objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in
the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. Under normal circumstances, at least 95% of the Fund’s total assets (exclusive of collateral held from
securities lending) will be invested in component securities of the Index and investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of such component securities.
The Index is a fundamentally weighted index that is comprised
of companies with high dividend yields selected from the WisdomTree International Equity Index, which defines the dividend-paying universe of companies in the industrialized world, excluding Canada and the United States. To be eligible for inclusion
in the Index, a company must meet the following criteria: (i) incorporation in one of 15 developed European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, or
the United Kingdom), Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore; (ii) payment of at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual Index screening date; (iii) market
capitalization of at least $200 million as of the annual Index screening date; (iv) average daily dollar trading volume of at least $200,000 for three months preceding the annual Index screening date; and (v) trading of at least 250,000 shares per
month for each of the six months preceding the annual Index screening date. Securities eligible for inclusion in the Index are ranked by dividend yield. Securities ranking in the highest 30% by dividend yield are selected for inclusion in the Index.
If a company currently in the Index is no longer ranked in the top 30% by dividend yield at the time of the annual Index screening date but remains ranked in the top 35% by dividend yield, the company will remain in the Index.
Securities are weighted in the Index based on dividends paid
over the prior annual cycle. Companies that pay a greater total dollar amount of dividends are more heavily weighted. To derive a company’s initial Index weight, (i) multiply the U.S. dollar value of the
company’s annual gross dividend per share by the number of common shares outstanding for that company (the “Cash Dividend Factor”); (ii) calculate the Cash Dividend Factor for each company; (iii) add together all of the
companies’ Cash Dividend Factors; and (iv) divide the company’s Cash Dividend Factor by the sum of all Cash Dividend Factors. At the time of the Index’s annual screening date, the maximum
weight of any security in the Index is capped at 5%. The maximum weight of any one sector and any one country in the Index, at the time of the Index’s annual screening date, is capped at 25%; however, sector and/or country weights may
fluctuate above the specified cap in response to market conditions and/or the application of volume factor adjustments. The Index methodology applies a volume factor adjustment to reduce a component security’s weight in the Index and
reallocate the reduction in weight pro rata among the other securities if, as of the annual Index screening date, a component security no longer meets certain trading volume thresholds.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree
Investments”), as Index provider, currently uses Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standards (“S&P GICS”) to define companies within a sector. The following sectors are included in the Index: consumer
discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, telecommunication services, and utilities. A sector is comprised of multiple industries. As of September 1, 2016, S&P GICS will
recognize real estate as a new sector, separate from the financial sector. For example, the energy sector is comprised of companies in, among others, the natural gas, oil and petroleum industries. As of June 30, 2016, a significant portion of the
Index is comprised of companies in the financial sector.
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the
risks described below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of
investing in the Fund, see the sections in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
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Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long
periods of time. |