As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 12, 2010
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware | 6770 | 20-8837263 | ||
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
United States Commodity Funds LLC 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145 Alameda, California 94502 510.522.9600 |
Nicholas D. Gerber 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145 Alameda, California 94502 510.522.9600 |
|
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrants Principal Executive Offices) |
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service) |
Copies to:
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. x
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer x (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Smaller reporting company o |
Title of Each Class of Securities to Be Registered | Amount to Be Registered | Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit(1) |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1) |
Amount of Registration Fee |
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Units of United States Gasoline Fund, LP | 50,000,000 | $ | 34.24 | $ | 1,712,000,000 | $ | 95,529.60 | (2) |
(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(d) under the Securities Act of 1933. The price per unit reflects the closing price on NYSE Arca on October 14, 2009. |
(2) | Previously paid in connection with the filing of the initial registration statement on October 28, 2009. |
This prospectus contains a combined prospectus under Rule 429 of the Securities Act of 1933, which relates to File No. 333-142206. Accordingly, upon effectiveness, this registration statement shall act as a post-effective amendment to File No. 333-142206.
The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the SEC is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS | SUBJECT TO COMPLETION |
United States Gasoline Fund, LP, a Delaware limited partnership, is a commodity pool that issues units that may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca. United States Gasoline Fund, LP is referred to as UGA throughout this document. The investment objective of UGA is for the changes in percentage terms of its units net asset value to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of gasoline, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on unleaded gasoline (also known as reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygen blending, or RBOB, for delivery to the New York harbor), as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange that is the near month contract to expire, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it will be measured by the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire, less UGAs expenses. This is a best efforts offering. UGA will continuously offer creation baskets consisting of 100,000 units to authorized purchasers through ALPS Distributors, Inc., which is the marketing agent. A list of UGAs current authorized purchasers is available from the marketing agent. Authorized purchasers will pay a transaction fee of $1,000 for each order placed to create one or more baskets. This is a continuous offering and will not terminate until all of the registered units have been sold. Our units are listed on the NYSE Arca under the symbol UGA.
| Authorized purchasers may purchase creation baskets of 100,000 units. The per unit price of units on a particular day will be the total net asset value of UGA calculated shortly after the close of the NYSE Arca on that day divided by the number of issued and outstanding units. |
| Authorized purchasers are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem baskets. An authorized purchaser is under no obligation to create or redeem baskets, and an authorized purchaser is under no obligation to offer to the public units of any baskets it does create. Authorized purchasers that do offer to the public units from the baskets they create will do so at per-unit offering prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the units on the NYSE Arca, the net asset value of UGA at the time the authorized purchaser purchased the creation basket and the net asset value of the units at the time of the offer of the units to the public, the supply of and demand for units at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the gasoline futures contract market and the market for other gasoline-related investments. The prices of units offered by authorized purchasers are expected to fall between UGAs net asset value and the trading price of the units on the NYSE Arca at the time of sale. The difference between the price paid by authorized purchasers as underwriters and the price paid to such authorized purchasers by investors will be deemed underwriting compensation. Units initially comprising the same basket but offered by authorized purchasers to the public at different times may have different offering prices. Units trade in the secondary market on the NYSE Arca. Units may trade in the secondary market at prices that are lower or higher relative to their net asset value per unit. The amount of the discount or premium in the trading price relative to the net asset value per unit may be influenced by various factors, including the number of investors who seek to purchase or sell units in the secondary market and the liquidity of the gasoline futures contract market and the market for other gasoline-related investments. Authorized purchasers are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of units. |
UGA is not a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not subject to regulation under such Act.
Some of the risks of investing in UGA include:
| Investing in gasoline interests subjects UGA to the risks of the gasoline industry which could result in large fluctuations in the price of UGAs units. |
| If certain correlations do not exist, then investors may not be able to use UGA as a cost-effective way to invest indirectly in gasoline or as a hedge against the risk of loss in gasoline-related transactions. |
| UGA does not expect to make cash distributions. |
| UGA and its general partner may have conflicts of interest, which may permit them to favor their own interests to your detriment. |
Investing in UGA involves other significant risks. See What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in UGA? beginning on page 12.
NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED IN THIS PROSPECTUS, OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CFTC) HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS POOL NOR HAS IT PASSED ON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT.
This prospectus is in two parts: a disclosure document and a statement of additional information. These parts are bound together, and both contain important information.
Per Unit | Per Basket | |||||||
Price of the units* | $ | 37.96 | $ | 3,796,000 |
* | Based on closing net asset value on April 8, 2010. The price may vary based on net asset value on a particular day. |
The date of this prospectus is , 2010.
YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION PERMITS YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN A COMMODITY POOL. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT FUTURES AND OPTIONS TRADING CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO LARGE LOSSES AS WELL AS GAINS. SUCH TRADING LOSSES CAN SHARPLY REDUCE THE NET ASSET VALUE OF THE POOL AND CONSEQUENTLY THE VALUE OF YOUR INTEREST IN THE POOL. IN ADDITION, RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO WITHDRAW YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE POOL.
FURTHER, COMMODITY POOLS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SUBSTANTIAL CHARGES FOR MANAGEMENT, ADVISORY AND BROKERAGE FEES. IT MAY BE NECESSARY FOR THOSE POOLS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES TO MAKE SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS TO AVOID DEPLETION OR EXHAUSTION OF THEIR ASSETS. THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT CONTAINS A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF EACH EXPENSE TO BE CHARGED THIS POOL BEGINNING ON PAGE 88 AND A STATEMENT OF THE PERCENTAGE RETURN NECESSARY TO BREAK EVEN, THAT IS, TO RECOVER THE AMOUNT OF YOUR INITIAL INVESTMENT, ON PAGE 6.
THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER FACTORS NECESSARY TO EVALUATE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMMODITY POOL. THEREFORE, BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMODITY POOL, YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY STUDY THIS DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT, INCLUDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL RISK FACTORS OF THIS INVESTMENT, BEGINNING ON PAGE 12.
YOU SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS COMMODITY POOL MAY TRADE FOREIGN FUTURES OR OPTIONS CONTRACTS. TRANSACTIONS ON MARKETS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING MARKETS FORMALLY LINKED TO A UNITED STATES MARKET, MAY BE SUBJECT TO REGULATIONS WHICH OFFER DIFFERENT OR DIMINISHED PROTECTION TO THE POOL AND ITS PARTICIPANTS. FURTHER, UNITED STATES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES MAY BE UNABLE TO COMPEL THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES OF REGULATORY AUTHORITIES OR MARKETS IN NON-UNITED STATES JURISDICTIONS WHERE TRANSACTIONS FOR THE POOL MAY BE EFFECTED.
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Until , 2010 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in the offered units, whether or not participating in this distribution, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This requirement is in addition to the obligations of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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This is only a summary of the prospectus and, while it contains material information about UGA and its units, it does not contain or summarize all of the information about UGA and the units contained in this prospectus that is material and/or which may be important to you. You should read this entire prospectus, including What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in UGA? beginning on page 12, before making an investment decision about the units.
United States Gasoline Fund, LP, a Delaware limited partnership (UGA or Us or We), is a commodity pool that issues units that may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca. Prior to November 25, 2008, UGAs units traded on the American Stock Exchange. UGA was organized as a limited partnership under Delaware law on April 13, 2007. UGA is operated pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated February 11, 2008 (LP Agreement), which is included as Appendix B. It is managed and controlled by its general partner, United States Commodity Funds LLC (formerly known as Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC) (General Partner). The General Partner is a single member limited liability company formed in Delaware on May 10, 2005, that is registered as a commodity pool operator (CPO) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA). UGA pays the General Partner a management fee of 0.60% of NAV on its average assets.
The net assets of UGA consist primarily of investments in futures contracts for gasoline, crude oil, natural gas, heating oil and other petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), ICE Futures (formerly, the International Petroleum Exchange) or other U.S. and foreign exchanges (collectively, Futures Contracts) and other gasoline-related investments such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for gasoline, cleared swap contracts and over-the-counter transactions that are based on the price of gasoline, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, Other Gasoline-Related Investments). For convenience and unless otherwise specified, Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments collectively are referred to as Gasoline Interests in this prospectus. The General Partner is authorized by UGA in its sole judgment to employ, establish the terms of employment for, and terminate commodity trading advisors or futures commission merchants.
The investment objective of UGA is for the changes in percentage terms of its units net asset value (NAV) to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of gasoline, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on unleaded gasoline (also known as reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygen blending, or RBOB) for delivery to the New York harbor, traded on the NYMEX that is the near month contract to expire, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it will be measured by the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire, less UGAs expenses. It is not the intent of UGA to be operated in a fashion such that its NAV will equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of gasoline or any particular futures contract based on gasoline.
UGA seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a mix of Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments such that changes in UGAs NAV will closely track the changes in the price of a specified Futures Contract (Benchmark Futures Contract). The General Partner believes the Benchmark Futures Contract has historically exhibited a close correlation with the spot price of gasoline. On any valuation day (a valuation day is any trading day as of which UGA calculates its NAV), the Benchmark Futures Contract is the near month futures contract for gasoline traded on the NYMEX unless the near month futures contract will expire within two weeks of the valuation day, in which case the Benchmark Futures Contract is the next month futures contract for gasoline traded on the NYMEX. This convention is used to define the Benchmark Futures Contract because the General Partner believes from its review of past market activity that most Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX are closed out or offset by the parties prior to the settlement date of the contract and there is lighter trading during the days immediately preceding settlement. Because there is lighter trading during the two-week period prior to settlement, the trading price of the near month contract may not provide as accurate a reflection of the spot price of gasoline. The General Partner generally invests in the next month contract to expire during this period.
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As a specific benchmark, the General Partner endeavors to place UGAs trades in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments and otherwise manage UGAs investments so that A will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B, where:
| A is the average daily change in UGAs NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days, i.e., any NYSE Arca trading day as of which UGA calculates its NAV, and |
| B is the average daily change in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract over the same period. |
An investment in the units allows both retail and institutional investors to easily gain exposure to the gasoline market in a cost-effective manner. The units are also expected to provide additional means for diversifying an investors investments or hedging exposure to changes in gasoline prices. The Benchmark Futures Contract will be changed or rolled from the near month contract to expire to the next month contract to expire during one day.
The General Partner believes that market arbitrage opportunities will cause UGAs unit price on the NYSE Arca to closely track UGAs NAV per unit. The General Partner further believes that the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contract have historically closely tracked the spot prices of gasoline. The General Partner believes that the net effect of these two expected relationships and the expected relationship described above between UGAs NAV and the Benchmark Futures Contract, will be that the changes in the price of UGAs units on the NYSE Arca will closely track, in percentage terms, the changes in the spot price of gasoline, less UGAs expenses.
UGA invests in Gasoline Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged or unable to satisfy its current or potential margin or collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. The primary focus of the General Partner is the investment in Futures Contracts and the management of UGAs investments in short-term obligations of the United States of two years or less (Treasuries), cash and/or cash equivalents for margining purposes and as collateral.
The General Partner employs a neutral investment strategy intended to track the changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract regardless of whether the price goes up or goes down. UGAs neutral investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally to purchase and sell UGAs units for the purpose of investing indirectly in gasoline in a cost-effective manner, and/or to permit participants in the gasoline or other industries to hedge the risk of losses in their gasoline-related transactions. Accordingly, depending on the investment objective of an individual investor, the risks generally associated with investing in gasoline and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist. In addition, an investment in UGA involves the risk that the changes in the price of UGAs units will not accurately track the changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. For example, UGA also invests in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents to be used to meet its current or potential margin or collateral requirements with respect to its investments in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. UGA does not expect there to be any meaningful correlation between the performance of UGAs investments in Treasuries/cash/cash equivalents and the changes in the price of gasoline. While the level of interest earned on or the market price of these investments may in some respect correlate to changes in the price of gasoline, this correlation is not anticipated as part of UGAs efforts to meet its objectives. This and certain risk factors discussed in this prospectus may cause a lack of correlation between the changes in UGAs NAV and changes in the price of gasoline.
UGA creates and redeems units only in blocks called Creation Baskets and Redemption Baskets, respectively. Only Authorized Purchasers may purchase or redeem Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets. An Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to create or redeem baskets, and an Authorized Purchaser is under no obligation to offer to the public units of any baskets it does create. Baskets are generally created when there is sufficient demand for units that the market price per unit is at a premium to the NAV per unit. Authorized Purchasers will then sell such units, which will be listed on the NYSE Arca, to the public at per unit offering prices that are expected to reflect, among other factors, the trading price of the units on the NYSE Arca, the NAV of UGA at the time the Authorized Purchaser purchased the Creation Baskets and the NAV at the time of the offer of the units to the public, the supply of and demand for units at the time of sale, and the liquidity of the Futures Contracts market and the market for Other Gasoline-Related Investments. The prices of units offered by Authorized Purchasers are expected to fall between UGAs NAV and the trading
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price of the units on the NYSE Arca at the time of sale. Similarly, baskets are generally redeemed when the market price per unit is at a discount to the NAV per unit. Retail investors seeking to purchase or sell units on any day are expected to effect such transactions in the secondary market, on the NYSE Arca, at the market price per unit, rather than in connection with the creation or redemption of baskets.
All proceeds from the sale of Creation Baskets are invested as quickly as possible in the investments described in this prospectus. Investments are held through UGAs custodian, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (Custodian), or through accounts with UGAs commodity futures brokers. There is no stated maximum time period for UGAs operations and the fund will continue until all units are redeemed or the fund is liquidated pursuant to the terms of the LP Agreement.
There is no specified limit on the maximum amount of Creation Baskets that can be sold. At some point, accountability levels and position limits on certain of the Futures Contracts in which UGA intends to invest may practically limit the maximum amount of Creation Baskets that will be sold if the General Partner determines that the other investment alternatives available to UGA at that time will not enable it to meet its stated investment objective.
Units may also be purchased and sold by individuals and entities that are not Authorized Purchasers in smaller increments than Creation Baskets on the NYSE Arca. However, these transactions are effected at bid and ask prices established by specialist firm(s). Like any listed security, units of UGA can be purchased and sold at any time a secondary market is open.
In managing UGAs assets, the General Partner does not use a technical trading system that issues buy and sell orders. The General Partner instead employs quantitative methodologies whereby each time one or more baskets are purchased or redeemed, the General Partner will purchase or sell Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments with an aggregate market value that approximates the amount of Treasuries and/or cash received or paid upon the purchase or redemption of the basket(s).
Note to Secondary Market Investors: The units can be directly purchased from or redeemed by UGA only in Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, respectively, and only by Authorized Purchasers. Each Creation Basket and Redemption Basket consists of 100,000 units and is expected to be worth millions of dollars. Individual investors, therefore, will not be able to directly purchase units from or redeem units with UGA. Some of the information contained in this prospectus, including information about buying and redeeming units directly from and to UGA is only relevant to Authorized Purchasers. Units are listed and traded on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol UGA and may be purchased and sold as individual units. Individuals interested in purchasing units in the secondary market should contact their broker. Units purchased or sold through a broker may be subject to commissions.
Except when aggregated in Redemption Baskets, units are not redeemable securities. There is no guarantee that units will trade at or near the per-unit NAV.
The units are registered as securities under the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and do not provide dividend rights or conversion rights and there will not be sinking funds. The units may only be redeemed when aggregated in Redemption Baskets as discussed under Creation and Redemption of Units and limited partners have limited voting rights as discussed under Who is the General Partner? Cumulative voting is neither permitted nor required and there are no preemptive rights. As discussed in the LP Agreement, upon liquidation of UGA, its assets will be distributed pro rata to limited partners based upon the number of units held. Each limited partner will receive its share of the assets in cash or in kind, and the proportion of such share that is received in cash may vary from partner to partner, as the General Partner in its sole discretion may decide.
This is a continuous offering under Rule 415 of the 1933 Act and will terminate when all of the registered units have been sold. It is anticipated that when all registered units have been sold pursuant to this registration statement, additional units will be registered in subsequent registration statements. As discussed above, the minimum purchase requirement for Authorized Purchasers is a Creation Basket, which consists of
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100,000 units. Under the plan of distribution, UGA does not require a minimum purchase amount for investors who purchase units from Authorized Purchasers. There are no arrangements to place funds in an escrow, trust, or similar account.
A brief description of the principal types of Gasoline Interests in which UGA may invest is set forth below.
| A futures contract is a standardized contract traded on a futures exchange that calls for the future delivery of a specified quantity of a commodity at a specified time and place. Some futures exchanges also list similar contracts that are financially settled but are based on a percentage of the standard size contracts. |
| A forward contract is a supply contract between principals, not traded on an exchange, to buy or sell a specified quantity of a commodity at or before a specified date at a specified price. |
| A spot contract is a cash market transaction in which the buyer and seller agree to the immediate purchase and sale of a commodity, usually with a two-day settlement. Spot contracts are not uniform and are not exchange-traded. |
| An option on a futures contract, forward contract or a commodity on the spot market gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a futures contract, forward contract or a commodity as applicable, at a specified price on or before a specified date. Options on futures contracts are standardized contracts traded on an exchange, while options on forward contracts and commodities on the spot market, referred to collectively in this prospectus as over-the-counter options, generally are individually negotiated, principal-to-principal contracts not traded on an exchange. |
| Over-the-counter contracts (such as swap contracts) generally involve an exchange of a stream of payments between the contracting parties. Over-the-counter contracts generally are not uniform and not exchange-traded. |
A more detailed description of Gasoline Interests and other aspects of the gasoline and Gasoline Interests markets can be found later in this prospectus.
As noted, UGA invests primarily in Futures Contracts, including those traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange. UGA expressly disclaims any association with such Exchange or endorsement of UGA by such Exchange and acknowledges that NYMEX and New York Mercantile Exchange are registered trademarks of such Exchange.
