate
/ 365 |
Previous
Indicative
Note Value
* Daily
Financing
Factor
+ G - E |
Previous
Indicative
Note
Value *
Daily
Leverage
Factor *
D |
H - I |
(Current
Indicative
Note Value -
Previous
Indicative
Note Value)/
Previous
Indicative
Note Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
100.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$100 |
$75 |
$25 |
|
1 |
102.00 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0007 |
-$0.01096 |
$99.99 |
$76.50 |
$23.49 |
-6.05% |
2 |
105.06 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0013 |
-$0.01030 |
$93.94 |
$72.58 |
$21.36 |
-9.05% |
3 |
109.26 |
4.0% |
1.04 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0018 |
-$0.00936 |
$85.44 |
$66.65 |
$18.79 |
-12.05% |
4 |
98.34 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0023 |
-$0.00824 |
$75.15 |
$50.73 |
$24.42 |
29.95% |
5 |
100.30 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0029 |
-$0.01070 |
$97.66 |
$74.72 |
$22.94 |
-6.05% |
6 |
103.31 |
3.0% |
1.03 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0035 |
-$0.01006 |
$91.76 |
$70.89 |
$20.87 |
-9.05% |
7 |
92.98 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0041 |
-$0.00915 |
$83.46 |
$56.34 |
$27.12 |
29.95% |
8 |
94.84 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0048 |
-$0.01189 |
$108.45 |
$82.98 |
$25.48 |
-6.05% |
9 |
96.74 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0055 |
-$0.01117 |
$101.90 |
$77.96 |
$23.94 |
-6.05% |
10 |
87.06 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0061 |
-$0.01049 |
$95.74 |
$64.63 |
$31.11 |
29.95% |
11 |
88.80 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0069 |
-$0.01364 |
$124.41 |
$95.19 |
$29.23 |
-6.05% |
12 |
90.58 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0076 |
-$0.01281 |
$116.89 |
$89.43 |
$27.46 |
-6.05% |
13 |
81.52 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0007 |
$0.0084 |
-$0.01204 |
$109.82 |
$74.14 |
$35.68 |
29.95% |
14 |
83.15 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0093 |
-$0.01564 |
$142.72 |
$109.19 |
$33.53 |
-6.05% |
15 |
84.82 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0102 |
-$0.01470 |
$134.09 |
$102.59 |
$31.50 |
-6.05% |
16 |
76.33 |
-10.0% |
0.90 |
$0.0008 |
$0.0110 |
-$0.01381 |
$125.98 |
$85.05 |
$40.93 |
29.95% |
17 |
77.86 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0011 |
$0.0120 |
-$0.01794 |
$163.72 |
$125.26 |
$38.46 |
-6.05% |
18 |
79.42 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0010 |
$0.0130 |
-$0.01686 |
$153.82 |
$117.68 |
$36.13 |
-6.05% |
19 |
81.01 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0140 |
-$0.01584 |
$144.52 |
$110.57 |
$33.95 |
-6.05% |
20 |
89.11 |
10.0% |
1.10 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0149 |
-$0.01488 |
$135.78 |
$112.03 |
$23.75 |
-30.05% |
21 |
90.89 |
2.0% |
1.02 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0155 |
-$0.01041 |
$94.98 |
$72.67 |
$22.31 |
-6.05% |
22 |
99.98 |
10.0% |
1.10 |
$0.0006 |
$0.0161 |
-$0.00978 |
$89.24 |
$73.63 |
$15.61 |
-30.05% |
Table 1: Expected return on the notes
over one year of Index performance, without giving effect to the Daily Investor Fee and the Daily Interest and assuming a constant daily
inverse leverage and volatility over time.
Table 1 illustrates
the effect of two factors that affect the notes’ performance: Index volatility and Index return. Index volatility is a statistical
measure of the magnitude of fluctuations in the returns of the Index and is calculated as the standard deviation of the natural logarithms
of the Index Performance Factor (calculated daily), multiplied by the square root of the number of Index Business Days per year (assumed
to be 252). Table 1 shows estimated note returns for a number of combinations of Index volatility and Index return over a one-year period.
To isolate the impact of daily leveraged exposure, the table assumes no Daily Investor Fees and Daily Interest of 0% and that the volatility
of the Index remains constant over time. If these assumptions were different, the notes’ performance would be different than that
shown. If the effect of the Daily Investor Fee and the Daily Interest were included, the notes’ performance would be different than
shown.
Because the
return on the notes is linked to a three times leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the Index, compounded daily, the
notes might be incorrectly expected to achieve a 30% return on a yearly basis if the Index return was -10%, absent the effects of compounding.
However, as Table 1 shows, with an Index volatility of 40%, and given the assumptions listed above, the notes would return -47.48%. In
Table 1, shaded areas represent those scenarios where the notes will outperform (i.e., return more than) the inverse Index performance
times 3.0 leverage; conversely, areas not shaded represent those scenarios where the notes will underperform (i.e., return less than)
the inverse Index performance times 3.0 leverage.
This table highlights
the impact of leverage and compounding on the payment at maturity under different circumstances. Many other factors will affect the value
of the notes, and these figures are provided for illustration only. This table should not be taken as an indication or a prediction of
future Index performance or investment results and are intended to illustrate a few of the possible returns on the notes. Because the
Indicative Note Value takes into account the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee, which is a fixed percentage of the value of the notes,
and the performance of the Index, the Indicative Note Value is dependent on the path taken by the Index level to arrive at its ending
level. The figures in this table have been rounded for convenience.
|
|
One Year Index Volatility |
One
Year
Index
Perform-
ance |
Three
Times the
Inverse
(-3x)
of One
Year
Index
Perform-
ance |
0% |
5% |
10% |
15% |
20% |
25% |
30% |
35% |
40% |
45% |
50% |
55% |
60% |
65% |
70% |
-75% |
225% |
6300.00% |
6204.72% |
5927.29% |
5491.78% |
4934.42% |
4298.65% |
3629.59% |
2968.83% |
2350.51% |
1798.94% |
1328.03% |
942.16% |
638.08% |
407.28% |
238.34% |
-70% |
210% |
3603.70% |
3548.56% |
3388.02% |
3135.98% |
2813.44% |
2445.52% |
2058.33% |
1675.95% |
1318.12% |
998.93% |
726.41% |
503.10% |
327.13% |
193.56% |
95.80% |
-65% |
195% |
2232.36% |
2197.64% |
2096.54% |
1937.82% |
1734.70% |
1503.01% |
1259.18% |
1018.38% |
793.04% |
592.04% |
420.42% |
279.80% |
168.98% |
84.87% |
23.30% |
-60% |
180% |
1462.50% |
1439.24% |
1371.51% |
1265.18% |
1129.11% |
973.89% |
810.54% |
649.23% |
498.27% |
363.61% |
248.64% |
154.43% |
80.20% |
23.85% |
-17.40% |
-55% |
165% |
997.39% |
981.06% |
933.49% |
858.81% |
763.24% |
654.23% |
539.50% |
426.21% |
320.18% |
225.61% |
144.86% |
78.70% |
26.56% |
-13.02% |
-41.99% |
-50% |
150% |
700.00% |
688.09% |
653.41% |
598.97% |
529.30% |
449.83% |
366.20% |
283.60% |
206.31% |
137.37% |
78.50% |
30.27% |
-7.74% |
-36.59% |
-57.71% |
-45% |
135% |
501.05% |
492.10% |
466.05% |
425.15% |
372.80% |
313.10% |
250.26% |
188.21% |
130.14% |
78.34% |
34.11% |
-2.13% |
-30.68% |
-52.36% |
-68.22% |
-40% |
120% |
362.96% |
356.07% |
336.00% |
304.50% |
264.18% |
218.19% |
169.79% |
121.99% |
77.27% |
37.37% |
3.30% |
-24.61% |
-46.61% |
-63.30% |
-75.53% |
-35% |
105% |
264.13% |
258.71% |
242.93% |
218.15% |
186.44% |
150.26% |
112.20% |
74.60% |
39.42% |
8.04% |
-18.75% |
-40.71% |
-58.01% |
-71.14% |
-80.75% |
-30% |
90% |
191.55% |
187.20% |
174.57% |
154.73% |
129.34% |
100.38% |
69.90% |
39.80% |
11.63% |
-13.50% |
-34.95% |
-52.53% |
-66.38% |
-76.89% |
-84.59% |
-25% |
75% |
137.04% |
133.51% |
123.23% |
107.10% |
86.46% |
62.91% |
38.13% |
13.66% |
-9.24% |
-29.67% |
-47.11% |
-61.40% |
-72.66% |
-81.21% |
-87.47% |
-20% |
60% |
95.31% |
92.40% |
83.94% |
70.65% |
53.64% |
34.24% |
13.82% |
-6.35% |
-25.22% |
-42.05% |
-56.42% |
-68.20% |
-77.48% |
-84.52% |
-89.67% |
-15% |
45% |
62.83% |
60.41% |
53.35% |
42.27% |
28.09% |
11.91% |
-5.11% |
-21.92% |
-37.65% |
-51.69% |
-63.67% |
-73.48% |
-81.22% |
-87.09% |
-91.39% |
-10% |
30% |
37.17% |
35.13% |
29.19% |
19.85% |
7.91% |
-5.72% |
-20.06% |
-34.22% |
-47.48% |
-59.30% |
-69.39% |
-77.66% |
-84.18% |
-89.13% |
-92.75% |
-5% |
15% |
16.64% |
14.90% |
9.84% |
1.91% |
-8.25% |
-19.84% |
-32.03% |
-44.07% |
-55.34% |
-65.39% |
-73.98% |
-81.01% |
-86.55% |
-90.76% |
-93.83% |
0% |
0% |
0.00% |
-1.49% |
-5.82% |
-12.63% |
-21.34% |
-31.27% |
-41.73% |
-52.05% |
-61.71% |
-70.33% |
-77.69% |
-83.72% |
-88.47% |
-92.07% |
-94.71% |
5% |
-15% |
-13.62% |
-14.90% |
-18.65% |
-24.53% |
-32.05% |
-40.63% |
-49.66% |
-58.58% |
-66.92% |
-74.37% |
-80.73% |
-85.93% |
-90.04% |
-93.15% |
-95.43% |
10% |
-30% |
-24.87% |
-25.99% |
-29.24% |
-34.36% |
-40.90% |
-48.36% |
-56.22% |
-63.97% |
-71.23% |
-77.71% |
-83.24% |
-87.77% |
-91.34% |
-94.04% |
-96.03% |
15% |
-45% |
-34.25% |
-35.23% |
-38.08% |
-42.55% |
-48.28% |
-54.81% |
-61.68% |
-68.47% |
-74.82% |
-80.49% |
-85.33% |
-89.29% |
-92.42% |
-94.79% |
-96.52% |
20% |
-60% |
-42.13% |
-42.99% |
-45.50% |
-49.44% |
-54.48% |
-60.23% |
-66.28% |
-72.25% |
-77.84% |
-82.83% |
-87.09% |
-90.58% |
-93.33% |
-95.41% |
-96.94% |
25% |
-75% |
-48.80% |
-49.56% |
-51.78% |
-55.27% |
-59.72% |
-64.81% |
-70.16% |
-75.45% |
-80.40% |
-84.81% |
-88.58% |
-91.66% |
-94.10% |
-95.94% |
-97.29% |
30% |
-90% |
-54.48% |
-55.16% |
-57.13% |
-60.23% |
-64.20% |
-68.72% |
-73.48% |
-78.17% |
-82.57% |
-86.49% |
-89.84% |
-92.59% |
-94.75% |
-96.39% |
-97.59% |
35% |
-105% |
-59.36% |
-59.96% |
-61.72% |
-64.49% |
-68.03% |
-72.07% |
-76.31% |
-80.51% |
-84.44% |
-87.94% |
-90.93% |
-93.38% |
-95.31% |
-96.78% |
-97.85% |
40% |
-120% |
-63.56% |
-64.10% |
-65.68% |
-68.16% |
-71.33% |
-74.95% |
-78.76% |
-82.53% |
-86.05% |
-89.19% |
-91.87% |
-94.07% |
-95.80% |
-97.11% |
-98.07% |
45% |
-135% |
-67.20% |
-67.69% |
-69.11% |
-71.34% |
-74.20% |
-77.46% |
-80.88% |
-84.27% |
-87.44% |
-90.27% |
-92.68% |
-94.66% |
-96.22% |
-97.40% |
-98.27% |
50% |
-150% |
-70.37% |
-70.81% |
-72.10% |
-74.11% |
-76.69% |
-79.64% |
-82.73% |
-85.79% |
-88.66% |
-91.21% |
-93.39% |
-95.18% |
-96.58% |
-97.65% |
-98.43% |
55% |
-165% |
-73.15% |
-73.55% |
-74.71% |
-76.54% |
-78.88% |
-81.54% |
-84.35% |
-87.12% |
-89.72% |
-92.03% |
-94.01% |
-95.63% |
-96.90% |
-97.87% |
-98.58% |
60% |
-180% |
-75.59% |
-75.95% |
-77.01% |
-78.67% |
-80.80% |
-83.22% |
-85.77% |
-88.29% |
-90.65% |
-92.76% |
-94.55% |
-96.02% |
-97.18% |
-98.06% |
-98.71% |
65% |
-195% |
-77.74% |
-78.07% |
-79.04% |
-80.55% |
-82.49% |
-84.70% |
-87.03% |
-89.33% |
-91.48% |
-93.39% |
-95.03% |
-96.38% |
-97.43% |
-98.24% |
-98.82% |
70% |
-210% |
-79.65% |
-79.95% |
-80.83% |
-82.22% |
-83.99% |
-86.01% |
-88.14% |
-90.24% |
-92.21% |
-93.96% |
-95.46% |
-96.69% |
-97.65% |
-98.39% |
-98.92% |
75% |
-225% |
-81.34% |
-81.62% |
-82.43% |
-83.70% |
-85.32% |
-87.18% |
-89.13% |
-91.05% |
-92.86% |
-94.46% |
-95.84% |
-96.96% |
-97.85% |
-98.52% |
-99.01% |
Numbers in red font highlight scenarios
where the notes are expected to perform negatively. Shaded areas represent those scenarios where the notes will outperform (i.e., return
more than) the inverse Index performance times the Daily Leverage Factor; conversely, areas not shaded represent those scenarios where
the notes will underperform (i.e., return less than) the Index performance times the Daily Leverage Factor. Please note that the table
above is not a representation as to the notes' actual returns, which may be materially different than the scenarios above, as a result
of a variety of factors, including the decay effects described herein as well as the Daily Interest and the Daily Investor Fee.
Illustrations of the “Decay” Effect on the Notes
The daily resetting of the notes’ leveraged
exposure to the inverse performance of the Index is expected to cause the notes to experience a “decay” effect, which worsens
over time and increases with the volatility of the Index. The decay effect refers to the tendency of the notes to lose value over time,
regardless of the performance of the Index. The decay effect occurs any time the Index moves in a direction on one day that is different
from the direction it moved on the prior day. If the Index decreases one day and increases the next, the resetting of the leveraged exposure
based on the lower Index value after the first day means that a higher Indicative Note Value is exposed to the increase of the level of
the Index on the next day than if the leveraged exposure had not been reset; and if the Index increases one day and decreases the next,
the resetting of the leveraged exposure based on the lower Index value after the first day means that a lower Indicative Note Value is
exposed to the decrease on the next day. One consequence of this daily resetting of leverage is that, if the Index moves in one direction
from Day 0 to Day 1 and then returns to its Day 0 level on Day 2, the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes will be lower on Day
2 than it was on Day 0, even though the closing level of the Index is the same on Day 2 as it was on Day 0. As a result of this decay
effect, it is extremely likely that the value of the notes will decline to near zero (absent reverse splits) by the maturity date, and
likely significantly sooner. Accordingly, the notes are not suitable for intermediate- or long-term investment, as any intermediate-or
long-term investment is very likely to sustain significant losses, even if the level of the Index decreases over the relevant time period.
Although the decay effect is more likely to manifest itself the longer the notes are held, the decay effect can have a significant impact
on the performance of the notes, even over a period as short as two days. The notes are not intended to be “buy and hold”
investments. If you invest in the notes, you should continuously monitor your holding of the notes and make investment decisions at least
on each Index Business Day, or even intraday.
The examples below are designed to illustrate the
decay effect on the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes over a short period of time. To isolate the decay effect, the examples
below disregard the effects of the Daily Investor Fee and the Daily Interest. If the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest
were also taken into account, then the hypothetical Closing Indicative Note Values below would be even lower.
Each of the examples below illustrates hypothetical
daily fluctuations in the closing level of the Index over a period of 10 Index Business Days. By showing changes over 10 Index Business
Days, we are not suggesting that 10 Index Business Days is an appropriate period of time to hold the notes. Rather, we are showing changes
over 10 Index Business Days to illustrate how the decay effect increases over a number of days, and to illustrate the risks of holding
the notes for more than one Index Business Day. As described elsewhere in this pricing supplement, the notes are intended to be daily
trading tools for sophisticated investors to manage daily trading risks.
In each of the examples below, the closing level
of the Index is the same at the end of the hypothetical 10 Index Business Day period as it was at the beginning of the period. We are
showing examples on this basis to illustrate how the decay effect has an impact on the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes that
is independent from the directional performance of the Index. If the Index were to move in an adverse direction (i.e., higher in
the case of the notes) over the relevant time period, the Closing Indicative Note Values would be lower than in the examples illustrated
below.
The examples below are based on a hypothetical
closing level of the Index of 100 and a hypothetical Closing Indicative Note Value of $100 at the beginning of the hypothetical 10 Index
Business Day period.
Example 1. The closing level of the Index fluctuates by 1% per day.
In this example, the Index fluctuates by 1% per
day (as a percentage of the initial level) over a 10 Index Business Day period.
Day |
Index
Level |
% Change of Index
Level from Day 0 |
Closing Indicative
Note Value ($) |
% Change of Closing
Indicative Note Value
from Day 0 |
0 |
100.00 |
|
100.00 |
|
1 |
101.00 |
1.00% |
97.00 |
-3.00% |
2 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
99.88 |
-0.12% |
3 |
99.00 |
-1.00% |
102.88 |
2.88% |
4 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
99.76 |
-0.24% |
5 |
101.00 |
1.00% |
96.77 |
-3.23% |
6 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
99.64 |
-0.36% |
7 |
99.00 |
-1.00% |
102.63 |
2.63% |
8 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
99.52 |
-0.48% |
9 |
101.00 |
1.00% |
96.54 |
-3.46% |
10 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
99.40 |
-0.60% |
In this example, although the closing level of
the Index fluctuated within a narrow range around the initial level and concluded the hypothetical 10 Index Business Day period at the
same level at which it started, the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes experienced a decay of -0.60% (before giving effect to
the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest).
Example 2. The closing level of the Index fluctuates by 5% per day.
In this example, the Index fluctuates by 5% per
day (as a percentage of the initial level) over a 10 Index Business Day period.
Day |
Index
Level |
% Change of Index
Level from Day 0 |
Closing Indicative
Note Value ($) |
% Change of Closing
Indicative Note Value
from Day 0 |
0 |
100.00 |
|
100.00 |
|
1 |
105.00 |
5.00% |
85.00 |
-15.00% |
2 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
97.14 |
-2.86% |
3 |
95.00 |
-5.00% |
111.71 |
11.71% |
4 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
94.08 |
-5.92% |
5 |
105.00 |
5.00% |
79.96 |
-20.04% |
6 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
91.39 |
-8.61% |
7 |
95.00 |
-5.00% |
105.10 |
5.10% |
8 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
88.50 |
-11.50% |
9 |
105.00 |
5.00% |
75.23 |
-24.77% |
10 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
85.97 |
-14.03% |
In this example, although the closing level of
the Index fluctuated around the initial level and concluded the hypothetical 10 Index Business Day period at the same level at which it
started, the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes experienced a decay of -14.03% (before giving effect to the Daily Investor Fee
and any negative Daily Interest).
Example 3. The closing level of the Index fluctuates by 12% per
day.
In this example, the Index fluctuates by 12% per
day (as a percentage of the initial level) over a 10 Index Business Day period.
Day |
Index
Level |
% Change of Index
Level from Day 0 |
Closing Indicative
Note Value ($) |
% Change of Closing
Indicative Note Value
from Day 0 |
0 |
100.00 |
|
100.00 |
|
1 |
112.00 |
12.00% |
64.00 |
-36.00% |
2 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
84.57 |
-15.43% |
3 |
88.00 |
-12.00% |
115.02 |
15.02% |
4 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
67.96 |
-32.04% |
5 |
112.00 |
12.00% |
43.50 |
-56.50% |
6 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
57.48 |
-42.52% |
7 |
88.00 |
-12.00% |
78.17 |
-21.83% |
8 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
46.19 |
-53.81% |
9 |
112.00 |
12.00% |
29.56 |
-70.44% |
10 |
100.00 |
0.00% |
39.07 |
-60.93% |
In this example, although the closing level of
the Index fluctuated around the initial level and concluded the hypothetical 10 Index Business Day period at the same level at which it
started, the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes experienced a decay of -60.93% (before giving effect to the Daily Investor Fee
and any negative Daily Interest).
In this example, the greater magnitude of the daily
changes in the closing level of the Index as compared to both of the prior examples results in significantly greater decay, with a decay
of -60.93%. The Closing Indicative Note Value experienced this significant decay even though the closing level of the Index concluded
the hypothetical 10 Index Business Day period at the same level at which it started. As this example illustrates, the greater the daily
fluctuations in the closing level of the Index (i.e., the greater the volatility), the greater the decay.
* * *
In each example, there is no change in the closing
level of the Index from Day 0 to Day 10, in order to isolate the decay effect from other factors that affect the Closing Indicative Note
Value. If the Index level increases over the same time period, that adverse Index movement would have caused the Closing Indicative Note
Value to be even lower. For example, on Day 9 of Example 3 above, the Index level was 12% higher than it was on Day 0, and the Closing
Indicative Note Value was 70.44% lower on that day than it was on Day 0, for a loss that is greater than 3 times the increase of the Index
from Day 0 to Day 9.
The above examples illustrate the following important
points about the decay effect over any holding period of more than one day:
The decay effect worsens over time. In each
of the examples above, the closing level of the Index returns to the original level of 100 on multiple days during the 10 Index Business
Day period. Each time the level returns to 100, the Closing Indicative Note Value is lower than it was on any earlier date on which the
closing level was 100. The same is true for each of the other closing levels shown in the examples above.
Although the decay effect worsens over time,
it can have a meaningful effect even over a period as short as two days. In Example 3 above, the closing level of the Index falls
from 100 to 88 from Day 2 to Day 3 and then returns to 100 on Day 4. Although the closing level of the Index is the same on Day 4 as it
was on Day 2, the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes on Day 4 was lower, and in the case of Example 3, significantly lower, than
it was on Day 2.
The decay effect worsens as volatility increases.
Volatility refers to the average magnitude of daily fluctuations in the closing level of the Index over any period of time. The daily
fluctuations in Example 2 are significantly larger than they are in Example 1, and the daily fluctuations in Example 3 are significantly
larger than they are in Example 2. As a result, the decline in the Closing Indicative Note Value in Example 2 is significantly greater
than it is in Example 1, and the decline in the Closing Indicative Note Value in Example 3 is significantly greater than it is in Example
2.
The daily compounding of returns will adversely
affect the Closing Indicative Note Value of the notes any time the closing level of the Index moves in a different direction on one day
than it did on the prior day. If the closing level of the Index increases from Day 0 to Day 1 and then decreases by the same amount from
Day 1 to Day 2, or if the closing level decreases from Day 0 to Day 1 and then increases by the same amount from Day 1 to Day 2, the Closing
Indicative Note Value on Day 2 will be lower than it was on Day 0, even though the closing level of the Index on Day 2 is the same as
it was on Day 0.
