SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST AND TRUST AGREEMENT OF UNITED STATES COMMODITY INDEX FUNDS TRUST Dated as of November 10, 2010 By and Between UNITED STATES COMMODITY FUNDS LLC, as Sponsor and WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY, as Delaware Trustee
SECOND
AMENDED AND RESTATED
DECLARATION
OF TRUST
AND
OF
Dated as
of November 10, 2010
By and
Between
UNITED
STATES COMMODITY FUNDS LLC,
as
Sponsor
and
WILMINGTON
TRUST COMPANY,
as
Delaware Trustee
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Page
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||
Article
I
DEFINITIONS
|
1
|
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Section
1.1
|
Definitions
|
1
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Article II GENERAL PROVISIONS |
6
|
|
Section
2.1
|
Name
|
6
|
Section
2.2
|
Delaware
Trustee; Business Offices
|
7
|
Section
2.3
|
Declaration
of Trust
|
7
|
Section
2.4
|
Purposes
and Powers
|
7
|
Section
2.5
|
Tax
Matters
|
8
|
Section
2.6
|
General
Liability of Unitholders
|
10
|
Section
2.7
|
Legal
Title
|
10
|
Section
2.8
|
Series
Trust
|
10
|
Section
2.9
|
Derivative
Actions
|
10
|
Article
III THE TRUSTEE
|
11
|
|
Section
3.1
|
Term;
Resignation
|
11
|
Section
3.2
|
Powers
|
11
|
Section
3.3
|
Compensation
and Expenses of the Trustee
|
12
|
Section
3.4
|
Indemnification
|
12
|
Section
3.5
|
Successor
Trustee
|
12
|
Section
3.6
|
Liability
of Trustee
|
13
|
Section
3.7
|
Reliance;
Advice of Counsel
|
14
|
Section
3.8
|
Payments
to the Trustee
|
14
|
Article
IV UNITS;
DEPOSITS
|
15
|
|
Section
4.1
|
General
|
15
|
Section
4.2
|
Establishment
of Series, or Funds, of the Trust
|
16
|
Section
4.3
|
Establishment
of Classes and Sub-Classes
|
16
|
Section
4.4
|
Offer
of Units
|
16
|
Section
4.5
|
Procedures
for Creation and Issuance of Creation Baskets
|
17
|
Section
4.6
|
Book-Entry-Only
System, Global Certificates
|
19
|
Section
4.7
|
Assets
|
21
|
Section
4.8
|
Liabilities
of Funds
|
21
|
Section
4.9
|
Voting
Rights
|
22
|
Section
4.10
|
Equality
|
22
|
Section
4.11
|
Record
Dates
|
23
|
Article
V THE
SPONSOR
|
23
|
|
Section
5.1
|
Management
of the Trust
|
23
|
Section
5.2
|
Authority
of Sponsor
|
23
|
i
Section
5.3
|
Obligations
of the Sponsor
|
24
|
Section
5.4
|
General
Prohibitions
|
25
|
Section
5.5
|
Liability
of Covered Persons
|
26
|
Section
5.6
|
Fiduciary
Duty
|
26
|
Section
5.7
|
Indemnification
of the Sponsor
|
27
|
Section
5.8
|
Expenses
and Limitations Thereon
|
28
|
Section
5.9
|
Compensation
to the Sponsor
|
29
|
Section
5.10
|
Other
Business of Unitholders
|
29
|
Section
5.11
|
Merger,
Consolidation, Incorporation
|
30
|
Section
5.12
|
Withdrawal
of the Sponsor
|
30
|
Section
5.13
|
Authorization
of Registration Statements
|
31
|
Section
5.14
|
Litigation
|
31
|
Article
VI TRANSFERS OF
UNITS
|
32
|
|
Section
6.1
|
Transfer