An investment in UGA involves a degree of risk. Some of the risks you may face are summarized below. A more extensive discussion of these risks appears beginning on page 12.
| Unlike mutual funds, commodity pools or other investment pools that actively manage their investments in an attempt to realize income and gains from their investing activities and distribute such income and gains to their investors, UGA generally does not distribute cash to limited partners or other unitholders. You should not invest in UGA if you will need cash distributions from UGA to pay taxes on your share of income and gains of UGA, if any, or for any other reason. |
| There is the risk that the changes in the price of UGAs units on the NYSE Arca will not closely track the changes in the spot price of gasoline. This could happen if the price of units traded on the NYSE Arca does not correlate closely with UGAs NAV; the changes in UGAs NAV do not closely correlate with the changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract; or the changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract do not closely correlate with the changes in the cash or spot price of gasoline. This is a risk because if these correlations do not exist, then investors may not be able to use UGA as a cost-effective way to invest indirectly in gasoline or as a hedge against the risk of loss in gasoline-related transactions. |
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| UGA seeks to have the changes in its units NAV in percentage terms track changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract in percentage terms rather than profit from speculative trading of Gasoline Interests. The General Partner therefore endeavors to manage UGAs positions in Gasoline Interests so that UGAs assets are, unlike those of other commodity pools, not leveraged (i.e., so that the aggregate value of UGAs unrealized losses from its investments in such Gasoline Interests at any time will not exceed the value of UGAs assets). There is no assurance that the General Partner will successfully implement this investment strategy. If the General Partner permits UGA to become leveraged, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment if UGAs trading positions suddenly turn unprofitable. These movements in price may be the result of factors outside of the General Partners control and may not be anticipated by the General Partner. |
| The price relationship between the near month contract to expire and the next month contract to expire that compose the Benchmark Futures Contract will vary and may impact both the total return over time of UGAs NAV, as well as the degree to which its total return tracks other gasoline price indices total returns. In cases in which the near month contracts price is lower than the next month contracts price (a situation known as contango in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the overall movement in gasoline prices the value of the benchmark contract would tend to decline as it approaches expiration. In cases in which the near month contracts price is higher than the next month contracts price (a situation known as backwardation in the futures markets), then absent the impact of the overall movement in gasoline prices the value of the benchmark contract would tend to rise as it approaches expiration. |
| Investors may choose to use UGA as a means of investing indirectly in gasoline and there are risks involved in such investments. The risks and hazards that are inherent in the gasoline industry may cause the price of gasoline to widely fluctuate, for example, due to changes in supply and demand for gasoline as a result of refinery shutdowns or changes in the weather. The exploration for crude oil, the raw material used in the production of gasoline, and production of gasoline are uncertain processes with many risks. The cost of drilling, completing and operating wells for crude oil, the raw material used in the production of gasoline, is often uncertain, and a number of factors can delay or prevent drilling operations or production of gasoline. |
| Investors, including those who directly participate in the gasoline industry, may choose to use UGA as a vehicle to hedge against the risk of loss and there are risks involved in hedging activities. While hedging can provide protection against an adverse movement in market prices, it can also preclude a hedgers opportunity to benefit from a favorable market movement. |
| UGA invests primarily in Futures Contracts, and particularly in Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX. |
| UGA invests primarily in Futures Contracts that are traded in the United States. However, a portion of UGAs trades may take place in markets and on exchanges outside the United States. Some non-U.S. markets present risks because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts. In some of these non-U.S. markets, the performance on a contract is the responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing corporation and therefore exposes UGA to credit risk. Trading in non-U.S. markets also leaves UGA susceptible to fluctuations in the value of the local currency against the U.S. dollar. |
| UGA may also invest in Other Gasoline-Related Investments, many of which are negotiated contracts that are not as liquid as Futures Contracts and expose UGA to credit risk that its counterparty may not be able to satisfy its obligations to UGA. |
| UGA pays fees and expenses that are incurred regardless of whether it is profitable. |
| You will have no rights to participate in the management of UGA and will have to rely on the duties and judgment of the General Partner to manage UGA. |
| The structure and operation of UGA may involve conflicts of interest. For example, a conflict may arise because the General Partner and its principals and affiliates may trade for themselves. In addition, the General Partner has sole current authority to manage the investments and operations, which may create a conflict with the unitholders best interests. The General Partner may also have a |
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conflict to the extent that its trading decisions may be influenced by the effect they would have on United States Oil Fund, LP (USOF), the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP (USNG), the United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (US12OF), the United States Heating Oil Fund, LP (USHO), the United States Short Oil Fund, LP (USSO), or the United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund LP (US12NG), the other commodity pools that it manages, or any other commodity pool the General Partner may form and manage in the future. USOF, USNG, US12OF, USHO, USSO and US12NG are referred to herein as the Related Public Funds. |
| Regulation of the commodity interest and energy markets is extensive and constantly changing. Currently, a number of proposals that would alter the regulation of Gasoline Interests are being considered by federal regulators and Congress. These proposals include the imposition of fixed position limits on energy-based commodity futures contracts, extension of position and accountability limits to futures contracts on non-U.S. exchanges previously exempt from such limits, and the forced use of clearinghouse mechanisms for all over-the-counter transactions. Certain proposals would aggregate and limit all positions in energy futures held by a single entity, whether such positions exist on U.S. futures exchanges, non-U.S. futures exchanges, or in over-the-counter contracts. While it cannot be predicted at this time what reforms will eventually be made or how they will impact UGA, if any of the aforementioned proposals are implemented, UGAs ability to meet its investment objective may be negatively impacted and investors could be adversely affected. |
For additional risks, see What Are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in UGA?
UGAs principal office is located at 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145, Alameda, California 94502. The telephone number is 510.522.9600. The General Partners principal office is also located at 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145, Alameda, California 94502.
UGAs NAV is calculated shortly after the close of the core trading session on the NYSE Arca.
For a glossary of defined terms, see Appendix A.
The breakeven analysis below indicates the approximate dollar returns and percentage required for the redemption value of a hypothetical investment in a single unit to equal the amount invested twelve months after the investment was made. For purposes of this breakeven analysis, we have assumed an initial selling price per unit of $37.96 which equals the net asset value per unit on April 8, 2010. This breakeven analysis refers to the redemption of baskets by Authorized Purchasers and is not related to any gains an individual investor would have to achieve in order to break even. The breakeven analysis is an approximation only.
Assumed initial selling price per unit | $ | 37.96 | ||
Management Fee (0.60%)(1) | $ | 0.23 | ||
Creation Basket Fee(2) | $ | (0.01 | ) | |
Estimated Brokerage Fee (0.12%)(3) | $ | 0.05 | ||
Interest Income (0.17%)(4) | $ | (0.06 | ) | |
Registration Fees(5) | $ | 0.09 | ||
New York Mercantile Exchange Licensing Fee(6) | $ | 0.01 | ||
Independent Directors and Officers Fees(7) | $ | 0.01 | ||
Fees and expenses associated with tax accounting and reporting(8) | $ | 0.17 | ||
Amount of trading income (loss) required for the redemption value at the end of one year to equal the initial selling price of the unit | $ | 0.49 | ||
Percentage of initial selling price per unit | 1.29 | % |
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(1) | UGA is contractually obligated to pay the General Partner a management fee based on daily net assets and paid monthly of 0.60% per annum on average net assets. |
(2) | Authorized Purchasers are required to pay a Creation Basket fee of $1,000 for each order they place to create one or more baskets. An order must be at least one basket, which is 100,000 units. This breakeven analysis assumes a hypothetical investment in a single unit so the Creation Basket fee is $0.01 (1,000/100,000). |
(3) | This amount is based on the actual brokerage fees for UGA calculated on an annual basis. |
(4) | UGA earns interest on funds it deposits with the futures commission merchant and the Custodian and it estimates that the interest rate will be 0.17% based on the current interest rate on three-month Treasury Bills as of April 7, 2010. The actual rate may vary. |
(5) | The fee to register 50,000,000 units with the SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is $171,029.60 (the SECs fee is $95,529.60 and FINRAs fee is $75,500). The number in the break-even table assumes UGA has $72.12 million in assets which is the amount of assets as of April 8, 2010. |
(6) | Assuming the aggregate assets of UGA and the Related Public Funds are $1,000,000,000 or more, the New York Mercantile Exchange licensing fee is 0.02%. For more information see Fees of UGA. |
(7) | The foregoing assumes that the assets of UGA are aggregated with those of the Related Public Funds, that the aggregate fees paid to the independent directors for 2009 was $433,046, that the allocable portion of the fees borne by UGA equals $3,734, and that UGA has $72.12 million in assets which is the amount of assets as of April 8, 2010. |
(8) | UGA assumed the aggregate costs attributable to tax accounting and reporting for 2009 was $321,000. The number in the break-even table assumes UGA has $72.12 million in assets which is the amount of assets as of April 8, 2010. |
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Offering |
UGA is offering Creation Baskets consisting of 100,000 units through ALPS Distributors, Inc. (Marketing Agent) as marketing agent to Authorized Purchasers. Authorized Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets consisting of 100,000 units at UGAs NAV. |
Use of Proceeds |
The General Partner applies substantially all of UGAs assets toward trading in Futures Contracts and other Gasoline Interests and investing in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents. The General Partner deposits a portion of UGAs net assets with the futures commission merchant, UBS Securities LLC, or other custodian to be used to meet its current or potential margin or collateral requirements in connection with its investment in Futures Contracts, other Gasoline Interests and in Treasuries. UGA uses only Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents to satisfy these requirements. The General Partner expects that all entities that will hold or trade UGAs assets will be based in the United States and will be subject to United States regulations. Approximately 10% to 15% of UGAs assets are normally committed as margin for commodity futures contracts. However, from time to time, the percentage of assets committed as margin may be substantially more, or less, than such range. The remaining portion of UGAs assets, of which the General Partner expects to be the vast majority, are held in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents by its custodian, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (Custodian), or posted as collateral to support UGAs investments in Gasoline Interests. All interest income earned on these investments is retained for UGAs benefit. |
NYSE Arca Symbol |
UGA |
Creation and Redemption |
Authorized Purchasers pay a $1,000 fee for each order to create or redeem one or more Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets. Authorized Purchasers are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of units. The per unit price of units offered in Creation Baskets on any particular day is the total NAV of UGA calculated shortly after the close of the core trading session of the NYSE Arca on that day divided by the number of issued and outstanding units. |
Withdrawal |
As discussed in the LP Agreement, if the General Partner gives at least fifteen (15) days written notice to a limited partner, then the General Partner may for any reason, in its sole discretion, require any such limited partner to withdraw entirely from the partnership or to withdraw a portion of its partner capital account. If the General Partner does not give at least fifteen (15) days written notice to a limited partner, then it may only require withdrawal of all or any portion of the capital account of any limited partner in the following circumstances: (i) the unitholder made a misrepresentation to the General |
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Partner in connection with its purchase of units; or (ii) the limited partners ownership of units would result in the violation of any law or regulation applicable to the partnership or a partner. |
Registration Clearance and Settlement |
Individual certificates will not be issued for the units. Instead, units will be represented by one or more global certificates, which will be deposited by the Custodian with the Depository Trust Company (DTC) and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for DTC. The global certificates evidence all of the units outstanding at any time. Unitholders are limited to (1) participants in DTC such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies (DTC Participants), (2) those who maintain, either directly or indirectly, a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant (Indirect Participants), and (3) those banks, brokers, dealers, trust companies and others who hold interests in the units through DTC Participants or Indirect Participants, in each case who satisfy the requirements for transfers of units. DTC Participants acting on behalf of investors holding units through such participants accounts in DTC will follow the delivery practice applicable to securities eligible for DTCs Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Units will be credited to DTC Participants securities accounts following confirmation of receipt of payment. |
The administrator, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (Administrator), has been appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of registering and transferring units. The General Partner will recognize transfer of units only if such transfer is done in accordance with the LP Agreement, including the delivery of a transfer application. |
Net Asset Value |
The NAV is calculated by taking the current market value of UGAs total assets and subtracting any liabilities. Under UGAs current operational procedures, the Administrator calculates the NAV of UGA once each NYSE Arca trading day. The NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:00 p.m. New York time. Trading during the core trading session of the NYSE Arca typically closes at 4:00 p.m. New York time. The Administrator uses the NYMEX closing price (determined at the earlier of the close of the NYMEX or 2:30 p.m. New York time) for the contracts held on the NYMEX, but calculates or determines the value of all other UGA investments as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock Exchange or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The NYSE Arca currently calculates an approximate net asset value every 15 seconds throughout each day UGAs units are traded on the NYSE Arca for as long as the NYMEXs main pricing mechanism is open. |
Fund Expenses |
UGA pays the General Partner a management fee of 0.60% of NAV on its average net assets. Brokerage fees |
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for Treasuries, Futures Contracts, and Other Gasoline-Related Investments were 0.12% of average net assets or an annualized basis through December 31, 2009 and were paid to unaffiliated brokers. UGA also pays any licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, registration fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), or other regulatory agency in connection with this and subsequent offers and sales of the units and the legal, printing, accounting and other expenses associated with such registrations. The licensing fee paid to the NYMEX is 0.04% of NAV for the first $1,000,000,000 of assets and 0.02% of NAV after the first $1,000,000,000 of assets. The assets of UGA are aggregated with those of other funds formed by the General Partner or to be formed by the General Partner for the purpose of calculating the NYMEX licensing fee. UGA also is responsible for the fees and expenses, which may include directors and officers liability insurance, of the independent directors of the General Partner in connection with their activities with respect to UGA. These director fees and expenses may be shared with other funds managed by the General Partner. These fees and expenses, in total, amounted to $433,046 for 2009, and UGAs portion was $3,734, though this amount may change in future years. The General Partner, and not UGA, is responsible for payment of the fees of UGAs Marketing Agent, Administrator and Custodian. UGA and/or the General Partner may be required to indemnify the Marketing Agent, Administrator or Custodian under certain circumstances. UGA also pays the fees and expenses associated with UGAs audit expenses and tax accounting and reporting requirements, with the exception of certain initial implementation service fees and base service fees which were borne by the General Partner. The General Partner paid approximately $575,000 on behalf of the Related Public Funds in 2009. The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, including those relating to audit expenses and tax accounting and reporting requirements normally borne by UGA to the extent that such expenses exceeded 0.15% (15 basis points) of UGAs NAV, on an annualized basis through December 31, 2009. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such payment into subsequent years. The total amount of these costs paid by the General Partner, through December 31, 2009, was $256,355. |
Termination Events |
UGA shall continue in effect from the date of its formation in perpetuity, unless sooner terminated upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following events: the death, adjudication of incompetence, bankruptcy, dissolution, withdrawal, or removal of a General Partner who is the sole remaining General Partner, unless a majority in interest of limited partners within ninety (90) |
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days after such event elects to continue the partnership and appoints a successor general partner; or the affirmative vote of a majority in interest of the limited partners subject to certain conditions. Upon termination of the partnership, the affairs of the partnership shall be wound up and all of its debts and liabilities discharged or otherwise provided for in the order of priority as provided by law. The fair market value of the remaining assets of the partnership shall then be determined by the General Partner. Thereupon, the assets of the partnership shall be distributed pro rata to the partners in accordance with their units. |
Authorized Purchasers |
UGA has entered into agreements with several Authorized Purchasers. A current list of Authorized Purchasers is available from the Marketing Agent. Authorized Purchasers purchase or redeem Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, respectively, from or to UGA. Authorized Purchasers must be (1) registered broker-dealers or other securities market participants, such as banks and other financial institutions, that are not required to register as broker-dealers to engage in securities transactions, and (2) DTC Participants. To become an Authorized Purchaser, a person must enter into an Authorized Purchaser Agreement with the General Partner. |
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You should consider carefully the risks described below before making an investment decision. You should also refer to the other information included in this prospectus as well as information found in our periodic reports, which include UGAs financial statements and the related notes.
UGA is subject to the risks and hazards of the gasoline industry because it invests in Gasoline Interests. The risks and hazards that are inherent in the gasoline industry may cause the price of gasoline to widely fluctuate. If UGAs units accurately track the percentage changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract or the spot price of gasoline, then the price of its units may also fluctuate. The exploration for crude oil, the raw material used in the production of gasoline, and production of gasoline are uncertain processes with many risks. The cost of drilling, completing and operating wells for crude oil is often uncertain, and a number of factors can delay or prevent drilling operations or production of gasoline, including:
| unexpected drilling conditions; |
| pressure or irregularities in formations; |
| equipment failures or repairs; |
| fires or other accidents; |
| adverse weather conditions; |
| pipeline ruptures, spills or other supply disruptions; and |
| shortages or delays in the availability of drilling rigs and the delivery of equipment. |
There are a variety of hazards inherent in gasoline transmission, distribution, gathering, and processing, such as leaks, explosions, pollution, release of toxic substances, adverse weather conditions, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, physical damage to the refining or transportation system, and other hazards which could affect the price of gasoline. To the extent these hazards limit the supply or delivery of gasoline, gasoline prices will increase.
Gasoline prices fluctuate seasonally. For example, during the winter months the heating season can have a major impact on prices in the fuel industry. During the summer months, people are more likely to travel by automobile when taking spring and summer vacations along with weekend trips. The increase in travel drives fuel demand and gasoline prices typically follow.
Refineries usually use the spring months for major routine maintenance and to retool for summer gasoline blends required in various parts of the country to meet air emission requirements. Refinery maintenance as well as unplanned shut-downs reduce gasoline production. Depending on inventory levels and the strength of gasoline demand, this situation may put pressure on prices until additional gasoline supplies can be imported.
Supply interruptions may also affect inventories. For example, the Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005 had a major impact on energy-producing facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, where roughly one-third of oil production in the United States occurs. In addition, the effects remain as repairs are continuing at some production and pipeline facilities that were severely damaged.
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Tensions with Iran, the worlds fourth largest oil exporter, could put oil exports in jeopardy. Other global concerns include civil unrest and sabotage affecting the flow of oil from Nigeria, a large oil exporter. Meanwhile, friction continues between the governments of the United States and Venezuela, a major exporter to the United States. Additionally, a series of production cuts by members of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) have tightened world oil markets.
In the past, a supply disruption in one area of the world has been softened by the ability of major oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia to increase output to make up the difference. Now, much of that reserve capacity has been absorbed by increased demand. In addition, consumption of gasoline and other oil products is increasing around the world, especially in rapidly growing countries such as India and China, which is now the worlds second-largest energy user. According to the United States Governments Energy Information Administration, global oil demand is expected to rise by more than 7 million barrels per day in 2010, compared with a decrease in demand of 1.8 million barrels per day in 2009 and largely unchanged demand in 2008. Gasoline demand in the United States has been growing less than in developing nations, but the United States remains the worlds largest gasoline consumer, using an average of 377.5 million gallons a day in 2008.
Gasoline refinement and production in North America are subject to regulation and oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and various state regulatory agencies. For example, as a result of changes in fuel specifications, United States refiners in the spring and summer of 2006 began phasing out the fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and replacing it with ethanol. The switch to ethanol, which is mandated by federal law, has resulted in a tightened supply and higher prices for this grain-based product. Although increased use of ethanol is expected to bring environmental benefits, ethanol adds to gasoline production costs because it currently is more expensive than the MTBE it is replacing.
Some areas of the country are required to use special formulations of gasoline. Environmental programs, aimed at reducing carbon monoxide, smog, and air toxics, include the Federal and/or state-required oxygenated, reformulated, and low-volatility (evaporates more slowly) gasolines. Other environmental programs put restrictions on transportation and storage. The reformulated gasolines required in some urban areas and in California cost more to produce than conventional gasoline served elsewhere, increasing the price paid at the pump. Changing standards in the future may further impact the price of gasoline in this regard.
While it is expected that the trading prices of the units will fluctuate in accordance with the changes in UGAs NAV, the prices of units may also be influenced by other factors, including the short-term supply and demand for gasoline and the units. There is no guarantee that the units will not trade at appreciable discounts from, and/or premiums to, UGAs NAV. This could cause the changes in the price of the units to substantially vary from the changes in the spot price of gasoline. This may be harmful to you because if changes in the price of units vary substantially from changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract or the spot price of gasoline, then you may not be able to effectively use UGA as a way to hedge the risk of losses in your gasoline-related transactions or as a way to indirectly invest in gasoline.