The 3-to-1 inverse leverage ratio does not hold
for any period longer than one day. In Example 3 above, the 70.44% loss reflected in the Closing Indicative Note Value from Day 0
to Day 9 was approximately 5.87 times greater than the 12% decline in the closing level of the Index over the same period.
In fact, the Closing Indicative Note Value of the
notes may decline significantly over any given time period even if the closing level of the Index from the beginning to the end of that
time period decreases. For example, in Example 3 above, the closing level of the Index has decreased by 12% from Day 0 to Day 7, but the
Closing Indicative Note Value was 21.83% lower on Day 7 than it was on Day 0.
INTRADAY
VALUE OF THE INDEX AND THE NOTES
Intraday Index Values
Each Index Business Day, the Intraday Index Calculation
Agent will calculate and publish the intraday Index value every 15 seconds during normal trading hours on Bloomberg under the ticker
symbol “MINERS<Index>.”
The Intraday Index Calculation Agent is not affiliated
with Bank of Montreal and does not approve, endorse, review or recommend the Index or the notes. The information used in the calculation
of the intraday Index value will be derived from sources the Intraday Index Calculation Agent deems reliable, but the Intraday
Index Calculation Agent and its affiliates do not guarantee the correctness or completeness of the intraday Index value or other
information furnished in connection with the notes or the calculation of the Index. The Intraday Index Calculation Agent makes
no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by Bank of Montreal, holders of the notes, or any other person or
entity from the use of the intraday Index value or any data included therein. The Intraday Index Calculation Agent makes no express
or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect
to the intraday Index value or any data included therein. The Intraday Index Calculation Agent, its employees, subcontractors,
agents, suppliers and vendors shall have no liability or responsibility, contingent or otherwise, for any injury or damages, whether
caused by the negligence of the Intraday Index Calculation Agent, its employees, subcontractors, agents, suppliers or vendors or
otherwise, arising in connection with the intraday Index value or the notes, and shall not be liable for any lost profits, losses,
punitive, incidental or consequential damages. The Intraday Index Calculation Agent shall not be responsible for or have any liability
for any injuries or damages caused by errors, inaccuracies, omissions or any other failure in, or delays or interruptions of, the
intraday Index value from whatever cause. The Intraday Index Calculation Agent is not responsible for the selection of or use of
the Index or the notes, the accuracy and adequacy of the Index or information used by Bank of Montreal and the resultant output
thereof.
The intraday calculation of the level of the Index will
be provided for reference purposes only. Published calculations of the level of the Index from the Intraday Index Calculation Agent
may occasionally be subject to delay or postponement. Any such delays or postponements will affect the current level of the Index
and therefore the value of the notes in the secondary market. The intraday Index value published every 15 seconds will be based
on the intraday prices of the Index constituents.
Intraday Indicative Note Values
An Intraday Indicative Value, which is an approximation
of the value of the notes, will be calculated and published by Solactive AG (based in part on information provided by the Intraday Index
Calculation Agent) or a successor on Bloomberg under the ticker symbol “GDXDIV” every 15 seconds during normal trading hours.
The actual trading price of the notes may vary significantly from their Intraday Indicative Value. In connection with the notes,
we use the term “indicative value” to refer to the value at a given time equal to (a) the Deposit Amount minus
(b) the Intraday Short Index Amount; provided that if such calculation results in a value equal to or less than $0, then both the
Intraday Indicative Value and the closing Indicative Note Value will be $0. The Intraday Short Index Amount will equal the product of
(a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Leverage Factor times
(c) the Intraday Index Performance Factor. The Intraday Index Performance Factor equals (a) the most recently published Index level
divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the preceding Index Business Day.
For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of calculating
the Intraday Indicative Value, the level of the Index based on the ticker “MINERS” will be used, even if the Calculation
Agent has determined to use the VWAP Closing Level to determine the payments due on the notes.
If the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes is equal
to or less than $0 at any time on any Exchange Business Day, then both the Intraday Indicative Value and the closing Indicative
Note Value of the notes on that day, and for the remainder of the term of the notes, will be $0 (a total loss of value).
The Intraday Indicative Value is meant to approximate the value
of the notes at a particular time. There are three elements of the formula: the Intraday Short Index Amount, the Deposit Amount and the
Intraday Index Performance Factor (using, instead of the Index Closing Level for the date of determination, the intraday Index level at
the time of determination), as described immediately above. Because the intraday Index level and the Intraday Short Index Amount are variable,
the Intraday Indicative Value translates the change in the Index level from the previous Exchange Business Day, as measured at the time
of measurement, into an approximation of the expected value of the notes. The Intraday Indicative Value uses an intraday Index level for
its calculation; therefore, a variation in the intraday level of the Index from the previous Exchange Business Day’s Index Closing
Level may cause a significant variation between the closing Indicative Note Value and the Intraday Indicative Value on any date of determination.
The Intraday Indicative Value also does not reflect intraday changes in the leverage; it is based on the constant Daily Leverage Factor
of 3. Consequently, the Intraday Indicative Value may vary significantly from the previous or next Exchange Business Day’s closing
Indicative Note Value or the price of the notes purchased intraday. See “Risk Factors — The notes are subject to intraday
purchase risk” and “—The leverage of the notes is reset on each day, and the leverage of the notes during any given
day may be greater than or less than -3.0.” The Intraday Indicative Value may be useful as an approximation of what price an investor
in the notes would receive if the notes were to be redeemed or if they matured, each at the time of measurement. The Intraday Indicative
Value may be helpful to an investor in the notes when comparing it against the notes’ trading price on the NYSE and the most recently
published level of the Index.
The Intraday Indicative Value calculation will be provided
for reference purposes only. It is not intended as a price or quotation, or as an offer to solicitation for the purpose, sale,
or termination of your notes, nor will it reflect hedging or other transactional costs, credit considerations, market liquidity
or bid-offer spreads. The levels of the Index provided by the Intraday Index Calculation Agent will not necessarily reflect the
depth and liquidity of the Index constituents. For this reason and others, the actual trading price of the notes may be different
from their indicative value. For additional information, please see “Risk Factors — The Intraday Indicative Value and
the Indicative Note Value are not the same as the closing price or any other trading price of the notes in the secondary market”
in this pricing supplement.
The calculation of the Intraday Indicative Value shall
not constitute a recommendation or solicitation to conclude a transaction at the level stated, and should not be treated as giving
investment advice.
The publication of the Intraday Indicative Value of the
notes by Solactive AG may occasionally be subject to delay or postponement. If the intraday Index value is delayed, then the Intraday
Indicative Value of the notes will also be delayed. The actual trading price of the notes may be different from their Intraday
Indicative Value. The Intraday Indicative Value of the notes published at least every 15 seconds from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., New
York City time, will be based on the intraday values of the Index, and may not be equal to the payment at maturity, call or redemption.
The indicative value calculations will have been prepared
as of a particular date and time and will therefore not reflect subsequent changes in market values or prices or in any other factors
relevant to their determination.
If you want to sell your notes but are unable to meet
the minimum redemption requirements, you may sell your notes into the secondary market at any time, subject to the risks described
under “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Liquidity and the Secondary Market — There is no assurance that your
notes will continue to be listed on a securities exchange, and they may not have an active trading market” and “—
The value of the notes in the secondary market may be influenced by many unpredictable factors.” Also, the price you may
receive for the notes in the secondary market may differ from, and may be significantly less than, the Redemption Amount.
None of the Index Sponsor, the Intraday Index Calculation
Agent or their respective affiliates are affiliated with Bank of Montreal or BMOCM and do not approve, endorse, review or recommend
Bank of Montreal, BMOCM or the notes.
The Intraday Indicative Values of the notes calculated
by Solactive AG are derived from sources deemed reliable, but Solactive AG and its affiliates and suppliers do not guarantee the correctness
or completeness of the notes, their values or other information furnished in connection with the notes. Solactive AG and its affiliates
make no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by BMOCM, Bank of Montreal, the holders of the notes, or any other
person or entity from the use of the notes, or any date or values included therein or in connection therewith. Solactive AG and its affiliates
make no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaim all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with
respect to the notes, or any data or values included therein or in connection therewith.
THE
INDEX
We have derived all information contained in this pricing
supplement regarding the Index, including, without limitation, its make-up, performance, method of calculation and changes in its
constituents, from publicly available sources. Such information reflects the policies of and is subject to change by the Index
Sponsor. We have not undertaken any independent review or due diligence of such information. The Index Sponsor has no obligation
to continue to publish, and may discontinue the publication of, the Index. The description of the Index is summarized from its
governing methodology, which is available at https://snetworkglobalindexes.com/indexes/s-network-microsectors-indexes. Neither
the methodology nor any other information included on any website maintained by the Index Sponsor is included or incorporated by
reference into this pricing supplement.
Introduction
The Index currently tracks the
performance of two exchange traded funds, the VanEck® Gold Miners ETF (the “GDX”) and the VanEck®
Junior Gold Miners ETF (the “GDXJ”). We refer to each of the GDX and the GDXJ as an “ETF.” The Index is
a total return index, in which dividends paid on the ETFs are reflected in the level of the Index.
The ticker symbol of the Index is “MINERS”.
The Index Sponsor publishes a closing level for the Index on each Index Business Day; this closing level is based on the closing
prices of the ETFs on their primary exchanges. Cboe Global Indices (the “Intraday Index Calculation Agent”) publishes
intra-day levels of the Index at least every 15 seconds on each Index Business Day.
In addition to the closing level of
the Index described above, the Index Sponsor publishes on each Index Business Day a separate closing level of the Index that is
based on the volume weighted average prices of the ETFs during the final 15 minutes of trading. The ticker symbol for this level
is “MINERSV”.
The MINERS Index value was set to 1,000
as of March 17, 2017.
Index Constituents, Selection and Weighting
To date, the only constituents of the Index have been
the GDX and the GDXJ. The universe of potential Index constituents is reviewed for potential additions or deletions each quarter
as part of the reconstitution process.
All members of the Index’s universe of ETFs with
a market capitalization greater than US$1 billion and average daily trading values in excess of US$1 million may be selected for
inclusion in the Index.
The Index constituents are weighted according to
their total market capitalizations via “Index Shares,” which are reflected upon each reconstitution’s “Effective
Date” and set as described below.
The Index Sponsor determines a proposed update to the
list of Index constituents based on the Index rules, together with data available as of the market close on the last trading day
of the second month of each calendar quarter (the “Snapshot Date”).
The Index Committee (as defined below)
will approve or reject any changes, and notify the Index Sponsor of its decisions no later than the Thursday following the first
Friday of the third month of each calendar quarter (the “Rebalancing Month”).
No later than the Thursday following the first Friday
of the Rebalancing Month, the Index Committee or its designee will issue a press release announcing any additions to and/or deletions
from the Index, and post that press release to the Index Sponsor’s website.
The Index Sponsor will provide new Index Shares
to the Committee or its designee based on closing prices as of the second Friday of the Rebalancing Month (the “Weight Date”).
Each constituent’s Index Market Capitalization will equal its Index Shares multiplied by its share price. The Index Shares are the
numbers of shares for each constituent set for the stock positions in a hypothetical portfolio created to calculate the level of the Index.
The Index Shares may include fractional shares, because the shares are set to meet the target Index Market Capitalizations. The target
Index Market Capitalizations are set to reflect the relative market capitalization sizes of the Index constituents in accordance with
the Index’s market capitalization-weighting methodology.
The Index Sponsor will distribute the new Index
Market Capitalizations to relevant parties via email and/or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) after the Weight Date.
The reconstitution or rebalancing will be effective
at the close of trading on the third Friday of the Rebalancing Month (the “Effective Date”). However, the rebalancing weights
will remain fixed from the second Friday until their implementation on the Effective Date. The Index Sponsor will post all final rebalancing
data and information on its FTP server before the market open on the trading day following the Effective Date.
Index Maintenance
In addition to the scheduled quarterly reviews, the Index
is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Changes in index composition and related weight adjustments are necessary whenever there are extraordinary
events such as delistings, mergers or takeovers involving one or more index components. In these cases, each event will be taken
into account as soon as it is effective. Whenever possible, the changes in the Index’s components will be announced at least
two business days prior to their implementation date. Changes in shares outstanding are reflected at each rebalancing, as well
as between rebalancings for certain corporate actions such as share splits or consolidations.
Additions may be made to the Index at the close of trading
on the quarterly rebalancing dates in the case of the creation or a listing of new ETFs that has occurred more than 22 trading
days prior to the rebalancing date.
Deletions may be made to remove ETFs that fail to meet
the inclusion criteria as of the Snapshot Date for a reconstitution or rebalancing, or in the event a constituent is delisted,
is acquired or merges with another entity. If an Index component no longer meets the eligibility requirements, it may be removed
from the Index.
If two index constituents merge, their component positions
will be replaced by the surviving entity immediately. If an index constituent merges with a non-component entity, it will be removed
from the Index, and its weight will be redistributed to all the remaining constituents on a proportional basis.
If an index component is taken over by another index component,
the former will be removed from the Index immediately upon completion of the takeover. If an index component is taken over by a
non-component entity, it will be removed from the Index and its weight will be redistributed to all the remaining constituents
on a proportional basis.
Index Calculation and Adjustments
Calculation Agents. The Index is calculated on
an end-of-day basis by the Index Sponsor, and on an intraday basis by Cboe Global Indices (the “Intraday Index Calculation
Agent”).
Input Data Sources. Closing share prices for the
end-of-day index calculation, and last-traded share prices for intraday index calculations are provided by Refinitiv. If the current
trading price of an issue is unavailable, the previous trading session’s closing price is used. However, if the index component
is affected by any corporate action that requires an adjustment, then the adjusted price is used.
Volume-weighted average share prices (VWAPs) for the Index’s
VWAP-variant calculation are provided by Cboe Market Data Services based on composite data for trades that occurred during the
last 15 minutes of trading (usually between 15:45 ET and 16:00 ET). If no trades occurred for a constituent during that time period,
the constituent’s closing price is used instead of its VWAP.
The number of outstanding shares is determined separately
for each class of securities. This information is obtained from regulatory filings and a variety of data vendors. The data also
may be sourced from the companies themselves.
Corporate actions affecting an index constituent are sourced
from public news services, regulatory filings and data vendors. The companies themselves may be used as an additional source.
Float data are obtained from a variety of sources, including
data vendors, exchanges, regulators and the index components themselves.
Calculation of Index Shares
As of each Effective Date, the Index Shares for
an index constituent are calculated as follows:
Where:
| · | Si is the number of Index Shares for Constituent i |
| · | Ci is the closing price (in USD) for Constituent i on the Effective Date |
| · | Ti is the Target Weight for Constituent i determined by the Index rules |
| · | A is the (reset) Aggregate Index Market Capitalization (the sum of all the Constituents’ Index Market Capitalizations,
in this case set for rebalancing purposes) |
Once made effective, the Index Shares then remain constant
until the next rebalancing, except when adjusted intraquarter for an event such as those whose resulting adjustments are described
below.
Calculation of the Index Divisor
For a given Index Business Day, the Index Divisor is calculated
as follows:
Where:
| · | Dt is today’s Index Divisor |
| · | Vy is the previous trading day’s Total Return variant level |
| · | Sti is today’s number of Index Shares for Constituent i |
| · | Oti is today’s opening price (in USD and based on the previous closing price with a possible adjustment) for
Constituent i |
| · | n is the number of Constituents in the Index |
Therefore, in the absence of a change in the aggregate
Index Market Capitalization from the market close on one trading day to the market open on the next trading day, the Index Divisor
remains constant over that time frame.
Calculation of the Index Level
On a given Index Business Day, the Index’s value is calculated
as follows:
Where:
| · | Vt is today’s Index variant level |
| · | Sti is today’s number of Index Shares for Constituent i |
| · | Cti is today’s closing price (in USD) for Constituent i |
| · | Dt is today’s Index Divisor |
| · | n is the number of Constituents in the Index |
The Index level reflects the reinvestment of any dividend
gone ex into its originating Constituent by adjusting that Constituent’s Index Shares and Index Price for the market open
on the dividend’s ex-date as described below.
Calculation of the VWAP Closing Level of the Index
On a given trade date, the VWAP closing level of the Index is calculated
as follows:
Where:
| · | Vt is today’s VWAP variant level |
| · | Sti is today’s number of Index Shares for Constituent i |
| · | Wti is today’s volume-weighted average price (in USD) for Constituent i |
| · | Dt is today’s Index Divisor |
| · | n is the number of Constituents in the Index |
The VWAP variant reflects the reinvestment of any dividend
gone ex into its originating Constituent by adjusting that Constituent’s Index Shares for the dividend’s ex-date as
described below.
Adjustments for Corporate Actions
An index divisor may decrease (▼) or increase (▲)
or keep constant (■) when corporate actions occur for a component security. Index Shares may also be adjusted; if incorporating
an adjustment to a constituent’s share price, the calculation of the new Index Shares shall use the closing price or an adjusted
price derived therefrom as opposed to the volume-weighted average price (VWAP) or an adjusted VWAP derived therefrom. Assuming
shareholders receive “B” new shares and “A” shares are originally held for the following corporate actions:
■ A) CASH DIVIDEND (REGULAR OR SPECIAL)
adjusted price = closing price - dividend announced by the company
adjusted shares = closing index market capitalization / adjusted
price per share
■ B) SPLIT OR REVERSE SPLIT
adjusted price = closing price * A / B
new number of shares = old number of shares * B / A
■ C) SHARE DIVIDEND
adjusted price = closing price * A / (A + B)
new number of shares = old number of shares * (A + B) / A
▼D) IN-KIND DIVIDEND OF A DIFFERENT COMPANY SECURITY
adjusted price = (closing price * A - price of the different company
security * B) / A
▼E) RETURN OF CAPITAL AND SHARE CONSOLIDATION
adjusted price = (closing price - dividend announced by company)
* A / B
new number of shares = old number of shares * B / A
▲ F) COMBINATION SHARE DISTRIBUTION (DIVIDEND OR SPLIT) [AND
RIGHTS OFFERING]
Shareholders receive B new shares from the distribution and C new
shares from the rights offering for every A shares held:
* If rights are applicable after the distribution (one action applicable
to other).
adjusted price = [closing price * A + subscription price * C *
(1 + B / A)] / [ (A + B) * (1 + C / A) ]
new number of shares = old number of shares * [(A + B) * (1 + C
/ A)] / A
* If the distribution is applicable after rights (one action applicable
to other).
adjusted price = [closing price * A + subscription price * C] /
[(A + C) * (1 + B / A)]
new number of shares = old number of shares * [ ( A + C ) * ( 1
+ B / A) ]
▲ G) IN-KIND DISTRIBUTION AND RIGHTS (NEITHER ACTION IS APPLICABLE
TO THE OTHER)
adjusted price = [closing price * A + subscription price * C] /
[A + B + C]
new number of shares = old number of shares * [A + B + C]
Calculation of Intraday Index Values
The Intraday Index Calculation Agent calculates intraday
index values for the Index using price data on each reported trade it receives on each component security. The Intraday Index Calculation
Agent distribute index values to vendors at set 15-second intervals, provided the index level has changed from the previously distributed
value.
The index calculations will start each US trading day
at 9:30 ET. At that time, the Index will begin changing as new prices or exchange rates are processed.
Index calculation will cease each US trading day at 16:00
ET (unless earlier due to an early closing of the relevant markets) and official summaries are disseminated between 17:00 ET and
19:00 ET.
If, during periods when the Index is calculated, one or
more relevant securities exchanges are closed, the index calculation will continue using the last closing price for those stocks
that trade on the closed exchange(s).
Data Correction Policy
To maintain a high standard of data integrity, a series
of procedures have been implemented to ensure accuracy, timeliness and consistency of Index information. Input prices are monitored
using a variety of computerized range-check warning systems. Fault tolerant methods are employed in the collection of market and
corporate action data. Various verification and audit tasks are performed to ensure the quality of the data feeds and related market
data. While every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information used for the index calculation, an index error may
occur due to incorrect or missing data, including trading prices, shares outstanding and corporate actions, due to operational
errors or other reasons.
Intraday Corrections
Reasonable efforts are employed to prevent erroneous data
from affecting the indexes. Corrections will be made for erroneous prices and incorrect or missing corporate actions as soon as
possible after detection. Since the Index is calculated on an intraday basis, an incorrect index value tick will not be corrected
retroactively. Incorrect daily high/low index values will be corrected as soon as practicable.
Index-Related Data and Divisor Corrections
Incorrect pricing and corporate action data for individual
issues in the database will be corrected upon detection. In addition, an incorrect divisor, if discovered within five days of its
occurrence, will be fixed on the day it is discovered to prevent an error from being carried forward.
If a divisor error is discovered more than five days after
occurrence, the adjustment will depend upon how significant the error is, how far back the error occurred and the feasibility of
performing the adjustment.
Index Committee
The Index is administered by the S-Network Gold Miners
Index Committee (the “Index Committee”), which consists of at least three members. The Index Committee is responsible
for maintaining the universe from which ETFs shall be selected for inclusion in the Index. The composition of the Index Committee
may from time to time be changed to reflect changes in market conditions. The Index Committee will review the ETFs to be included
in the Index, and may reject any ETF that it believes does not meet its overall standards for risk and sound business practice.
The Index Committee will meet at least four times per
year, either in person or via teleconference, to discuss index issues, and organize the quarterly or special reconstitution or
quarterly rebalancing.
The Index Committee has the responsibility of setting
the rules of the Index to accurately depict market conditions and reflect market, legal and other developments, and may, when necessary,
make adjustments to the ruleset.
Hypothetical Back-Tested and Historical Index and Information
This section contains hypothetical back tested
performance data for the Index from March 17, 2017 to August 20, 2020. The hypothetical back-tested and historical performance data shown
below is not an indication of future performance, which is impossible to predict. The Index was first published on August 20, 2020, and
therefore has no actual historical information to report prior to that date. This section also contains actual historical performance
data for the Index since its first date of publication.
All index performance data prior to the first publication
date is hypothetical. Hypothetical index performance data is subject to significant limitations. No representation is made that
the Index is likely to achieve gains or losses similar to those shown. In fact, there are frequently sharp differences between
hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular investment. One of the limitations
of hypothetical performance information is that it did not involve financial risk, and cannot account for all factors that would
affect actual performance.
The hypothetical back-tested and historical performance
data were calculated by the Index Sponsor, and we have not independently verified their accuracy. The Index Sponsor has advised
us that the hypothetical back-tested performance data were calculated in a manner consistent with the Index methodology described
above, using published historical values to determine the Index constituents and the levels of the Index.
The vertical line in the graph below represents August 20, 2020,
which is the date on which the Index was first published. The performance shown to the left of that line reflects the hypothetical back-tested
performance of the Index, and the performance shown to the right of that line reflects the actual historical performance after the date
of initial publication, through May 17, 2024.
Historical results are not indicative of future results.
License Agreement
Under the terms of a license agreement with the Index
Sponsor, the following disclosure is required to be included in this section:
MicroSectorsTM is a registered trademark of
REX Shares, LLC. We have entered into a sub-license agreement with REX Shares, LLC (“REX” or the “Structuring
Agent”), which licenses the Index from S-Network Global Indexes, Inc. (“S-Network”). The license agreement with
the Structuring Agent also provides for the use of certain trade names, trademarks and service marks. We have also entered into
a services agreement with REX to provide certain services related to product design, content generation and document dissemination.
The notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by S-Network, or its third-party licensors. Neither S-Network nor its third-party licensors make any representation or warranty,
express or implied, to the owners of the notes or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities
generally or in the notes particularly or in the ability of the notes to track the performance of the Index. S-Network and its
third-party licensors are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities
of the notes to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the notes will be converted into cash.