of Units
|
32
|
Section
6.2
|
Transfer
of Sponsor’s Units
|
32
|
Article
VII CAPITAL ACCOUNTS, DISTRIBUTIONS
AND ALLOCATIONS
|
32
|
|
Section
7.1
|
Capital
Accounts
|
32
|
Section
7.2
|
Allocations
for Capital Account Purposes
|
33
|
Section
7.3
|
Allocations
for Tax Purposes
|
34
|
Section
7.4
|
Tax
Conventions
|
34
|
Section
7.5
|
No
Interest on Capital Account
|
36
|
Section
7.6
|
Valuation
|
36
|
Section
7.7
|
Distributions
|
36
|
Article
VIII REDEMPTIONS
|
37
|
|
Section
8.1
|
Redemption
of Redemption Baskets
|
37
|
Section
8.2
|
Other
Redemption Procedures
|
38
|
Article
IX UNITHOLDERS
|
38
|
|
Section
9.1
|
No
Management or Control; Limited Liability; Exercise of Rights through
DTC
|
38
|
Section
9.2
|
Rights
and Duties
|
39
|
Section
9.3
|
Limitation
on Liability
|
40
|
Article
X BOOKS OF ACCOUNT AND
REPORTS
|
40
|
|
Section
10.1
|
Books
of Account
|
40
|
Section
10.2
|
Reports
to Unitholders
|
41
|
Section
10.3
|
Calculation
of Net Asset Value
|
41
|
Section
10.4
|
Maintenance
of Records
|
41
|
ii
Article
XI FISCAL YEAR
|
41
|
|
Section
11.1
|
Fiscal
Year
|
41
|
Article
XII AMENDMENT OF TRUST AGREEMENT;
MEETINGS
|
41
|
|
Section
12.1
|
Amendments
to the Trust Agreement
|
41
|
Section
12.2
|
Meetings
of the Unitholders
|
42
|
Section
12.3
|
Action
Without a Meeting
|
42
|
Article
XXXX XXXX
|
00
|
|
Section
13.1
|
Term
|
43
|
Article
XIV TERMINATION
|
43
|
|
Section
14.1
|
Events
Requiring Dissolution of the Trust or any Fund
|
43
|
Section
14.2
|
Distributions
on Dissolution
|
44
|
Section
14.3
|
Termination;
Certificate of Cancellation
|
44
|
Article
XV POWER OF ATTORNEY
|
45
|
|
Section
15.1
|
Power
of Attorney Executed Concurrently
|
45
|
Section
15.2
|
Effect
of Power of Attorney
|
45
|
Section
15.3
|
Limitation
on Power of Attorney
|
46
|
Article
XVI MISCELLANEOUS
|
46
|
|
Section
16.1
|
Governing
Law
|
46
|
Section
16.2
|
Provisions
In Conflict With Law or Regulations
|
47
|
Section
16.3
|
Construction
|
47
|
Section
16.4
|
Notices
|
47
|
Section
16.5
|
Counterparts
|
47
|
Section
16.6
|
Binding
Nature of Trust Agreement
|
47
|
Section
16.7
|
No
Legal Title to Trust Estate
|
48
|
Section
16.8
|
Creditors
|
48
|
Section
16.9
|
Integration
|
48
|
Section
16.10
|
Goodwill;
Use of Name
|
48
|
Exhibit
A Form of Global Certificate
|
A-1
|
Exhibit
B Form of Instrument Establishing Series or
Class
|
B-1
|
iii
SECOND
AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST
AND
TRUST AGREEMENT
This
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED DECLARATION OF TRUST AND TRUST AGREEMENT of UNITED
STATES COMMODITY INDEX FUNDS TRUST (the “Trust”) is made and
entered into as of November 10, 2010, by and between United States Commodity
Funds LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as Sponsor, and Wilmington
Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as Delaware trustee.