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The General Partner endeavors to invest UGAs assets as fully as possible in short-term Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments so that the changes in percentage terms in the NAV closely correlate with the changes in percentage terms in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. However, changes in UGAs NAV may not correlate with the changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract for several reasons as set forth below:
| UGA (i) may not be able to buy/sell the exact amount of Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments to have a perfect correlation with NAV; (ii) may not always be able to buy and sell Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments at the market price; (iii) may not experience a perfect correlation between the spot price of gasoline and the underlying investments in Futures Contracts, Other Gasoline-Related Investments and Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents; and (iv) is required to pay fees, including brokerage fees and the management fee, which will have an effect on the correlation. |
| Short-term supply and demand for gasoline may cause the changes in the market price of the Benchmark Futures Contract to vary from the changes in UGAs NAV if UGA has fully invested in Futures Contracts that do not reflect such supply and demand and it is unable to replace such contracts with Futures Contracts that do reflect such supply and demand. In addition, there are also technical differences between the two markets, e.g., one is a physical market while the other is a futures market traded on exchanges, that may cause variations between the spot price of gasoline and the prices of related futures contracts. |
| UGA plans to buy only as many Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments that it can to get the changes in percentage terms of the NAV as close as possible to the changes in percentage terms in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. The remainder of its assets will be invested in Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents and will be used to satisfy initial margin and additional margin requirements, if any, and to otherwise support its investments in Gasoline Interests. Investments in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents, both directly and as margin, will provide rates of return that will vary from changes in the value of the price of gasoline and the spot price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. |
| In addition, because UGA will incur certain expenses in connection with its investment activities, and will hold most of its assets in cash and/or more liquid short-term securities for margin and other liquidity purposes and for redemptions that may be necessary on an ongoing basis, the General Partner will not be able to fully invest UGAs assets in Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments and there cannot be perfect correlation between changes in UGAs NAV and changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. |
| As UGA grows, there may be more or less correlation. For example, if UGA only has enough money to buy three Benchmark Futures Contracts and it needs to buy four contracts to track the price of gasoline then the correlation will be lower, but if it buys 20,000 Benchmark Futures Contracts and it needs to buy 20,001 contracts then the correlation will be higher. At certain asset levels, UGA may be limited in its ability to purchase the Benchmark Futures Contract or other Futures Contracts due to accountability levels imposed by the relevant exchanges. To the extent that UGA invests in these other Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments, the correlation with the Benchmark Futures Contract may be lower. If UGA is required to invest in other Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments that are less correlated with the Benchmark Futures Contract, UGA would likely invest in over-the-counter contracts to increase the level of correlation of UGAs assets. Over-the-counter contracts entail certain risks described below under Over-the-Counter Contract Risk. |
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| UGA may not be able to buy the exact number of Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments to have a perfect correlation with the Benchmark Futures Contract if the purchase price of Futures Contracts required to be fully invested in such contracts is higher than the proceeds received for the sale of a Creation Basket on the day the basket was sold. In such case, UGA could not invest the entire proceeds from the purchase of the Creation Basket in such futures contracts (for example, assume UGA receives $4,000,000 for the sale of a Creation Basket and assume that the price of a Futures Contract for gasoline is $59,950, then UGA could only invest in only 66 Futures Contracts with an aggregate value of $3,956,700), UGA would be required to invest a percentage of the proceeds in cash, Treasuries or other liquid securities to be deposited as margin with the futures commission merchant through which the contract was purchased. The remainder of the purchase price for the Creation Basket would remain invested in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents or other liquid securities as determined by the General Partner from time to time based on factors such as potential calls for margin or anticipated redemptions. If the trading market for Futures Contracts is suspended or closed, UGA may not be able to purchase these investments at the last reported price for such investments |
If changes in UGAs NAV do not correlate with changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract, then investing in UGA may not be an effective way to hedge against gasoline-related losses or indirectly invest in gasoline.
When using the Benchmark Futures Contract as a strategy to track the spot price of gasoline, at best the correlation between changes in prices of such Gasoline Interests and the spot price of gasoline can be only approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon circumstances such as variations in the speculative gasoline market, supply of and demand for such Gasoline Interests and technical influences in futures trading. If there is a weak correlation between the Gasoline Interests and the spot price of gasoline, then the price of units may not accurately track the price of gasoline and you may not be able to effectively use UGA as a way to hedge the risk of losses in your gasoline-related transactions or as a way to indirectly invest in gasoline.
The value of Treasuries generally moves inversely with movements in interest rates. If UGA is required to sell Treasuries at a price lower than the price at which they were acquired, UGA will experience a loss. This loss may adversely impact the price of the units and may decrease the correlation between the price of the units, the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments, and the spot price of gasoline.
UGA may not always be able to liquidate its positions in its investments at the desired price. It is difficult to execute a trade at a specific price when there is a relatively small volume of buy and sell orders in a market. A market disruption, such as a foreign government taking political actions that disrupt the market in its currency, its gasoline production or exports, or in another major export, can also make it difficult to liquidate a position. Alternatively, limits imposed by futures exchanges or other regulatory organizations, such as accountability levels, position limits and price fluctuation limits, may contribute to a lack of liquidity with respect to some commodity interests.
Unexpected market illiquidity may cause major losses to investors at any time or from time to time. In addition, UGA does not intend at this time to establish a credit facility, which would provide an additional source of liquidity and instead will rely only on the Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents that it holds. The
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anticipated large value of the positions in Futures Contracts that the General Partner will acquire or enter into for UGA increases the risk of illiquidity. Other Gasoline-Related Investments that UGA invests in, or negotiated over-the-counter contracts, may have a greater likelihood of being illiquid since they are contracts between two parties that take into account not only market risk, but also the relative credit, tax, and settlement risks under such contracts. Such contracts also have limited transferability that results from such risks and from the contracts express limitations. Because both Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments may be illiquid, UGAs Gasoline Interests may be more difficult to liquidate at favorable prices in periods of illiquid markets and losses may be incurred during the period in which positions are being liquidated.
The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the gasoline market will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price. In order to induce speculators to take the corresponding long side of the same futures contract, gasoline producers must generally be willing to sell futures contracts at prices that are below expected future spot prices. Conversely, if the predominant hedgers in the futures market are the purchasers of the gasoline who purchase futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only take the short side of the futures contract if the futures price is greater than the expected future spot price of gasoline. This can have significant implications for UGA when it is time to reinvest the proceeds from a maturing Futures Contract into a new Futures Contract.
While it is not the current intention of UGA to take physical delivery of gasoline under its Futures Contracts, futures contracts are not required to be cash-settled and it is possible to take delivery under some of these contracts. Storage costs associated with purchasing gasoline could result in costs and other liabilities that could impact the value of Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments. Storage costs include the time value of money invested in gasoline as a physical commodity plus the actual costs of storing the gasoline less any benefits from ownership of gasoline that are not obtained by the holder of a futures contract. In general, Futures Contracts have a one-month delay for contract delivery and the back month (the back month is any future delivery month other than the spot month) includes storage costs. To the extent that these storage costs change for gasoline while UGA holds Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments, the value of the Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments, and therefore UGAs NAV, may change as well.
The design of UGAs Benchmark Futures Contract is such that every month it begins by using the near month contract to expire until the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, when the near month contract is sold and replaced with the next month contract to expire. In the event of a gasoline futures market where near month contracts trade at a higher price than next month to expire contracts, a situation described as backwardation in the futures market, then absent the impact of the overall movement in gasoline prices the value of the benchmark contract would tend to rise as it approaches expiration. As a result the total return of the Benchmark Futures Contract would tend to track higher. Conversely, in the event of a gasoline futures market where near month contracts trade at a lower price than next month contracts, a situation described as contango in the futures market, then absent the impact of the overall movement in gasoline prices the value of the benchmark contract would tend to decline as it approaches expiration. As a result the total return of the Benchmark Futures Contract would tend to track lower. When compared to total return of other price indices, such as the spot price of gasoline, the impact of backwardation and contango may lead the total return of UGAs NAV to vary significantly. In the event of a prolonged period of contango, and absent the impact of rising or falling gasoline prices, this could have a significant negative impact on UGAs NAV and total return.
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The futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. In addition, the CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the retroactive implementation of speculative position limits or higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.
The regulation of commodity interest transactions in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial action. Considerable regulatory attention has been focused on non-traditional investment pools which are publicly distributed in the United States. There is a possibility of future regulatory changes altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in UGA or the ability of UGA to continue to implement its investment strategy. In addition, various national governments have expressed concern regarding the disruptive effects of speculative trading in the energy markets and the need to regulate the derivatives markets in general. The effect of any future regulatory change on UGA is impossible to predict, but could be substantial and adverse.
In the wake of the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009, the Administration, federal regulators and Congress are revisiting the regulation of the financial sector, including securities and commodities markets. These efforts are likely to result in significant changes in the regulation of these markets.
Currently, a number of proposals that would alter the regulation of Gasoline Interests are being considered by federal regulators and Congress. These proposals include the imposition of fixed position limits on energy-based commodity futures contracts, extension of position and accountability limits to futures contracts on non-U.S. exchanges previously exempt from such limits, and the forced use of clearinghouse mechanisms for all over-the-counter transactions. Certain proposals would aggregate and limit all positions in energy futures held by a single entity, whether such positions exist on U.S. futures exchanges, non-U.S. futures exchanges, or in over-the-counter contracts. While it cannot be predicted at this time what reforms will eventually be made or how they will impact UGA, if any of the aforementioned proposals are implemented, UGAs ability to meet its investment objective may be negatively impacted and investors could be adversely affected.
Additionally, on January 26, 2010, the CFTC published a proposed rule that, if implemented, would set fixed position limits on certain energy Futures Contracts including the NYMEX RBOB gasoline futures contract, NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures contract, NYMEX Light Sweet crude oil futures contract and NYMEX New York Harbor No. 2 heating oil futures contract, along with any contract based upon these contracts. The proposed position limits would be set as a percentage of the open interest in these contracts for the spot month, any single month, and all months combined. Additionally, the proposed rule would aggregate positions in the enumerated contracts and those based upon such contracts, including contracts listed on separate exchanges. This proposal is currently undergoing a 90-day public comment period.
Participants in the gasoline or in other industries may use UGA as a vehicle to hedge the risk of losses in their gasoline-related transactions. There are several risks in connection with using UGA as a hedging device. While hedging can provide protection against an adverse movement in market prices, it can also preclude a hedgers opportunity to benefit from a favorable market movement. In a hedging transaction, the hedger may be concerned that the hedged item will increase in price, but must recognize the risk that the price may instead decline and if this happens he will have lost his opportunity to profit from the change in price because the hedging transaction will result in a loss rather than a gain. Thus, the hedger foregoes the opportunity to profit from favorable price movements.
In addition, if the hedge is not a perfect one, the hedger can lose on the hedging transaction and not realize an offsetting gain in the value of the underlying item being hedged.
When using futures contracts as a hedging technique, at best, the correlation between changes in prices of futures contracts and of the items being hedged can be only approximate. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends upon circumstances such as: variations in speculative markets, demand for futures and for
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gasoline products, technical influences in futures trading, and differences between anticipated energy costs being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard futures contracts available for trading. Even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of unexpected market behavior as well as the expenses associated with creating the hedge.
In addition, using an investment in UGA as a hedge for changes in energy costs (e.g., for crude oil, heating oil, natural gas or other fuels, or electricity) may not correlate because changes in the spot price of gasoline may vary from changes in energy costs because changes in the spot price of gasoline may not be at the same rate as changes in the price of other energy products and, in any case, the spot price of gasoline may not reflect the refining, transportation, and other costs that may impact the hedgers energy costs.
Historically, Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments have generally been non-correlated to the performance of other asset classes such as stocks and bonds. Non-correlation means that there is a low statistically valid relationship between the performance of futures and other commodity interest transactions, on the one hand, and stocks or bonds, on the other hand. However, there can be no assurance that such non-correlation will continue during future periods. If, contrary to historic patterns, UGAs performance were to move in the same general direction as the financial markets, you will obtain little or no diversification benefits from an investment in the units. In such a case, UGA may have no gains to offset your losses from other investments, and you may suffer losses on your investment in UGA at the same time you incur losses with respect to other investments.
Variables such as drought, floods, weather, embargoes, tariffs and other political events may have a larger impact on gasoline prices and gasoline-linked instruments, including Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments, than on traditional securities. These additional variables may create additional investment risks that subject UGAs investments to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.
Non-correlation should not be confused with negative correlation, where the performance of two asset classes would be opposite of each other. There is no historic evidence that the spot price of gasoline and prices of other financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, are negatively correlated. In the absence of negative correlation, UGA cannot be expected to be automatically profitable during unfavorable periods for the stock market, or vice versa.
UGA is not an investment company subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940. Accordingly, you do not have the protections afforded by that statute which, for example, requires investment companies to have a majority of disinterested directors and regulates the relationship between the investment company and its investment manager.
In managing and directing the day-to-day activities and affairs of UGA, the General Partner relies heavily on Messrs. Howard Mah and John Hyland. If Messrs. Mah or Hyland were to leave or be unable to carry out their present responsibilities, it may have an adverse effect on the management of UGA. Furthermore, Messrs. Mah and Hyland are currently involved in the management of the Related Public Funds, and the General Partner has filed a registration statement for two other exchange traded security funds, the United States Brent Oil Fund, LP (USBO) and the United States Commodity Index Funds Trust (USCI). Mr. Mah is also employed by Ameristock Corporation, a registered investment adviser that manages a public mutual fund. It is estimated that Mr. Mah will spend approximately 90% of his time on UGA and Related Public Fund matters. Mr. Hyland will spend approximately 85% of his time on UGA and Related Public Fund matters. To
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the extent that the General Partner establishes additional funds, even greater demands will be placed on Messrs. Gerber, Mah and Hyland, as well as the other officers of the General Partner and its Board of Directors.
U.S. designated contract markets such as the NYMEX have established accountability levels and position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by UGA is not) may hold, own or control. For example, the current accountability level for investments at any one time in the Benchmark Futures Contract is 7,000. While this is not a fixed ceiling, it is a threshold above which the NYMEX may exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor, including limiting an investor to holding no more than 7,000 Benchmark Futures Contracts. With regard to position limits, the NYMEX limits an investor from holding more than 1,000 net futures in the last 3 days of trading in the near month contract to expire.
In addition to accountability levels and position limits, the NYMEX also sets daily price fluctuation limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of futures contracts may vary either up or down from the previous days settlement price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond that limit.
For example, the NYMEX imposes a $0.25 per gallon ($10,500 per contract) price fluctuation limit for Benchmark Futures Contracts. This limit is initially based off of the previous trading days settlement price. If any Benchmark Futures Contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes it begins at the point where the limit was imposed and the limit is reset to be $0.25 per gallon in either direction of that point. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded by $0.25 per gallon in either direction after each successive five-minute trading halt. There is no maximum price fluctuation limit during any one trading session.
U.S. futures exchanges, including the NYMEX, currently do not implement fixed position limits for Futures Contracts held outside of the last few days of trading in the near month contract to expire. However, on January 26, 2010, the CFTC published a proposed rule that, if implemented, would set fixed position limits on certain energy Futures Contracts, including the NYMEX RBOB gasoline futures contract, NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures contract, NYMEX Light Sweet crude oil futures contract and NYMEX New York Harbor No. 2 heating oil futures contract, along with any contract based upon these contracts. The proposed position limits would be set as a percentage of the open interest in these contracts for the spot month, any single month, and all months combined. Additionally, the proposed rule would aggregate positions in the enumerated contracts and those based upon such contracts, including contracts listed on separate exchanges. This proposal is currently undergoing a 90-day public comment period.
All of these limits may potentially cause a tracking error between the price of the units and the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. This may in turn prevent you from being able to effectively use UGA as a way to hedge against gasoline-related losses or as a way to indirectly invest in gasoline.
UGA is not limiting the size of the offering and is committed to utilizing substantially all of its proceeds to purchase Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. If UGA encounters accountability levels, position limits, or price fluctuation limits for gasoline contracts on the NYMEX, it may then, if permitted under applicable regulatory requirements, purchase Futures Contracts on the ICE Futures or other exchanges that trade listed gasoline futures. The Futures Contracts available on the ICE Futures are comparable to the contracts on the NYMEX, but they may have different underlying commodities, sizes, deliveries, and prices. In addition, certain of the Futures Contracts available on the ICE Futures are subject to accountability levels and position limits.
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The General Partners trading system is quantitative in nature and it is possible that the General Partner might make a mathematical error. In addition, it is also possible that a computer or software program may malfunction and cause an error in computation.
Spreads combine simultaneous long and short positions in related futures contracts that differ by commodity (e.g., long crude oil and short gasoline), by market (e.g., long WTI crude futures, short Brent crude futures), or by delivery month (e.g., long December, short November). Spreads gain or lose value as a result of relative changes in price between the long and short positions. Spreads often reduce risk to investors, because the contracts tend to move up or down together. However, both legs of the spread could move against an investor simultaneously, in which case the spread would lose value. Certain types of spreads may face unlimited risk, e.g., because the price of the futures contract underlying a short position can increase by an unlimited amount and the investor would have to take delivery or offset at that price.
A commodity straddle takes both long and short option positions in the same commodity in the same market and delivery month simultaneously. The buyer of a straddle profits if either the long or the short leg of the straddle moves further than the combined cost of both options. The seller of a straddle profits if both the long and short positions do not trade beyond a range equal to the combined premium for selling both options.
If the General Partner were to utilize a spread or straddle position and the spread performed differently than expected, the results could impact UGAs tracking error. This could affect UGAs investment objective of having its NAV closely track the changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract. Additionally, a loss on a spread position would negatively impact UGAs absolute return.
UGA and the General Partner may have inherent conflicts to the extent the General Partner attempts to maintain UGAs asset size in order to preserve its fee income and this may not always be consistent with UGAs objective of having the value of its units NAV track changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract. The General Partners officers, directors and employees do not devote their time exclusively to UGA. These persons are directors, officers or employees of other entities that may compete with UGA for their services. They could have a conflict between their responsibilities to UGA and to those other entities.
In addition, the General Partners principals, officers, directors or employees may trade futures and related contracts for their own account. A conflict of interest may exist if their trades are in the same markets and at the same time as UGA trades using the clearing broker to be used by UGA. A potential conflict also may occur if the General Partners principals, officers, directors or employees trade their accounts more aggressively or take positions in their accounts which are opposite, or ahead of, the positions taken by UGA.
The General Partner has sole current authority to manage the investments and operations of UGA, and this may allow it to act in a way that furthers its own interests which may create a conflict with your best interests. Limited partners have limited voting control, which will limit the ability to influence matters such as amendment of the LP Agreement, change in UGAs basic investment policy, dissolution of this fund, or the sale or distribution of UGAs assets.
The General Partner serves as the general partner to each of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will serve as the general partner for USBO and the sponsor for USCI, if such funds offer their securities to the public or begin operations. The General Partner may have a conflict to the extent that its trading decisions for UGA may be influenced by the effect they would have on the other funds it manages. These trading decisions may be influenced since the General Partner also serves as the general partner for all of the funds, and is required to meet all of the funds investment objectives as well as UGAs. If the General Partner believes that a trading decision it made on behalf of UGA might (i) impede its other funds from reaching their investment objectives, or (ii) improve the likelihood of meeting its other funds objectives, then the General Partner may
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choose to change its trading decision for UGA, which could either impede or improve the opportunity for UGA to meet its investment objective. In addition, the General Partner is required to indemnify the officers and directors of its other funds if the need for indemnification arises. This potential indemnification will cause the General Partners assets to decrease. If the General Partners other sources of income are not sufficient to compensate for the indemnification, then the General Partner may terminate and you could lose your investment.
Unitholders that have not applied to become limited partners have no voting rights, other than to remove the General Partner. Limited partners will have limited voting rights with respect to UGAs affairs. Unitholders may remove the General Partner only if 66 2/3% of the unitholders elect to do so. Unitholders and limited partners will not be permitted to participate in the management or control of UGA or the conduct of its business. Unitholders and limited partners must therefore rely upon the duties and judgment of the General Partner to manage UGAs affairs.
Increases in assets under management may affect trading decisions. In general, the General Partner does not intend to limit the amount of assets of UGA that it may manage. The more assets the General Partner manages, the more difficult it may be for it to trade profitably because of the difficulty of trading larger positions without adversely affecting prices and performance and of managing risk associated with larger positions.
UGA may terminate at any time, regardless of whether UGA has incurred losses, subject to the terms of the LP Agreement. In particular, unforeseen circumstances, including the death, adjudication of incompetence, bankruptcy, dissolution, withdrawal or removal of the General Partner could cause UGA to terminate unless a majority interest of the limited partners within 90 days of the event elects to continue the partnership and appoints a successor general partner, or the affirmative vote of a majority interest of the limited partners subject to certain conditions. However, no level of losses will require the General Partner to terminate UGA. UGAs termination would cause the liquidation and potential loss of your investment. Termination could also negatively affect the overall maturity and timing of your investment portfolio.
Under Delaware law, a limited partner might be held liable for our obligations as if it were a General Partner if the limited partner participates in the control of the partnerships business and the persons who transact business with the partnership think the limited partner is the General Partner.