S-Network has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the notes.
Neither S-Network nor its affiliates or third party licensors
guarantee the adequacy, accuracy timeliness and/or the completeness of the Index or any data included therein or any communications,
including but not limited to, oral or written communications (including electronic communications) with respect thereto. S-Network,
its affiliates and their third-party licensors shall not be subject to any damages or liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions
therein. S-Network makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness
for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing,
in no event whatsoever shall S-Network, its affiliates or their third-party licensors have any liability for any indirect, special,
incidental punitive or consequential damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, trading losses, lost time or goodwill,
even if they have been advised of the possibility of such damages, whether in contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise.
THE ETFs
We have derived the following information regarding each
of the ETFs and their underlying indices from publicly available documents. We have not independently verified the accuracy or
completeness of the following information. Neither we nor our affiliates have made any due diligence inquiry with respect to any
of the ETFs or these indices in connection with the offering of the notes.
The selection of the ETFs and their underlying indices is not
a recommendation to invest in any of these assets. Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance
of these ETFs and indices. Information provided to or filed with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment
Company Act of 1940 relating to each of the ETFs may be obtained through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
VanEck® Gold
Miners ETF
The GDX is an investment portfolio maintained,
managed and advised by Van Eck. The VanEck ETF Trust is a registered open-end investment company that consists of numerous separate investment
portfolios, including the GDX.
The GDX is an exchange traded fund that trades on NYSE
Arca under the ticker symbol “GDX.”
The GDX seeks to provide investment results that correspond
generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (the “Underlying
Index”). The Underlying Index was developed by the NYSE Amex and is calculated, maintained and published by NYSE Arca. The
Underlying Index is a modified market capitalization-weighted index comprised of publicly traded companies involved primarily in
mining for gold or silver.
The GDX utilizes a “passive” or “indexing”
investment approach in attempting to track the performance of the Underlying Index. The GDX will invest in all of the securities
which comprise the Underlying Index. The GDX will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise
the Underlying Index.
The notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by Van Eck. Van Eck makes no representations or warranties to the owners of the notes or any member of the public regarding the
advisability of investing in the notes. Van Eck has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading
or sale of the notes.
The Underlying Index
We have derived all information contained in this pricing
supplement regarding the Underlying Index, including, without limitation, its make-up, method of calculation and changes in its
components, from publicly available information and information supplied by NYSE Arca. Such information reflects the policies of,
and is subject to change by, NYSE Arca. The Underlying Index was developed by the NYSE Amex (formerly the American Stock Exchange)
and is calculated, maintained and published by the NYSE Arca. The NYSE Arca has no obligation to continue to publish, and may discontinue
the publication of, the Underlying Index.
The Underlying Index includes common stocks, ADRs and
GDRs of selected companies that are involved primarily in mining for gold or silver and that are listed for trading and electronically
quoted on a major stock market that is accessible by foreign investors. Generally, this will include exchanges in most developed
markets and major emerging markets, and will include companies that are cross-listed, e.g., both U.S. and Canadian listings. NYSE
Arca will use its discretion to avoid exchanges and markets that are considered “frontier” in nature or have major
restrictions to foreign ownership. The Underlying Index includes companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from gold
mining and related activities (40% for companies that were included in the Underlying Index prior to September 23, 2013). Also,
the Underlying Index maintains exposure to companies with a significant revenue exposure to silver mining in addition to gold mining,
which will not exceed 20% of the Underlying Index weight at each rebalance.
Only companies with market capitalizations greater than
$750 million that have an average daily volume of at least 50,000 shares over the past three months and an average daily value
traded of at least $1 million over the past three months are eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index. Starting in December
2013, for companies that were included in the Underlying Index prior to September 23, 2013, the market capitalization requirement
at each rebalance became $450 million, the average daily volume requirement will be at least 30,000 shares over the past three
months and the average daily value traded requirement will be at least $600,000 over the past three months. NYSE Arca has the discretion
to not include all companies that meet the minimum criteria for inclusion. The Underlying Index’s benchmark value was 500.00
at the close of trading on December 20, 2002.
Calculation of the Underlying Index. The Underlying
Index is calculated by NYSE Arca on a price return basis. The calculation is based on the current modified market capitalization
divided by a divisor. The divisor was determined on the initial capitalization base of the Underlying Index and the base level
and may be adjusted as a result of corporate actions and composition changes, as described below.
Index Maintenance. The Underlying Index is reviewed
quarterly to ensure that at least 90% of the index weight is accounted for by index components that continue to meet the initial
eligibility requirements. NYSE Arca may at any time and from time to time change the number of securities comprising the group
by adding or deleting one or more securities, or replacing one or more securities contained in the group with one or more substitute
securities of its choice, if in NYSE Arca’s discretion such addition, deletion or substitution is necessary or appropriate
to maintain the quality and/or character of the Underlying Index. Components will be removed from the Underlying Index during the
quarterly review if (1) the market capitalization falls below $450 million, or (2) the traded average daily shares for the previous
three months is lower than 30,000 shares and the traded average daily value for the previous three months is less than $600,000.
At the time of the quarterly rebalance, the component
security quantities will be modified to conform to the following asset diversification requirements:
| (1) | the weight of any single component security may not account for more than 20% of the total value of the Underlying Index; |
| (2) | the component securities are split into two subgroups – large and small, which are ranked by market capitalization weight
in the Underlying Index. Large securities are defined as having a starting index weight greater than or equal to 5%. Small securities
are defined as having a starting index weight below 5%; and |
| (3) | the final aggregate weight of those component securities which individually represent more than 4.5% of the total value of
the Underlying Index may not account for more than 45% of the total index value. |
The weights of the components securities (taking into
account expected component changes and share adjustments) are modified in accordance with the Underlying Index’s diversification
rules.
Changes to the index composition and/or the component
security weights in the Underlying Index are determined and announced prior to taking effect, which typically occurs after the
close of trading on the third Friday of each calendar quarter month in connection with the quarterly index rebalance. The share
quantities of each component security in the index portfolio remains fixed between quarterly reviews except in the event of certain
types of corporate actions such as stock splits, reverse stock splits, stock dividends, or similar events. The share quantities
used in the index calculation are not typically adjusted for shares issued or repurchased between quarterly reviews. However, in
the event of a merger between two components, the share quantity of the surviving entity may be adjusted to account for any stock
issued in the acquisition. NYSE Arca may substitute securities or change the number of securities included in the Underlying Index,
based on changing conditions in the industry or in the event of certain types of corporate actions, including mergers, acquisitions,
spin-offs, and reorganizations. In the event of component or share quantity changes to the index portfolio, the payment of dividends
other than ordinary cash dividends, spin-offs, rights offerings, re-capitalization, or other corporate actions affecting a component
security of the Underlying Index, the index divisor may be adjusted to ensure that there are no changes to the index level as a
result of nonmarket forces.
VanEck® Junior Gold Miners ETF
The
GDXJ is an investment portfolio maintained, managed and advised by Van Eck. The VanEck ETF Trust is a registered open-end investment
company that consists of numerous separate investment portfolios, including the GDXJ.
The GDXJ is an exchange traded fund that trades on NYSE
Arca under the ticker symbol “GDXJ.”
The GDXJ seeks to provide investment results that correspond
generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MVIS® Global Junior Gold Miners Index
(the “Underlying Index”). The Underlying Index measures the performance of small-capitalization companies that are
involved primarily in the mining for gold and/or silver.
The GDXJ utilizes a “passive” or “indexing”
investment approach in attempting to track the performance of the Underlying Index. The GDXJ will invest in all of the securities
which comprise the Underlying Index. The GDXJ will normally invest at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks that comprise
the Underlying Index.
The notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted
by Van Eck. Van Eck makes no representations or warranties to the owners of the notes or any member of the public regarding the
advisability of investing in the notes. Van Eck has no obligation or liability in connection with the operation, marketing, trading
or sale of the notes.
Underlying Index
We have derived all information contained in this pricing
supplement regarding the Underlying Index, including, without limitation, its make-up, method of calculation and changes in its
components, from publicly available information and information supplied by MVIS. For additional information as to the Underlying
Index, see MVIS’s website, http://www.mvis-indices.com. Information on that website is not included or incorporated by reference
in this pricing supplement.
The Underlying Index tracks the performance of gold and
silver mining companies. The Underlying Index includes all small-cap companies of the segment that generate at least 50% of their
revenues from gold or silver mining, companies with properties that have the potential to generate at least 50% of their revenues
from gold and silver when developed, or companies that primarily invest in gold or silver.
In addition, stocks included in the
Underlying Index must meet size and liquidity requirements: the full market capitalization has to exceed US$150 million, the three months
average-daily-trading volume must be higher than US$1.0 million and the stocks must have traded least 250,000 shares per month over the
last six months. The index methodology is designed to cap the weight of individual index constituents at 8%.
Index Maintenance.
The Underlying Index is reviewed on a quarterly basis
to ensure that 100% of the free-float market capitalization of the investable small-cap universe with at least 25 companies.
At the time of the quarterly rebalance, the component
security quantities will be modified to conform to the following asset diversification requirements:
| (1) | Companies are valued by full market capitalization (all secondary lines are grouped). All companies (and not securities) are
sorted by full market capitalization in descending order. |
| (2) | Companies covering the top 60% of the full market capitalization are excluded. Only companies ranking between 60% and 98% qualify
for the selection. However, existing components ranking between 55% and 60% or 98% and 99% also qualify for the selection. |
| (3) | All companies which qualified in step 2 are now viewed as securities (companies with secondary lines are ungrouped and treated
separately). Only securities that meet all requirements of the investable index universe are added to the index. |
| (4) | In case the number of eligible companies is below 25, additional companies are added by the Underlying Index’s owner’s
decision until the number of stocks equals 25. |
Companies determined to be “silver” stocks
must not constitute more than 20% of the index. If at the quarterly review, the aggregated weighting of all silver stocks represents
more than 20% of the index, a sector-weighting cap factor is applied. This sector-weighting cap factor is calculated to ensure
that the aggregated weighting of all gold stocks will not be less than 80% and the aggregated weighting of all silver stocks is
capped at 20%.
For all corporate events that result in a stock removal
from the index, the removed stock will be replaced with the highest ranked non-component on the most recent selection list immediately
only if the number of components in the index would drop below 20. The replacement stock will be added at the same weight as the
removed stock. Only if the number of components drops below its minimum due to a merger of two or more index components, the replacement
stock will be added with its uncapped free-float market capitalization weight. In all other cases, i.e. there is no replacement,
the additional weight resulting from the removal will be redistributed proportionately across all other index constituents.
SUPPLEMENTAL
TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a general description of certain tax considerations
relating to the notes. It does not purport to be a complete analysis of all tax considerations relating to the notes. Prospective purchasers
of the notes should consult their tax advisors as to the consequences under the tax laws of the country of which they are resident for
tax purposes and the tax laws of Canada and the U.S. of acquiring, holding and disposing of the notes and receiving payments under the
notes. This summary is based upon the law as in effect on the date of this pricing supplement and is subject to any change in law that
may take effect after such date.
Supplemental Canadian Tax Considerations
In the opinion of Torys LLP, our Canadian federal
income tax counsel, the following summary describes the principal Canadian federal income tax considerations generally applicable to a
purchaser who acquires from us as the beneficial owner the notes offered by this document, and who, at all relevant times, for purposes
of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and the Income Tax Regulations (collectively, the “Tax Act”), (1) is not, and is not deemed
to be, resident in Canada; (2) deals at arm’s length with us and with any transferee resident (or deemed to be resident) in Canada
to whom the purchaser disposes of notes, (3) is not affiliated with us, (4) does not receive any payment of interest on a note in respect
of a debt or other obligation to pay an amount to a person with whom we do not deal at arm’s length, (5) does not use or hold notes
in a business carried on in Canada and (6) is not a “specified shareholder” of ours as defined in the Tax Act for this purpose
or a non-resident person not dealing at arm’s length with such “specified shareholder” (a “Holder”). Special
rules, which are not discussed in this summary, may apply to a non-Canadian holder that is an insurer that carries on an insurance business
in Canada and elsewhere.
This summary does not address the possible application
of the proposals to amend the Tax Act with respect to “hybrid mismatch arrangements” ” released by the Minister of Finance
(Canada) on November 28, 2023 (the “Hybrid Mismatch Proposals”) (as such proposals may be enacted, amended or supplemented)
to a Holder (i) that disposes of a note to a person or entity with which it does not deal at arm’s length or to an entity that is
a “specified entity” (as defined in the Hybrid Mismatch Proposals) with respect to the Holder or in respect of which the Holder
is a “specified entity”, (ii) that disposes of a note under, or in connection with, a “structured arrangement”
(as defined in such Hybrid Mismatch Proposals), or (iii) in respect of which we are a “specified entity”. Such Holders should
consult their own tax advisors.
This summary supersedes and replaces in its entirety
the section of the prospectus entitled “Canadian Taxation.”
This summary is based on the current provisions
of the Tax Act and on counsel’s understanding of the current administrative policies and assessing practices of the Canada Revenue
Agency published in writing prior to the date hereof. This summary takes into account all specific proposals to amend the Tax Act publicly
announced by or on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Canada) prior to the date of this document (the “Proposed Amendments”),
including the Hybrid Mismatch Proposals, and assumes that all Proposed Amendments will be enacted in the form proposed. However, no assurances
can be given that the Proposed Amendments will be enacted as proposed, or at all. This summary does not otherwise take into account or
anticipate any changes in law or administrative policy or assessing practice whether by legislative, administrative or judicial action
nor does it take into account tax legislation or considerations of any province, territory or foreign jurisdiction, which may differ from
those discussed herein.
This summary is of a general nature only and is
not, and is not intended to be, legal or tax advice to any particular holder. This summary is not exhaustive of all Canadian federal income
tax considerations. Accordingly, prospective purchasers of the notes should consult their own tax advisors having regard to their own
particular circumstances.
Interest paid or credited or deemed to be paid
or credited by us on a note (including amounts on account or in lieu of payment of, or in satisfaction of interest) to a Holder generally
will not be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding tax, unless any portion of such interest (other than on a “prescribed obligation,”
as defined in the Tax Act for this purpose) is contingent or dependent on the use of or production from property in Canada or is computed
by reference to revenue, profit, cash flow, commodity price or any other similar criterion or by reference to dividends paid or payable
to shareholders of any class or series of shares of the capital stock of a corporation. The administrative policy of the Canada Revenue
Agency is that interest paid on a debt obligation is not subject to withholding tax unless, in general, it is reasonable to consider that
there is a material connection between the index or formula to which any amount payable under the debt obligation is calculated and the
profits of the issuer. With respect to any interest on a note, or any portion of the principal amount of a note in excess of the issue
price, such interest or principal, as the case may be, paid or credited to a Holder should not be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding
tax.
In the event that a note, interest on which is
not exempt from Canadian non-resident withholding tax (other than a note which is an “excluded obligation,” as defined in
the Tax Act for this purpose) is redeemed in whole or in part, cancelled, repurchased or purchased by us or any other person resident
or deemed to be resident in Canada from a Holder or is otherwise assigned or transferred by a Holder to a person resident or deemed to
be resident in Canada for an amount which exceeds, generally, the issue price thereof, or in certain cases, the price for which such note
was assigned or transferred to the Holder by a person resident or deemed resident in Canada, the excess may be deemed to be interest and
may, together with any interest that has accrued on the note to that time, be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding tax.
If an amount of interest paid by us on a note were
to be non-deductible by us in computing our income as a result of the application of proposed subsection 18.4(4) of the Tax Act, such
amount of interest would be deemed to have been paid by us as a dividend, and not to have been paid by us as interest, and be subject
to Canadian non-resident withholding tax. Proposed subsection 18.4(4) would apply only if a payment of interest by us on a note constituted
the deduction component of a “hybrid mismatch arrangement” under which the payment arises within the meaning of proposed paragraph
18.4(3)(b) of the Tax Act.
No payment of interest by us on a note should be
considered to arise under a “hybrid mismatch arrangement” as no such payment should be considered to arise under or in connection
with a “structured arrangement”, both as defined in proposed subsection 18.4(1) of the Tax Act, on the basis that (i) based
on pricing data and analysis provided to Torys LLP by us in relation to these notes, it should not be reasonable to consider that any
economic benefit arising from any “deduction/non-inclusion mismatch” as defined in proposed subsection 18.4(6) of the Tax
Act is reflected in the pricing of the notes, and (ii) it should also not be reasonable to consider that the notes were designed to, directly
or indirectly, give rise to any “deduction/non-inclusion mismatch”.
Generally, there are no other taxes on income (including
taxable capital gains) payable by a Holder on interest, discount, or premium in respect of a note or on the proceeds received by a Holder
on the disposition of a note (including redemption, cancellation, purchase or repurchase).
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
By purchasing the notes, each holder agrees (in the absence of
a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary) to treat each note as a pre-paid cash-settled derivative
contract for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the notes are uncertain
and the Internal Revenue Service could assert that the notes should be taxed in a manner that is different from that described in the
preceding sentence. Please see the discussion (including the opinion of our special U.S. tax counsel, Ashurst LLP) in the product supplement
under “Supplemental Tax Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” which applies to the notes, except that
the following disclosure supplements the discussion in the product supplement.
Under Section 871(m) of the Code, a “dividend
equivalent” payment is treated as a dividend from sources within the United States. Such payments generally would be subject to
a 30% U.S. withholding tax if paid to a non-U.S. holder. Under U.S. Treasury Department regulations, payments (including deemed payments)
with respect to equity-linked instruments (“ELIs”) that are “specified ELIs” may be treated as dividend equivalents
if such specified ELIs reference an interest in an “underlying security,” which generally is any interest in an entity taxable
as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes if a payment with respect to such interest could give rise to a U.S. -source dividend.
However, the IRS has issued guidance that states that the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS intend to amend the effective date of the
U.S. Treasury Department regulations to provide that withholding on “dividend equivalent” payments will not apply to specified
ELIs that are not delta-one instruments and that are issued before January 1, 2025. Based on our determination that the notes are not
delta-one instruments, non-U.S. holders should not generally be subject to withholding on dividend equivalent payments, if any, under
the notes. We will not pay additional amounts in respect of any dividend equivalent withholding.
SUPPLEMENTAL
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)
The terms and conditions set forth in a distribution
agreement between Bank of Montreal and the Agents party thereto, including BMOCM, govern the sale and purchase of the notes.
On the Initial Trade Date, we sold an aggregate of $4,000,000 principal
amount of the notes through BMOCM and through one or more dealers purchasing as principal through BMOCM for $25 per note. We received
proceeds equal to 100% of the offering price of those notes. $375,000,000 in principal amount of the notes are outstanding as of the date
of this pricing supplement, and an additional $125,000,000 in principal amount will be issued on May 21, 2024.
Additional notes may be offered and sold after
the date of this document from time to time through BMOCM and one or more dealers at a price that is higher or lower than the stated principal
amount, based on the Indicative Note Value at that time. Sales of the notes after the Initial Trade Date will be made at market prices
prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to market prices or at negotiated prices. We will receive proceeds equal to 100% of
the price that the notes are sold to the public, less any commissions paid to BMOCM or any other dealer. In addition, BMOCM may receive
a portion of the Daily Investor Fee. We may not sell the full amount of notes offered by this pricing supplement, and may discontinue
sales of the notes at any time.
We may deliver notes against payment therefor on a date
that is greater than two business days following the date of sale of any notes. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless parties to any such trade
expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to transact in notes that are to be issued more than two business days
after the related trade date will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
BMOCM and any other agent and dealer in the initial and
any subsequent distribution are expected to charge normal commissions for the purchase of the notes.
Broker-dealers may make a market in the notes,
although none of them are obligated to do so and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. This prospectus (such term
includes this pricing supplement and the accompanying product supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus) may be used by such dealers
and our affiliates in connection with market-making transactions. In these transactions, dealers may resell a note covered by this prospectus
that they acquire from us, BMOCM or other holders after the original offering and sale of the notes, or they may sell any notes covered
by this prospectus in short sale transactions. This prospectus will be deemed to cover any short sales of notes by market participants
who cover their short positions with notes borrowed or acquired from us or our affiliates in the manner described above.
Broker-dealers and other market participants are cautioned
that some of their activities, including covering short sales with notes borrowed from us or one of our affiliates, may result
in their being deemed participants in the distribution of the notes in a manner that would render them statutory underwriters and
subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”).
A determination of whether a particular market participant is an underwriter must take into account all the facts and circumstances
pertaining to the activities of the participant in the particular case, and the example mentioned above should not be considered
a complete description of all the activities that would lead to designation as an underwriter and subject a market participant
to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the Securities Act.
BMOCM or another FINRA member will provide certain services
relating to the distribution of the notes and may be paid a fee for its services equal to all, or a portion of, the Daily Investor
Fee. BMOCM may also pay fees to other dealers pursuant to one or more separate agreements. Any portion of the Daily Investor Fee
paid to BMOCM or such other FINRA member will be paid on a periodic basis over the term of the notes. Although BMOCM will not receive
any discounts in connection with such sales, BMOCM is expected to charge normal commissions for the purchase of any such notes.
BMOCM will act as our agent in connection with
any redemptions at the investor’s option, and the Redemption Fee Amount applicable to any such redemptions will be paid to us. Additionally,
it is possible that BMOCM and its affiliates may profit from expected hedging activities related to this offering, even if the value of
the notes declines.
Each of BMOCM and any other broker-dealer offering
the notes have not offered, sold or otherwise made available and will not offer, sell or otherwise make available any of the notes to,
any retail investor in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). For these purposes, a “retail investor” means a person
who is one (or more) of: (a) a retail client, as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, “MiFID
II”); or (b) a customer, within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97, as amended, where that customer would not qualify as a professional
client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (c) not a qualified investor as defined in Regulation (EU) (2017/1129)
(the “EU Prospectus Regulation”). Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended,
the “EU PRIIPs Regulation”) for offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the
EEA has been prepared, and therefore, offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA
may be unlawful under the EU PRIIPs Regulation.
Each of BMOCM and any other broker-dealer offering
the notes have not offered, sold or otherwise made available and will not offer, sell or otherwise make available any of the notes to,
any retail investor in the United Kingdom. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail
client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European
Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "EUWA"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the Financial Services
and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA") and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where
that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it
forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as
it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the notes or otherwise
making them available to retail investors in the UK has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the notes or otherwise making
them available to any retail investor in the UK may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation.
We may use this pricing supplement in the initial sale
of the notes. In addition, BMOCM or another of our affiliates may use this pricing supplement in market-making transactions in
the notes after their initial sale. Unless we or our agent informs you otherwise in the confirmation of sale or in a notice
delivered at the same time as the confirmation of sale, this pricing supplement is being used in a market-making transaction.
Reissuances or Reopened Issues
We may, at our sole discretion, “reopen” or
reissue the notes. We will issue the notes initially in an amount having the aggregate offering price specified on the cover page
of this pricing supplement. However, we may issue additional notes in amounts that exceed the amount on the cover at any time,
without your consent and without notifying you. The notes do not limit our ability to incur other indebtedness or to issue other
securities. Also, we are not subject to financial or similar restrictions by the terms of the notes. For more information, please
refer to “Description of the Notes We May Offer — General” in the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description
of Debt Securities We May Offer — General” in the accompanying prospectus.
These further issuances, if any, will be consolidated
to form a single class with the originally issued notes and will have the same CUSIP number and will trade interchangeably with
the notes immediately upon settlement. Any additional issuances will increase the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding
notes of the class, plus the aggregate principal amount of any notes bearing the same CUSIP number that are issued pursuant to
any future issuances of notes bearing the same CUSIP number. The price of any additional offering will be determined at the time
of pricing of that offering.
