PFF

About PFF

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index (the “Underlying Index”), which measures the performance of a select group of exchange-listed, U.S. dollar-denominated preferred securities, hybrid securities and convertible preferred securities listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Underlying Index includes issuances of preferred stocks with amounts outstanding over $100 million, convertible preferred stock with at least $50 million face amount outstanding, and hybrid securities with at least $250 million face amount outstanding, that meet minimum maturity and other requirements, as applicable, as determined by ICE Data Indices, LLC (the “Index Provider” or “ICE Data”). In general, preferred stock is a class of equity security that pays a specified dividend that must be paid before any dividends can be paid to common stockholders and takes precedence over common stock in the event of a company’s liquidation. In general, a “hybrid” security refers to a security which combines both debt and equity characteristics. In general, hybrid securities included in the Underlying Index, like traditional preferred stock, have preference over the common stock within an issuer’s capital structure, and are issued and traded in a similar manner to traditional preferred stock. Like debt securities and preferred stock (but unlike common stock), issuers of hybrid securities included in the Underlying Index may make fixed, periodic payments to the holders of such securities. Like preferred stock, issuers of hybrid securities included in the Underlying Index have the ability to defer dividend payments and to extend such securities’ maturity dates. Although preferred stocks represent a partial ownership interest in a company, preferred stocks generally do not carry voting rights. Preferred stocks have economic characteristics similar to fixed-income securities. Preferred stocks and hybrid securities generally are issued with a fixed par value and pay dividends based on a percentage of that par value at a fixed or variable rate. Additionally, preferred stocks and hybrid securities often have a liquidation value that generally equals the original purchase price of such security at the date of issuance. The Underlying Index may include many different categories of preferred stock and hybrid securities, such as floating and fixed rate preferreds, fixed-to-floating rate securities, callable preferreds, convertible preferreds, cumulative and non-cumulative preferreds, certain capital securities, trust preferreds or various other preferred stock and hybrid securities. The total allocation to an individual issuer across the entire Underlying Index is limited to 4.75%. The Underlying Index uses a market capitalization weighted methodology subject to certain constraints and is rebalanced monthly. The Underlying Index may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies and includes preferred stocks and hybrid securities of non-U.S. issuers. As of March 31, 2024, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the financials and industrials industries or sectors. The components of the Underlying Index are likely to change over time. BFA uses an indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. “Representative sampling” is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its Underlying Index and may invest up to 20% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund. The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received). The Underlying Index is owned, maintained and administered by the Index Provider, ICE Data, which is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.