A limited partner will not be liable for assessments in addition to its initial capital investment in any of our capital securities representing limited partnership interests. However, a limited partner may be required to repay to us any amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to it under some circumstances. Under Delaware law, we may not make a distribution to limited partners if the distribution causes our liabilities (other than liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and nonrecourse liabilities) to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that a limited partner who receives such a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution violated the law will be liable to the limited partnership for the amount of the distribution for three years from the date of the distribution.
If the General Partner gives at least fifteen (15) days written notice to a limited partner, then the General Partner may for any reason, in its sole discretion, require any such limited partner to withdraw entirely from
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the partnership or to withdraw a portion of its partner capital account. The General Partner may require withdrawal even in situations where the limited partner has complied completely with the provisions of the LP Agreement.
No transfer of any unit or interest therein may be made if such transfer would (a) violate the then applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and regulations of the SEC, any state securities commission, the CFTC or any other governmental authority with jurisdiction over such transfer, or (b) cause UGA to be taxable as a corporation or affect UGAs existence or qualification as a limited partnership. In addition, investors may only become limited partners if they transfer their units to purchasers that meet certain conditions outlined in the LP Agreement, which provides that each record holder or limited partner or unitholder applying to become a limited partner (each a record holder) may be required by the General Partner to furnish certain information, including that holders nationality, citizenship or other related status. A transferee who is not a U.S. resident may not be eligible to become a record holder or a limited partner if its ownership would subject UGA to the risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its assets under any federal, state or local law or regulation. All purchasers of UGAs units, who wish to become limited partners or record holders, and receive cash distributions, if any, or have certain other rights, must deliver an executed transfer application in which the purchaser or transferee must certify that, among other things, he, she or it agrees to be bound by UGAs LP Agreement and is eligible to purchase UGAs securities. Any transfer of units will not be recorded by the transfer agent or recognized by us unless a completed transfer application is delivered to the General Partner or the Administrator. A person purchasing UGAs existing units, who does not execute a transfer application and certify that the purchaser is eligible to purchase those securities acquires no rights in those securities other than the right to resell those securities. Whether or not a transfer application is received or the consent of the General Partner obtained, our units will be securities and will be transferable according to the laws governing transfers of securities. See Transfer of Units.
The General Partner has not previously made any cash distributions and intends to re-invest any realized gains in additional Gasoline Interests rather than distributing cash to limited partners. Therefore, unlike mutual funds, commodity pools or other investment pools that actively manage their investments in an attempt to realize income and gains from their investing activities and distribute such income and gains to their investors, UGA generally does not expect to distribute cash to limited partners. You should not invest in UGA if you will need cash distributions from UGA to pay taxes on your share of income and gains of UGA, if any, or for any other reason. Although UGA does not intend to make cash distributions, the income earned from its investments held directly or posted as margin may reach levels that merit distribution, e.g., at levels where such income is not necessary to support its underlying investments in Gasoline Interests and investors adversely react to being taxed on such income without receiving distributions that could be used to pay such tax. If this income becomes significant then cash distributions may be made.
UGA pays brokerage charges of approximately 0.12%, (including futures commission merchant fees of $3.50 per buy or sell), any licensing fees for the use of intellectual property and registration fees with the SEC, FINRA or other regulatory agency in connection with offers and sales of the units subsequent to the initial offering of the units, including the legal, printing, accounting and other expenses associated therewith. UGA also pays the fees and expenses, including directors and officers liability insurance, of the independent directors, management fees of 0.60% of NAV on its average net assets, tax accounting reporting costs and over-the-counter spreads and extraordinary expenses (e.g., subsequent offering expenses, other expenses not in the ordinary course of business, including the indemnification of any person against liabilities and obligations to the extent permitted by law and required under the LP Agreement and under agreements entered into by the General Partner on UGAs behalf and the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise
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engaging in the conduct of litigation and the incurring of legal expenses and the settlement of claims and litigation) that can not be quantified. These fees and expenses must be paid in all cases regardless of whether UGAs activities are profitable. Accordingly, UGA must earn trading gains sufficient to compensate for these fees and expenses before it can earn any profit.
Prior to the offering of units that commenced on February 26, 2008, all of UGAs expenses were funded by the General Partner and its affiliates. These payments by the General Partner and its affiliates were designed to allow UGA the ability to commence the public offering of its units. UGA now directly pays certain of these fees and expenses. The General Partner will continue to pay other fees and expenses, as set forth in the LP Agreement. If the General Partner and UGA are unable to raise sufficient funds to cover their expenses or locate any other source of funding, UGA may be forced to terminate and investors may lose all or part of their investment.
The clearing arrangements between the clearing brokers and UGA generally are terminable by the clearing brokers once the clearing broker has given UGA notice. Upon termination, the General Partner may be required to renegotiate or make other arrangements for obtaining similar services if UGA intends to continue trading in Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments at its level of capacity at such time. The services of any clearing broker may not be available, or even if available, these services may not be available on the terms as favorable as those of the expired or terminated clearing arrangements.
The General Partner does not employ trading advisors for UGA; however, it reserves the right to employ them in the future. The only advisor to UGA is the General Partner. A lack of independent trading advisors may be disadvantageous to UGA because it will not receive the benefit of a trading advisors expertise.
If a substantial number of requests for redemption of Redemption Baskets are received by UGA during a relatively short period of time, UGA may not be able to satisfy the requests from UGAs assets not committed to trading. As a consequence, it could be necessary to liquidate positions in UGAs trading positions before the time that the trading strategies would otherwise dictate liquidation.
Currently and throughout 2008 and 2009, the financial markets have experienced very difficult conditions and volatility as well as significant adverse trends. The conditions in these markets have resulted in a decrease in availability of corporate credit and liquidity and have led indirectly to the insolvency, closure or acquisition of a number of major financial institutions and have contributed to further consolidation within the financial services industry. A continued recession or a depression could adversely affect the financial condition and results of operations of UGAs service providers and Authorized Purchasers which would impact the ability of the General Partner to achieve UGAs investment objective.
Under CFTC regulations, a clearing broker maintains customers assets in a bulk segregated account. If a clearing broker fails to do so, or is unable to satisfy a substantial deficit in a customer account, its other customers may be subject to risk of a substantial loss of their funds in the event of that clearing brokers
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bankruptcy. In that event, the clearing brokers customers, such as UGA, are entitled to recover, even in respect of property specifically traceable to them, only a proportional share of all property available for distribution to all of that clearing brokers customers. The bankruptcy of a clearing broker could result in the complete loss of UGAs assets posted with the clearing broker; however, the vast majority of UGAs assets are held in Treasuries, cash and/ or cash equivalents with UGAs custodian and would not be impacted by the bankruptcy of a clearing broker. UGA also may be subject to the risk of the failure of, or delay in performance by, any exchanges and markets and their clearing organizations, if any, on which commodity interest contracts are traded.
From time to time, the clearing brokers may be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of their business. A clearing brokers involvement in costly or time-consuming legal proceedings may divert financial resources or personnel away from the clearing brokers trading operations, which could impair the clearing brokers ability to successfully execute and clear UGAs trades.
As noted above, the vast majority of UGAs assets are held in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents with UGAs custodian. The insolvency of the custodian could result in a complete loss of UGAs assets held by that custodian, which, at any given time, would likely comprise a substantial portion of UGAs total assets.
Third parties may utilize UGAs intellectual property or technology, including the use of its business methods, trademarks and trading program software, without permission. The General Partner has a patent pending for UGAs business method and it is registering its trademarks. UGA does not currently have any proprietary software. However, if it obtains proprietary software in the future, then any unauthorized use of UGAs proprietary software and other technology could also adversely affect its competitive advantage. UGA may have difficulty monitoring unauthorized uses of its patents, trademarks, proprietary software and other technology. Also, third parties may independently develop business methods, trademarks or proprietary software and other technology similar to that of the General Partner or claim that the General Partner has violated their intellectual property rights, including their copyrights, trademark rights, trade names, trade secrets and patent rights. As a result, the General Partner may have to litigate in the future to protect its trade secrets, determine the validity and scope of other parties proprietary rights, defend itself against claims that it has infringed or otherwise violated other parties rights, or defend itself against claims that its rights are invalid. Any litigation of this type, even if the General Partner is successful and regardless of the merits, may result in significant costs, divert its resources from UGA, or require it to change its proprietary software and other technology or enter into royalty or licensing agreements.
The General Partner uses mathematical formulas built into a generally available spreadsheet program to decide whether it should buy or sell Gasoline Interests each day. Specifically, the General Partner uses the spreadsheet to make mathematical calculations and to monitor positions in Gasoline Interests and Treasuries and correlations to the spot price of gasoline. The General Partner must accurately process the spreadsheets outputs and execute the transactions called for by the formulas. In addition, UGA relies on the General Partner to properly operate and maintain its computer and communications systems. Execution of the formulas and operation of the systems are subject to human error. Any failure, inaccuracy or delay in implementing any of the formulas or systems and executing UGAs transactions could impair its ability to achieve UGAs investment objective. It could also result in decisions to undertake transactions based on inaccurate or incomplete information. This could cause substantial losses on transactions.
UGAs trading activities, including its risk management, depend on the integrity and performance of the computer and communications systems supporting them. Extraordinary transaction volume, hardware or
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software failure, power or telecommunications failure, a natural disaster or other catastrophe could cause the computer systems to operate at an unacceptably slow speed or even fail. Any significant degradation or failure of the systems that the General Partner uses to gather and analyze information, enter orders, process data, monitor risk levels and otherwise engage in trading activities may result in substantial losses on transactions, liability to other parties, lost profit opportunities, damages to the General Partners and UGAs reputations, increased operational expenses and diversion of technical resources.
The development of complex computer and communications systems and new technologies may render the existing computer and communications systems supporting UGAs trading activities obsolete. In addition, these computer and communications systems must be compatible with those of third parties, such as the systems of exchanges, clearing brokers and the executing brokers. As a result, if these third parties upgrade their systems, the General Partner will need to make corresponding upgrades to continue effectively its trading activities. UGAs future success will depend on UGAs ability to respond to changing technologies on a timely and cost-effective basis.
UGA depends on the proper and timely function of complex computer and communications systems maintained and operated by the futures exchanges, brokers and other data providers that the General Partner uses to conduct trading activities. Failure or inadequate performance of any of these systems could adversely affect the General Partners ability to complete transactions, including its ability to close out positions, and result in lost profit opportunities and significant losses on commodity interest transactions. This could have a material adverse effect on revenues and materially reduce UGAs available capital. For example, unavailability of price quotations from third parties may make it difficult or impossible for the General Partner to use its proprietary software that it relies upon to conduct its trading activities. Unavailability of records from brokerage firms may make it difficult or impossible for the General Partner to accurately determine which transactions have been executed or the details, including price and time, of any transaction executed. This unavailability of information also may make it difficult or impossible for the General Partner to reconcile its records of transactions with those of another party or to accomplish settlement of executed transactions.
The operations of UGA, the exchanges, brokers and counterparties with which UGA does business, and the markets in which UGA does business could be severely disrupted in the event of a major terrorist attack or the outbreak, continuation or expansion of war or other hostilities. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the war in Iraq, global anti-terrorism initiatives and political unrest in the Middle East and Southeast Asia continue to fuel this concern.
Commodity pools trading positions in futures contracts or other commodity interests are typically required to be secured by the deposit of margin funds that represent only a small percentage of a futures contracts (or other commodity interests) entire market value. This feature permits commodity pools to leverage their assets by purchasing or selling futures contracts (or other commodity interests) with an aggregate value in excess of the commodity pools assets. While this leverage can increase the pools profits, relatively small adverse movements in the price of the pools futures contracts can cause significant losses to the pool. While the General Partner has not and does not intend to leverage UGAs assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under the LP Agreement or otherwise.
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Movements in the price of gasoline may be the result of factors outside of the General Partners control and may not be anticipated by the General Partner. Among the factors that can cause volatility in the price of gasoline are:
| worldwide or regional demand for energy, which is affected by economic conditions; |
| the domestic and foreign supply and inventories of oil and gas; |
| weather conditions, including abnormally mild winter or summer weather, and abnormally harsh winter or summer weather; |
| availability and adequacy of pipeline and other transportation facilities; |
| domestic and foreign governmental regulations and taxes; |
| political conditions in gas or oil producing regions; |
| technological advances relating to energy usage or relating to technology for exploration, production, refining and petrochemical manufacturing; |
| the ability of members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to agree upon and maintain oil prices and production levels; |
| the price and availability of alternative fuels; and |
| the impact of energy conservation efforts. |
Since UGAs commencement of operations on February 26, 2008, there has been tremendous volatility in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. For example, the price of the NYMEX Futures Contract for gasoline started 2009 at $1.0620 per gallon which was the low for 2009. Prices rose sharply over the course of 2009 and hit a peak on June 16, 2009 of $2.071 per gallon. The NYMEX Futures Contract for gasoline ended 2009 at $1.752 per gallon, up approximately 64.93% over 2009 (investors are cautioned that these represent prices for gasoline on a wholesale basis and should not be directly compared to retail prices at a gasoline service station). The General Partner anticipates that there will be continued volatility in the price of the NYMEX futures contract for gasoline and futures contracts for other petroleum-based commodities. Consequently, investors should know that this volatility can lead to a loss of all or substantially all of their investment in UGA.
Since gasoline prices correlate to crude oil prices, law and regulations that affect the price of crude oil impact the price of gasoline. Environmental and other governmental laws and regulations have increased the costs to plan, design, drill, install, operate and abandon oil wells. Other laws have prevented exploration and drilling of crude oil in certain environmentally sensitive federal lands and waters. Several environmental laws that have a direct or an indirect impact on the price of gasoline include, but are not limited to, the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980.
Gasoline is transported throughout the United States by way of pipelines, barges, tankers, trucks and rail cars and is stored in aboveground and underground storage facilities. These systems may not be adequate to meet demand, especially in times of peak demand or in areas of the United States where gasoline service is already limited due to minimal pipeline and storage infrastructure. As a result of the limited method for transporting and storing gasoline, the price of gasoline may increase.
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A portion of UGAs assets may be used to trade over-the-counter Gasoline Interests contracts, such as forward contracts or swap or spot contracts. Over-the-counter contracts are typically traded on a principal-to-principal basis through dealer markets that are dominated by major money center and investment banks and other institutions and are essentially unregulated by the CFTC. You therefore do not receive the protection of CFTC regulation or the statutory scheme of the Commodity Exchange Act in connection with this trading activity by UGA. The markets for over-the-counter contracts rely upon the integrity of market participants in lieu of the additional regulation imposed by the CFTC on participants in the futures markets. The lack of regulation in these markets could expose UGA in certain circumstances to significant losses in the event of trading abuses or financial failure by participants.
UGA also faces the risk of non-performance by the counterparties to the over-the-counter contracts. Unlike in futures contracts, the counterparty to these contracts is generally a single bank or other financial institution, rather than a clearing organization backed by a group of financial institutions. As a result, there will be greater counterparty credit risk in these transactions. A counterparty may not be able to meet its obligations to UGA, in which case UGA could suffer significant losses on these contracts.
If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, UGA may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. UGA may obtain only limited recovery or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances.
Over-the-counter contracts may have terms that make them less marketable than Futures Contracts. Over-the-counter contracts are less marketable because they are not traded on an exchange, do not have uniform terms and conditions, and are entered into based upon the creditworthiness of the parties and the availability of credit support, such as collateral, and in general, they are not transferable without the consent of the counterparty. These conditions diminish the ability to realize the full value of such contracts.
The General Partner invests primarily in Futures Contracts, a significant portion of which are on United States exchanges including the NYMEX. However, a portion of UGAs trades may take place on markets and exchanges outside the United States. Some non-U.S. markets present risks because they are not subject to the same degree of regulation as their U.S. counterparts. None of the CFTC, NFA, or any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign boards of trade or exchanges, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, nor has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign board of trade or exchange or of any applicable non-U.S. laws. Similarly, the rights of market participants, such as UGA, in the event of the insolvency or bankruptcy of a non-U.S. market or broker are also likely to be more limited than in the case of U.S. markets or brokers. As a result, in these markets, UGA has less legal and regulatory protection than it does when it trades domestically.
In some of these non-U.S. markets, the performance on a contract is the responsibility of the counterparty and is not backed by an exchange or clearing corporation and therefore exposes UGA to credit risk. Trading in non-U.S. markets also leaves UGA susceptible to swings in the value of the local currency against the U.S. dollar. Additionally, trading on non-U.S. exchanges is subject to the risks presented by exchange controls, expropriation, increased tax burdens and exposure to local economic declines and political instability. An adverse development with respect to any of these variables could reduce the profit or increase the loss earned on trades in the affected international markets.
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The price of any non-U.S. Futures Contract, options on any non-U.S. Futures Contract or other non-U.S. Other Gasoline-Related Investment, and, therefore, the potential profit and loss on such contract, may be affected by any variance in the foreign exchange rate between the time the order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or exercised. As a result, changes in the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar may cause losses to UGA even if the contract traded is profitable.
Some non-U.S. exchanges also may be in a more developmental stage so that prior price histories may not be indicative of current price dynamics. In addition, UGA may not have the same access to certain positions on foreign trading exchanges as do local traders, and the historical market data on which the General Partner bases its strategies may not be as reliable or accessible as it is for U.S. exchanges.
Please refer to U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for information regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of units.
Cash or property will be distributed at the sole discretion of the General Partner. The General Partner has not and does not intend to make cash or other distributions with respect to units. You will be required to pay U.S. federal income tax and, in some cases, state, local, or foreign income tax, on your allocable share of UGAs taxable income, without regard to whether you receive distributions or the amount of any distributions. Therefore, your tax liability with respect to your units may exceed the amount of cash or value of property (if any) distributed.
Due to the application of the assumptions and conventions applied by UGA in making allocations for tax purposes and other factors, your allocable share of UGAs income, gain, deduction or loss may be different than your economic profit or loss from your units for a taxable year. This difference could be temporary or permanent and, if permanent, could result in your being taxed on amounts in excess of your economic income.
The U.S. tax rules pertaining to partnerships are complex and their application to large, publicly traded partnerships such as UGA is in many respects uncertain. UGA will apply certain assumptions and conventions in an attempt to comply with the intent of the applicable rules and to report taxable income, gains, deductions, losses and credits in a manner that properly reflects unitholders economic gains and losses. These assumptions and conventions may not fully comply with all aspects of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and applicable Treasury Regulations, however, and it is possible that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, will successfully challenge our allocation methods and require us to reallocate items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit in a manner that adversely affects you. If this occurs, you may be required to file an amended tax return and to pay additional taxes plus deficiency interest.
UGA has received an opinion of counsel that, under current U.S. federal income tax laws, UGA will be treated as a partnership that is not taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that (i) at least 90 percent of UGAs annual gross income consists of qualifying income as defined in the Code,
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(ii) UGA is organized and operated in accordance with its governing agreements and applicable law and (iii) UGA does not elect to be taxed as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. Although the General Partner anticipates that UGA has satisfied and will continue to satisfy the qualifying income requirement for all of its taxable years, that result cannot be assured. UGA has not requested and will not request any ruling from the IRS with respect to its classification as a partnership not taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes. If the IRS were to successfully assert that UGA is taxable as a corporation for federal income tax purposes in any taxable year, rather than passing through its income, gains, losses and deductions proportionately to unitholders, UGA would be subject to tax on its net income for the year at corporate tax rates. In addition, although the General Partner does not currently intend to make distributions with respect to units, any distributions would be taxable to unitholders as dividend income. Taxation of UGA as a corporation could materially reduce the after-tax return on an investment in units and could substantially reduce the value of your units.
PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE POSSIBLE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF AN INVESTMENT IN UNITS; SUCH TAX CONSEQUENCES MAY DIFFER IN RESPECT OF DIFFERENT INVESTORS.