VALIDITY
OF THE NOTES
In the opinion of Osler, Hoskin
& Harcourt LLP, the issue and sale of the notes has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Bank in conformity
with the senior indenture, and when the notes have been duly completed in accordance with the senior indenture, the notes will have been
validly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered, to the extent that validity of the notes is a matter governed by the laws of the
Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein and will be valid obligations of the Bank, subject to the following
limitations (i) the enforceability of the senior indenture may be limited by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act (Canada), the
Winding-up and Restructuring Act (Canada) and bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, arrangement or winding-up
laws or other similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally; (ii) the enforceability of the senior indenture
may be limited by equitable principles, including the principle that equitable remedies such as specific performance and injunction may
only be granted in the discretion of a court of competent jurisdiction; (iii) pursuant to the Currency Act (Canada) a judgment by a Canadian
court must be awarded in Canadian currency and that such judgment may be based on a rate of exchange in existence on a day other than
the day of payment; and (iv) the enforceability of the senior indenture will be subject to the limitations contained in the Limitations
Act, 2002 (Ontario), and such counsel expresses no opinion as to whether a court may find any provision of the senior indenture to be
unenforceable as an attempt to vary or exclude a limitation period under that Act. This opinion is given as of the date hereof and is
limited to the laws of the Provinces of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. In addition, this opinion is subject
to certain assumptions about (i) the Trustees’ authorization, execution and delivery of the senior indenture, (ii) the genuineness
of signatures and (iii) certain other matters, all as stated in the letter of such counsel dated May 26, 2022, which has been filed as
Exhibit 5.3 to Bank of Montreal’s Form 6-K filed with the SEC and dated May 26, 2022.
In the opinion of Ashurst LLP, when the notes
have been duly completed in accordance with the senior indenture, and the notes have been issued and sold as contemplated by the prospectus
supplement and the prospectus, the notes will be valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the Bank, entitled to the benefits of the
senior indenture, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general
applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and subject to general principles of equity, public policy considerations
and the discretion of the court before which any suit or proceeding may be brought. This opinion is given as of the date hereof and is
limited to the laws of the State of New York. This opinion is subject to customary assumptions about the Trustee’s authorization,
execution and delivery of the senior indenture and the genuineness of signatures and to such counsel’s reliance on the Bank and
other sources as to certain factual matters, all as stated in the legal opinion dated May 26, 2022, which has been filed as Exhibit 5.4
to the Bank’s Form 6-K dated May 26, 2022.
ANNEX A
NOTICE OF EARLY REDEMPTION
To: [ ].com
Subject: Notice of Early
Redemption, CUSIP No.: 06367V600
[BODY OF EMAIL]
Name of broker: [ ]
Name of beneficial holder:
[ ]
Number of Notes to be
redeemed: [ ]
Applicable Redemption
Measurement Date: [ ], 20[ ]*
Broker Contact Name:
[ ]
Broker Telephone #: [
]
Broker DTC # (and any
relevant sub-account): [ ]
The undersigned acknowledges
that in addition to any other requirements specified in the pricing supplement relating to the notes being satisfied, the notes
will not be redeemed unless (i) this notice of redemption is delivered to BMO Capital Markets Corp. (“BMO Capital Markets”)
by 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Index Business Day prior to the applicable Redemption Measurement Date; (ii) the confirmation,
as completed and signed by the undersigned is delivered to BMO Capital Markets by 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the same day
the notice of redemption is delivered; (iii) the undersigned has booked a delivery vs. payment (“DVP”) trade on the
applicable Redemption Measurement Date, facing BMO Capital Markets DTC 5257 and (iv) the undersigned instructs DTC to deliver the
DVP trade to BMO Capital Markets as booked for settlement via DTC at or prior to 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the applicable
Redemption Date.
The undersigned further
acknowledges that the undersigned has read the section “Risk Factors — You will not know the Redemption Amount at the
time you elect to request that we redeem your notes” in the pricing supplement relating to the notes and the undersigned
understands that it will be exposed to market risk on the Redemption Measurement Date.
*Subject
to adjustment as described in the pricing supplement relating to the notes.
ANNEX B
BROKER’S CONFIRMATION
OF REDEMPTION
[TO BE COMPLETED BY BROKER]
Dated:
BMO Capital Markets Corp.
BMO Capital Markets,
as Calculation Agent
e-mail: [ ]
To Whom It May Concern:
The holder of $[ ] MicroSectorsTM Gold Miners -3X Inverse
Leveraged Exchange Traded Notes due June 29, 2040, CUSIP No. 06367V600 (the “notes”) hereby irrevocably elects to receive
a cash payment on the Redemption Date* of [holder
to specify] with respect to the number of notes indicated below, as of the date hereof, the redemption right as described in the pricing
supplement relating to the notes (the “Prospectus”). Terms not defined herein have the meanings given to such terms in the
Prospectus.
The undersigned certifies
to you that it will (i) book a DVP trade on the applicable Redemption Measurement Date with respect to the number of notes specified
below at a price per note equal to the Redemption Amount, facing BMO Capital Markets DTC 5257 and (ii) deliver the trade as booked
for settlement via DTC at or prior to 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the applicable Redemption Date.
The undersigned acknowledges
that in addition to any other requirements specified in the Prospectus being satisfied, the notes will not be redeemed unless (i)
this confirmation is delivered to BMO Capital Markets by 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the same day the notice of redemption
is delivered; (ii) the undersigned has booked a DVP trade on the applicable Redemption Measurement Date, facing BMO Capital Markets
DTC 5257; and (iii) the undersigned will deliver the DVP trade to BMO Capital Markets as booked for settlement via DTC at or prior
to 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the applicable Redemption Date.
|
Very truly yours, |
|
[NAME OF DTC PARTICIPANT HOLDER] |
|
|
|
|
|
Name: |
|
Title: |
|
Telephone: |
|
Fax: |
|
E-mail: |
Number of notes surrendered
for redemption: ________
DTC # (and any relevant
sub-account): ________
Contact Name: ________
Telephone: ________
Fax: ________
E-mail: ________
(At least 25,000 notes must be redeemed
at one time (except as specified in the pricing supplement) to receive a cash payment on any Redemption Date.)
* Subject to adjustment as described in the pricing
supplement relating to the notes.
Registration Statement No. 333-237342
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Product Supplement ETN -2-3X
dated December 2, 2020 to the Prospectus dated April 20, 2020 and
the Series F Senior Medium-Term
Notes Prospectus Supplement dated April 20, 2020
Exchange Traded Notes Linked to the Inverse Leveraged
Performance of an Index
This product supplement relates to exchange traded notes that Bank of Montreal
may issue from time to time. The specific terms of each issuance will be described in a pricing supplement to this product supplement.
The return on the notes will be linked to a two or three times leveraged participation
in the daily inverse performance of an equity index (each, an “Index”), as described in the applicable pricing supplement.
The notes are unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of Bank of Montreal. The notes do not guarantee any return of principal
at maturity, call or upon early redemption, and do not pay interest. Instead, you will receive a cash payment in U.S. dollars at
maturity, call or redemption based on the leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the applicable Index, less a Daily
Investor Fee (as described below), any negative Daily Interest and, if upon early redemption, a Redemption Fee Amount. You may
lose some or all of your principal.
An investment in the notes involves significant risks and is not appropriate
for every investor. Investors should regularly monitor their holdings of the notes to ensure that they remain consistent with their
investment strategies. Any payment on the notes is subject to the credit risk of Bank of Montreal.
The notes are not intended to be “buy and hold” investments.
The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors, and are not intended to be held to maturity. The
returns on the notes are path dependent. The notes are designed to reflect a leveraged exposure to the inverse performance of the
Index on a daily basis.
The notes will be listed on a U.S. securities exchange, as described in the
applicable pricing supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities
commission has approved or disapproved of the notes or passed upon the accuracy or the adequacy of this product supplement, the
accompanying prospectus supplement and prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The notes will not be subject to conversion into our
common shares or the common shares of any of our affiliates under subsection 39.2(2.3) of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation
Act (the “CDIC Act”).
Investing in the notes involves risks, including
those described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page PS-7 of this product supplement, and the “Risk
Factors” sections beginning on page S-1 of the prospectus supplement and on page 8 of the prospectus.
The notes will be our unsecured obligations and will not be savings accounts
or deposits that are insured by the United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Deposit Insurance Fund, the Canada
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency or instrumentality or other entity.
BMO CAPITAL MARKETS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Product Supplement
You should read this product supplement
together with the prospectus supplement dated April 20, 2020 and the prospectus dated April 20, 2020. You should also read the
specific pricing supplement relating to your notes, which may contain terms that are different from, or additional to, the terms
described in this product supplement. If there is any inconsistency between the disclosures in this product supplement and the
applicable pricing supplement, the terms set forth in the applicable pricing supplement will control.
We urge you to consult your investment,
legal, tax, accounting and other advisers before you invest in the notes.
You may access these documents on the
SEC website at www.sec.gov as follows (or if such address has changed, by reviewing our
filings for the relevant date on the SEC website):
Our Central Index Key, or CIK, on the SEC website is 927971.
As used in this product supplement, “we,” “us” or “our” refers to Bank of Montreal.
SUMMARY
The following is a summary of terms of the notes, as
well as a discussion of factors you should consider before purchasing the notes. The information in this section is qualified in
its entirety by the more detailed explanations set forth elsewhere in this product supplement, in the accompanying prospectus supplement
and accompanying prospectus and in the applicable pricing supplement.
What are the notes?
The notes are senior unsecured medium-term notes issued
by Bank of Montreal with a return linked to a two or three times leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the applicable
Index, compounded daily, less a Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and, if applicable, the Redemption Fee Amount.
Accordingly, the notes generally appreciate in value as the level of the applicable Index decreases, provided such decrease is
sufficient to offset the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest. We refer to the
securities included in the applicable Index as the “Index constituents” and the issuers of those securities as the
“constituent issuers.”
The notes will not guarantee any return of principal at,
or prior to, maturity or call, or upon early redemption. Instead, at maturity, you will receive a cash payment equal to the arithmetic
mean of the closing Indicative Note Values on each Index Business Day in the Final Measurement Period. We refer to this cash payment
as the “Cash Settlement Amount.” This amount will not be less than $0.
The notes are not intended to be “buy and hold”
investments. The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors, and are not intended to be held to maturity.
You may lose some or all of your investment at maturity or call, or upon early redemption. Because the Daily Investor Fee and any
negative Daily Interest will reduce your final payment, the level of the applicable Index will need to have decreased over the
term of the notes by an amount, after giving effect to the daily leverage and the compounding effect thereof, sufficient to offset
the decrease in the principal amount represented by the applicable Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest in order
for you to receive an aggregate amount over the term of the notes equal to at least the principal amount of your notes. Due to
leverage and compounding, the notes are very sensitive to changes in the level of the Index and the path of such changes. If the
decrease in the level of the applicable Index, measured as a component of the closing Indicative Note Value during the Final Measurement
Period, is insufficient to offset the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest, you
will lose some or all of your investment at maturity or call, or upon early redemption. This loss may occur even if the Index Closing
Level at any time during the Final Measurement Period is less than the Index Closing Level on the Initial Trade Date. In addition,
if the closing Indicative Note Value or the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes is equal to or less than $0, then the notes
will be permanently worth $0 and the Cash Settlement Amount will be $0 (a total loss of value).
The performance of the notes is linked
to the leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the applicable Index, compounded daily. There is no maximum limit
to the level of the Index. Moreover, the notes are not principal protected. Therefore, an increase in the level of the Index could
cause you to lose up to your entire investment in the notes. Furthermore, because your investment in the notes is linked to a two
or three times leveraged participation in the inverse performance of the Index, an increase in the level of the applicable Index
will have a negative effect on the Cash Settlement Amount, Call Settlement Amount or Redemption Amount, as applicable, whereas
any decrease in the level of the Index will have a positive effect on those payment amounts. Because your investment in
the notes will be leveraged, any increase in the level of the applicable Index will result in a significantly greater decrease
in the Cash Settlement Amount, Call Settlement Amount or Redemption Amount, as applicable (before taking into account any negative
Daily Interest, the Daily Investor Fee, and any Redemption Fee Amount), and you may receive less than your original investment
in the notes at maturity, call or upon redemption. Moreover, because the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and any
Redemption Fee Amount may substantially reduce the amount of your return at maturity, call or upon redemption, or if you sell your
notes, the level of the Index must decrease significantly in order for you to receive at least the principal amount of your investment.
If the level of the Index increases or does not decrease sufficiently to offset the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor
Fee, any negative Daily Interest and any Redemption Fee Amount, you will receive less than the principal amount of your investment
at maturity, call or upon redemption, or if you sell your notes.
The returns on the notes are path dependent. The notes
are designed to reflect a leveraged inverse exposure to the performance of the applicable Index on a daily basis; their returns
over different periods of time can, and most likely will, differ significantly from two or three times the inverse performance
of the Index over such other periods of time. The notes are very sensitive to changes in the level of the Index, and returns on
the notes may be negatively affected in complex ways by the volatility of the Index on a daily or intraday basis. Accordingly,
the notes should be purchased only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of investing in the Index
and of seeking daily compounding leveraged inverse investment results. The notes are not intended to be “buy and hold”
investments. The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors, and are not intended to be held to maturity.
It is possible that you will suffer significant losses in the notes even if the long-term performance of the Index is flat or negative
(before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee
Amount, if applicable). Investors should actively and continuously monitor their investments in the notes.
The Daily Investor Fee will accrue at the rate set forth
in the applicable pricing supplement. Because the Daily Investor Fee is subtracted from the Deposit Amount, and the Deposit Amount
is calculated as part of the closing Indicative Note Value on a daily basis, the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee accumulates
over time and is subtracted at a rate per year equal to the Fee Rate. Because the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee is a fixed
percentage of the value of the notes, the aggregate effect of the Daily Investor Fee will increase or decrease in a manner directly
proportional to the value of the notes and the amount of notes that are held and the duration of your holding period.
On the applicable Initial Trade Date, the Index Performance
Factor will be 1. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Index Performance
Factor will equal (a) the Index Closing Level on such Exchange Business Day (or, if such day is not an Index Business Day, the
Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding Index Business Day) divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the
immediately preceding Index Business Day, as determined by the Calculation Agent. If a Market Disruption Event occurs or is continuing
on any Index Business Day, the Calculation Agent will determine the Index Performance Factor for the notes on each such Index Business
Day using an appropriate closing level of the applicable Index for each such Index Business Day, taking into account the nature
and duration of such Market Disruption Event. Furthermore, if a Market Disruption Event occurs and is continuing with respect to
the notes on any Index Business Day or occurred or was continuing on the immediately preceding Index Business Day, the calculation
of the Index Performance Factor will be modified so that the applicable leveraged exposure does not reset until the first Index
Business Day on which no Market Disruption Event with respect to the notes is continuing.
The “Index Closing Level” will be the closing
level of the applicable Index on the applicable Index Business Day, determined as set forth in the applicable pricing supplement.
“Business Day” means a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday or Friday that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are authorized or obligated by law or
executive order to close in New York City.
“Exchange Business Day” means any day on which
the primary exchange or market for trading of the applicable notes is scheduled to be open for trading.
“Index Business Day” means any day on which
the applicable index sponsor (the “Index Sponsor”) publishes the Index Closing Level.
The scheduled Maturity Date for each of the notes will
be set forth in the applicable pricing supplement. The Maturity Date of each of the notes is expected to be the third Business
Day following the last Index Business Day in the Final Measurement Period, subject to adjustment as described in this document
and under “Additional Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events.” The Maturity Date may be extended at our
option for up to two additional five-year periods. We may only extend the scheduled Maturity Date for five years at a time. If
we exercise our option to extend the maturity, we will notify The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) (the holder of the
global note for the notes) and the trustee at least 45 but not more than 60 calendar days prior to the then scheduled Maturity
Date. We will provide that notice to DTC and the trustee in respect of each five-year extension of the scheduled Maturity Date.
Unlike ordinary debt securities, the notes will not guarantee
any return of principal at maturity or call, or upon early redemption. The notes will not pay any interest.
For a further description of how your payment at maturity
or call, or upon early redemption, will be calculated, see “Additional Terms of the Notes — Cash Settlement Amount
at Maturity,” “— Call Right” and “— Early Redemption at the Option of the Holders.”
Path Dependence and Daily Leverage
Reset. Because the leverage of the notes is generally only reset once each day, it is likely that due to intra-day changes
in the level of the applicable Index, the leverage at any point during an Index Business Day can be higher or lower than the target
leverage of -2.0 or -3.0, as applicable.
The performance of the notes is path-dependent.
This means that the value of the notes will depend not only upon the level of the Index at maturity, call or redemption, but also
on the performance of the Index over each day that you hold your notes. In other words, the value of the notes will be affected
by not only the increase or decrease in the level of the Index over a given time period but also the volatility of the level of
the Index over such time period. For example, a sharp spike or sharp decline in the level of the Index at the end of a particular
time period will not result in the same return as a gradual uptick or gradual decline in the Index over the same time period, even
if the level of the Index at the end of the applicable time period is the same in each scenario. Accordingly, the return on the
notes may not correlate with the return on the Index over periods longer than one day.
As a general matter, it is expected
that the notes will have better returns if the Index trends from one level to another over multiple Index Business Days, rather
than experiencing significant changes in opposite directions over multiple Index Business Days. Consequently, volatility of the
Index level may have a significant negative effect on the value of the notes.
In addition, the performance of the notes is path dependent,
insofar as their value at any time depends not only on the level of the Index at such time, but also on the Index’s level
at any prior time. As a result, the value of your investment in the notes may diverge significantly from the value you might expect
on the basis of the leverage strategy of the notes and changes in the level of the Index over the period that you hold them.
Early Redemption
You may elect to require us to redeem your notes (subject
to a minimum redemption amount that may be specified in the applicable pricing supplement) on any Business Day commencing on the
first Redemption Date specified in the applicable pricing supplement, and ending on the final Redemption Date (which will be the
last scheduled Index Business Day prior to the Calculation Date or Call Calculation Date, as applicable). If you elect to have
your notes redeemed and have done so under the redemption procedures described in “Additional Terms of the Notes—Early
Redemption at the Option of the Holders — Redemption Procedures,” you will receive a cash payment on the Redemption
Date equal to the Redemption Amount, as defined below. You must comply with the redemption procedures described below and in the
applicable pricing supplement in order to redeem your notes. To satisfy the minimum redemption amount, your broker or other financial
intermediary may bundle your notes for redemption with those of other investors to reach the applicable minimum amount of notes;
however, there can be no assurance that they can or will do so. We may from time to time in our sole discretion reduce this minimum
requirement in whole or in part. Any such reduction will be applied on a consistent basis for all holders of the applicable notes
at the time the reduction becomes effective.
Upon early redemption, you will receive per note a cash
payment on the relevant Redemption Date equal to (a) the Indicative Note Value as of the Redemption Measurement Date minus
(b) the Redemption Fee Amount. We refer to this cash payment as the “Redemption Amount.” This amount will not be less
than $0. You may lose some or all of your investment upon early redemption. Because the cumulative negative effect of the Daily
Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount reduce your final payment, the level of the applicable
Index will need to have decreased over the term of the notes by an amount, after giving effect to the daily leverage and its compounding
effect, sufficient to offset the decrease in principal amount represented by the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest
and the Redemption Fee Amount in order for you to receive an aggregate amount upon redemption equal to at least the principal amount.
Due to leverage, the notes are very sensitive to changes in the level of the Index and the path of those changes. See “—Path
Dependence and Daily Leverage Reset” above. If the decrease in the level of the applicable Index, as measured on the Redemption
Measurement Date, is insufficient to offset such a negative effect, you will lose some or all of your investment upon early redemption.
It is possible that you will suffer significant losses in the notes upon redemption even if the long-term performance of the
applicable Index is flat or negative (before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily
Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount).
Redemption Fee Amount: As of any Redemption Measurement
Date, the Redemption Fee Amount will be a percentage of the Indicative Note Value that will be set forth in the applicable pricing
supplement. We reserve the right from time to time to reduce or waive the Redemption Fee Amount in our sole discretion on a case-by-case
basis. In exercising your right to have us redeem your notes, you should not assume you will be entitled to the benefit of any
such waiver.
For a detailed description of the redemption procedures
applicable to an early redemption, see “Additional Terms of the Notes —Early Redemption at the Option of the Holders
— Redemption Procedures.”
Call Right
On any Call Settlement Date (as defined above), we may
at our option redeem all, but not less than all, of the outstanding notes of the relevant issuance. To exercise our Call Right,
we must provide notice to the holders of the applicable notes not less than 14 calendar days prior to the Call Settlement Date
specified by us. In the event we exercise this right, you will receive a cash payment equal to the arithmetic mean of the closing
Indicative Note Values on each Index Business Day in the Call Measurement Period. We refer to this cash payment as the “Call
Settlement Amount.” If we issue a call notice on any calendar day, the “Call Calculation Date” will be the next
Index Business Day after the call notice is issued.
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable pricing supplement,
the Call Settlement Date will be the fifth Business Day following the last Index Business Day in the Call Measurement Period.
Call Measurement Period: Unless otherwise set forth
in the applicable pricing supplement, the five Index Business Days from and including the Call Calculation Date, subject to adjustment
as described under “Additional Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events.”
RISK FACTORS
Your investment in the notes will involve certain risks.
The notes are not secured debt and will not guarantee any return of principal at, or prior to, maturity, call or upon early redemption.
As described in more detail below, the trading price of the notes may vary considerably before the maturity date. Investing in
the notes is not equivalent to investing directly in the applicable Index constituents or any securities of the constituent issuers.
In addition, your investment in the notes entails other risks not associated with an investment in conventional debt securities.
In addition to the risk factors beginning on page S-1 of the prospectus supplement and page 8 of the prospectus, you should
consider carefully the following discussion of risks, together with the risk factors set forth in the applicable pricing supplement,
before you decide that an investment in the notes is suitable for you.
Risks Relating to the Terms of the Notes
The notes will be linked to the inverse performance of the applicable Index.
Your investment in the notes will be linked to the inverse,
or “short”, performance of the applicable Index. Therefore, notwithstanding the gains resulting from the Daily Interest,
if any, and the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, your notes will generally appreciate as the level of the
Index decreases and will decrease in value as the level of the Index increases. You may lose some or all of your investment if
the level of the Index increases over the term of your notes.
The notes do not guarantee the return of your investment.
The notes may not return any of your investment. The amount
payable at maturity, call or upon early redemption, will reflect a two or three times leveraged participation, as applicable, in
the inverse performance of the applicable Index minus the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and, in the case
of an early redemption, the Redemption Fee Amount. These amounts will be determined as described in this product supplement and
the applicable pricing supplement. Because the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and any Redemption Fee Amount reduce
your final payment, the Index Closing Levels, measured as a component of the closing Indicative Note Value during the Final Measurement
Period or Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, will need to have decreased over the term of the applicable
notes by an amount, after giving effect to the daily leverage and its compounding effect, sufficient to offset the decrease in
the principal amount represented by the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and any Redemption Fee Amount in order
for you to receive an aggregate amount at maturity, upon a call or redemption, or if you sell your notes, that is equal to at least
the principal amount of your notes. If the decrease in the Index Closing Levels, as measured during the Final Measurement Period
or Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, is insufficient to offset the cumulative negative effect of the
Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable, you will lose some or all of your
investment at maturity, call or upon early redemption. This loss may occur even if the Index Closing Levels during the Final Measurement
Period or Call Measurement Period, on a Redemption Measurement Date, or when you elect to sell your notes, are less than the Initial
Index Level.
The negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative
Daily Interest and any Redemption Fee Amount are in addition to the losses that may be caused by leverage and volatility in the
Index. See “—Leverage increases the sensitivity of your notes to changes in the level of the Index,” “—The
notes are not suitable for investors with longer-term investment objectives” and “—The notes are not suitable
for all investors. In particular, the notes should be purchased only by sophisticated investors who do not intend to hold the notes
as a buy and hold investment, who are willing to actively and continuously monitor their investment and who understand the consequences
of investing in and of seeking daily resetting leveraged investment results” below.
If the Intraday Indicative Value for the notes is equal to or less than
$0 at any time during an Exchange Business Day, or the closing Indicative Note Value is equal to or less than $0, you will lose
all of your investment in the notes.
If the closing Indicative Note Value or the Intraday Indicative
Value of the notes is equal to or less than $0, then the notes will be permanently worth $0 (a total loss of value) and you will
lose all of your investment in the notes and the Cash Settlement Amount will be $0. We would be likely to call the notes under
these circumstances, and you will not receive any payments on the notes.
Even if the Index Closing Levels during the Final Measurement Period or
Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, are less than the Initial Index Level, you may receive less than
the principal amount of your notes due to the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount, if
applicable.
The amount of the Daily Investor Fee and any negative
Daily Interest, and any Redemption Fee Amount, will reduce the payment, if any, you will receive at maturity, call or upon early
redemption, or if you sell your notes. Although the Daily Interest will be added to the Deposit Amount, the Daily Interest will
be negative on any Index Business Day on which the Daily Interest Rate is negative. On those Index Business Days, the Daily Interest
will be subtracted from the Deposit Amount. In addition, if you elect to require us to redeem your notes prior to maturity, you
will be charged the Redemption Fee Amount. If the Index Closing Levels, measured as a component of the closing Indicative Note
Value during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, have decreased insufficiently
to offset the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and any Redemption Fee Amount,
you will receive less than the principal amount of your investment at maturity, call or upon early redemption of your notes.
Leverage increases the sensitivity of your notes to changes in the level
of the Index.
Because your investment in the notes is two or three times
leveraged (as applicable), changes in the level of the applicable Index will have a greater impact on the payout on your notes
than on a payout on securities that are not so leveraged. In particular, any increase in the level of the Index will result in
a significantly greater decrease in your payment at maturity, call or upon redemption, and you will suffer losses on your investment
in the notes substantially greater than you would if your notes did not contain a leverage component. Accordingly, as a result
of this leverage component and without taking into account any positive effect of the Daily Interest and the cumulative negative
effect of the Daily Investor Fee, if the level of the Index increases over the term of the notes, the leverage component will magnify
any losses at maturity, call or upon redemption.
The notes are subject to our credit risk.
The notes are subject to our credit risk, and our credit
ratings and credit spreads may adversely affect the market value of the notes. The notes are senior unsecured debt obligations
of the issuer, Bank of Montreal, and are not, either directly or indirectly, an obligation of any third party. Investors are dependent
on our ability to pay all amounts due on the notes at maturity, call or upon early redemption or on any other relevant payment
dates, and therefore investors are subject to our credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of our creditworthiness.
If we were to default on our payment obligations, you may not receive any amounts owed to you under the notes and you could lose
your entire investment.
Our credit ratings are an assessment of our ability to
pay our obligations, including those on the notes. Consequently, actual or anticipated changes in our credit ratings may affect
the market value of the notes. However, because the return on the notes is dependent upon certain factors in addition to our ability
to pay our obligations on the notes, an improvement in our credit ratings will not reduce the other investment risks related to
the notes. Therefore, an improvement in our credit ratings may or may not have a positive effect on the market value of the notes.
The notes are not suitable for investors with longer-term investment
objectives.
The notes are not intended to be “buy
and hold” investments. The notes are intended to be daily trading tools for sophisticated investors, and are not intended
to be held to maturity. The notes are designed to achieve their stated investment objective on a daily basis, but their performance
over different periods of time can differ significantly from their stated daily objective because the relationship between the
level of the applicable Index and the closing Indicative Note Value will begin to break down as the length of an investor’s
holding period increases. The notes are not long-term substitutes for inverse positions in the Index constituents.
Investors should carefully consider
whether the notes are appropriate for their investment portfolio. As discussed below, because the notes are meant to provide leveraged
inverse exposure to changes in the daily Index Closing Level, their performance over months or years can differ significantly from
the performance of the applicable Index during the same period of time. Therefore, it is possible that you will suffer significant
losses in the notes even if the long-term performance of the Index is negative (before taking into account the negative effect
of the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable). It is possible for the
level of the Index to decrease over time while the market value of the notes declines over time. You should proceed with
extreme caution in considering an investment in the notes.
The notes seek to provide a leveraged
inverse return based on the performance of the applicable Index (as adjusted for costs and fees). The notes do not attempt to,
and should not be expected to, provide returns that reflect leverage on the return of the Index for periods longer than a single
day. The notes rebalance their theoretical exposure on a daily basis, increasing exposure in response to that day’s gains
or reducing exposure in response to that day’s losses.
Daily rebalancing is likely to cause
the notes to experience a “decay” effect, which will impair the performance of the notes if the applicable Index experiences
volatility from day to day, and such performance will be dependent on the path of daily returns during the holder’s holding
period. The “decay” effect refers to a likely tendency of the notes to lose value over time. At higher ranges of volatility,
there is a significant chance of a complete loss of the value of the notes even if the performance of the Index is flat (before
taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount, if
applicable). Although the decay effect is more likely to manifest itself the longer the notes are held, the decay effect can have
a significant impact on the performance of the notes, even over a period as short as two days. The notes should be purchased
only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of investing in the Index and of seeking daily compounding
leveraged inverse investment results. The notes may not be appropriate for investors who intend to hold positions in an attempt
to generate returns over periods different than one day. See “Hypothetical Examples.”
In addition, daily rebalancing will
result in leverage relative to the closing Indicative Note Value that may be greater or less than the stated leverage factor if
the value of the notes has changed since the beginning of the day in which you purchase the notes.
You should regularly monitor your holdings of the notes to ensure that
they remain consistent with your investment strategies.
The notes are designed to reflect a
leveraged inverse exposure to the performance of the applicable Index on a daily basis. As such, the notes will be more volatile
than a non-leveraged investment linked to the Index. You should regularly monitor your holdings of the notes to ensure that they
remain consistent with your investment strategies.
The notes are not suitable for all investors. In particular, the notes
should be purchased only by sophisticated investors who do not intend to hold the notes as a buy and hold investment, who are willing
to actively and continuously monitor their investment and who understand the consequences of investing in and of seeking daily
resetting inverse leveraged investment results.
The notes require an understanding
of path dependence of investment results and are intended for sophisticated investors to use as part of an overall diversified
portfolio. The notes are risky and may not be suitable for investors who plan to hold them for longer periods of time. The notes
are designed to achieve their stated investment objective on a daily basis, but the performance of the notes over different periods
of time can differ significantly from their stated daily objectives because the relationship between the level of the Index and
the Indicative Note Value will begin to break down as the length of an investor’s holding period increases. The notes are
not long-term substitutes for inverse positions in the Index constituents. Accordingly, there is a significant possibility that
the returns on the notes will not correlate with returns on the Index over periods longer than one day.
Investors should carefully consider
whether the notes are appropriate for their investment portfolio. The notes entail leverage risk and should be purchased only by
investors who understand leverage risk, including the risks inherent in maintaining a constant two or three times inverse leverage
on a daily basis, and the consequences of seeking daily inverse leveraged investment results generally. Investing in the notes
is not equivalent to a direct investment in the Index constituents because the notes rebalance their theoretical exposure to the
Index on a daily basis, which means exposure to the Index increases in response to that day’s losses and decreases in response
to that day’s gains. Daily rebalancing will impair the performance of the notes if the Index experiences volatility from
day to day, and such performance is dependent on the path of daily returns during an investor’s holding period. If the
notes experience a high amount of realized volatility, there is a significant chance of a complete loss of your investment even
if the performance of the Index is flat. In addition, the notes are meant to provide leveraged inverse exposure to changes
in the Index Closing Level, which means their performance over months or years can differ significantly from the performance of
the Index over the same period of time. It is possible that you will suffer significant losses in the notes even if the long-term
performance of the Index is negative (before taking into account the effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest
and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable).
The amount you receive at maturity,
call or redemption will be contingent upon the compounded leveraged inverse daily performance of the Index during the term of the
notes. There is no guarantee that you will receive at maturity, call or redemption your initial investment or any return on that
investment. Significant adverse daily performances for the notes may not be offset by any beneficial daily performances of the
same magnitude.
Due to the effect of compounding, if the Indicative Note Value increases,
any subsequent increase of the Index level will result in a larger dollar reduction from the Indicative Note Value than if the
Indicative Note Value remained constant.
If the Indicative Note Value increases,
the dollar amount that you can lose in any single Index Business Day from an increase of the Index level will increase correspondingly.
This is because the Index Performance Factor will be applied to a larger Indicative Note Value and, consequently, a larger Short
Index Amount in calculating any subsequent Indicative Note Value. As such, the dollar amount that you can lose from any increase
will be greater than if the Indicative Note Value were maintained at a constant level. This means that if the Indicative Note Value
increases, you could lose more than 2% or 3% (as applicable) of your initial investment for each 1% daily increase of the Index
level.
Due to the effect of compounding, if the Indicative Note Value decreases,
any subsequent decrease of the Index level will result in a smaller dollar increase on the Indicative Note Value than if the Indicative
Note Value remained constant.
If the Indicative Note Value decreases,
the dollar amount that you can gain in any single Index Business Day from a decrease of the Index level will decrease correspondingly.
This is because the Index Performance Factor will be applied to a smaller Indicative Note Value and, consequently, a smaller Short
Index Amount in calculating any subsequent Indicative Note Value. As such, the dollar amount that you can gain from any decrease
of the Index level will be less than if the Indicative Note Value were maintained at a constant level. This means that if the Indicative
Note Value decreases, it will take larger daily decreases of the Index level to restore the value of your investment back to the
amount of your initial investment than would have been the case if the Indicative Note Value were maintained at a constant level.
Further, if you invest in the notes, you could gain less than 2% or 3% (as applicable) of your initial investment for each 1% daily
decrease of the Index level.
The Indicative Note Value is reset daily, and the leverage of the notes
during any given Exchange Business Day may be greater than or less than -2.0 or -3.0.
The Indicative Note Value is reset daily. Resetting the
Indicative Note Value has the effect of resetting the then-current leverage to approximately -2.0 or -3.0 (as applicable). During
any given Exchange Business Day, the leverage of the notes will depend on intra-day changes in the level of the applicable Index
and may be greater or less than that amount. If the level of the Index on any Exchange Business Day has increased from the Index
Closing Level on the preceding Index Business Day, the leverage of the notes will be greater than -2.0 or -3.0 (as applicable);
conversely, if the level of the Index on any Exchange Business Day has decreased from the Index Closing Level on the preceding
Index Business Day, the leverage of the notes will be less than that amount. Thus, the leverage of the notes at the time that you
purchase them may be greater or less than the target leverage, depending on the performance of the Index since the immediately
preceding Index Business Day. See “—The notes are subject to intraday purchase risk” below.
You should regularly monitor your holdings of the notes to ensure that
they remain consistent with your investment strategies.
The notes are designed to reflect inverse exposure to
the performance of the applicable Index. There is no guarantee that you will receive at maturity, call or redemption your initial
investment or any return on that investment. You should regularly monitor your holdings of the applicable notes to ensure that
they remain consistent with your investment strategies.
The notes are subject to our Call Right, which does not allow for participation
in any future performance of the applicable Index. The exercise of our Call Right may adversely affect the value of, or your ability
to sell, your notes. We may call the notes prior to the maturity date.
We will have the right to call the notes upon 14 calendar
days’ prior written notice. You will only be entitled to receive a payment on the Call Settlement Date equal to the Call
Settlement Amount. The Call Settlement Amount may be less than the stated principal amount of your notes. You will not be entitled
to any further payments after the Call Settlement Date, even if the applicable Index level decreases substantially after the Call
Measurement Period. In addition, the issuance of a notice of our election to exercise our call right may adversely impact your
ability to sell your notes, and/or the price at which you may be able to sell your notes prior to the Call Settlement Date. We
have no obligation to ensure that investors will not lose all or a portion of their investment in the notes if we call the notes;
consequently, a potential conflict between our interests and those of the note holders exists with respect to our Call Right.
If we exercise our right to call the notes prior to
maturity, your payment on the Call Settlement Date may be less than the Indicative Note Value at the time we gave the notice of
our election to call the notes.
As discussed above, we have the right to call the notes
on or prior to the Maturity Date. The Call Settlement Amount will be payable on the Call Settlement Date and we will provide at
least 14 calendar days’ notice prior to the Call Settlement Date of our election to exercise our call of the notes. The Call
Settlement Amount per note will be based principally on the closing Indicative Note Value on each Index Business Day during the
Call Measurement Period. The Call Measurement Period will be a specified number of consecutive Index Business Days from, and including,
the Call Calculation Date. The Call Calculation Date will be a date specified in our call notice, subject to postponement if such
date is not an Index Business Day or in the event of a Market Disruption Event. It is possible that the market prices of
the applicable Index constituents, and, as a result, the Index Closing Level and the Indicative Note Value, may vary significantly
between when we provide the notice of our intent to call the notes and the Call Calculation Date, including potentially as a result
of our trading activities during this period, as described further under “We or our affiliates may have economic interests
that are adverse to those of the holders of the notes as a result of our hedging and other trading activities.” As a result,
you may receive a Call Settlement Amount that is significantly less than the Indicative Value at the time of the notice of our
election to call the notes and may be less than your initial investment in the notes.
The notes do not pay any interest, and you will not have any ownership
rights in the Index constituents.
The notes do not pay any interest, and you should not
invest in the notes if you are seeking an interest-bearing investment. You will not have any ownership rights in the applicable
Index constituents, nor will you have any right to receive dividends or other distributions paid to holders of the Index constituents,
except as reflected in the level of the applicable Index. The Cash Settlement Amount, the Call Settlement Amount, or Redemption
Amount, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars, and you will have no right to receive delivery of any shares of the Index constituents.
The Index Closing Level used to calculate the payment at maturity, call
or upon a redemption may be greater than the Index Closing Level on the Maturity Date, Call Settlement Date or at other times during
the term of the notes.
The Index Closing Level on the Maturity Date, Call Settlement
Date or at other times during the term of the notes, including dates near the Final Measurement Period or the Call Measurement
Period, as applicable, could be less than any of the Index Closing Levels during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement
Period, as applicable. This difference could be particularly large if there is a significant decrease in the applicable Index Closing
Level after the Final Measurement Period or the Call Measurement Period, as applicable, or if there is a significant increase in
the Index Closing Level around the Final Measurement Period or the Call Measurement Period, as applicable, or if there is significant
volatility in the Index Closing Levels during the term of the notes.
There are restrictions on the minimum number of notes you may request that
we redeem and the dates on which you may exercise your right to have us redeem your notes.
If you elect to require us to redeem your notes, you must
request that we redeem at least the number of notes specified in the applicable pricing supplement on any Business Day commencing
on the first applicable Redemption Date through and including the Final Redemption Date. If you own fewer than the applicable minimum
required number of notes, you will not be able to elect to require us to redeem your notes. Your request that we redeem your notes
is only valid if we receive your Redemption Notice by email no later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Redemption
Notice Date and a completed and signed Redemption Confirmation by 5:00 p.m., New York City time, that same day. If we do not receive
such notice and confirmation, your redemption request will not be effective and we will not redeem your notes on the corresponding
Redemption Date.
The daily redemption feature is intended to induce arbitrageurs
to counteract any trading of the notes at a premium or discount to their indicative value. There can be no assurance that arbitrageurs
will employ the redemption feature in this manner.
Because of the timing requirements of the Redemption Notice
and the Redemption Confirmation, settlement of the redemption will be prolonged when compared to a sale and settlement in the secondary
market. Because your request that we redeem your notes is irrevocable, this will subject you to loss if the level of the applicable
Index increases after we receive your request. Furthermore, our obligation to redeem the notes prior to maturity may be postponed
upon the occurrence of a Market Disruption Event.
If you want to sell your notes but are unable to meet
the minimum redemption requirements, you may sell your notes into the secondary market at any time, subject to the risks described
below. A trading market for the notes may not develop. Also, the price you may receive for the notes in the secondary market may
differ from, and may be significantly less than, the Redemption Amount.
You will not know the Redemption Amount at the time you elect to request
that we redeem your notes.
You will not know the Redemption Amount you will receive
at the time you elect to request that we redeem your notes. Your notice to us to redeem your notes is irrevocable and must be received
by us no later than 2:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable Redemption Notice Date and a completed and signed confirmation
of such redemption must be received by us no later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the same day. The Redemption Measurement
Date is the Index Business Day following the applicable Redemption Notice Date. You will not know the Redemption Amount until after
the Redemption Measurement Date, and we will pay you the Redemption Amount, if any, on the Redemption Date. As a result, you will
be exposed to market risk in the event the level of the Index fluctuates after we confirm the validity of your notice of election
to exercise your right to have us redeem your notes, and prior to the relevant Redemption Date.
Market disruptions may adversely affect your return.
The Calculation Agent may, in its sole discretion, determine
that the markets have been affected in a manner that prevents the Calculation Agent from determining the closing Indicative Note
Values during the Final Measurement Period or the Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement Date, and prevents the
Calculation Agent from calculating the amount that we are required to pay you, if any. These events may include disruptions or
suspensions of trading in the markets as a whole. If the Calculation Agent, in its sole discretion, determines that any of these
events prevents us or any of our affiliates from properly hedging our obligations under the notes, it is possible that the determination
of the Index Closing Level will be postponed and your return will be adversely affected. Moreover, if the final Averaging Date
(as defined under “Additional Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events”) is postponed to the last possible
day and the Index Closing Level is not available on that day if such day is not an Index Business Day, the Calculation Agent or
one of its affiliates will determine the Index Closing Level on such last possible day. See “Additional Terms of the Notes
— Market Disruption Events” for more information. Because the Calculation Agent is our affiliate, its interests in
making a determination of this kind may be adverse to the interests of holders of the notes.
Significant aspects of the tax treatment of the notes are uncertain.
The tax treatment of the notes is uncertain. We do not
plan to request a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or from any Canadian authorities regarding the tax treatment of the
notes, and the Internal Revenue Service or a court may not agree with the tax treatment described in this product supplement.
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a notice indicating
that it and the Treasury Department are actively considering whether, among other issues, a holder should be required to accrue
interest over the term of an instrument such as the notes even though that holder will not receive any payments with respect to
the notes until maturity and whether all or part of the gain a holder may recognize upon sale or maturity of an instrument such
as the notes could be treated as ordinary income. The outcome of this process is uncertain and could apply on a retroactive basis.
Please read carefully the section entitled “Supplemental
Tax Considerations” in this product supplement. You should consult your tax advisor about your own tax situation.
Risks Relating to Liquidity and the Secondary Market
The Intraday Indicative Value and the Indicative Note Value are not the
same as the closing price or any other trading price of the notes in the secondary market.
The Intraday Indicative Value at any point in time of
an Index Business Day will equal (a) the Deposit Amount minus (b) the Intraday Short Index Amount; provided that if such calculation
results in a value equal to or less than $0, the Intraday Indicative Value will be $0. Because the Intraday Indicative Value uses
an intraday Index level for its calculation, a variation in the intraday level of the applicable Index from the previous Index
Business Day’s Index Closing Level may cause a significant variation between the closing Indicative Note Value and the Intraday
Indicative Value on any date of determination. The Intraday Indicative Value also does not reflect intraday changes in the leverage;
it is based on the applicable constant Daily Leverage Factor. As a result, the Intraday Indicative Value may vary significantly
from the previous or next Index Business Day’s closing Indicative Note Value or the price of the notes purchased intraday.
The trading price of the notes at any time is the price
at which you may be able to sell your notes in the secondary market at such time, if one exists. The trading price of the notes
at any time may vary significantly from the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes at such time due to, among other things, imbalances
of supply and demand, lack of liquidity, transaction costs, credit considerations and bid-offer spreads, and any corresponding
premium in the trading price may be reduced or eliminated at any time. Paying a premium purchase price over the Intraday Indicative
Value of the notes could lead to significant losses in the event the investor sells such notes at a time when such premium is no
longer present in the market place or the notes are called, in which case investors will receive a cash payment based on the closing
Indicative Note Value of the notes during the Call Measurement Period. See “— There is no assurance that your notes
will continue to be listed on a securities exchange, and they may not have an active trading market” below. We may, without
providing you notice or obtaining your consent, create and issue notes in addition to those offered by the applicable pricing supplement
having the same terms and conditions as your notes. However, we are under no obligation to sell additional notes at any time, and
we may suspend issuance of new notes at any time and for any reason without providing you notice or obtaining your consent. If
we limit, restrict or stop sales of additional notes, or if we subsequently resume sales of such additional notes, the price and
liquidity of your notes could be materially and adversely affected, including an increase or decline in the premium purchase price
of the applicable notes over the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes. Before trading in the secondary market, you should compare
the Intraday Indicative Value with the then-prevailing trading price of the notes.
Publication of the Intraday Indicative Value may be delayed,
particularly if the publication of the applicable intraday Index value is delayed. See “Intraday Value of the Index and the
Notes—Intraday Indicative Note Values.”
There is no assurance that your notes will continue to be listed on a securities
exchange, and they may not have an active trading market.
The notes are expected to be listed on the securities
exchange specified in the applicable pricing supplement. No assurance can be given as to the continued listing of the notes for
their term or of the liquidity or trading market for the notes. There can be no assurance that a secondary market for the notes
will be maintained. We are not required to maintain any listing of the notes on any securities exchange.
If the notes are delisted, they will no longer trade on
a national securities exchange. Trading in delisted notes, if any, would be on an over-the-counter basis. If the notes are removed
from their primary source of liquidity, it is possible that holders may not be able to trade their notes at all. We cannot predict
with certainty what effect, if any, a delisting would have on the trading price of the applicable notes; however, the notes may
trade at a significant discount to their indicative value. If a holder had paid a premium over the Intraday Indicative Value of
the notes and wanted to sell the notes at a time when that premium has declined or is no longer present, the investor may suffer
significant losses and may be unable to sell the notes in the secondary market.
The notes could be delisted by the applicable securities
exchange if they cease to meet the listing requirements of that exchange, for example, in the event that there is a material change
in the applicable Index that causes the Index to no longer meet the exchange’s listing requirements. See “Additional
Terms of the Notes—Discontinuation of or Adjustments to the Index; Alteration of Method of Calculation.”
Although the title of the notes includes the words “exchange-traded
notes,” we are not obligated to maintain the listing of any of the notes on any securities exchange. We may elect to discontinue
the listing of your notes at any time and for any reason, including in connection with a decision to discontinue further issuances
and sales of those notes. If your notes ceased to be listed on an exchange, the words “exchange-traded notes” will
continue to be included in their title in any event.
The applicable securities exchange may halt trading in the notes or may
limit the extent to which trading prices may change within specified time periods, which in either case would adversely impact
your ability to sell the notes.