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UGA is a Delaware limited partnership organized on April 13, 2007. UGA maintains its main business office at 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145, Alameda, California 94502. UGA is a commodity pool. It operates pursuant to the terms of the LP Agreement, which grants full management control to the General Partner.
UGA is a publicly traded limited partnership which seeks to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV track the changes in percentage terms in the spot price of unleaded gasoline as traded in the United States. UGA invests in a mixture of listed gasoline futures contracts, other non-listed gasoline-related investment, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. UGA began trading on February 26, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, UGA had total net assets of $72,327,350 and had outstanding units of 2.0 million.
Our sole General Partner is United States Commodity Funds LLC, a single member limited liability company that was formed in the state of Delaware on May 10, 2005. Prior to June 13, 2008, the General Partner was known as Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC. It maintains its main business office at 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145, Alameda, California 94502. The General Partner is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wainwright Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (Wainwright). Mr. Nicholas Gerber (discussed below) controls Wainwright by virtue of his ownership of Wainwrights shares. Wainwright is a holding company. Wainwright previously owned an insurance company organized under Bermuda law, which has been liquidated, and a registered investment adviser firm named Ameristock Corporation, which has been distributed to the Wainwright shareholders. The General Partner is a member of the NFA and is registered with the CFTC as of December 1, 2005. The General Partners registration as a CPO with the NFA was approved on December 1, 2005.
The General Partner also manages the Related Public Funds. USOF is a publicly traded limited partnership which seeks to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV track the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on light, sweet crude oil traded on the NYMEX, less USOFs expenses. USOF invests in a mixture of listed crude oil futures contracts, other non-listed oil related investments, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. USOFs units began trading on April 10, 2006. As of February 28, 2010, USOF had total net assets of $1,854,622,764 and had outstanding units of 47.8 million. USOF employs an investment strategy in its operations that is similar to the investment strategy of UGA, except that its benchmark is the near month contract for light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma on a long basis.
USNG is a publicly traded limited partnership which seeks to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV track the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub, Louisiana, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on natural gas traded on the NYMEX, less USNGs expenses. USNG invests in a mixture of listed natural gas futures contracts, other non-listed natural gas related investments, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. USNGs units began trading on April 18, 2007. As of February 28, 2010, USNG had total net assets of $3,594,443,718 and had outstanding units of 411.1 million. USNG employs an investment strategy in its operations that is similar to the investment strategy of UGA, except its benchmark is the near month contract for natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub, Louisiana.
US12OF is a publicly traded limited partnership which seeks to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV track the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, as measured by the changes in the average of the prices of 12 futures contracts on light, sweet crude oil traded on the NYMEX, less US12OFs expenses. US12OF invests in a mixture of listed crude oil futures contracts, other non-listed oil related investments, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. US12OFs units began trading on December 6, 2007. As of February 28, 2010, US12OF had total net assets of $161,837,281 and had outstanding units of 4.1 million. US12OF employs an investment strategy in its
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operations that is similar to the investment strategy of UGA, except that its benchmark is the average of the prices of the near month contract to expire and the following eleven months contracts for light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma.
USHO is a publicly traded limited partnership which seeks to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV track the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of heating oil (also known as No. 2 fuel oil) for delivery to the New York harbor, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract for heating oil traded on the NYMEX, less USHOs expenses. USHO invests in a mixture of listed heating oil futures contracts, other non-listed heating oil related investments, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. USHOs units began trading on April 9, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, USHO had total net assets of $15,702,463 and had outstanding units of 600,000. USHO employs an investment strategy in its operations that is similar to the investment strategy of UGA, except its benchmark is the near month contract for heating oil delivered at the New York harbor.
USSO is a commodity pool and issues units traded on the NYSE Arca. The investment objective of USSO is to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV inversely reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on light, sweet crude oil as traded on the NYMEX, less USSOs expenses. USSO invests in a mixture of listed crude oil futures contracts, other non-listed crude oil related investments, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. USSOs units began trading on September 18, 2009. As of February 28, 2010, USSO had total net assets of $13,102,818 and had outstanding units of 300,000. USSO employs an investment strategy in its operations that is similar to the investment strategy of UGA, except its benchmark is the inverse of the near month contract for light, sweet crude oil delivered to Cushing, Oklahoma.
U12NG is a commodity pool and issues units traded on the NYSE Arca. The investment objective of US12NG is to have the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub, Louisiana, as measured by the changes in the average of the prices of 12 futures contracts on natural gas traded on the NYMEX, less US12NGs expenses. US12NG invests in a mixture of listed natural gas futures contracts, other non-listed natural gas futures contracts, other non-listed natural gas-related investments, Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents. US12NGs units began trading on November 18, 2009. As of February 28, 2010, US12NG had total net assets of $33,573,229 and had outstanding units of 700,000. US12NG employs an investment strategy in its operations that is similar to the investment strategy of UGA, except its benchmark is the average of the prices of the near month contract to expire and the following eleven months contracts for natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub, Louisiana.
The General Partner has filed a registration statement for two other exchange traded security funds, USBO and USCI. The investment objective of USBO will be for the daily changes in percentage terms of its units NAV to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of Brent crude oil, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on Brent crude oil traded on the ICE Futures, less USBOs expenses. The investment objective of USCI will be for the daily changes in percentage terms of its units NAV to reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of the SummerHaven Dynamic Commodity Index (SDCI) Total Return, less USCIs expenses.
See Prior Performance of the General Partner and Affiliates on page 36.
The General Partner is required to evaluate the credit risk of UGA to the futures commission merchant, oversee the purchase and sale of UGAs units by certain Authorized Purchasers, review daily positions and margin requirements of UGA, and manage UGAs investments. The General Partner also pays the fees of the Marketing Agent, the Administrator, and the Custodian.
Limited partners have no right to elect the General Partner on an annual or any other continuing basis. If the General Partner voluntarily withdraws, however, the holders of a majority of UGAs outstanding units (excluding for purposes of such determination units owned, if any, by the withdrawing General Partner and its affiliates) may elect its successor. The General Partner may not be removed as general partner except upon
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approval by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3 percent of our outstanding units (excluding units owned, if any, by the General Partner and its affiliates), subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions set forth in the LP Agreement.
The business and affairs of our General Partner are managed by a board of directors, which is comprised of four management directors some of whom are also its executive officers (the Management Directors) and three independent directors who meet the independent director requirements established by the NYSE Arca and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Management Directors have the authority to manage the General Partner pursuant to its Limited Liability Company Agreement. Through its Management Directors, the General Partner manages the day-to-day operations of UGA. The board of directors has an audit committee which is made up of the three independent directors (Peter M. Robinson, Gordon L. Ellis, and Malcolm R. Fobes III). The audit committee is governed by an audit committee charter that is posted on UGAs website. Gordon L. Ellis and Malcolm R. Fobes III meet the financial sophistication requirements of the NYSE Arca and the audit committee charter. The board of directors has further determined that each of Messrs. Ellis and Fobes have accounting or related financial management expertise, as required by the NYSE Arca, such that each of them is considered an Audit Committee Financial Expert as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K.
Mr. Nicholas Gerber and Mr. Howard Mah serve as executive officers of the General Partner. UGA has no executive officers. Its affairs are generally managed by the General Partner. The following individuals serve as Management Directors of the General Partner.
Nicholas Gerber has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Partner since June 9, 2005 and a Management Director of the General Partner since May 10, 2005. He maintains his main business office at 1320 Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145, Alameda, California 94502. Mr. Gerber has also acted as a portfolio manager for UGA and the Related Public Funds. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since November 29, 2005, as Branch Manager of the General Partner since May 15, 2009, and registered with the CFTC as an Associated Person of the General Partner on December 1, 2005. Currently, Mr. Gerber manages UGA and the Related Public Funds. He will also manage USBO and USCI. Mr. Gerber also served as Vice President/Chief Investment Officer of Lyons Gate Reinsurance Company, Ltd., a company formed to reinsure workmens compensation insurance, from June 2003 to December 2009. Mr. Gerber has an extensive background in securities portfolio management and in developing investment funds that make use of indexing and futures contracts. He is also the founder of Ameristock Corporation, a California-based investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, that has been sponsoring and providing portfolio management services to mutual funds since March 1995. Since August 1995, Mr. Gerber has been the portfolio manager of the Ameristock Mutual Fund, Inc. a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, focused on large cap U.S. equities that, as of February 28, 2010, had $208,573,985 in assets. He has also been a Trustee for the Ameristock ETF Trust since June 2006, and served as a portfolio manager for the Ameristock/Ryan 1 Year, 2 Year, 5 Year, 10 Year and 20 Year Treasury ETF from June 2007 to June 2008 when such funds were liquidated. In these roles, Mr. Gerber has gained extensive experience in evaluating and retaining third-party service providers, including custodians, accountants, transfer agents, and distributors. Mr. Gerber has passed the Series 3 examination for associated persons. He holds an MBA in finance from the University of San Francisco and a BA from Skidmore College. Mr. Gerber is 47 years old.
Howard Mah has been a Management Director of the General Partner since May 10, 2005, Secretary of the General Partner since June 9, 2005, and Chief Financial Officer of the General Partner since May 23, 2006. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since November 29, 2005. In these roles, Mr. Mah is currently involved in the management of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will be involved in the management of USBO and USCI. Mr. Mah also serves as the General Partners Chief Compliance Officer. He received a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta, in 1986 and an MBA from the University of San Francisco in 1988. He served as Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of the Ameristock ETF Trust from February 2007 until June 2008 when the trust was liquidated, Chief Compliance Officer of Ameristock Corporation since January 2001, a tax and finance consultant in private practice since January 1995, Secretary of Ameristock Mutual Fund since June 1995 and Ameristock Focused Value Fund from December 2000 to January 2005, Chief Compliance Officer of Ameristock Mutual Fund
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since August 2004 and the Co-Portfolio Manager of the Ameristock Focused Value Fund from December 2000 to January 2005. Mr. Mah is 45 years old.
Andrew F. Ngim has been a Management Director of the General Partner since May 10, 2005 and Treasurer of the General Partner since June 9, 2005. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since November 29, 2005. As Treasurer of the General Partner, Mr. Ngim is currently involved in the management of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will be involved in the management of USBO and USCI. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. Mr. Ngim has been Ameristock Corporations Managing Director since January 1999 and co-portfolio manager of Ameristock Corporation since January 2000, Trustee of the Ameristock ETF Trust since February 2007, and served as a portfolio manager for the Ameristock/Ryan 1 Year, 2 Year, 5 Year, 10 Year and 20 Year Treasury ETF from June 2007 to June 2008 when such funds were liquidated. Mr. Ngim is 49 years old.
Robert L. Nguyen has been a Management Director of the General Partner since May 10, 2005. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since November 29, 2005 and registered with the CFTC as an Associated Person on November 9, 2007. As a Management Director of the General Partner, Mr. Nguyen is currently involved in the management of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will be involved in the management of USBO and USCI. He received a Bachelor of Science from California State University Sacramento in 1981. Mr. Nguyen has been the Managing Principal of Ameristock Corporation since January 2000. Mr. Nguyen is 50 years old.
The following individuals provide significant services to UGA but are employed by the General Partner.
John P. Love has acted as a Portfolio Operations Manager for UGA since it commenced operations in February 2008 and the Related Public Funds since January 2006 and, effective March 1, 2010, is the Senior Portfolio Manager for UGA and the Related Public Funds. He is expected to be Senior Portfolio Manager for USBO and USCI. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since January 17, 2006. Mr. Love also served as the operations manager of Ameristock Corporation from October 2002 to January 2007, where he was responsible for back office and marketing activities for the Ameristock Mutual Fund and Ameristock Focused Value Fund and for the firm in general. Mr. Love holds a Series 3 license and was registered with the CFTC as an Associated Person of the General Partner from December 1, 2005 through April 16, 2009. Mr. Love has passed the Level 1 Chartered Financial Analyst examination and is currently a Level II candidate in the CFA Program. He holds a BFA in cinema-television from the University of Southern California. Mr. Love is 38 years old.
John T. Hyland, CFA acts as a Portfolio Manager and as the Chief Investment Officer for the General Partner. He registered with the CFTC as an Associated Person of the General Partner on December 1, 2005, and has been listed as a Principal of the General Partner since January 17, 2006. Mr. Hyland became the Portfolio Manager for USOF, USNG, US12OF, UGA, USHO, USSO and US12NG in April 2006, April 2007, December 2007, February 2008, April 2008, September 2009 and November 2009, respectively, and as Chief Investment Officer of the General Partner since January 2008, acts in such capacity on behalf of UGA and the Related Public Funds. He is also expected to become the Portfolio Manager for USBO and USCI. As part of his responsibilities for UGA and the Related Public Funds, Mr. Hyland handles day-to-day trading, helps set investment policies, and oversees UGAs and the Related Public Funds activities with their futures commission brokers, custodian-administrator, and marketing agent. Mr. Hyland has an extensive background in portfolio management and research with both equity and fixed income securities, as well as in the development of new types of complex investment funds. In July 2001, Mr. Hyland founded Towerhouse Capital Management, LLC, a firm that provides portfolio management and new fund development expertise to non-U.S. institutional investors. Mr. Hyland has been, and remains, a Principal and Portfolio Manager for Towerhouse. Mr. Hyland received his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1994. Mr. Hyland is a member of the CFA Institute (formerly AIMR). He is also a member of the National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts, a not-for-profit organization of investment professionals focused on the oil industry. He serves as an arbitrator for FINRA as part of their dispute resolution program. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and received a BA in political science/international relations in 1982. Mr. Hyland is 50 years old.
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Ray W. Allen acts as a Portfolio Operations Manager for UGA, USHO, USSO, US12NG and is expected to be the Portfolio Operations Manager for USBO. He was hired by the General Partner in October 2007 and has been employed by the General Partner since January 14, 2008. He holds a Series 3 license and is registered with the CFTC as an Associated Person of the General Partner on March 25, 2008. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since March 18, 2009. Mr. Allens responsibilities include daily trading and operations for UGA, USHO, USSO and US12NG. In addition, from February 2002 to October 2007, Mr. Allen was responsible for analyzing and evaluating the creditworthiness of client companies at Marble Bridge Funding Group Inc., in Walnut Creek, CA. Marble Bridge Funding Group Inc. is a commercial finance company providing capital to entrepreneurial companies. Mr. Allen received a BA in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1980. Mr. Allen is 53 years old.
The following individuals serve as independent directors of the General Partner.
Peter M. Robinson has been an Independent Director of the General Partner since September 30, 2005 and, as such, serves on the board of directors of the General Partner, which acts on behalf of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will serve on behalf of USBO, if such fund commences operations. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since December 2005. Mr. Robinson received an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr Robinson has been employed as a Research Fellow writing about business and politics with the Hoover Institution since April 1993. The Hoover Institution is a public policy think tank located on the campus of Stanford University. Mr. Robinson graduated from Dartmouth College in 1979 and Oxford University in 1982. Mr. Robinson received an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Robinson has also written three books and has been published in the New York Times, Red Herring, and Forbes ASAP and he is the editor of Can Congress Be Fixed?: Five Essays on Congressional Reform (Hoover Institution Press, 1995). Mr. Robinson is 52 years old.
Gordon L. Ellis has been an Independent Director of the General Partner since September 30, 2005 and, as such, serves on the board of directors of the General Partner, which acts on behalf of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will serve on behalf of USBO, if such fund commences operations. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since November 2005. Mr. Ellis has been Chairman of International Absorbents, Inc., a holding company of Absorption Corp., since July 1988, President and Chief Executive Officer since November 1996 and a Class I Director of the company since July 1985. Mr. Ellis is also a director of Absorption Corp., International Absorbents, Inc.s wholly-owned subsidiary, which is engaged in developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide range of animal care and industrial absorbent products. Mr. Ellis is a director/trustee of Polymer Solutions, Inc., a former publicly-held company that sold all of its assets effective as of February 3, 2004 and is currently winding down its operations and liquidating following such sale. Polymer Solutions previously manufactured and distributed paints, coatings, stains and primers for wood furniture manufacturers. Mr. Ellis is a professional engineer, with an MBA in international finance. Mr. Ellis is 63 years old.
Malcolm R. Fobes III has been an Independent Director of the General Partner since September 30, 2005 and, as such, serves on the board of directors of the General Partner, which acts on behalf of UGA and the Related Public Funds and will serve on behalf of USBO, if such fund commences operations. He has been listed with the CFTC as a Principal of the General Partner since November 2005. Mr. Fobes is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Capital Holdings, Inc., a California-based investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, that has been sponsoring and providing portfolio management services to mutual funds since June 1997. Since June 1997, Mr. Fobes has been the Chairman and President of The Berkshire Funds, a mutual fund investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Mr. Fobes also serves as portfolio manager of the Berkshire Focus Fund, a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which concentrates its investments in the electronic technology industry. From April 2000 to July 2006, Mr. Fobes also served as co-portfolio manager of The Wireless Fund, a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which concentrates its investments in companies engaged in the development, production, or distribution of wireless-related products or services. In these roles, Mr. Fobes has gained extensive experience in evaluating and retaining third-party service providers, including custodians, accountants, transfer agents, and distributors. Mr. Fobes was also contributing editor of Start a Successful Mutual Fund: The Step-by-Step Reference Guide to
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Make It Happen (JV Books, 1995). Mr. Fobes holds a B.S. degree in Finance and Economics from San Jose State University in California. Mr. Fobes is 45 years old.
The following are individual Principals, as that term is defined in CFTC Rule 3.1, for the General Partner: Melinda Gerber, the Gerber Family Trust, the Nicholas and Melinda Gerber Living Trust, Howard Mah, Andrew Ngim, Robert Nguyen, Peter Robinson, Gordon Ellis, Malcolm Fobes, John Love, John Hyland, Ray Allen and Wainwright Holdings, Inc. These individuals are principals due to their positions, however, Nicholas Gerber and Melinda Gerber are also principals due to their controlling stake in Wainwright. None of the principals owns or has any other beneficial interest in UGA. Nicholas Gerber and John Hyland make trading and investment decisions for UGA. John Love and John Hyland execute trades on behalf of UGA. In addition, Nicholas Gerber, John Hyland, Robert Nguyen and Ray Allen are registered with the CFTC as Associated Persons of the General Partner and are NFA Associate Members.
UGA does not directly compensate any of the executive officers noted above. The executive officers noted above are compensated by the General Partner for the work they perform on behalf of UGA and other entities controlled by the General Partner. UGA does not reimburse the General Partner for, nor does it set the amount or form of any portion of, the compensation paid to the executive officers by the General Partner. UGA pays fees to the General Partner pursuant to the LP Agreement under which it is obligated to pay the General Partner an annualized fee of 0.60% of NAV on all of its average daily net assets. For 2009, UGA paid the General Partner aggregate management fees of $376,611.
The following table sets forth compensation earned during the year ended December 31, 2009, by the Directors of the General Partner. UGAs portion of the aggregate fees paid to the Directors for the calendar year 2009 was $3,734.
Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash |
Stock Awards |
Option Awards |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation |
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan |
All Other Compensation |
Total | |||||||||||||||||||||
Management Directors |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nicholas Gerber | $ | 0 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Andrew F. Ngim | $ | 0 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Howard Mah | $ | 0 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Robert L. Nguyen | $ | 0 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Independent Directors |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter M. Robinson | $ | 100,000 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 100,000 | |||||||||||||||||
Gordon L. Ellis | $ | 101,000 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 101,000 | |||||||||||||||||
Malcolm R. Fobes III(1) | $ | 121,000 | NA | NA | NA | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 121,000 |
(1) | Mr. Fobes serves as chairman of the audit committee of the General Partner and receives additional compensation in recognition of the additional responsibilities he has undertaken in this role. |
In addition to the fees and expenses noted above, each of the three independent directors of the General Partner entered into a Director Deferred Compensation Agreement (the Director Agreement) with the General Partner and each of the commodity pools for which it acts as the general partner, including UGA and the Related Public Funds, to provide sufficient incentive to each independent director to continue his service as such. Pursuant to the Director Agreement, each independent director may receive certain deferred compensation payments from UGA and the Related Public Funds and such deferred compensation would be apportioned in a manner consistent with the payment of fees and expenses of the directors. Deferred compensation payments due to each independent director would not exceed an aggregate amount equal to two times the annual compensation received by such director as of April 1, 2010. Subject to certain exceptions, the deferred compensation would be payable on the later of April 1, 2012, the directors separation from service, as defined by the Director Agreement, or upon the directors death.
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UGAs units have traded on the NYSE Arca under the symbol UGA since November 25, 2008. Prior to trading on the NYSE Arca, UGAs units previously traded on the AMEX under the symbol UGA since its initial public offering on February 26, 2008. The following table sets forth the range of reported high and low sales prices of the units as reported on AMEX and NYSE Arca, as applicable, for the periods indicated below.
High | Low | |||||||
Fiscal year 2009 |
||||||||
First quarter | $ | 26.30 | $ | 19.73 | ||||
Second quarter | $ | 35.13 | $ | 23.32 | ||||
Third quarter | $ | 35.71 | 31.73 | |||||
Fourth quarter | $ | 37.82 | $ | 31.73 | ||||
Fiscal year 2008 |
||||||||
First quarter (beginning February 26, 2008) | $ | 50.93 | $ | 46.00 | ||||
Second quarter | $ | 67.03 | $ | 47.97 | ||||
Third quarter | $ | 67.66 | $ | 43.71 | ||||
Fourth quarter | $ | 48.54 | $ | 16.10 |
As of December 31, 2009, UGA had 5131 holders of units.
The General Partner is also currently the general partner of the Related Public Funds. Each of the General Partner and the Related Public Funds is located in California.
UGAs units began trading on the American Stock Exchange on February 26, 2008 and are offered on a continuous basis. As a result of the acquisition of the American Stock Exchange by NYSE Euronext, UGAs units commenced trading on the NYSE Arca on November 25, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by UGA from its Authorized Purchasers was $129,739,781; the total number of Authorized Purchasers of UGA was 7; the number of baskets purchased by Authorized Purchasers of UGA was 43; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 4,300,000.
Since the offering of UGA units to the public on February 26, 2008 to February 28, 2010, the simple average daily change in its Benchmark Futures Contract was -0.010%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of UGA over the same time period was -0.011%. The average daily difference was -0.001% (or 0.1 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was -0.658%, meaning that over this time period UGAs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
USOFs units began trading on the American Stock Exchange on April 10, 2006 and are offered on a continuous basis. As a result of the acquisition of the American Stock Exchange by NYSE Euronext, USOFs units commenced trading on the NYSE Arca on November 25, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by USOF from its authorized purchasers was $24,259,131,469; the total number of authorized purchasers of USOF was 18; the number of baskets purchased by authorized purchasers of USOF was 4,813; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 481,300,000.
Since the offering of USOF units to the public on April 10, 2006 to February 28, 2010, the simple average daily change in its benchmark oil futures contract was -0.026%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USOF over the same time period was -0.021%. The average daily difference was 0.005% (or 0.5 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the benchmark oil futures contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was 1.532%, meaning that over this time period USOFs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
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USNGs units began trading on the American Stock Exchange on April 18, 2007 and are offered on a continuous basis. As a result of the acquisition of the American Stock Exchange by NYSE Euronext, USNGs units commenced trading on the NYSE Arca on November 25, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by USNG from its authorized purchasers was $10,558,665,387; the total number of authorized purchasers of USNG was 15; the number of baskets purchased by authorized purchasers of USNG was 5,961; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 596,100,000.
Since the offering of USNG units to the public on April 18, 2007 to February 28, 2010, the simple average daily change in its benchmark futures contract was -0.189%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USNG over the same time period was -0.187. The average daily difference was 0.002% (or 0.2 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the benchmark futures contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was 0.489%, meaning that over this time period USNGs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
US12OFs units began trading on the American Stock Exchange on December 6, 2007 and are offered on a continuous basis. As a result of the acquisition of the American Stock Exchange by NYSE Euronext, US12OFs units commenced trading on the NYSE Arca on November 25, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by US12OF from its authorized purchasers was $225,180,194; the total number of authorized purchasers of US12OF was 7; the number of baskets purchased by authorized purchasers of US12OF was 75; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 7,500,000.
Since the offering of US12OF units to the public on December 6, 2007 to February 28, 2010, the simple average daily change in its benchmark oil futures contracts was -0.006%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of US12OF over the same time period was -0.005%. The average daily difference was 0.001% (or 0.1 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the benchmark oil futures contracts, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was -0.141%, meaning that over this time period US12OFs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
USHOs units began trading on the American Stock Exchange on April 9, 2008 and are offered on a continuous basis. As a result of the acquisition of the American Stock Exchange by NYSE Euronext, USHOs units commenced trading on the NYSE Arca on November 25, 2008. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by USHO from its authorized purchasers was $27,751,399; the total number of authorized purchasers of USHO was 7; the number of baskets purchased by authorized purchasers of USHO was 8; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 800,000.
Since the offering of USHO units to the public on April 9, 2008 to February 28, 2010, the simple average daily change in its benchmark futures contract was -0.095%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USHO over the same time period was -0.095%. The average daily difference was 0%. As a percentage of the daily movement of the benchmark futures contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was -0.700%, meaning that over this time period USHOs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
USSOs units began trading on the NYSE Arca on September 18, 2009 and are offered on a continuous basis. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by USSO from its authorized purchasers was $14,290,533; the total number of authorized purchasers was 7; the number of baskets purchased by authorized purchasers of USSO was 3; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 300,000.
Since the offering of USSO units to the public on September 18, 2009 to February 28, 2010, the inverse of the simple average daily change in its benchmark futures contract was 0.105, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USSO over the same time period was -0.108%. The average daily difference was -0.003% (or 0.3 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the benchmark futures contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was -0.639%, meaning that over this time period USSOs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
37
US12NGs units began trading on the NYSE Arca on November 18, 2009 and are offered on a continuous basis. As of February 28, 2010, the total amount of money raised by US12NG from its authorized purchasers was $40,652,357; the total number of authorized purchasers was 3; the number of baskets purchased by authorized purchasers was 8; and the aggregate amount of units purchased was 800,000.
Since the offering of US12NG units to the public on November 18, 2009 to February 28, 2010, the simple average daily change in its benchmark futures contracts was -0.025%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of US12NG over the same time period was -0.028%. The average daily difference was -0.003% (or -0.3 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of the benchmark futures contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV was -0.024%, meaning that over this time period US12NGs tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
The table below shows the relationship between the trading prices of the units of each of the Related Public Funds and the daily NAV of such fund, from inception through February 28, 2010. The first row shows the average amount of the variation between the funds closing market price and NAV, computed on a daily basis since inception, while the second and third rows depict the maximum daily amount of the end of day premiums and discounts to NAV since inception, on a percentage basis. Management of the General Partner believes that maximum and minimum end of day premiums and discounts typically occur because trading in the units continues on the NYSE Arca until 4:00 p.m. New York time while regular trading in the Benchmark Futures Contract on the NYMEX ceases at 2:30 p.m. New York time and the value of the relevant benchmark futures contract, for purposes of determining its end of day NAV, can be determined at that time. One known exception to this conclusion were the premiums on trading in USNG units that occurred between July 8, 2009 and September 28, 2009, when USNG suspended the issuance of Creation Baskets as a result of regulatory concern relating to the size of USNGs positions in the natural gas futures and cleared swap markets, and there was continued demand for such units and other similar natural gas futures linked investments in the market.
USOF | USNG | US12OF | UGA | USHO | USSO | US12NG | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Average Difference | $ | 0.00 | $ | 0.10 | -$0.05 | $ | 0.01 | $ | 0.01 | $ | 0.00 | -$0.01 | ||||||||||||||||
Max Premium % | 4.17 | % | 21.32 | % | 10.58 | % | 7.25 | % | 3.20 | % | $ | 1.14 | 0.95 | % | ||||||||||||||
Max Discount % | -4.62 | % | -3.51 | % | -9.93 | % | -3.11 | % | -3.07 | % | -7.09 | % | -0.77 | % |
There are significant differences between investing in UGA and the Related Public Funds and investing directly in the futures market. The General Partners results with UGA and the Related Public Funds may not be representative of results that may be experienced with a fund directly investing in futures contracts or other managed funds investing in futures contracts. Moreover, given the different investment objectives of UGA and the Related Public Funds, the performance of UGA may not be representative of results that may be experienced by the other Related Public Funds. For more information on the performance of the Related Public Funds, see the Performance Tables below.
38
Dollar Amount Offered*: | $ | 1,500,000,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised: | $ | 129,739,781 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses**: |
||||
SEC registration fee: | $ | 184,224 | ||
FINRA registration fee: | $ | 151,000 | ||
Listing fee: | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses: | $ | 27,500 | ||
Legal fees and expenses: | $ | 223,392 | ||
Printing expenses: | $ | 162,901 | ||
Length of offering | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | Through September 1, 2009, initial offering costs and a portion of ongoing expenses were paid for by the General Partner. Following September 1, 2009, UGA has recorded these expenses. |
Expenses: | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | $ | 542,047 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | $ | 101,346 | ||
Other Amounts Paid*: | $ | 614,138 | ||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued: | $ | 1,257,523 | ||
Expenses Waived:** | $ | (446,690 | ) | |
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived: | $ | 810,833 |
* | Includes expenses relating to the registration of additional units, legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
** | The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the extent that such expenses exceeded 0.15% (15 basis points) of UGAs NAV, on an annualized basis. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such payment into subsequent periods. |
39
Expenses in UGA Offering: | Amount as a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | 0.60% annualized | |||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | 0.11% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid: | 0.68% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued: | 1.39% annualized | |||
Expenses Waived: | (0.49)% annualized | |||
Net Expense Ratio: | 0.90% annualized | |||
UGA Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool: | UGA | |||
Type of Commodity Pool: | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading: | February 26, 2008 | |||
Aggregate Gross Capital Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010): | $129,739,781 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010: | $72,327,350 | |||
Initial NAV Per Unit as of Inception: | $50.00 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010: | $36.16 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down: | October 2008 (38.48%) | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down: | Jun 2008 Dec 2008 (69.02%) | |||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009 | 5,131 |
Rates of Return* | ||||||||||||
Month | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||||||
January | | 16.23 | % | (7.47 | )% | |||||||
February | (0.56)%** | 0.26 | % | 7.33 | % | |||||||
March | (2.39 | )% | 2.59 | % | ||||||||
April | 10.94 | % | 2.07 | % | ||||||||
May | 15.60 | % | 30.41 | % | ||||||||
June | 4.80 | % | 1.65 | % | ||||||||
July | (12.79 | )% | 6.24 | % | ||||||||
August | (3.88 | )% | (3.71 | )% | ||||||||
September | (9.36 | )% | (3.38 | )% | ||||||||
October | (38.48 | )% | 10.96 | % | ||||||||
November | (21.35 | )% | 1.00 | % | ||||||||
December | (15.72 | )% | 0.55 | % | ||||||||
Annual Rate of Return | (59.58 | )% | 80.16 | % | (0.69)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
** | Partial from February 26, 2008 |
*** | Through February 28, 2010 |
40
Draw-down: Losses experienced over a specified period. Draw-down is measured on the basis of monthly returns only and does not reflect intra-month figures.
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down: The largest single month loss sustained since inception of trading.
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down: The largest percentage decline in the NAV per unit over the history of the fund. This need not be a continuous decline, but can be a series of positive and negative returns where the negative returns are larger than the positive returns. Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down represents the greatest percentage decline from any month-end NAV per unit that occurs without such month-end NAV per unit being equaled or exceeded as of a subsequent month-end. For example, if the NAV per unit declined by $1 in each of January and February, increased by $1 in March and declined again by $2 in April, a peak-to-valley drawdown analysis conducted as of the end of April would consider that drawdown to be still continuing and to be $3 in amount, whereas if the NAV per unit had increased by $2 in March, the January February drawdown would have ended as of the end of February at the $2 level.
Dollar Amount Offered in USOF Offering*: | $ | 71,257,630,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised in USOF Offering: | $ | 24,259,131,469 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses**: |
||||
SEC registration fee: | $ | 2,480,174 | ||
FINRA registration fee: | $ | 603,500 | ||
Listing fee: | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses: | $ | 495,850 | ||
Legal fees and expenses: | $ | 2,066,024 | ||
Printing expenses: | $ | 285,230 | ||
Length of USOF Offering: | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | Through December 31, 2006, these expenses were paid for by an affiliate of the General Partner in connection with the initial public offering. Following December 31, 2006, USOF has recorded these expenses. |
Expenses: | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | $ | 22,409,847 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | $ | 7,674,333 | ||
Other Amounts Paid: | $ | 9,124,600 | ||
Total Expenses Paid in USOF: | $ | 39,208,780 |
* | Includes expenses relating to the registration of units, legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
41
Expenses in USOF Offering: | Amount As a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | 0.46% annualized | |||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | 0.16% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid: | 0.19% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid: | 0.81% annualized | |||
USOF Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool: | USOF | |||
Type of Commodity Pool: | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading: | April 10, 2006 | |||
Aggregate Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010): | $24,259,131,469 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010: | $1,854,622,764 | |||
Initial NAV per Unit as of Inception: | $67.39 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010: | $38.80 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down: | October 2008 (31.57)% | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down: | Jun 2008 Feb 2009 (75.84)% | |||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009) | 84,835 |
Rates of Return* | ||||||||||||||||||||
Month | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||||||||||||
January | | (6.55 | )% | (4.00 | )% | (14.60 | )% | (8.78 | )% | |||||||||||
February | | 5.63 | % | 11.03 | % | (6.55 | )% | 8.62 | % | |||||||||||
March | | 4.61 | % | 0.63 | % | 7.23 | % | |||||||||||||
April | 3.47%** | (4.26 | )% | 12.38 | % | (2.38 | )% | |||||||||||||
May | (2.91 | )% | (4.91 | )% | 12.80 | % | 26.69 | % | ||||||||||||
June | 3.16 | % | 9.06 | % | 9.90 | % | 4.16 | % | ||||||||||||
July | (0.50 | )% | 10.57 | % | (11.72 | )% | (2.30 | )% | ||||||||||||
August | (6.97 | )% | (4.95 | )% | (6.75 | )% | (1.98 | )% | ||||||||||||
September | (11.72 | )% | 12.11 | % | (12.97 | )% | 0.25 | % | ||||||||||||
October | (8.45 | )% | 16.98 | % | (31.57 | )% | 8.43 | % | ||||||||||||
November | 4.73 | % | (4.82 | )% | (20.65 | )% | (0.51 | )% | ||||||||||||
December | (5.21 | )% | 8.67 | % | (22.16 | )% | (0.03 | )% | ||||||||||||
Annual Rate of Return | (23.03 | )% | 46.17 | % | (54.75 | )% | 14.14 | % | (0.92)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
** | Partial from April 10, 2006 |
*** | Through February 28, 2010 |
For a definition of Draw-down, please see text below Composite Performance Data for UGA.
42
Dollar Amount Offered in USNG Offering*: | $ | 11,846,500,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised in USNG Offering: | $ | 10,558,665,387 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses**: |
||||
SEC registration fee: | $ | 1,361,084 | ||
FINRA registration fee: | $ | 377,500 | ||
Listing fee: | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses: | $ | 434,350 | ||
Legal fees and expenses: | $ | 1,631,179 | ||
Printing expenses: | $ | 73,270 | ||
Length of USNG Offering: | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | Through April 18, 2007, these expenses were paid for by the General Partner. Following April 18, 2007, USNG has recorded these expenses. |
Expenses: | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | $ | 23,398,469 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | $ | 13,850,511 | ||
Other Amounts Paid: | $ | 11,808,870 | ||
Total Expenses Paid: | $ | 49,057,850 |
* | Includes expenses relating to the registration of units, legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
Expenses in USNG Offering: | Amount As a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | 0.55% annualized | |||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | 0.33% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid: | 0.28% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid: | 1.16% annualized | |||
USNG Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool: | USNG | |||
Type of Commodity Pool: | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading: | April 18, 2007 | |||
Aggregate Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010): | $10,558,665,387 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010: | $3,594,443,718 | |||
Initial NAV per Unit as of Inception: | $50.00 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010: | $8.74 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down: | July 2008 (32.13)% | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down: | Jun 2008 Nov 2009 (85.89)% | |||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009) | 203,277 |
43
Rates of Return* | ||||||||||||||||
Month | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||||||||
January | | 8.87 | % | (21.49 | )% | (7.65 | )% | |||||||||
February | | 15.87 | % | (5.47 | )% | (6.02 | )% | |||||||||
March | | 6.90 | % | (11.81 | )% | |||||||||||
April | 4.30%** | 6.42 | % | (13.92 | )% | |||||||||||
May | (0.84 | )% | 6.53 | % | 10.37 | % | ||||||||||
June | (15.90 | )% | 13.29 | % | (4.63 | )% | ||||||||||
July | (9.68 | )% | (32.13 | )% | (8.70 | )% | ||||||||||
August | (13.37 | )% | (13.92 | )% | (27.14 | )% | ||||||||||
September | 12.28 | % | (9.67 | )% | 26.03 | % | ||||||||||
October | 12.09 | % | (12.34 | )% | (13.31 | )% | ||||||||||
November | (16.16 | )% | (6.31 | )% | (11.86 | )% | ||||||||||
December | 0.75 | % | (14.32 | )% | 13.91 | % | ||||||||||
Annual Rate of Return | (27.64 | )% | (35.68 | )% | (56.73 | )% | (13.21)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
** | Partial from April 18, 2007 |
*** | Through February 28, 2010 |
For a definition of Draw-down, please see text below Composite Performance Data for UGA.
Dollar Amount Offered in US12OF Offering*: | $ | 3,718,000,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised in US12OF Offering: | $ | 225,180,194 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses**: |
||||
SEC registration fee: | $ | 129,248 | ||
FINRA registration fee: | $ | 151,000 | ||
Listing fee: | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses: | $ | 145,700 | ||
Legal fees and expenses: | $ | 312,297 | ||
Printing expenses: | $ | 44,402 | ||
Length of US12OF Offering: | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | Through March 31, 2009, these expenses were paid for by the General Partner. Following March 31, 2009, US12OF has recorded these expenses. |
44
Expenses: | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | $ | 1,077,738 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | $ | 57,575 | ||
Other Amounts Paid*: | $ | 1,078,491 | ||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued: | $ | 2,213,804 | ||
Expenses Waived** | $ | (262,220 | ) | |
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived | $ | 1,951,584 |
* | Includes expenses relating to the registration of additional units, legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
** | The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the extent that such expenses exceeded 0.15% (15 basis points) of US12OFs NAV, on an annualized basis through March 31, 2009, after which date such payments were no longer necessary. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such payment in subsequent periods. |
Expenses in US12OF Offering: | Amount As a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | 0.60% annualized | |||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | 0.03% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid: | 0.61% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued: | 1.24% annualized | |||
Expenses Waived | (0.15)% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived | 1.09% annualized |
US12OF Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool: | US12OF | |||
Type of Commodity Pool: | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading: | December 6, 2007 | |||
Aggregate Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010): | $225,180,194 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010: | $161,837,281 | |||
Initial NAV per Unit as of Inception: | $50.00 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010: | $39.47 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down: | October 2008 (29.59)% | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down: | Jun 2008 Feb 2009 (66.97)% | |||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009) | 6,875 |
45
Rates of Return* | ||||||||||||||||
Month | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||||||||
January | | (2.03 | )% | (7.11 | )% | (8.40 | )% | |||||||||
February | | 10.48 | % | (4.34 | )% | 6.73 | % | |||||||||
March | | (0.66 | )% | 9.22 | % | |||||||||||
April | | 11.87 | % | (1.06 | )% | |||||||||||
May | | 15.47 | % | 20.40 | % | |||||||||||
June | | 11.59 | % | 4.51 | % | |||||||||||
July | | (11.39 | )% | 1.22 | % | |||||||||||
August | | (6.35 | )% | (2.85 | )% | |||||||||||
September | | (13.12 | )% | (0.92 | )% | |||||||||||
October | | (29.59 | )% | 8.48 | % | |||||||||||
November | | (16.17 | )% | 2.31 | % | |||||||||||
December | 8.46%** | (12.66 | )% | (1.10 | )% | |||||||||||
Annual Rate of Return | 8.46 | % | (42.39 | )% | 29.23 | % | (2.23)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
** | Partial from December 6, 2007 |
*** | Through February 28, 2010 |
For a definition of Draw-down, please see text below Composite Performance Data for UGA.