Trading in your notes may be halted due to market conditions
or, in light of the exchange’s rules and procedures, for reasons that, in the view of that exchange, make trading in the
notes inadvisable. General exchange trading is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit
breaker” rules based on a specified decline in a market index (e.g., the S&P 500® Index). In addition,
the notes may be subject to “limit up” and “limit down” rules or trading pause requirements that are triggered
by a significant change in the trading price of the notes within a specified period of time. These “limit up” and “limit
down” and trading pause rules, if triggered, could prevent investors from transacting at the then prevailing Intraday Indicative
Value or at all. If the value of the notes declines precipitously during the trading day, triggering a “limit down”
mechanism or trading pause, you may be unable to sell your notes for some period of time, either because no trading at all is permitted
or because the price that any purchaser would be willing to pay for them at the time may be significantly below the lowest price
that a purchaser would be permitted to pay for them on the applicable exchange. In that circumstance, by the time you are finally
able to sell your notes, you may have incurred significantly greater losses than you would have incurred had you been able to sell
them when you initially wanted to. Additionally, the ability to short sell notes may be restricted when there is a 10% or greater
change from the previous day’s official closing price. The applicable exchange’s rules relating to these matters are
subject to change from time to time.
The liquidity of the market for the notes may vary materially over time,
and may be limited if you do not hold the minimum number of notes required for an optional redemption.
Certain affiliates of BMOCM may engage in limited purchase
and resale transactions in the notes, and we or BMOCM may purchase notes from holders in amounts and at prices that may be agreed
from time to time, although they are not required to do so. Also, the number of notes outstanding or held by persons other than
our affiliates could be reduced at any time due to early redemptions of the notes or due to our or our affiliates’ purchases
of notes in the secondary market. Accordingly, the liquidity of the market for your notes could vary materially over the term of
the notes. There may not be sufficient liquidity to enable you to sell your notes readily and you may suffer substantial losses
and/or sell your notes at prices substantially less than their Intraday Indicative Value or Indicative Note Value, including being
unable to sell them at all or only for a minimal price in the secondary market. You may elect to require us to redeem your notes,
but such redemption is subject to the restrictive conditions and procedures described in this product supplement, including the
condition that you must request that we redeem the minimum number of notes specified in the applicable pricing supplement on any
Redemption Date.
The value of the notes in the secondary market may be influenced by many
unpredictable factors.
The market value of your notes may fluctuate between the
date you purchase them and the relevant date of determination. You may also sustain a significant loss if you sell your notes in
the secondary market. Several factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the market value of the notes. We expect
that, generally, the level of the applicable Index on any day will affect the value of the notes more than any other single factor.
The value of the notes may be affected by a number of other factors that may either offset or magnify each other, including:
| · | the expected volatility in the applicable Index and the prices of the applicable Index constituents; |
| · | the time to maturity of the notes; |
| · | the market price and expected dividends or distributions on the applicable Index constituents; |
| · | interest and yield rates in the market generally; |
| · | supply and demand for the applicable notes, including, but not limited to, inventory positions with BMOCM or any market maker
or other person or entity who is trading the notes (supply and demand for the notes will be affected by the total issuance of notes,
and we are under no obligation to issue additional notes to increase the supply); |
| · | the amount of the Daily Investor Fee on the relevant date of determination; |
| · | whether the Daily Interest has been negative or positive; |
| · | the applicable Index constituents and changes to those Index constituents over time; |
| · | whether the applicable notes have been delisted from the applicable securities exchange; |
| · | economic, financial, political, regulatory, judicial, military and other events that affect the applicable Index constituents
or that affect markets generally and which may affect the Index Closing Level; and |
| · | our actual or perceived creditworthiness. |
Some or all of these factors will influence the price
you will receive if you choose to sell your notes prior to maturity. The impact of any of the factors set forth above may enhance
or offset some or all of any change resulting from another factor or factors. If you sell the notes, you may receive significantly
less than the amount that you paid for them.
The notes are subject to intraday purchase risk.
The notes may be purchased in the secondary market at
prices other than the closing Indicative Note Value, which will have an effect on the effective leverage amount of the notes. Because
the exposure is fixed each night and does not change intraday as the level of the applicable Index moves in favor of the notes
(i.e., the level of the Index decreases), the actual exposure in the notes decreases. The reverse is also true.
Risks Relating to Conflicts of Interest and Hedging
Our offering of the notes does not constitute an expression of our view
about, or a recommendation of, the applicable Index or any of the applicable Index constituents.
You should not take our offering of the notes as an expression
of our views about how the applicable Index or any of the Index constituents will perform in the future or as a recommendation
to invest (directly or indirectly, by taking a long or short position) in the applicable Index or any of the Index constituents,
including through an investment in the notes. As a global financial institution, we and our affiliates may, and often do, have
positions (long, short or both) in the applicable Index or one or more of the Index constituents that conflict with an investment
in the notes. See “— We or our affiliates may have economic interests that are adverse to those of the holders of the
notes as a result of our hedging and other trading activities” below and “Use of Proceeds and Hedging” in this
product supplement for some examples of potential conflicting positions we may have. You should undertake an independent determination
of whether an investment in the notes is suitable for you in light of your specific investment objectives, risk tolerance and financial
resources.
Except to the extent specified in the applicable pricing
supplement, we will not be affiliated with any constituent issuer or the Index Sponsor. However, we or our affiliates may currently
or from time to time in the future engage in business with a constituent issuer or the Index Sponsor. Nevertheless, neither we
nor any of our affiliates independently verified the accuracy or the completeness of any information about the applicable Index
Sponsor or any of the constituent issuers disclosed by the Index Sponsor or the constituent issuers.
We or our affiliates may have economic interests that are adverse to those
of the holders of the notes as a result of our hedging and other trading activities.
In anticipation of the sale of each of the notes, we expect
to hedge our obligations under the notes through certain affiliates or unaffiliated counterparties by taking positions in instruments
the value of which is derived from the applicable Index or one or more Index constituents. We may also adjust our hedge by, among
other things, purchasing or selling instruments the value of which is derived from the applicable Index or one or more Index constituents
at any time and from time to time, and close out or unwind our hedge by selling any of the foregoing at any time and from time
to time. We cannot give you any assurances that our hedging will not positively affect the level of the applicable Index or the
performance of the applicable notes. See “Use of Proceeds and Hedging” below for additional information about our hedging
activities.
These hedging activities may present a conflict of interest
between your interest as a holder of the notes and the interests our affiliates have in executing, maintaining and adjusting hedge
transactions. These hedging activities could also affect the price at which BMOCM is willing to purchase your notes in the secondary
market.
Our hedging counterparties expect to make a profit. Because
hedging our obligations entails risk and may be influenced by market forces beyond our control, this hedging may result in a profit
that is more or less than expected, or it may result in a loss.
It is possible that these hedging or trading activities
could result in substantial returns for us or our affiliates while the value of the applicable notes declines.
Bank of Montreal or its affiliates may also engage in
trading in the applicable Index constituents and other investments relating to those constituents, the constituent issuers or the
applicable Index on a regular basis as part of our general broker-dealer and other businesses, for proprietary accounts, for other
accounts under management or to facilitate transactions for customers, including block transactions. Any of these activities could
positively affect the market price of the applicable Index constituents and the applicable Index level and, therefore negatively
affect the market value of the applicable notes. Bank of Montreal or its affiliates may also issue or underwrite other securities
or financial or derivative instruments with returns linked or related to changes in the performance of any constituent issuers,
the Index constituents or the applicable Index. By introducing competing products into the market place in this manner, Bank of
Montreal or its affiliates could adversely affect the market value of the applicable notes.
We or our affiliates may have economic interests that are adverse to those
of the holders of the notes as a result of our business activities.
We or our affiliates may currently or from time to time
engage in business with the applicable constituent issuers, including extending loans to, or making equity investments in, or providing
advisory services to them, including merger and acquisition advisory services. In the course of this business, we or our affiliates
may acquire non-public information about those constituent issuers, and we will not disclose any such information to you. Any prospective
purchaser of notes should undertake an independent investigation of each constituent issuer as in its judgment is appropriate to
make an informed decision with respect to an investment in the notes.
Additionally, we or one of our affiliates may serve as
issuer, agent or underwriter for additional issuances of other securities or financial instruments with returns linked or related
to changes in the applicable Index level or the applicable Index constituents. To the extent that we or one of our affiliates serves
as issuer, agent or underwriter for such securities or financial instruments, our or their interests with respect to such products
may be adverse to those of the holders of the applicable notes. By introducing competing products into the market place in this
manner, we or one or more of our affiliates could adversely affect the value of the applicable notes.
BMOCM and its affiliates may have published research, expressed opinions
or provided recommendations that are inconsistent with investing in or holding the applicable notes, and may do so in the future.
Any such research, opinions or recommendations could affect the level of the applicable Index and of each of the Index constituents,
and therefore the market value of the notes.
BMOCM and its affiliates publish research from time to
time on financial markets and other matters that may influence the value of the applicable notes, or express opinions or provide
recommendations that are inconsistent with purchasing or holding those notes. BMOCM and its affiliates may have published or may
publish research or other opinions that call into question the investment view implicit in an investment in the applicable notes.
Any research, opinions or recommendations expressed by BMOCM or its affiliates may not be consistent with each other and may be
modified from time to time without notice. Investors should make their own independent investigation of the merits of investing
in the applicable notes, the applicable Index, the constituent issuers and the Index constituents.
We or our affiliates may have economic interests that are adverse to those
of the holders of the notes due to BMOCM’s role as Calculation Agent.
BMOCM, one of our affiliates, will act as the Calculation
Agent. The Calculation Agent will make all determinations relating to each of the notes, including the Index Closing Level, the
Index Performance Factor, the Indicative Note Value, the Daily Investor Fee, the Deposit Amount, the Short Index Amount, the Daily
Interest, the Redemption Fee Amount, the Cash Settlement Amount, if any, that we will pay you at maturity, and the Redemption Amount,
if any, that we will pay you upon early redemption, if applicable. The Calculation Agent will also be responsible for determining
whether a Market Disruption Event has occurred, whether the applicable Index has been discontinued and whether there has been a
material change in that Index. In performing these duties, BMOCM may have interests adverse to the interests of the holders of
the notes, which may affect your return on the notes, particularly where BMOCM, as the Calculation Agent, is entitled to exercise
discretion.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES
The applicable pricing supplement will set forth examples
and tables that illustrate the amounts payable on the notes at maturity in hypothetical circumstances. They are intended to highlight
how the return on the notes is affected by the daily performance of the Index, fees and path dependency.
Many factors will affect the value of the notes, and the
figures in the applicable pricing supplement will be provided for illustration only. These hypothetical examples and tables should
not be taken as an indication or a prediction of future Index performance or investment results and are intended to illustrate
a few of the possible returns on the notes. Because the Indicative Note Value will take into account the net effect of the Daily
Investor Fee and the performance of the applicable Index, the Indicative Note Value is dependent on the path taken by the Index
level to arrive at its ending level.
ADDITIONAL TERMS OF THE
NOTES
In this section, references to “holders” mean
those who own the applicable notes registered in their own names, on the books that we or the trustee maintains for this purpose,
and not those who own beneficial interests in the notes registered in street name or in the notes issued in book-entry form through
DTC or another depositary. Owners of beneficial interests in the notes should read the section entitled “Description of Debt
Securities We May Offer — Legal Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance” in the accompanying prospectus.
Each of the notes will be part of a series of debt securities
entitled “Senior Medium-Term Notes, Series F” that we may issue from time to time under the indenture more particularly
described in the accompanying prospectus supplement. This product supplement summarizes specific financial and other terms that
apply to the notes. Terms that apply generally to all Senior Medium-Term Notes, Series F are described in “Description of
the Notes We May Offer” in the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer”
in the accompanying prospectus. The terms described in this product supplement those described in the accompanying prospectus supplement
and prospectus and, if the terms described here are inconsistent with those described there, the terms described here are controlling.
The applicable pricing supplement for your notes may also contain additional or different terms of the applicable notes.
The notes will be issued under our senior indenture dated
as of January 25, 2010 between us and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee, as amended and supplemented to date.
We or our affiliates may, at any time and from time to
time, purchase outstanding notes in the open market, by private agreement or in other transactions.
Cash Settlement Amount at Maturity
The “Maturity Date” will be specified in the
applicable pricing supplement. Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable pricing supplement, the Maturity Date will be the third
scheduled Business Day following the last Index Business Day in the Final Measurement Period, unless that day is not a Business
Day, in which case the Maturity Date will be the following Business Day, subject to adjustment as described below under “—
Market Disruption Events.” The Maturity Date of any of the notes may be extended at our option for up to two additional five-year
periods. We may only extend a scheduled Maturity Date for five years at a time. If we exercise our option to extend the maturity,
we will notify DTC and the trustee at least 45 but not more than 60 calendar days prior to the then scheduled Maturity Date.
We will provide that notice to DTC and the trustee in respect of each five-year extension of the scheduled Maturity Date.
For each note, unless earlier called or redeemed, you
will receive at maturity a cash payment equal to the arithmetic mean of the closing Indicative Note Values on each Index Business
Day in the Final Measurement Period. We refer to this cash payment as the “Cash Settlement Amount.” This amount will
not be less than $0.
On the Initial Trade Date, the Indicative Note Value of
the applicable notes will equal the principal amount. The principal amount will be $50, unless specified otherwise in the applicable
pricing supplement. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the closing Indicative
Note Value will equal (a) the Deposit Amount on such Exchange Business Day minus (b) the Short Index Amount on such Exchange
Business Day; provided that if such calculation results in a value equal to or less than $0, the closing Indicative Note Value
will be $0. If the closing Indicative Note Value is $0 on any Exchange Business Day or the Intraday Indicative Value at any time
during an Exchange Business Day is equal to or less than $0, then the Indicative Note Value on all future Exchange Business Days
for those notes will be $0 and the Cash Settlement Amount will be $0.
On the Initial Trade Date, the Deposit Amount of the applicable
notes will equal the principal amount plus the Short Index Amount on the Initial Trade Date, which sum will equal $150 for notes
with 2 times leverage, and $200 for notes with 3 times leverage. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or
redemption of the notes, the Deposit Amount will equal (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange
Business Day times the Daily Deposit Factor plus (b) the Daily Interest on such Exchange Business Day minus (c) the Daily Investor
Fee on such Exchange Business Day.
On the Initial Trade Date, the Short Index Amount will
equal the Daily Leverage Factor times the principal amount, which will equal $100 for notes with 2 times leverage, and $150 for
notes with 3 times leverage. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Short
Index Amount will equal the product of (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day
times (b) the Daily Leverage Factor times (c) the Index Performance Factor on that Exchange Business Day.
The Daily Leverage Factor is 2 or 3, as applicable. The
Daily Deposit Factor is 3 in the case of -2x leveraged notes, and 4 in the case of -3x leveraged notes.
On the Initial Trade Date, the Index Performance Factor
of the applicable notes will be 1. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the
Index Performance Factor will equal (a) the Index Closing Level on such Exchange Business Day (or, if such day is not an Index
Business Day, the Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding Index Business Day) divided by (b) the Index Closing
Level on the immediately preceding Index Business Day, as determined by the Calculation Agent. If a Market Disruption Event occurs
or is continuing on any Index Business Day, the Calculation Agent will determine the Index Performance Factor for the notes on
each such Index Business Day using an appropriate closing level of the applicable Index for each such Index Business Day, taking
into account the nature and duration of such Market Disruption Event. Furthermore, if a Market Disruption Event occurs and is continuing
with respect to the notes on any Index Business Day or occurred or was continuing on the immediately preceding Index Business Day,
the calculation of the Index Performance Factor will be modified so that the applicable leveraged exposure does not reset until
the first Index Business Day on which no Market Disruption Event with respect to the notes is continuing.
Accordingly, if a Market Disruption
Event with respect to the notes occurs or is continuing on any Index Business Day (for purposes of this paragraph, the “date
of determination”) or if a Market Disruption Event with respect to the notes occurred or was continuing on the Index Business
Day immediately preceding the date of determination, then the Index Performance Factor for the notes on the date of determination
will equal one plus the quotient of (a) the difference of (i) the closing level of the applicable Index on the date of determination,
minus (ii) the closing level of the Index on the Index Business Day immediately preceding the date of determination, divided by
(b) the difference of (i) the product of the Daily Deposit Factor and the closing level of the Index on the Index Business Day
on which no Market Disruption Event occurred or was continuing that most closely precedes the date of determination, minus (ii)
the product of the Daily Leverage Factor and the closing level of the applicable Index on the Index Business Day immediately preceding
the date of determination.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable pricing supplement,
on the Initial Trade Date, the Daily Interest will be $0. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption
of the applicable notes, the Daily Interest will equal the product of (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately
preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Deposit Factor times (c) the Daily Interest Rate divided by (d) 365 times (e)
the number of calendar days since the last Exchange Business Day. Because the Daily Interest is calculated and added to the Deposit
Amount on a daily basis, the net effect of the Daily Interest accrues over time. The Daily Interest Rate will vary in time and
can become negative on certain days. On such days, the Daily Interest will also be negative.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable pricing supplement,
Daily Interest Rate will equal (a) the most recent US Federal Funds Effective Rate minus (b) 1.00%. The US Federal Funds
Effective Rate is an interest rate that represents the rate at which U.S. banks may lend reserve balances to other depository institutions
overnight, on an uncollateralized basis. The rate is released by the NY Federal Reserve each day at approximately 9:00 a.m. EST
for the prior business day and published on Bloomberg page “FEDL01 Index”. If the Calculation Agent determines that
this rate is no longer published or available, the Calculation Agent may substitute a successor rate, with any applicable adjustments,
as it reasonably determines to be appropriate under the circumstances. On the days when the US Federal Funds Effective Rate is
lower than 1.00%, the Daily Interest Rate will be negative.
On the Initial Trade Date, the Daily Investor Fee of the
applicable notes will be $0. On any subsequent Exchange Business Day until maturity, call or redemption of the notes, the Daily
Investor Fee will equal the product of (a) the Indicative Note Value at the close of the immediately preceding Exchange Business
Day times (b) the Fee Rate divided by (c) 365 times (d) the number of calendar days since the last Exchange
Business Day. Because the Daily Investor Fee is subtracted from the Deposit Amount, and the Deposit Amount is calculated as part
of the closing Indicative Note Value on a daily basis, the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee accumulates over time and is subtracted
at a rate per year equal to the Fee Rate. Because the net effect of the Daily Investor Fee is a fixed percentage of the value of
the notes, the aggregate effect of the Daily Investor Fee will increase or decrease in a manner directly proportional to the value
of the notes and the amount of notes that are held.
The “Intraday Indicative Value” of the notes
at any time during an Exchange Business Day will equal (a) the Deposit Amount minus (b) the Intraday Short Index Amount; provided
that if such calculation results in a value equal to or less than $0, the Intraday Indicative Value will be $0. If the Intraday
Indicative Value is equal to or less than $0 at any time on any Exchange Business Day, then both the Intraday Indicative Value
and the closing Indicative Note Value on that Exchange Business Day, and on all future Exchange Business Days, will be $0.
The “Intraday Short Index Amount” will equal
the product of (a) the closing Indicative Note Value on the immediately preceding Exchange Business Day times (b) the Daily Leverage
Factor times (c) the Intraday Index Performance Factor.
The “Intraday Index Performance Factor” will
equal (a) the most recently published level of the applicable Index divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding
Index Business Day.
The applicable Fee Rate will be specified in the applicable
pricing supplement.
You may lose some or all of your investment at maturity
or call, or upon early redemption. Because the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest reduce your final payment, the
level of the applicable Index will need to have decreased sufficiently over the term of the notes in an amount, after giving effect
to the daily leverage and the compounding effect thereof, sufficient to offset the decrease in principal amount represented by
the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest in order for you to receive an aggregate amount over the term of the notes
equal to at least the principal amount. Due to leverage, the notes are very sensitive to changes in the level of the applicable
Index and the path of such changes. If the decrease in the level of the applicable Index, measured as a component of the closing
Indicative Note Value during the Final Measurement Period, is insufficient to offset the cumulative negative effect of the Daily
Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest, you will lose some or all of your investment at maturity or call, or upon early redemption.
This loss may occur even if the Index Closing Level at any time during the Final Measurement Period is less than the Index
Closing Level on the Initial Trade Date. It is possible that you will suffer significant losses in the notes even if the long-term
performance of the applicable Index is flat or negative (before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee,
the Daily Interest, and the Redemption Fee Amount, if applicable). In addition, if the closing Indicative Note Value
or the Intraday Indicative Value of the notes is equal to or less than $0, then the notes will be permanently worth $0 and the
Cash Settlement Amount will be $0 (a total loss of value).
The “Initial Index Level” will be specified
in the applicable pricing supplement, and will be the Index Closing Level for the applicable Index on the applicable Initial Trade
Date.
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable pricing supplement,
the “Final Measurement Period” means the five Index Business Days from and including the Calculation Date, subject
to adjustment as described under “— Market Disruption Events.”
The “Index Calculation Agent” means the entity
that calculates and publishes the level of the applicable Index, as specified in the applicable pricing supplement.
The “Calculation Date” will be specified in
the applicable pricing supplement. If that day is not an Index Business Day, the Calculation Date will be the next Index Business
Day, subject to adjustments.
“Index Business Day” means any day on which
the applicable Index Sponsor publishes the Index Closing Level.
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable pricing supplement,
“Primary Exchange” means, with respect to each Index constituent or each component underlying a successor index, the
primary exchange or market of trading such Index constituent or such component underlying a successor index.
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable pricing supplement,
“Related Exchange” means, with respect to each Index constituent or each component underlying a successor index, each
exchange or quotation system where trading has a material effect (as determined by the Calculation Agent) on the overall market
for futures or options contracts relating to such Index constituent or such component underlying a successor index.
“Exchange Business Day” means any day on which
the primary exchange or market for trading of the applicable notes is scheduled to be open for trading.
“Business Day” means a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday or Friday that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are authorized or obligated by law or
executive order to close in New York City.
Early Redemption at the Option of the Holders
Subject to your compliance with the procedures described
below, you may submit a request on any Business Day to elect to require us to redeem your notes (subject to a minimum redemption
amount set forth in the applicable pricing supplement) between and including the applicable Redemption Dates. If you so elect and
have done so in compliance with the redemption procedures described below, and subject to the postponements and adjustments described
under “— Market Disruption Events,” you will receive payment for the redeemed notes on the applicable Redemption
Date. The “Redemption Amount” will equal (a) the Indicative Note Value as of the Redemption Measurement Date minus
(b) the Redemption Fee Amount (as defined below).
You must comply with the redemption procedures described
below in order to redeem your notes. For any applicable redemption request, the “Redemption Notice Date” will be the
date that the applicable Redemption Notice and Redemption Confirmation (each as defined below) are delivered. If such Redemption
Notice or Redemption Confirmation is delivered on a day that is not an Index Business Day, then the Redemption Notice Date will
be the next Index Business Day. To satisfy the minimum redemption amount, your broker or other financial intermediary may bundle
your notes for redemption with those of other investors to reach the minimum required amount of notes; however, there can be no
assurance that they can or will do so. We may from time to time in our sole discretion reduce the applicable minimum redemption
amount. Any such reduction will be applied on a consistent basis for all holders of the applicable notes at the time the reduction
becomes effective.
The notes will be redeemed and the holders will receive
payment for their notes on the third Business Day following the applicable Redemption Measurement Date (the “Redemption Date”).
The first Redemption Date will be set forth in the applicable pricing supplement, and the final Redemption Date will be the last
scheduled Index Business Day prior to the Calculation Date or Call Calculation Date, as applicable. If a Market Disruption Event
is continuing or occurs on the applicable scheduled Redemption Measurement Date with respect to any of the applicable Index constituents,
such Redemption Measurement Date may be postponed as described under “— Market Disruption Events.”
The applicable “Redemption Measurement Date”
means the Index Business Day following the applicable Redemption Notice Date, subject to adjustments as described under “—
Market Disruption Events.”