Dollar Amount Offered in USHO Offering*: | $ | 500,000,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised in USHO Offering: | $ | 27,751,399 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses**: |
||||
SEC registration fee: | $ | 142,234 | ||
FINRA registration fee: | $ | 151,000 | ||
Listing fee: | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses: | $ | 27,500 | ||
Legal fees and expenses: | $ | 130,517 | ||
Printing expenses: | $ | 106,584 | ||
Length of USHO Offering: | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | Through August 31, 2009, initial offering costs and a portion of ongoing expenses were paid for by the General Partner. Following August 31, 2009, USHO has recorded these expenses. |
46
Expenses: | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | $ | 124,889 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | $ | 20,117 | ||
Other Amounts Paid*: | $ | 475,234 | ||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued: | $ | 620,240 | ||
Expenses Waived:** | $ | (431,694 | ) | |
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived: | $ | 188,546 |
* | Includes expenses relating to the registration of additional units, legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
** | The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the extent that such expenses exceeded 0.15% (15 basis points) of USHO's NAV, on an annualized basis. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such payment into subsequent periods. |
Expenses in USHO Offering: | Amount As a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner: | 0.60% annualized | |||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions: | 0.10% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid: | 2.29% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued: | 2.99% annualized | |||
Expenses Waived: | (2.08)% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid Including Expenses Waived: | 0.91% annualized | |||
USHO Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool: | USHO | |||
Type of Commodity Pool: | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading: | April 9, 2008 | |||
Aggregate Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010): | $27,751,399 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010: | $15,702,463 | |||
Initial NAV per Unit as of Inception: | $50.00 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010: | $ 26.17 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down: | October 2008 (28.63)% | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down: | Jun 2008 Feb 2009 (69.17)% | |||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009) | 1,154 |
47
Rates of Return* | ||||||||||||
Month | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||||||
January | | 0.05 | % | (10.17 | )% | |||||||
February | | (11.34 | )% | 5.78 | % | |||||||
March | | 6.73 | % | |||||||||
April | 2.84%** | (3.85 | )% | |||||||||
May | 15.93 | % | 23.13 | % | ||||||||
June | 5.91 | % | 4.55 | % | ||||||||
July | (12.18 | )% | 0.39 | % | ||||||||
August | (8.41 | )% | (2.71 | )% | ||||||||
September | (9.77 | )% | (0.48 | )% | ||||||||
October | (28.63 | )% | 7.60 | % | ||||||||
November | (18.38 | )% | 0.19 | % | ||||||||
December | (17.80 | )% | 2.23 | % | ||||||||
Annual Rate of Return | (56.12 | )% | 25.52 | % | (4.97)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
** | Partial from April 9, 2008 |
*** | Through February 28, 2010 |
For a definition of Draw-down, please see text below Composite Performance Data for UGA.
Dollar Amount Offered* | $ | 1,250,000,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised | $ | 14,290,533 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses:** |
||||
SEC registration fee | $ | 49,125 | ||
FINRA registration fee | $ | 75,500 | ||
Listing fee | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses | $ | 2,500 | ||
Legal fees and expenses | $ | 512,460 | ||
Printing expenses | $ | 23,945 | ||
Length of USSO offering | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | These expenses were paid for by the General Partner. |
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Expenses | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner | $ | 33,306 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions | $ | 7,668 | ||
Other Amounts Paid* | $ | 322,824 | ||
Total Expenses Paid | $ | 363,798 | ||
Expenses Waived** | $ | (311,355 | ) | |
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived | $ | 52,433 |
* | Includes expenses relating to legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
** | The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the extent that such expenses exceeded 0.15% (15 basis points) of USSO's NAV, on an annualized basis. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such payment into subsequent periods. |
Expenses | Amount As a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
General Partner | 0.61% annualized | |||
Portfolio Brokerage Commissions | 0.14% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid | 5.89% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued | 6.64% annualized | |||
Expenses Waived | (5.68)% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid Including Expenses Waived | 0.96% annualized | |||
USSO Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool | USSO | |||
Type of Commodity Pool | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading | September 18, 2009 | |||
Aggregate Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010) | $14,290,533 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010 | $13,102,818 | |||
Initial NAV per Unit as of Inception | $50.00 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010 | $43.68 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down | Feb 10 (8.94)% | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down | Sep 09 Dec 09 (12.02)% |
|||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009) | 185 |
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Rates of Return* | ||||||||
Month | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||
January | 9.05 | % | ||||||
February | (8.94 | )% | ||||||
March | ||||||||
April | ||||||||
May | ||||||||
June | ||||||||
July | ||||||||
August | ||||||||
September | (2.90)%** | |||||||
October | (8.65 | )% | ||||||
November | (0.25 | )% | ||||||
December | (0.57 | )% | ||||||
Annual Rate of Return | (12.02 | )% | (0.70)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
** | Partial from September 18, 2009. |
*** | Through February 28, 2010. |
For a definition of draw-down, please see text below Composite Performance Data for UGA.
Dollar Amount Offered* | $ | 1,500,000,000 | ||
Dollar Amount Raised | $ | 40,652,357 | ||
Organizational and Offering Expenses:** |
||||
SEC registration fee | $ | 82,445 | ||
FINRA registration fee | $ | 75,500 | ||
Listing fee | $ | 5,000 | ||
Auditors fees and expenses | $ | 2,500 | ||
Legal fees and expenses | $ | 202,252 | ||
Printing expenses | $ | 31,558 | ||
Length of US12NG offering | Continuous |
* | Reflects the offering price per unit set forth on the cover page of the registration statement registering such units filed with the SEC. |
** | These expenses were paid for by the General Partner. |
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Expenses | Amount in Dollar Terms |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner | $ | 52,266 | ||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions | $ | 7,822 | ||
Other Amounts Paid* | $ | 266,432 | ||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued | $ | 326,520 | ||
Expenses Waived** | $ | (248,331 | ) | |
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived | $ | 78,189 |
* | Includes expenses relating to legal fees, auditing fees, printing expenses, licensing fees and tax reporting fees and fees paid to the independent directors of the General Partner. |
** | The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the extent that such expenses exceeded 0.15% (15 basis points) of US12NGs NAV, on an annualized basis. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such payment into subsequent periods. |
Expenses | Amount As a Percentage of Average Daily Net Assets |
|||
Amount Paid to General Partner | 0.61% annualized | |||
Amount Paid in Portfolio Brokerage Commissions | 0.09% annualized | |||
Other Amounts Paid | 3.09% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued | 3.79% annualized | |||
Expenses Waived | (2.88)% annualized | |||
Total Expenses Paid or Accrued Including Expenses Waived | 0.91% annualized | |||
US12NG Performance: |
||||
Name of Commodity Pool | US12NG | |||
Type of Commodity Pool | Exchange traded security | |||
Inception of Trading | November 18, 2009 | |||
Aggregate Subscriptions (from inception through February 28, 2010) | $40,652,357 | |||
Total Net Assets as of February 28, 2010 | $33,573,229 | |||
Initial NAV per Unit as of Inception | $50.00 | |||
NAV per Unit as of February 28, 2010 | $47.96 | |||
Worst Monthly Percentage Draw-down | Jan 10 (5.93)% | |||
Worst Peak-to-Valley Draw-down | Jan 10 Feb 10 (10.81)% |
|||
Number of Unitholders (as of December 31, 2009) | 1,276 |
Rates of Return* | ||||||||
Month | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||
January | (5.93 | )% | ||||||
February | (5.18 | )% | ||||||
March | ||||||||
April | ||||||||
May | ||||||||
June | ||||||||
July | ||||||||
August | ||||||||
September | ||||||||
October | ||||||||
November | (0.02)%** | |||||||
December | 7.56 | % | ||||||
Annual Rate of Return | 7.54 | % | (10.81)%*** |
* | The monthly rate of return is calculated by dividing the ending NAV of a given month by the ending NAV of the previous month, subtracting 1 and multiplying this number by 100 to arrive at a percentage increase or decrease. |
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** | Partial from November 18, 2009. |
*** | Through February 28, 2010. |
For a definition of draw-down, please see text below Composite Performance Data for UGA.
Until December 31, 2009, Ameristock Corporation was an affiliate of the General Partner. Ameristock Corporation is a California-based registered investment advisor registered under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 that has been sponsoring and providing portfolio management services to mutual funds since 1995. Ameristock Corporation is the investment adviser to the Ameristock Mutual Fund, Inc., a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that focuses on large cap U.S. equities that had $208,573,985 in assets as of February 28, 2010. Ameristock Corporation was also the investment advisor to the Ameristock ETF Trust, an open-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act that consisted of five separate investment portfolios, each of which sought investment results, before fees and expenses, that corresponded generally to the price and yield performance of a particular U.S. Treasury securities index owned and compiled by Ryan Holdings LLC and Ryan ALM, Inc. The Ameristock ETF Trust has liquidated each of its investment portfolios and has wound up its affairs.
The net assets of UGA consist primarily of investments in futures contracts for gasoline, but may also consist of other types of gasoline, crude oil, heating oil, natural gas and other petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures or other U.S. and foreign exchanges (collectively, Futures Contracts). UGA may also invest in other gasoline-related investments such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for gasoline, cleared swap contracts and over-the-counter transactions that are based on the price of gasoline, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, Other Gasoline-Related Investments). For convenience and unless otherwise specified, Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments collectively are referred to as Gasoline Interests in this prospectus.
UGA invests in Gasoline Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged or unable to satisfy its current or potential margin or collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. The primary focus of the General Partner is the investment in Futures Contracts and the management of UGAs investments in short-term obligations of the United States of two years or less (Treasuries), cash and/or cash equivalents for margining purposes and as collateral.
The investment objective of UGA is for the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the spot price of gasoline, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract on unleaded gasoline (also known as reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygen blending, or RBOB), for delivery to New York harbor, as traded on the NYMEX, that is the near month contract to expire, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case the futures contract will be the next month contract to expire, less UGAs expenses. It is not the intent of UGA to be operated in a fashion such that its NAV will equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of gasoline or any particular futures contract based on gasoline.
UGA seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a mix of Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments such that the changes in its NAV will closely track the changes in the price of the NYMEX futures contract for unleaded gasoline delivered to New York harbor (the Benchmark Futures Contract). The General Partner believes changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract historically have exhibited a close correlation with the changes in the spot price of gasoline. On any valuation day (a valuation day is any trading day as of which UGA calculates its NAV, as described herein), the Benchmark Futures Contract is the near month contract for gasoline traded on the NYMEX unless the near month contract will expire within two weeks of the valuation day, in which case the Benchmark Futures Contract is the next month contract for gasoline traded on the NYMEX.
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As a specific benchmark, the General Partner endeavors to place UGAs trades in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments and otherwise manage UGAs investments so that A will be within plus/minus 10 percent of B, where:
| A is the average daily change in UGAs NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days, i.e., any NYSE Arca trading day as of which UGA calculates its NAV, and |
| B is the average daily change in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract over the same period. |
The General Partner believes that market arbitrage opportunities cause daily changes in UGAs unit price on the NYSE Arca to closely track daily changes in UGAs NAV. The General Partner further believes that the daily changes in the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contract have historically closely tracked the daily changes in the spot prices of gasoline. The General Partner believes that the net effect of these two relationships and the expected relationship described above between UGAs NAV and the Benchmark Futures Contract, will be that the daily changes in the price of UGAs units on the NYSE Arca will closely track the daily changes in the spot price of gasoline, less UGAs expenses. The following two graphs demonstrate the correlation between the daily changes in the NAV of UGA and the daily changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract both since the initial public offering of UGAs units on February 26, 2008 through December 31, 2009 and during the last thirty valuation days ended December 31, 2009.
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An investment in the units provides a means for diversifying an investors portfolio or hedging exposure to changes in oil prices. An investment in the units allows both retail and institutional investors to easily gain this exposure to the gasoline market in a transparent, cost-effective manner.
The General Partner believes that market arbitrage opportunities will cause changes in UGAs unit price on the NYSE Arca to closely track changes in UGAs NAV. The General Partner believes that changes in UGAs NAV in percentage terms will closely track the change in percentage terms in the Benchmark Futures Contact, less UGAs expenses. These relationships are illustrated in the following diagram:
The General Partner employs a neutral investment strategy intended to track changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract regardless of whether the price goes up or goes down. UGAs neutral
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investment strategy is designed to permit investors generally to purchase and sell UGAs units for the purpose of investing indirectly in gasoline in a cost-effective manner, and/or to permit participants in the gasoline or other industries to hedge the risk of losses in their gasoline-related transactions. Accordingly, depending on the investment objective of an individual investor, the risks generally associated with investing in gasoline and/or the risks involved in hedging may exist. In addition, an investment in UGA involves the risk that the changes in the price of UGAs units will not accurately track the changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract.
The Benchmark Futures Contract will be changed from the near month contract to expire to the next month contract to expire during one day each month. On that day, UGA will close or sell its Gasoline Interests and will also reinvest or roll in new Gasoline Interests. The anticipated monthly dates on which the Benchmark Futures Contracts will be changed and UGAs Gasoline Interests will be rolled in 2010 are posted on UGAs website at www.unitedstatesgasolinefund.com, and are subject to change without notice.
UGAs total portfolio composition is disclosed each business day that the NYSE Arca is open for trading, on UGAs website at www.unitedstatesgasolinefund.com. The website disclosure of portfolio holdings is made daily and includes, as applicable, the name and value of each Gasoline Interest, the specific types of Other Gasoline-Related Investments and characteristics of such Other Gasoline-Related Investments, Treasuries, and amount of cash and/or cash equivalents held in UGAs portfolio. UGAs website is publicly accessible at no charge. UGAs assets are held in segregated accounts pursuant to the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.
The units issued by UGA may only be purchased by Authorized Purchasers and only in blocks of 100,000 units called Creation Baskets. The amount of the purchase payment for a Creation Basket is equal to the aggregate NAV of the units in the Creation Basket. Similarly, only Authorized Purchasers may redeem units and only in blocks of 100,000 units called Redemption Baskets. The amount of the redemption proceeds for a Redemption Basket is equal to the aggregate NAV of units in the Redemption Basket. The purchase price for Creation Baskets and the redemption price for Redemption Baskets are the actual NAV calculated at the end of the business day when notice for a purchase or redemption is received by UGA. The NYSE Arca publishes an approximate intra-day NAV based on the prior days NAV and the current price of the Benchmark Futures Contract, but the basket price is determined based on the actual NAV at the end of the day.
While UGA issues units only in Creation Baskets, units may also be purchased and sold in much smaller increments on the NYSE Arca. These transactions, however, are effected at the bid and ask prices established by specialist firm(s). Like any listed security, units can be purchased and sold at any time a secondary market is open.
In managing UGAs assets the General Partner does not use a technical trading system that issues buy and sell orders. The General Partner instead employs a quantitative methodology whereby each time a Creation Basket is sold, the General Partner purchases Gasoline Interests, such as a Futures Contract for gasoline traded on the NYMEX, that have an aggregate market value that approximates the amount of Treasuries and/or cash received upon the issuance of the Creation Basket.
As an example, assume that a Creation Basket is sold by UGA, and that UGAs closing NAV per unit is $50.00. In that case, UGA would receive $5,000,000 for the Creation Basket ($50.00 NAV per unit times 100,000 units, and ignoring the Creation Basket fee of $1,000). If one were to assume further that the General Partner wants to invest the entire proceeds from the Creation Basket in the Benchmark Futures Contract and that the market value of the Benchmark Futures Contract is $59,950, UGA would be unable to buy the exact number of Benchmark Futures Contracts with an aggregate market value equal to $5,000,000. Instead, UGA would be able to purchase 83 Benchmark Futures Contracts with an aggregate market value of $4,975,850. Assuming a margin requirement equal to 10% of the value of the Benchmark Futures Contract, UGA would be required to deposit $497,585 in Treasuries and cash with the futures commission merchant through which the Benchmark Futures Contracts were purchased. The remainder of the proceeds from the sale of the Creation Basket, $4,502,415, would remain invested in cash, cash equivalents, and Treasuries as determined by the General Partner from time to time based on factors such as potential calls for margin or anticipated redemptions.
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The specific Futures Contracts purchased depends on various factors, including a judgment by the General Partner as to the appropriate diversification of UGAs investments in futures contracts with respect to the month of expiration, and the prevailing price volatility of particular contracts. While the General Partner has made significant investments in NYMEX Futures Contracts, as UGA reaches certain accountability levels or position limits on the NYMEX, or for other reasons, it may invest in Futures Contracts traded on other exchanges or invest in Other Gasoline-Related Investments such as contracts in the over-the-counter market.
The General Partner does not anticipate letting its Futures Contracts expire and taking delivery of the underlying commodity. Instead, the General Partner closes existing positions e.g., when it changes the Benchmark Futures Contract or it otherwise determines it would be appropriate to do so and reinvest the proceeds in new Futures Contracts. Positions may also be closed out to meet orders for Redemption Baskets and in such case proceeds for such baskets will not be reinvested.
By remaining invested as fully as possible in Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments, the General Partner believes that the changes in percentage terms of UGAs NAV will continue to closely track the changes in percentage terms in the prices of the futures contracts in which UGA invests. The General Partner believes that certain arbitrage opportunities result in the price of the units traded on the NYSE Arca closely tracking the NAV of UGA. Additionally, as discussed above, the General Partner has conducted research that indicates that Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX have closely tracked the spot price of the underlying gasoline. Based on these expected interrelationships, the General Partner believes that the changes in the price of UGAs units as traded on the NYSE Arca will continue to closely track the changes in the spot price of gasoline.
Futures Contracts are agreements between two parties. One party agrees to buy a commodity such as gasoline from the other party at a later date at a price and quantity agreed-upon when the contract is made. Futures Contracts are traded on futures exchanges, including the NYMEX. For example, the Benchmark Futures Contract is traded on the NYMEX in units of 42,000 gallons (1,000 barrels). The price of gasoline futures contracts traded on the NYMEX are priced by floor brokers and other exchange members both through an open outcry of offers to purchase or sell the contracts and through an electronic, screen-based system that determines the price by matching electronically offers to purchase and sell.
Certain typical and significant characteristics of Futures Contracts are discussed below. Additional risks of investing in Futures Contracts are included in What are the Risk Factors Involved with an Investment in UGA?
Impact of Accountability Levels, Position Limits and Price Fluctuation Limits. Futures contracts include typical and significant characteristics. Most significantly, the CFTC and U.S. designated contract markets such as the NYMEX have established accountability levels and position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by UGA is not) may hold, own or control. The net position is the difference between an individual or firms open long contracts and open short contracts in any one commodity. In addition, most U.S. futures exchanges, such as the NYMEX, limit the daily price fluctuation for futures contracts. Currently, the ICE Futures imposes position and accountability limits that are similar to those imposed by the NYMEX but does not limit the maximum daily price fluctuation.