If you exercise your right to have us redeem your notes,
subject to your compliance with the procedures described under “— Redemption Procedures,” you will receive for
each note a cash payment on the relevant Redemption Date equal to the Indicative Note Value as of the Redemption Measurement
Date, minus the Redemption Fee Amount.
The “Redemption Fee Amount” will be a percentage
of the Indicative Note Value set forth in the applicable pricing supplement. We reserve the right from time to time to reduce or
waive the Redemption Fee Amount in our sole discretion on a case-by-case basis. In exercising your right to have us redeem your
notes, you should not assume you will be entitled to the benefit of any such waiver.
We refer to this cash payment as the “Redemption
Amount.” This amount will not be less than $0.
For purposes of determining the Redemption Amount, the
Index Performance Factor used in calculating the closing Indicative Note Value as of the Redemption Measurement Date will be (a)
the Index Closing Level on the Redemption Measurement Date divided by (b) the Index Closing Level on the immediately preceding
Index Business Day, as determined by the Calculation Agent.
We will inform you of such Redemption Amount on the first
Business Day following the applicable Redemption Measurement Date.
You may lose some or all of your investment upon early
redemption. Because the cumulative negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee
Amount reduce your final payment, the level of the applicable Index will need to have decreased over the term of the applicable
notes by an amount, after giving effect to the daily leverage and the compounding effect thereof, sufficient to offset the decrease
in principal amount represented by the Daily Investor Fee, any negative Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount in order for
you to receive an aggregate amount upon redemption equal to at least the principal amount of your notes. Due to the applicable
leverage, the notes are very sensitive to changes in the level of the applicable Index and the path of such changes. If the decrease
in the level of the applicable Index, as measured on the Redemption Measurement Date, is insufficient to offset such a cumulative
negative effect, you will lose some or all of your investment upon early redemption. It is possible that you will suffer significant
losses in the notes upon redemption even if the long-term performance of the applicable Index is flat or negative (before taking
into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee, the Daily Interest and the Redemption Fee Amount).
The Redemption Amount is meant to induce arbitrageurs
to counteract any trading of the notes at a premium or discount to their indicative value. However, there can be no assurance that
arbitrageurs will employ the repurchase feature in this manner as to any of the notes.
Redemption Procedures
To redeem your notes, you must instruct your broker or
other person through whom you hold your notes to take the following steps through normal clearing system channels:
| Ø | deliver a notice of redemption, which we refer to as a “Redemption Notice,” which will be attached to the applicable
pricing supplement, to Bank of Montreal or its agent via email no later than 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Index Business
Day preceding the applicable Redemption Measurement Date. If we receive your Redemption Notice by the time specified in the preceding
sentence, we (or our agent) will respond by sending you a form of confirmation of redemption, in a form that will be set forth
in the applicable pricing supplement, for your execution; |
| Ø | deliver the signed confirmation of redemption, which we refer to as the “Redemption Confirmation,” to us via e-mail
in the specified form by 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the same day. We or our affiliate must acknowledge receipt in order
for your Redemption Confirmation to be effective; |
| Ø | instruct your DTC custodian to book a delivery vs. payment trade with respect to your notes on the applicable Redemption Measurement
Date at a price equal to the Redemption Amount; and |
| Ø | cause your DTC custodian to deliver the trade as booked for settlement via DTC at or prior to 10:00 a.m. (New York City time)
on the applicable Redemption Date. |
Different brokerage firms may have different deadlines
for accepting instructions from their customers. Accordingly, as a beneficial owner of the notes, you should consult the brokerage
firm through which you own your interest for the relevant deadline. If your broker delivers your notice of redemption after 2:00
p.m. (New York City time), or your confirmation of redemption after 5:00 p.m. (New York City time), on the Index Business Day prior
to the applicable Redemption Measurement Date, your notice will not be effective, you will not be able to redeem your notes until
the following Redemption Date and your broker will need to complete all the required steps if you wish to redeem your notes on
any subsequent Redemption Date. In addition, Bank of Montreal may request a medallion signature guarantee or such assurances of
delivery as it may deem necessary in its sole discretion. All instructions given to participants from beneficial owners of notes
relating to the right to redeem their notes will be irrevocable. If the applicable notes undergo a split or reverse split, the
minimum number of notes needed to exercise your right to redeem will remain the same.
Call Right
We have the right to redeem all, but not less than all,
of any issuance of the notes upon not less than 14 calendar days’ prior notice to the holders of the applicable notes. Such
redemption will occur on the applicable Call Settlement Date (as defined above). Upon early redemption in the event we exercise
this right, you will receive a cash payment equal to the arithmetic mean of the closing Indicative Note Values on each Index Business
Day in the Call Measurement Period.
We refer to this cash payment as the “Call Settlement
Amount.” This amount will not be less than $0.
We will inform you of such Call Settlement Amount on the
first Business Day following the last Index Business Day in the Call Measurement Period.
The holders will receive payment for their notes on the
fifth Business Day following the last Index Business Day in the Call Measurement Period (the “Call Settlement Date”).
If a Market Disruption Event is continuing or occurs on the scheduled Call Calculation Date with respect to any of the applicable
Index constituents, such Call Calculation Date may be postponed as described under “— Market Disruption Events.”
Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable pricing supplement,
the “Call Measurement Period” means the five Index Business Days from and including the Call Calculation Date, subject
to adjustments as described under “— Market Disruption Events.”
If we issue a call notice on any calendar day, the “Call
Calculation Date” will be the next Index Business Day after the call notice is issued.
You may lose some or all of your investment upon a call.
Because the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily Interest reduce your final payment, the level of the applicable Index will
need to have decreased over the term of the notes by an amount, after giving effect to the daily leverage and the compounding effect
thereof, sufficient to offset the decrease in the principal amount represented by the Daily Investor Fee and any negative Daily
Interest in order for you to receive an aggregate amount upon a call equal to at least the principal amount of your notes. Due
to leverage, the notes are very sensitive to changes in the level of the Index and the path of such changes. If the decrease in
the level of the Index, measured as a component of the closing Indicative Note Value during the Call Measurement Period, is insufficient
to offset such a cumulative negative effect, you will lose some or all of your investment upon a call. This loss may occur even
if the Index Closing Level at any time during the Call Measurement Period is less than the Initial Index Level. It is possible
that you will suffer significant losses in the notes upon a call even if the long-term performance of the applicable Index
is flat or negative (before taking into account the negative effect of the Daily Investor Fee and the Daily Interest).
Calculation Agent
BMOCM will act as the Calculation Agent for each of the
notes. The Calculation Agent will make all determinations relating to the notes, including the Index Performance Factor, the Index
Closing Level on any Index Business Day on which such Index Closing Level is to be determined during the term of the applicable
notes, the Indicative Note Value, the Deposit Amount, the Short Index Amount, the Daily Interest, the Daily Investor Fee, the Redemption
Fee Amount, the Cash Settlement Amount, if any, that we will pay you at maturity, the Redemption Amount, if any, that we will pay
you upon redemption, if applicable, and the Call Settlement Amount, if any, that we will pay you in the event that we call the
applicable notes. The Calculation Agent will also be responsible for determining whether a Market Disruption Event has occurred,
whether the applicable Index has been discontinued and whether there has been a material change in that Index. All determinations
made by the Calculation Agent will be at the sole discretion of the Calculation Agent and will, in the absence of manifest error,
be conclusive for all purposes and binding on you and on us. The holder of the notes will not be entitled to any compensation from
us for any loss suffered as a result of any determinations or calculations made by the Calculation Agent. We may appoint a different
Calculation Agent from time to time after the date of this product supplement or the applicable pricing supplement without your
consent and without notifying you.
The Calculation Agent will provide written notice to the
trustee at its New York office, on which notice the trustee may conclusively rely, of the amount to be paid at maturity or call,
or upon early redemption, on or prior to 12:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Business Day immediately preceding the Maturity
Date, any Redemption Date any Call Settlement Date, as applicable.
All dollar amounts related to determination of the applicable
Indicative Note Value, the Deposit Amount, the Short Index Amount, the Daily Interest, the Daily Investor Fee, the Redemption Amount
and Redemption Fee Amount, if any, per note, the Call Settlement Amount, if any, per note, and the Cash Settlement Amount, if any,
per note, will be rounded to the nearest one-millionth, with five ten-millionths rounded upward (e.g., .7654545 would be rounded
up to .765455); and all dollar amounts paid on the aggregate principal amount of the applicable notes per holder will be rounded
to the nearest cent, with one-half cent rounded upward.
Market Disruption Events
If a Market Disruption Event occurs or is continuing on
any day that would otherwise constitute an Index Business Day, as determined by the Calculation Agent, that day will not be considered
an Index Business Day for purposes of determinations with respect to the applicable notes. As a result, the calculation of the
Index Performance Factor will be modified so that the applicable leverage does not reset until the first Index Business Day on
which no Market Disruption Event has occurred or is continuing.
To the extent a Market Disruption Event has occurred or
is continuing on an Averaging Date (as defined below) or on a Redemption Measurement Date, the closing Indicative Note Value for
such Averaging Date or for such Redemption Measurement Date will be determined by the Calculation Agent or one of its affiliates
on the first succeeding Index Business Day on which a Market Disruption Event does not occur or is not continuing (the “Deferred
Averaging Date”) irrespective of whether, pursuant to such determination, the Deferred Averaging Date would fall on a date
originally scheduled to be an Averaging Date. If the postponement described in the preceding sentence results in the closing Indicative
Note Value being calculated on a day originally scheduled to be an Averaging Date, for purposes of determining the closing Indicative
Note Values on the Index Business Days during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, or on a Redemption Measurement
Date, the Calculation Agent or one of its affiliates, as the case may be, will apply the closing Indicative Note Value for such
Deferred Averaging Date (i) on the date(s) of the original Market Disruption Event and (ii) such Averaging Date. For example, if
the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, as applicable, for purposes of calculating the Cash Settlement Amount
or Call Settlement Amount, respectively, is based on the arithmetic mean of the closing Indicative Note Values on June 23, 2025,
June 24, 2025, June 25, 2025, June 26, 2025 and June 27, 2025 and there is a Market Disruption Event on June 23, 2025, but no other
Market Disruption Event during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, as applicable, then the closing Indicative
Note Value on June 24, 2025 will be used twice to calculate the Cash Settlement Amount or Call Settlement Amount, respectively,
and such Cash Settlement Amount or Call Settlement Amount, as applicable, will be determined based on the arithmetic mean of the
closing Indicative Note Values on June 24, 2025, June 24, 2025, June 25, 2025, June 26, 2025 and June 27, 2025.
In no event, however, will any postponement under the
two immediately preceding paragraphs result in the final Averaging Date or the Redemption Measurement Date, as applicable, occurring
more than three Index Business Days following the day originally scheduled to be such final Averaging Date or Redemption Measurement
Date. If the third Index Business Day following the date originally scheduled to be the final Averaging Date, or the Redemption
Measurement Date, as applicable, is not an Index Business Day or a Market Disruption Event has occurred or is continuing on such
third Index Business Day, the Calculation Agent or one of its affiliates will determine the Index Closing Level to be used in the
calculation of the closing Indicative Note Value based on its good faith estimate of the Index Closing Level that would have prevailed
on such third Index Business Day but for such Market Disruption Event.
An “Averaging Date” means each of the Index
Business Days during the Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period, as applicable, subject to adjustment as described
in this document.
Any of the following will be a Market Disruption Event
with respect to the applicable Index, in each case as determined by the Calculation Agent in its sole discretion:
| (a) | the suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in a material number of the applicable Index constituents for more
than two hours or during the one-half hour before the close of trading in the applicable Primary Exchange or Primary Exchanges; |
| (b) | the suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in option or futures contracts relating to the applicable Index or
to a material number of Index constituents on a Related Exchange for more than two hours of trading or during the one-half hour
before the close of trading in that market; |
| (c) | the applicable Index is not published; or |
| (d) | any other event, if the Calculation Agent determines in its sole discretion that the event materially interferes with our ability
or the ability of any of our affiliates to unwind all or a material portion of a hedge with respect to the applicable notes that
we or our affiliates have effected or may effect as described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds and Hedging.” |
The following events will not be Market Disruption Events
with respect to the applicable Index:
| (a) | a limitation on the hours or numbers of days of trading, but only if the limitation results from an announced change in the
regular business hours of the Primary Exchange or Related Exchange; or |
| (b) | a decision to permanently discontinue trading in the option or futures contracts relating to the applicable Index or any Index
constituents. |
For this purpose, an “absence of trading”
in the primary securities market on which option or futures contracts related to the applicable Index or any Index constituents
are traded will not include any time when that market is itself closed for trading under ordinary circumstances.
Notwithstanding the occurrence of one or more of the events
described above, which may, in the Calculation Agent’s discretion, constitute a Market Disruption Event, the Calculation
Agent in its discretion may waive its right to postpone the determination of the Index Closing Level if it determines that one
or more of the above events has not and is not likely to materially impair its ability to determine the Index Closing Level on
any date.
Discontinuance or Modification of an Index
If the applicable Index Sponsor discontinues publication
of the applicable Index and the Index Sponsor or anyone else publishes a substitute index that the Calculation Agent determines
is comparable to that Index, then the Calculation Agent will permanently replace that Index with that substitute index (the “successor
index”) for all purposes, and all provisions described in this product supplement as applying to the Index will thereafter
apply to the successor index instead. If the Calculation Agent replaces the applicable Index with a successor index, then the Calculation
Agent will determine the Cash Settlement Amount, Redemption Amount or Call Settlement Amount, as applicable, by reference to the
successor index.
If the Calculation Agent determines that the publication
of the applicable Index is discontinued and there is no successor index, the Calculation Agent will determine the level of that
Index and thus the Cash Settlement Amount, Redemption Amount or Call Settlement Amount, as applicable, by a computation methodology
that the Calculation Agent determines will as closely as reasonably possible replicate the Index.
If the Calculation Agent determines that the applicable
Index, the Index constituents or the method of calculating that Index is changed at any time in any respect, including whether
the change is made by the Index Sponsor under its existing policies or following a modification of those policies, is due to the
publication of a successor index, is due to events affecting the Index constituents or is due to any other reason and is not otherwise
reflected in the level of the applicable Index by the Index Sponsor pursuant to the methodology described herein, then the Calculation
Agent will be permitted (but not required) to make such adjustments in the Index or the method of its calculation as it believes
are appropriate to ensure that the Index Closing Level used to determine the Cash Settlement Amount, Redemption Amount or Call
Settlement Amount, as applicable, is equitable.
A substitution of the applicable Index for a successor
index or a material change in the method of calculating the Index could cause the notes to no longer satisfy the listing requirements
and result in the relevant securities exchange delisting the notes. A delisting of the notes would materially and adversely affect
the liquidity of the trading market for those notes.
Events of Default and Acceleration
Under the heading “Description of Debt Securities
We May Offer — Modification and Waiver of the Debt Securities — Events of Default” in the accompanying prospectus
is a description of events of default relating to debt securities including the notes.
Payment upon an Event of Default
In case an event of default with respect to any of the
notes shall have occurred and be continuing, the amount declared due and payable per note upon any acceleration of the applicable
notes will be determined by the Calculation Agent and will be an amount in cash equal to the Redemption Amount, calculated as if
the date of acceleration were the Redemption Measurement Date. For purposes of this calculation, the Redemption Fee Amount will
be $0.
If the maturity of the applicable notes is accelerated
because of an event of default as described above, we will, or will cause the Calculation Agent to, provide written notice to the
trustee at its New York office, on which notice the trustee may conclusively rely, and to DTC of the cash amount due with respect
to the applicable notes as promptly as possible and in no event later than two Business Days after the date of acceleration.
Defeasance
The provisions described in the accompanying prospectus
under the heading “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Modification and Waiver of the Debt Securities —
Defeasance” are not applicable to the notes.
Manner of Payment and Delivery
Any payment on or delivery of the applicable notes at
maturity or call, or upon early redemption, will be made to accounts designated by you and approved by us, or at the corporate
trust office of the trustee in New York City, but only when the applicable notes are surrendered to the trustee at that office.
We also may make any payment or delivery in accordance with the applicable procedures of the depositary.
Modified Business Day
As described in “Description of the Notes We May
Offer — Payment Mechanics — Payment When Offices Are Closed” in the attached prospectus supplement, any payment
on the notes that would otherwise be due on a day that is not a Business Day may instead be paid on the next day that is a Business
Day, with the same effect as if paid on the original due date, except as described under “— Cash Settlement Amount
at Maturity,” “— Call Right” and “— Early Redemption at the Option of the Holders” above.
Clearance and Settlement
The DTC participants that hold the notes through DTC on
behalf of investors will follow the settlement practices applicable to equity securities in DTC’s settlement system with
respect to the primary distribution of the notes and secondary market trading between DTC participants.
Split or Reverse Split of the Notes
We or the Calculation Agent may initiate a split or reverse
split of any issuance of the notes on any Index Business Day. If we or the Calculation Agent decides to initiate a split or reverse
split, we will issue a notice to holders of the applicable notes and a press release announcing the split or reverse split, specifying
the effective date of the split or reverse split. The Calculation Agent will determine the ratio of such split or reverse split,
as the case may be, using relevant market indicia, and will adjust the terms of the applicable notes accordingly. Any adjustment
of the closing value will be rounded to 8 decimal places.
In the case of a reverse split, we reserve the right to
address odd numbers of notes (commonly referred to as “partials”) in a manner determined by the Calculation Agent in
its sole discretion, acting in good faith. For example, if the notes undergo a 1-for-4 reverse split, holders who own a number
of the applicable notes on the relevant record date that is not evenly divisible by 4 will receive the same treatment as all other
holders for the maximum number of notes they hold that is evenly divisible by 4, and we will have the right to compensate holders
for their remaining or “partial” notes in a manner determined by the Calculation Agent in its sole discretion. Our
current intention is to provide holders with a cash payment for their partials in an amount equal to the appropriate percentage
of the closing Indicative Note Value of the notes on a specified Index Business Day following the announcement date.
A split or reverse split of the notes will not affect
the aggregate stated principal amount of the applicable notes held by an investor, other than to the extent of any “partial”
notes, but it will affect the number of notes an investor holds, the denominations used for trading purposes on the exchange and
the trading price, and may affect the liquidity, of the applicable notes on the exchange.
THE INDEX
The applicable pricing supplement will set forth information
about the relevant Index, including its Index Sponsor, Index Calculation Agent, and other material information about that Index.
We will derive all information contained in any pricing supplement regarding the applicable Index from publicly available sources,
without independent investigation.
USE OF PROCEEDS AND HEDGING
The net proceeds we receive from the sale of each of the
notes will be used for general corporate purposes and, in part, by us or by one or more of our affiliates in connection with hedging
our obligations under those notes.
We expect to enter into transactions to hedge our obligations
under the applicable notes. Such transactions may involve purchases or sales of the applicable Index constituents or financial
instruments linked to the applicable Index and/or the Index constituents prior to or on the applicable Initial Issue Date. In addition,
from time to time after we issue any notes, we may enter into additional hedging transactions or unwind those hedging transactions
previously entered into. In this regard, we may:
| · | acquire or dispose of or otherwise repurchase long or short positions in some or all of the applicable Index constituents; |
| · | acquire or dispose of long or short positions in listed or over-the-counter options, futures, or other instruments linked to
some or all of the constituent issuers, the Index constituents or the applicable Index; |
| · | acquire or dispose of long or short positions in listed or over-the-counter options, futures, or other instruments linked to
the level of other similar market indices; or |
| · | engage in any combination of the above activities. |
We or our affiliates may acquire a long or short position
in securities similar to any of the notes from time to time and may, in our sole discretion, hold or resell those securities.
We may close out our hedge positions on or before the
last Index Business Day in the applicable Final Measurement Period or Call Measurement Period. That step may involve sales or purchases
of the applicable Index constituents, listed or over-the-counter options or futures on Index constituents or listed or over-the-counter
options, futures, or other instruments linked to the level of the applicable Index, as well as other instruments designed to track
the performance of that Index.
While we cannot predict an outcome, any of these hedging
activities or other trading activities of ours could potentially increase the level of the applicable Index, which could adversely
affect your payment at maturity, call or upon early redemption. It is possible that these hedging or trading activities could result
in substantial returns for us or our affiliates while the value of the notes declines. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating
to the Notes Generally — We or our affiliates may have economic interests that are adverse to those of the holders of the
notes as a result of our hedging and other trading activities” above.
We have no obligation to engage in any manner of hedging
activity and will do so solely at our discretion and for our own account. We may hedge our exposure on the notes directly or we
may aggregate this exposure with other positions taken by us and our affiliates with respect to our exposure to the applicable
Index or one or more constituent issuers or the Index constituents. No noteholder will have any rights or interest in our hedging
activity or any positions that we or any unaffiliated counterparties may take in connection with our hedging activity.
SUPPLEMENTAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a general description of certain tax
considerations relating to the notes. It does not purport to be a complete analysis of all tax considerations relating to the notes.
Prospective purchasers of the notes should consult their tax advisors as to the consequences under the tax laws of the country
of which they are resident for tax purposes and the tax laws of Canada and the U.S. of acquiring, holding and disposing of the
notes and receiving payments under the notes. This summary is based upon the law as in effect on the date of this product supplement
and is subject to any change in law that may take effect after such date. The applicable pricing supplement may set forth additional
or different considerations relating to any particular issuance of the notes.
Supplemental Canadian Tax Considerations
In the opinion of Torys LLP, our Canadian federal income
tax counsel, the following summary describes the principal Canadian federal income tax considerations generally applicable to a
purchaser who acquires from us as the beneficial owner the notes offered by this document, and who, at all relevant times, for
purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and the Income Tax Regulations (collectively, the “Tax Act”), (1) is not, and
is not deemed to be, resident in Canada; (2) deals at arm’s length with us and with any transferee resident (or deemed to
be resident) in Canada to whom the purchaser disposes of notes, (3) is not affiliated with us, (4) does not receive any payment
of interest on a note in respect of a debt or other obligation to pay an amount to a person with whom we do not deal at arm’s
length, (5) does not use or hold notes in a business carried on in Canada and (6) is not a “specified shareholder”
of ours as defined in the Tax Act for this purpose or a non-resident person not dealing at arm’s length with such “specified
shareholder” (a “Holder”). Special rules, which are not discussed in this summary, may apply to a non-Canadian
holder that is an insurer that carries on an insurance business in Canada and elsewhere.
This section supersedes and replaces in its entirety
the section of the prospectus entitled “Canadian Taxation.”
This summary is based on the current provisions of the
Tax Act and on counsel’s understanding of the current administrative policies and assessing practices of the Canada Revenue
Agency published in writing prior to the date hereof. This summary takes into account all specific proposals to amend the Tax Act
publicly announced by or on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Canada) prior to the date of this document (the “Proposed
Amendments”) and assumes that all Proposed Amendments will be enacted in the form proposed. However, no assurances can be
given that the Proposed Amendments will be enacted as proposed, or at all. This summary does not otherwise take into account or
anticipate any changes in law or administrative policy or assessing practice whether by legislative, administrative or judicial
action nor does it take into account tax legislation or considerations of any province, territory or foreign jurisdiction, which
may differ from those discussed herein.
Canadian federal income tax considerations applicable
to the notes may be described more particularly when such notes are offered (and then only to the extent material) in a pricing
supplement related thereto if they are not addressed by the comments following and, in that event, the following will be superseded
thereby to the extent indicated in that pricing supplement. These Canadian federal income tax considerations may also be supplemented,
amended and/or replaced in a pricing supplement.
This summary is of a general nature only and is not,
and is not intended to be, legal or tax advice to any particular holder. This summary is not exhaustive of all Canadian federal
income tax considerations. Accordingly, prospective purchasers of the notes should consult their own tax advisors having regard
to their own particular circumstances.
Interest paid or credited or deemed to be paid or credited
by us on a note (including amounts on account or in lieu of payment of, or in satisfaction of interest) to a Holder will not be
subject to Canadian non-resident withholding tax, unless any portion of such interest (other than on a “prescribed obligation,”
as defined in the Tax Act for this purpose) is contingent or dependent on the use of or production from property in Canada or is
computed by reference to revenue, profit, cash flow, commodity price or any other similar criterion or by reference to dividends
paid or payable to shareholders of any class or series of shares of the capital stock of a corporation. The administrative policy
of the Canada Revenue Agency is that interest paid on a debt obligation is not subject to withholding tax unless, in general, it
is reasonable to consider that there is a material connection between the index or formula to which any amount payable under the
debt obligation is calculated and the profits of the issuer. With respect to any interest on a note, or any portion of the principal
amount of a note in excess of the issue price, such interest or principal, as the case may be, paid or credited to a Holder should
not be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding tax, unless otherwise specified in the applicable pricing supplement.
In the event that a note, interest on which is not exempt
from Canadian non-resident withholding tax (other than a note which is an “excluded obligation,” as defined in the
Tax Act for this purpose) is redeemed in whole or in part, cancelled, repurchased or purchased by us or any other person resident
or deemed to be resident in Canada from a Holder or is otherwise assigned or transferred by a Holder to a person resident or deemed
to be resident in Canada for an amount which exceeds, generally, the issue price thereof, or in certain cases, the price for which
such note was assigned or transferred to the Holder by a person resident or deemed resident in Canada, the excess may be deemed
to be interest and may, together with any interest that has accrued on the note to that time, be subject to Canadian non-resident
withholding tax.
Generally, there are no other taxes on income (including
taxable capital gains) payable by a Holder on interest, discount, or premium in respect of a note or on the proceeds received by
a Holder on the disposition of a note (including redemption, cancellation, purchase or repurchase).
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following is a general description of certain
material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the notes. It does not purport to be a complete analysis of all U.S.
federal income tax considerations relating to the notes. Prospective purchasers of the notes should consult their tax advisors
as to the consequences under the tax laws of the country of which they are resident for tax purposes and the tax laws of Canada
and the U.S. of acquiring, holding and disposing of the notes and receiving payments under the notes. This summary is based upon
the law as in effect on the date of this product supplement and is subject to any change in law that may take effect after such
date.
The following section supersedes the discussion of U.S.
federal income taxation in the accompanying prospectus and prospectus supplement in its entirety. This section is based on the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations
under the Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on
a retroactive basis.
This summary applies only to holders who are initial
investors and hold their notes as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and are not excluded from this discussion.
This section does not apply to classes of holders subject to special rules, such as partnerships, subchapter S corporations, other
pass-through entities, governments (or instrumentalities or agencies thereof), dealers in securities or currencies, traders in
securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their notes, banks, financial institutions, insurance companies,
tax-exempt organizations, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, persons that hold notes as part of a straddle
or a hedging or conversion transaction, persons liable for alternative minimum tax, persons subject to Section 451(b) of the Code,
U.S. expatriates or persons whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar. In addition, the discussion below
assumes that an investor in the notes will be subject to a significant risk that it will lose a significant amount of its investment
in the notes.
If a partnership holds the notes, the U.S. federal income
tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the tax treatment of the partnership. A partner
in a partnership holding the notes should consult its tax advisor with regard to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment
in the notes.
A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of a note and that,
for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is (i) a citizen or individual resident of the United States, (ii) a domestic corporation,
(iii) an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source, or (iv) a trust if a U.S. court can
exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more U.S. persons are authorized to control all substantial
decisions of the trust. A non-U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of a note that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a non-resident
alien individual, a foreign corporation, or a foreign estate or trust.
Tax Treatment of the Notes
NO STATUTORY, JUDICIAL OR ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY DIRECTLY
DISCUSSES HOW THE NOTES SHOULD BE TREATED FOR U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES. AS A RESULT, THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE NOTES ARE UNCERTAIN. BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY, HOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS IN DETERMINING
THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR INVESTMENT IN THE NOTES, INCLUDING THE APPLICATION OF STATE, LOCAL
OR OTHER TAX LAWS AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN U.S. FEDERAL OR OTHER TAX LAWS.
We will not attempt to ascertain whether the issuer of
any of the applicable Index constituents would be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” within the meaning
of Section 1297 of the Code or a “United States real property holding corporation” within the meaning of Section 897
of the Code. If the issuer of one or more of such stocks were so treated, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences
could possibly apply. You should refer to any available information filed with the SEC by the issuers of the applicable Index constituents
and consult your tax advisor regarding the possible consequences to you in this regard.
In the opinion of our counsel, Morrison & Foerster
LLP, it would be generally reasonable to treat a note with terms described in this product supplement as a pre-paid cash-settled
derivative contract in respect of the applicable Index for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the terms of the notes require
a holder and us (in the absence of a change in law or an administrative or judicial ruling to the contrary) to treat the notes
for all tax purposes in accordance with such characterization. If the notes are so treated, and subject to the discussion below
regarding the potential application of the constructive ownership rules under Section 1260 of the Code, a U.S. holder generally
should recognize capital gain or loss upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of the applicable notes in an amount equal
to the difference between the amount a U.S. holder receives at such time and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in those notes.
In general, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the notes will be equal to the price the holder paid for the notes. Capital gain
recognized by an individual U.S. holder generally is taxed at preferential rates where the property is held for more than one year
and generally is taxed at ordinary income rates where the property is held for one year or less. The deductibility of capital losses
is subject to limitations. The holding period for notes of a U.S. holder who acquires the notes upon issuance generally will begin
on the date after the issue date (i.e., the settlement date) of the notes. If the notes are held by the same U.S. holder until
maturity, that holder’s holding period generally will include the applicable Maturity Date.
Potential Application of Section
1260 of the Code. To the extent that an applicable Index includes the type of financial asset described under Section 1260
of the Code (including, among others, any equity interest in pass-thru entities such as ETFs, regulated investment companies, real
estate investment trusts, partnerships, and passive foreign investment companies, each a “Section 1260 Financial Asset”),
while the matter is not entirely clear, unless otherwise specified in the applicable terms supplement, there exists a substantial
risk that an investment in a note is, in whole or in part, a “constructive ownership transaction” to which Section
1260 of the Code applies. If Section 1260 of the Code applies, all or a portion of any long-term capital gain recognized by a U.S.
holder in respect of a note will be recharacterized as ordinary income (the “Excess Gain”). In addition, an interest
charge will also apply to any deemed underpayment of tax in respect of any Excess Gain to the extent such gain would have resulted
in a gross income inclusion for the U.S. holder in taxable years prior to the taxable year of the call, sale, or maturity (assuming
such income accrued at a constant rate equal to the applicable federal rate as of the date of call, sale, or maturity).
If an investment in a note is treated
as a constructive ownership transaction, it is not clear to what extent any long-term capital gain of a U.S. holder in respect
of the note will be recharacterized as ordinary income. It is possible, for example, that the amount of the Excess Gain (if any)
that would be recharacterized as ordinary income in respect of the note will equal the excess of (i) any long-term capital gain
recognized by the U.S. holder in respect of the note and attributable to Section 1260 Financial Assets, over (ii) the “net
underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Code) such U.S. holder would have had if such U.S.
holder had acquired an amount of the corresponding Section 1260 Financial Assets at fair market value on the original issue date
for an amount equal to the portion of the issue price of the note attributable to the corresponding Section 1260 Financial Assets
and sold such amount of Section 1260 Financial Assets upon the date of call, sale, or maturity of the note at fair market value.
To the extent any gain is treated as long-term capital gain after application of the recharacterization rules of Section 1260 of
the Code, such gain would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the rates that would have been applicable to the net underlying
long-term capital gain. However, unless otherwise established by clear and convincing evidence, the net underlying long-term capital
gain is treated as zero. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of Section 1260 of
the Code to an investment in a note.
Information With Respect to Foreign Financial Assets.
An individual U.S. holder who, during any taxable year, holds any interest in “specified foreign financial assets”
with an aggregate value in excess of $50,000 (and in some circumstances, a higher threshold) may be required to file an information
report with respect to such assets with his or her tax returns. “Specified foreign financial assets” may include financial
accounts maintained by foreign financial institutions, as well as any of the following, but only if they are not held in accounts
maintained by financial institutions: (i) stocks and securities issued by non-U.S. persons, (ii) financial instruments and contracts
held for investment that have non-U.S. issuers or counterparties, and (iii) interests in foreign entities. Under these rules, the
notes may be treated as “specified foreign financial assets.” Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding
the application of this reporting requirement to their ownership of the notes.
Additional Medicare Tax on Unearned Income. Certain
U.S. holders will be subject to an additional 3.8% Medicare tax on unearned income. For individual U.S. holders, the additional
Medicare tax applies to the lesser of (i) “net investment income” or (ii) the excess of “modified adjusted gross
income” over $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly or $125,000 if married and filing separately). “Net investment
income” generally equals the taxpayer’s gross investment income reduced by the deductions that are allocable to such
income. Investment income generally includes passive income such as dividends and capital gains. U.S. holders are urged to consult
their own tax advisors regarding the implications of the additional Medicare tax resulting from an investment in the notes.
Alternative Treatments. Alternative tax treatments
of the notes are also possible and the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) might assert that a treatment other
than that described above is more appropriate. For example, it would be possible to treat the notes, and the IRS might assert that
the notes should be treated, as a single debt instrument. Such a debt instrument would generally be subject to the special tax
rules governing contingent payment debt instruments. If the notes are so treated, a U.S. holder would generally be required to
accrue interest currently over the term of the notes even though that holder will not receive any payments from us prior to maturity.
In addition, any gain a U.S. holder might recognize upon the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of the notes would be ordinary
income and any loss recognized by a holder at such time would be ordinary loss to the extent of interest that same holder included
in income in the current or previous taxable years in respect of the notes, and thereafter, would be capital loss. It is also possible
that the IRS could seek to tax the notes by reference to a holder’s deemed ownership of the applicable Index constituents.
In such case, a U.S. holder could be required to recognize amounts of income, gain or loss as if such holder had actually owned
interests in those Index constituents. Under this alternative treatment, a U.S. holder could also be required to currently recognize
gain or loss, at least some of which could be short-term capital gain (and possibly loss), each time the applicable Index rebalances.
The IRS could also assert that a holder should be required
to treat any amounts attributable to the Daily Investor Fee and any Redemption Fee Amount as separate investment expenses. For
taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and beginning on or before December 31, 2025, the deduction of any such deemed
expenses generally would not be permitted to a holder who is an individual, trust or estate. For taxable years beginning after
December 31, 2025, the deduction of any such deemed expenses generally would be subject to a 2% floor on miscellaneous itemized
deductions applicable to a holder who is an individual, trust or estate. Such amount correspondingly would increase the amount
of gain and income or decrease the amount of loss recognized by a holder with respect to an investment in the notes.
In addition to and separate from an alternative tax treatment
of deemed ownership of the applicable Index constituents, it is possible that a deemed taxable exchange could occur on one or more
of the applicable Index rebalancing dates or upon any extension by us of the Maturity Date or that the notes could be treated as
a series of derivative contracts, each of which matures on the next rebalancing date. If the notes were properly characterized
in such a manner, a U.S. holder would be treated as disposing of the notes on each rebalancing date or extension, as the case may
be, in return for new notes that mature on the next rebalancing date or on the extended Maturity Date, as the case may be, and
a U.S. holder could accordingly recognize capital gain or loss on each rebalancing date or extension, as the case may be, equal
to the difference between the holder’s tax basis in the notes (which would be adjusted to take into account any prior recognition
of gain or loss) and the fair market value of the notes on such date.
Because of the absence of authority regarding the appropriate
tax characterization of the notes, it is also possible that the IRS could seek to characterize the notes in a manner that results
in other tax consequences that are different from those described above. For example, the IRS could assert that any gain or loss
that a holder may recognize upon the call, sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of the notes should be treated as ordinary gain
or loss.
The IRS has released a notice that may affect the taxation
of holders of the notes. According to the notice, the IRS and the Treasury Department are actively considering whether the holder
of an instrument such as the notes should be required to accrue ordinary income on a current basis, and they sought taxpayer comments
on the subject. It is not possible to determine what guidance they will ultimately issue, if any. It is possible, however, that
under such guidance, holders of the notes will ultimately be required to accrue income currently and this could be applied on a
retroactive basis. The IRS and the Treasury Department are also considering other relevant issues, including whether additional
gain or loss from such instruments should be treated as ordinary or capital and whether the special “constructive ownership
rules” of Section 1260 of the Code might be applied to such instruments. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors
concerning the significance, and the potential impact, of the above considerations. We intend to treat the notes for U.S. federal
income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described in this product supplement unless and until such time as the Treasury
Department and IRS determine that some other treatment is more appropriate.
Non-U.S. Holders
The following discussion applies to non-U.S. holders of
the notes. A non-U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of a note that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a non-resident alien
individual, a foreign corporation, or a foreign estate or trust.
Except as discussed below, a non-U.S. holder generally
will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax for amounts paid in respect of the notes, provided that (i) the holder
complies with any applicable certification requirements, (ii) the payment is not effectively connected with the conduct by the
holder of a U.S. trade or business, and (iii) if the holder is a non-resident alien individual, such holder is not present in the
U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the sale, exchange, redemption or maturity of the notes. In the case of (ii)
above, the holder generally would be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to any income or gain in the same manner as
if the holder were a U.S. holder and, in the case of a holder that is a corporation, the holder may also be subject to a branch
profits tax equal to 30% (or such lower rate provided by an applicable U.S. income tax treaty) of a portion of its earnings and
profits for the taxable year that are effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the U.S., subject to certain
adjustments.
Under Section 871(m) of the Code,
a “dividend equivalent” payment is treated as a dividend from sources within the United States. Such payments generally
would be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax if paid to a non-U.S. holder. Under U.S. Treasury Department regulations, payments
(including deemed payments) with respect to equity -linked instruments (“ELIs”) that are “specified ELIs”
may be treated as dividend equivalents if such specified ELIs reference an interest in an “underlying security,” which
generally is any interest in an entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes if a payment with respect
to such interest could give rise to a U.S. -source dividend. However, the IRS has issued guidance that states that the U.S. Treasury
Department and the IRS intend to amend the effective date of the U.S. Treasury Department regulations to provide that withholding
on “dividend equivalent” payments will not apply to specified ELIs that are not delta-one instruments and that are
issued before January 1, 2023. We do not expect that payments with respect to the notes will be subject to withholding under Section
871(m); however, to the extent we determine that withholding is required, we will treat dividend equivalent payments, if any, as
subject to withholding. We will not pay any additional amounts in respect of any dividend equivalent withholding.
As discussed above, alternative characterizations of the
notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an alternative characterization, by reason of change or clarification
of the law, by regulation or otherwise, cause payments as to the notes to become subject to withholding tax (including withholding
on “dividend equivalent” payments), we will withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate. The IRS has also indicated
that it is considering whether income in respect of instruments such as the notes should be subject to withholding tax. Prospective
investors should consult their own tax advisors in this regard.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
Holders may be subject to information reporting. Holders
may also be subject to backup withholding on payments in respect of their notes unless they provide proof of an applicable exemption
or a correct taxpayer identification number and otherwise comply with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules.
Non-U.S. holders will not be subject to backup withholding if they provide a properly completed Form W-8 appropriate to their circumstances.
Amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules are not additional taxes and may be refunded or credited against U.S. federal
income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”)
imposes a 30% U.S. withholding tax on certain U.S. source payments, including interest (and original issue discount), dividends,
other fixed or determinable annual or periodical gain, profits, and income, and on the gross proceeds from a disposition of property
of a type which can produce U.S. source interest or dividends (“Withholdable Payments”), if paid to a foreign financial
institution (including amounts paid to a foreign financial institution on behalf of a holder), unless such institution enters into
an agreement with the Treasury Department to collect and provide to the Treasury Department substantial information regarding U.S.
account holders, including certain account holders that are foreign entities with U.S. owners, with such institution. Account holders
subject to information reporting requirements pursuant to FATCA may include holders of the notes. FATCA also generally imposes
a withholding tax of 30% on Withholdable Payments made to a non-financial foreign entity unless such entity provides the withholding
agent with a certification that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or a certification identifying the direct and indirect
substantial U.S. owners of the entity.
Proposed regulations eliminate the original requirement
of withholding on gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of financial instruments. The U.S. Treasury Department has indicated
that taxpayers may rely on these proposed regulations pending their finalization. If we determine withholding is appropriate with
respect to the notes, we will withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate, and we will not pay any additional amounts in respect
of such withholding. Foreign financial institutions and non-financial foreign entities located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental
agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Holders are urged to consult with their own
tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in the notes.
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME
SECURITY ACT
A fiduciary of a pension, profit-sharing or other employee
benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA” and, each such
plan, an “ERISA Plan”) should consider the fiduciary standards of ERISA in the context of the ERISA Plan’s
particular circumstances before authorizing an investment in the applicable notes. Among other factors, the fiduciary should consider
whether the investment would satisfy the prudence and diversification requirements of ERISA and would be consistent with the documents
and instruments governing the ERISA Plan, and whether the investment would involve a prohibited transaction under Section 406
of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”).
Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the
Code prohibit ERISA Plans, individual retirement accounts and Keogh plans subject to Section 4975 of the Code and entities
such as collective investment funds, partnerships or separate accounts whose underlying assets are deemed to include “plan
assets” of such ERISA Plans, accounts or plans (collectively, “Plans”), from engaging in certain transactions
involving “plan assets” with persons who are “parties in interest” under ERISA or “disqualified
persons” under the Code (in either case referred to herein as “parties in interest”) with respect
to such Plans. As a result of our business, we and our current and future affiliates may be parties in interest with respect to
many Plans. Where the Bank of Montreal or our affiliate is or becomes a party in interest with respect to a Plan, the purchase
and holding of the notes by or on behalf of the Plan could be a prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA and/or Section
4975 of the Code and result in civil penalties or other liabilities under ERISA or an excise tax under Section 4975 of the Code
unless such acquisition and holding is pursuant to and in accordance with applicable statutory, regulatory or administrative relief.
In this regard, Section 408(b)(17) of ERISA and Section 4975(d)(20)
of the Code provide an exemption for the purchase and sale of securities and related lending transactions where neither Bank of
Montreal nor any of its affiliates have or exercise any discretionary authority or control or render any investment advice with
respect to the assets of the Plan involved in the transaction and the Plan pays no more and receives no less than “adequate
consideration” in connection with the transaction (the “Service Provider Exemption”). Moreover, the
United States Department of Labor has issued five prohibited transaction class exemptions, or “PTCEs”, that
may provide exemptive relief if required for direct or indirect prohibited transactions that may arise from the purchase or holding
of the notes. Those exemptions are:
| · | PTCE 84-14, an exemption for certain transactions determined or effected by independent qualified professional asset managers; |
| · | PTCE 90-1, an exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts; |
| · | PTCE 91-38, an exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds; |
| · | PTCE 95-60, an exemption for transactions involving certain insurance company general accounts; and |
| · | PTCE 96-23, an exemption for plan asset transactions managed by in-house asset managers. |
Accordingly, the notes may not be purchased or held by
any Plan or any person investing “plan assets” of any plan, unless in each case the purchaser or holder is eligible
for exemptive relief under one or more of the PTCEs listed above or under the Service Provider Exemption or there is some other
basis on which the purchase and holding of the notes will not constitute a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406
of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code. Each purchaser or holder of the notes or any interest therein will therefore be deemed to
have represented by such purchase and holding that it either (1) is not a Plan and is not purchasing the notes on behalf of
or with “plan assets” of any Plan or (2) its purchase and holding of the notes will not result in a non-exempt
prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
Certain employee benefit plans and arrangements including
those that are governmental plans (as defined in section 3(32) of ERISA), church plans (as defined in Section 3(33) of
ERISA) and non-U.S. plans (as described in Section 4(b)(4) of ERISA) (collectively, “Non-ERISA Arrangements”)
are not subject to the prohibited transaction rules of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, but may be subject to
similar rules under applicable laws or regulations (“Similar Laws”). As such, any purchaser or holder of the
notes or any interest in the notes which is, or is investing the assets of, a non-ERISA arrangement will be deemed to have represented
by its purchase and holding of the notes that such purchase and holding will not violate the provisions of any Similar Laws.
Due to the complexity of these rules and the penalties
that may be imposed upon persons involved in non-exempt prohibited transactions, it is important that fiduciaries or other persons
considering purchasing the notes on behalf of or with “plan assets” of any Plan or non-ERISA arrangement consult
with their counsel regarding the availability of exemptive relief under any of the PTCEs listed above, the Service Provider Exemption
or any other applicable exemption, or the potential consequences of any purchase or holding under Similar Laws, as applicable.
If you are an insurance company or the fiduciary of a pension plan or an employee benefit plan, and propose to invest in the notes,
you should consult your legal counsel.
None of the Transaction Parties is undertaking to provide
impartial investment advice, or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity, in connection with the acquisition or holding of notes
by any Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement. Each purchaser and holder of the notes has exclusive responsibility for ensuring that its
purchase, holding and subsequent disposition of the notes do not violate the fiduciary or prohibited transaction rules of ERISA,
the Code or any Similar Laws. The sale of notes to any Plan or Non-ERISA Arrangement is in no respect a representation by Bank
of Montreal of any of our affiliates or any other Transaction Party that such an investment is appropriate for, or meets all applicable
legal requirements with respect to investments by, Plans or Non-ERISA Arrangements generally or any particular Plan or Non-ERISA
Arrangement.
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
(CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)
The terms and conditions set forth in the Distribution
Agreement dated April 20, 2020 between Bank of Montreal and the Agents party thereto, including BMOCM, govern the sale and purchase
of each of the notes.
We may deliver notes against payment therefor on a date
that is greater than two business days following the date of sale of any notes. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless parties to any such trade
expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to transact in notes that are to be issued more than two business days
after the related trade date will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
BMOCM will act as our agent in connection with any redemptions
at the investor’s option, and the applicable Redemption Fee Amount applicable to any such redemptions will be paid to us.
Additionally, it is possible that BMOCM and its affiliates may profit from expected hedging activities related to any of the notes,
even if the value of those notes declines.
The notes are not intended for purchase by any investor
that is not a United States person, as that term is defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and no dealer may make offers
of the notes to any such investor.
The notes are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise
made available to, and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to, any retail investor in the European Economic
Area (the “EEA”) or in the United Kingdom. For these purposes, the expression “offer” includes the communication
in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the notes to be offered so as to enable an
investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the notes, and a “retail investor” means a person who is one (or more)
of: (a) a retail client, as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU, as amended (“MiFID II”);
or (b) a customer, within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97, as amended, where that customer would not qualify as a professional
client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (c) not a qualified investor as defined in Regulation (EU) 2017/1129
(the “Prospectus Regulation”). Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) 1286/2014, as
amended (the “PRIIPs Regulation”), for offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available to retail investors
in the EEA or in the United Kingdom has been prepared, and therefore, offering or selling the notes or otherwise making them available
to any retail investor in the EEA or in the United Kingdom may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.
Conflicts of Interest
BMOCM is an affiliate of Bank of Montreal and, as such,
has a “conflict of interest” in the offerings contemplated hereby, within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121. Consequently,
each offering of the notes will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of Rule 5121. BMOCM is not permitted to sell notes
in any offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the
account holder.
PS-38
Exhibit 107.1
The pricing supplement to which this Exhibit is
attached is a final prospectus for the related offering. The maximum aggregate offering price of the offering is $9,667,050.
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