The accountability levels for the Benchmark Futures Contract and other Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX are not a fixed ceiling, but rather a threshold above which the NYMEX may exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investors positions. The current accountability level for any one month in the Benchmark Futures Contract is 5,000 contracts. In addition, the NYMEX imposes an accountability level for all months of 7,000 net futures contracts for investments in futures contracts for gasoline. If UGA and the Related Public Funds exceed these accountability levels for investments in the futures contract for gasoline, the NYMEX will monitor UGAs and the Related Public Funds exposure and ask for further information on their activities including the total size of all positions, investment and trading strategy, and the extent of liquidity resources of UGA and the Related Public Funds. If deemed necessary by the NYMEX, it could also order UGA and the Related Public Funds to reduce their aggregate net position back to the accountability
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level. In addition, the ICE Futures maintains the same accountability levels, position limits and monitoring authority for its gasoline contract as the NYMEX. As of December 31, 2009, UGA and the Related Public Funds held a net of 803 futures contracts for gasoline traded on the NYMEX. As of December 31, 2009, UGA did not hold any Futures Contracts traded on the ICE Futures.
If the NYMEX or ICE Futures orders UGA to reduce its position back to the accountability level, or to an accountability level that the NYMEX or ICE Futures deems appropriate for UGA, such an accountability level may impact the mix of investments in Gasoline Interests made by UGA. To illustrate, assume that the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract and the unit price of UGA are each $10, and that the NYMEX has determined that UGA may not own more than 10,000 Benchmark Futures Contracts. In such case, UGA could invest up to $1 billion of its daily net assets in the Benchmark Futures Contract (i.e., $10 per contract multiplied by 1,000 (a Benchmark Futures Contract is a contract for 42,000 gallons (1,000 barrels) multiplied by 10,000 contracts) before reaching the accountability level imposed by the NYMEX. Once the daily net assets of the portfolio exceed $1 billion in the Benchmark Futures Contract, the portfolio may not be able to make any further investments in the Benchmark Futures Contract. If the NYMEX were to impose limits at the $1 billion level (or another level), UGA anticipates that it will invest the majority of its assets above that level in a mix of other Futures Contracts or Other Gasoline-Related Investments in order to meet its investment objective.
See Risk Factors Risks Associated With Investing Directly or Indirectly in Gasoline Regulation of the commodity interests and energy markets is extensive and constantly changing; future regulatory developments are impossible to predict but may significantly and adversely affect UGA.
In addition to accountability levels, the NYMEX and ICE Futures impose position limits on contracts held in the last few days of trading in the near month contract to expire. It is unlikely that UGA will run up against such position limits because UGAs investment strategy is to close out its positions and roll from the near month contract to expire to the next month contract beginning two weeks from expiration of the contract.
U.S. futures exchanges, including the NYMEX, also limit the amount of price fluctuation for Futures Contracts. For example, the NYMEX imposes a $0.25 per gallon ($10,500 per contract) price fluctuation limit for gasoline Futures Contracts. This limit is initially based off of the previous trading days settlement price. If any gasoline Futures Contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes it begins at the point where the limit was imposed and the limit is reset to be $0.25 per gallon in either direction of that point. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded by $0.25 per gallon in either direction after each successive five-minute trading halt. There is no maximum price fluctuation limit during any one trading session.
U.S. futures exchanges, including the NYMEX, currently do not implement fixed position limits for Futures Contracts held outside of the last few days of trading in the near month contract to expire. However, on January 26, 2010, the CFTC published a proposed rule that, if implemented, would set fixed position limits on certain energy Futures Contracts, including the NYMEX RBOB gasoline futures contract, NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas futures contract, NYMEX Light Sweet crude oil futures contract and NYMEX New York Harbor No. 2 heating oil futures contract, along with any contract based upon these contracts. The proposed position limits would be set as a percentage of the open interest in these contracts for the spot month, any single month, and all months combined. Additionally, the proposed rule would aggregate positions in the enumerated contracts and those based upon such contracts, including contracts listed on separate exchanges. This proposal is currently undergoing a 90-day public comment period.
UGA anticipates that to the extent it invests in Futures Contracts other than gasoline contracts (such as futures contracts for crude oil, natural gas, and other petroleum-based fuels) and Other Gasoline-Related Investments, it will enter into various non-exchange-traded derivative contracts to hedge the short-term price movements of such Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments against the current Benchmark Futures Contract.
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Examples of the position and price limits imposed are as follows:
Futures Contract | Position Accountability Levels and Limits |
Maximum Daily Price Fluctuation |
||
NYMEX Gasoline (physically settled) |
Any one month: 5,000 net futures / all months: 7,000 net futures, but not to exceed 1,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | $0.25 per gallon ($10,500 per contract) for all months. If any contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes, the limit is expanded by $0.25 per gallon in either direction. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded by $0.25 per gallon in either direction after each successive five-minute trading halt. There will be no maximum price fluctuation limits during any one trading session. | ||
ICE NYH (RBOB) Gasoline (financially traded) |
Any one month: 5,000 net futures / all months: 7,000 net futures, but not to exceed 1,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | There is no maximum daily price fluctuation limit. | ||
NYMEX Light, Sweet Crude Oil (physically settled) |
Any one month: 10,000 net futures / all months: 20,000 net futures, but not to exceed 3,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | $10.00 per barrel ($10,000 per contract) for all months. If any contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes, the limit is expanded by $10.00 per barrel in either direction. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded by $10.00 per barrel in either direction after each successive five-minute trading halt. There will be no maximum price fluctuation limits during any one trading session. | ||
NYMEX Light, Sweet Crude Oil (financially settled) |
Any one month: 20,000 net futures / all months: 20,000 net futures, but not to exceed 2,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | There is no maximum daily price fluctuation limit. |
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Futures Contract | Position Accountability Levels and Limits |
Maximum Daily Price Fluctuation |
||
NYMEX Heating Oil (physically settled) |
Any one month: 5,000 net futures / all months: 7,000 net futures, but not to exceed 1,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | $0.25 per gallon ($10,500 per contract) for all months. If any contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes, the limit is expanded by $0.25 per gallon in either direction. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded by $0.25 per gallon in either direction after each successive five-minute trading halt. There will be no maximum price fluctuation limits during any one trading session. | ||
NYMEX Natural Gas (physically settled) |
Any one month: 6,000 net futures / all months: 12,000 net futures, but not to exceed 1,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | $3.00 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) ($30,000 per contract) for all months. If any contract is traded, bid, or offered at the limit for five minutes, trading is halted for five minutes. When trading resumes, the limit is expanded by $3.00 per mmBtu in either direction. If another halt were triggered, the market would continue to be expanded by $3.00 per mmBtu in either direction after each successive five-minute trading halt. There will be no maximum price fluctuation limits during any one trading session. | ||
ICE Brent Crude (physically settled) |
There are no position limits. | There is no maximum daily price fluctuation limit. | ||
ICE West Texas Intermediate (WTI) (financially settled) |
Any one month: 10,000 net futures / all months: 20,000 net futures, but not to exceed 3,000 contracts in the last three days of trading in the spot month. | There is no maximum daily price fluctuation limit. |
Price Volatility. Despite daily price limits, the price volatility of Futures Contracts generally has been historically greater than that for traditional securities such as stocks and bonds. Price volatility often is greater day-to-day as opposed to intra-day. Futures Contracts tend to be more volatile than stocks and bonds because price movements for gasoline are more currently and directly influenced by economic factors for which current data is available and are traded by gasoline futures traders throughout the day. These economic factors include changes in interest rates; governmental, agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and policies; weather and climate conditions; changing supply and demand relationships; changes in balances of payments and trade; U.S. and international rates of inflation; currency devaluations and revaluations; U.S. and international political and economic events; and changes in philosophies and emotions of market participants. Because UGA invests a significant portion of its assets in Futures Contracts, the assets of UGA, and therefore the prices of UGA units, may be subject to greater volatility than traditional securities.
Marking-to-Market Futures Positions. Futures Contracts are marked to market at the end of each trading day and the margin required with respect to such contracts is adjusted accordingly. This process of marking-to-market is designed to prevent losses from accumulating in any futures account. Therefore, if
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UGAs futures positions have declined in value, UGA may be required to post additional variation margin to cover this decline. Alternatively, if UGA futures positions have increased in value, this increase will be credited to UGAs account.
UGA may purchase Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX that are based on gasoline. The ICE Futures also offers an RBOB Gasoline Futures Contract which trades in units of 42,000 U.S. gallons (1,000 barrels). The RBOB Gasoline Futures Contract is cash settled against the prevailing market price for RBOB gasoline in the New York harbor. It may also purchase contracts on other exchanges, including the ICE Futures, the Singapore Exchange and the Dubai Mercantile Exchange.
Gasoline. Gasoline is the largest single volume refined product sold in the U.S. and accounts for almost half of national oil consumption. The gasoline futures contract listed and traded on the NYMEX trades in units of 42,000 gallons (1,000 barrels) and is based on delivery at petroleum products terminals in the New York harbor, the major East Coast trading center for imports and domestic shipments from refineries in the New York harbor area or from the Gulf Coast refining centers. The price of gasoline has historically been volatile.
In 2005 the NYMEX introduced new physical specifications for unleaded gasoline contracts to reflect the changes in the national standards for such fuels. Unleaded gasoline using MTBE was being phased out and replaced with unleaded gasoline using ethanol. As a result, NYMEX introduced a new gasoline futures contract in 2005. The new futures contract trades under the ticker symbol RG. The pre-existing unleaded gasoline futures contract, ticker symbol HU, ceased trading on December 29th, 2006. For a period of approximately 15 months both contracts were traded on NYMEX.
Light, Sweet Crude Oil. Crude oil is the worlds most actively traded commodity. The futures contracts for light, sweet crude oil that are traded on the NYMEX are the worlds most liquid forum for crude oil trading, as well as the worlds largest volume futures contract trading on a physical commodity. Due to the liquidity and price transparency of oil futures contracts, they are used as a principal international pricing benchmark. The futures contracts for light, sweet crude oil trade on the NYMEX in units of 1,000 U.S. barrels (42,000 gallons) and, if not closed out before maturity, will result in delivery of oil to Cushing, Oklahoma, which is also accessible to the international spot markets by two major interstate petroleum pipeline systems. In Europe, Brent crude oil is the standard for futures contracts and is primarily traded on the ICE Futures. Brent crude oil is the price reference for two-thirds of the worlds traded oil. The ICE Brent Futures is a deliverable contract with an option to cash settle which trades in units of 1,000 barrels (42,000 U.S. gallons). The ICE Futures also offers a WTI futures contract which trades in units of 1,000 barrels. The WTI futures contract is cash settled against the prevailing market price for U.S. light sweet crude oil.
Demand for petroleum products by consumers, as well as agricultural, manufacturing and transportation industries, determines demand for crude oil by refiners. Since the precursors of product demand are linked to economic activity, crude oil demand will tend to reflect economic conditions. However, other factors such as weather also influence product and crude oil demand.
Crude oil supply is determined by both economic and political factors. Oil prices (along with drilling costs, availability of attractive prospects for drilling, taxes and technology, among other factors) determine exploration and development spending, which influence output capacity with a lag. In the short run, production decisions by OPEC also affect supply and prices. Oil export embargoes and the current conflict in Iraq represent other routes through which political developments move the market. It is not possible to predict the aggregate effect of all or any combination of these factors.
Heating Oil. Heating oil, also known as No. 2 fuel oil, accounts for 25% of the yield of a barrel of crude oil, the second largest cut from oil after gasoline. The heating oil futures contract listed and traded on the NYMEX trades in units of 42,000 gallons (1,000 barrels) and is based on delivery in the New York harbor, the principal cash market center. The price of heating oil has historically been volatile.
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Natural Gas. Natural gas accounts for almost a quarter of U.S. energy consumption. The natural gas futures contract listed and traded on the NYMEX trades in units of 10,000 mmBtu and is based on delivery at the Henry Hub in Louisiana, the nexus of 16 intra- and interstate natural gas pipeline systems that draw supplies from the regions prolific gas deposits. The pipelines serve markets throughout the U.S. East Coast, the Gulf Coast, the Midwest, and up to the Canadian border. The price of natural gas has historically been volatile.
As illustrated by the following graph, there is a correlation in the price movement of unleaded Gasoline futures and the price movement of Crude Oil futures, Natural Gas futures, and Heating Oil futures. However, the degree of correlation varies both among the different commodities and also varies over time. As such, the use of an energy related commodity to hedge a different energy commodity can only produce, at best, an imperfect hedge.
The following price graph is scaled so all contracts start at the same level at year end 1998, except for the current gasoline futures contract, whose price series began in 2005. To obtain the monthly average prices presented below, UGA added the closing prices for every day in each month, then divided that number by the total number of days in that month.
UGAs investment objective is for the changes in percentage terms of its units NAV to reflect the changes in percentage terms of the Benchmark Futures Contract, less UGAs expenses. UGA invests primarily in Futures Contracts. UGA seeks to have its aggregate NAV approximate at all times the aggregate market value of the Futures Contracts (or Other Gasoline-Related Investments) it holds.
Other than investing in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments, UGA only invests in assets to support these investments in Gasoline Interests. At any given time, most of UGAs investments are in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents that serve as segregated assets supporting UGAs positions in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. For example, the purchase of a Futures Contract with a stated value of $10 million would not require UGA to pay $10 million upon entering into the contract; rather, only a margin deposit, generally of 10% to 15% of the stated value of the Futures Contract, would be
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required. To secure its Futures Contract obligations, UGA would deposit the required margin with the futures commission merchant and would separately hold, through its Custodian, Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents in an amount equal to the balance of the current market value of the contract, which at the contracts inception would be $10 million minus the amount of the margin deposit, or $9.0 million (assuming a 10% margin).
As a result of the foregoing, typically 10% to 15% of UGAs assets are held as margin in segregated accounts with a futures commission merchant. In addition to the Treasuries or cash it posts with the futures commission merchant for the Futures Contracts it owns, UGA holds, through the Custodian, Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents that can be posted as margin or as collateral to support its over-the-counter contracts. UGA earns interest income from the Treasuries and/or cash equivalents that it purchases, and on the cash it holds through the Custodian. UGA anticipates that the earned interest income will increase the NAV and limited partners capital contribution accounts. UGA reinvests the earned interest income, holds it in cash, or uses it to pay its expenses. If UGA reinvests the earned interest income, it makes investments that are consistent with its investment objective.
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UGA invests only in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments that are traded in sufficient volume to permit, in the opinion of the General Partner, ease of taking and liquidating positions in these financial interests.
While the gasoline Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX can be physically settled, UGA does not intend to take or make physical delivery. UGA may from time to time trade in Other Gasoline-Related Investments, including contracts based on the spot price of gasoline.
The General Partner endeavors to have the value of UGAs Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents, whether held by UGA or posted as margin or collateral, to at all times approximate the aggregate market value of UGAs obligations under its Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. While the General Partner does not intend to leverage UGAs assets, it is not prohibited from doing so under the LP Agreement.
Borrowings are not used by UGA, unless UGA is required to borrow money in the event of physical delivery, UGA trades in cash commodities, or for short-term needs created by unexpected redemptions. UGA maintains the value of its Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents, whether held by UGA or posted as margin or collateral, to at all times approximate the aggregate market value of its obligations under its Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments. UGA has not established and does not plan to establish credit lines.
In addition to Futures Contracts, there are also a number of listed options on the Futures Contracts on the principal futures exchanges. These contracts offer investors and hedgers another set of financial vehicles to use in managing exposure to the gasoline market. Consequently, UGA may purchase options on gasoline futures contracts on these exchanges in pursuing its investment objective.
In addition to the Futures Contracts and options on the Futures Contracts, there also exists an active non-exchange-traded market in derivatives tied to gasoline. These derivatives transactions (also known as over-the-counter contracts) are usually entered into between two parties. Unlike most of the exchange-traded Futures Contracts or exchange-traded options on the Futures Contracts, each party to such contract bears the credit risk that the other party may not be able to perform its obligations under its contract.
Some gasoline-based derivatives transactions contain fairly generic terms and conditions and are available from a wide range of participants. Other gasoline-based derivatives have highly customized terms and conditions and are not as widely available. Many of these over-the-counter contracts are cash-settled forwards for the future delivery of gasoline- or petroleum-based fuels that have terms similar to the Futures Contracts. Others take the form of swaps in which the two parties exchange cash flows based on pre-determined formulas tied to the gasoline spot price, forward gasoline price, the Benchmark Futures Contract price, or other gasoline futures contract price. For example, UGA may enter into over-the-counter derivative contracts whose value will be tied to changes in the difference between the gasoline spot price, the Benchmark Futures Contract price, or some other futures contract price traded on the NYMEX or ICE Futures and the price of other Futures Contracts that may be invested in by UGA.
To protect itself from the credit risk that arises in connection with such contracts, UGA may enter into agreements with each counterparty that provide for the netting of its overall exposure to its counterparty, such as the agreements published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. UGA also may require that the counterparty be highly rated and/or provide collateral or other credit support to address UGAs exposure to the counterparty.
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The General Partner assesses or reviews, as appropriate, the creditworthiness of each potential or existing counterparty to an over-the-counter contract pursuant to guidelines approved by the General Partners Board of Directors. Furthermore, the General Partner on behalf of UGA only enters into over-the-counter contracts with counterparties who are, or affiliates of, (a) banks regulated by a United States federal bank regulator, (b) broker-dealers regulated by the SEC, (c) insurance companies domiciled in the United States, and (d) producers, users or traders of energy, whether or not regulated by the CFTC. Any entity acting as a counterparty shall be regulated in either the United States or the United Kingdom unless otherwise approved by the General Partners Board of Directors after consultation with its legal counsel. Existing counterparties are also reviewed periodically by the General Partner.
UGA may employ spreads or straddles in its trading to mitigate the differences in its investment portfolio and its goal of tracking the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. UGA would use a spread when it chooses to take simultaneous long and short positions in futures written on the same underlying asset, but with different delivery months. The effect of holding such combined positions is to adjust the sensitivity of UGA to changes in the price relationship between futures contracts which will expire sooner and those that will expire later. UGA would use such a spread if the General Partner felt that taking such long and short positions, when combined with the rest of its holdings, would more closely track the investment goals of UGA, or if the General Partner felt it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve a given level of economic exposure to movements in gasoline prices. UGA would enter into a straddle when it chooses to take an option position consisting of a long (or short) position in both a call option and put option. The economic effect of holding certain combinations of put options and call options can be very similar to that of owning the underlying futures contracts. UGA would make use of such a straddle approach if, in the opinion of the General Partner, the resulting combination would more closely track the investment goals of UGA or if it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve a given level of economic exposure to movements in gasoline prices.
UGA has not employed any hedging methods since all of its investments have been made over an exchange. Therefore, UGA has not been exposed to counterparty risk.
UGA has not and will not employ the technique, commonly known as pyramiding, in which the speculator uses unrealized profits on existing positions as variation margin for the purchase or sale of additional positions in the same or another commodity interest.
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is the registrar and transfer agent for the units. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is also the Custodian for UGA. In this capacity, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. holds UGAs Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents pursuant to a custodial agreement. In addition, in its capacity as Administrator of UGA, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. performs certain administrative and accounting services for UGA and prepares certain SEC and CFTC reports on behalf of UGA. The General Partner pays Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.s fees for these services.
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.s principal business address is 50 Milk Street, Boston, MA 02109-3661. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., a private bank founded in 1818, is not a publicly held company nor is it insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is authorized to conduct a commercial banking business in accordance with the provisions of Article IV of the New York State Banking Law, New York Banking Law §§160181, and is subject to regulation, supervision, and examination by the New York State Banking Department. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is also licensed to conduct a commercial banking business by the Commonwealths of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and is su