WHEREAS,
the Sponsor formed the Trust on December 21, 2009, as a statutory trust
organized in series, pursuant to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act;
WHEREAS,
the Sponsor and the Trustee are parties to the Declaration of Trust and Trust
Agreement of the Trust dated December 21, 2009, as amended and restated by that
certain Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement dated
April 1, 2010 (the “Initial Trust
Agreement”);
WHEREAS,
the Sponsor and the Trustee desire to amend and restate the Initial Trust
Agreement to provide for additional terms and conditions upon which the Trust
shall be administered, as hereinafter provided.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the agreements and obligations set forth herein
and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of
which are hereby acknowledged, each party hereby agrees as follows:
ARTICLE
I
DEFINITIONS
Section
1.1 Definitions. As
used in this Trust Agreement, the following terms shall have the following
meanings unless the context otherwise requires:
“Adjusted Property”
means any property the book value of which has been adjusted as provided by
Section 7.1(d).
“Administrator” means
any Person from time to time engaged to provide administrative services to the
Trust pursuant to authority delegated by the Sponsor.
“Affiliate” means,
when used with reference to a specified Person, (i) any Person who directly or
indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls or is controlled by or is
under common control with the specified Person or (ii) any Person that is an
officer of, partner in, or trustee of, or serves in a similar capacity with
respect to, the specified Person or of which the specified Person is an officer,
partner or trustee, or with respect to which the specified Person serves in a
similar capacity.
1
“Authorized Purchaser”
means a Person that is a DTC Participant (as defined in Section 4.6(c)) and has
entered into an Authorized Purchaser Agreement that, at the relevant time, is in
full force and effect.
“Authorized Purchaser
Agreement” means an agreement between the Sponsor, the Trust and an
Authorized Purchaser, as the same may be amended or supplemented from time to
time in accordance with its terms.
“Basket” means a
Creation Basket or a Redemption Basket, as the context may require.
“Book-Tax Disparity”
means, with respect to any property held by a Fund, as of any date of
determination, the difference between the book value of such property (as
initially determined under Section 7.6 in the case of contributed property, and
as adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 7.1(d)) and the
adjusted basis thereof for United States federal income tax purposes, as of such
date of determination.
“Business Day” means
any day other than a day on which either the Exchange or the applicable Fund’s
Futures Exchange is closed for regular trading.
“Capital Account”
shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(a).
“Capital Contribution”
means, with respect to any Unitholder of a Fund, the amount of money and the
fair market value of any property (other than money) contributed to the Fund by
such Unitholder.
“CE Act” means the
Commodity Exchange Act, as amended.
“Certificate of Trust”
means that certain Certificate of Trust of the Trust filed with the Secretary of
State of the State of Delaware on December 21, 2009, as may be amended from time
to time, pursuant to Section 3810 of the Delaware Trust Statute.
“CFTC” means the
United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and any successor
thereto.
“Code” means the
United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Commodity” means a
traded physical commodity.
“Commodity Contract”
means a contract for the purchase or sale of a Commodity or any other contract
whose value is determined by reference to the value of a Commodity, one or more
Commodities, including a Commodity-based forward contract, futures contract,
swap, option or other over the counter transaction.
“Covered Person” means
the Trustee, the Sponsor and their respective Affiliates.
“Creation Basket”
means a basket of 100,000 Units of a Fund, or such greater or lesser number of
Units as the Sponsor may determine from time to time for each
Fund.
2
“Creation Basket
Deposit” of a Fund means the Deposit made by an Authorized Purchaser in
connection with a Purchase Order and the creation of a Creation Basket in an
amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (i) the number of Creation
Baskets set forth in the relevant Purchase Order by (ii) the Net Asset Value Per
Basket of such Fund calculated on the Purchase Order Date.
“Delaware Trust
Statute” means the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, Chapter 38 of Title 12
of the Delaware Code, 12 Del. C. § 3801 et seq., as the same may be
amended from time to time.
“Deliver,” “Delivered” or “Delivery”
means, when used with respect to Units, either (A) one or more
book-entry transfers of such Units to an account or accounts at the Depository
designated by the Person entitled to such delivery for further credit as
specified by such Person or (B) if the Depository ceases to make its
book-entry settlement system available for the Units, execution and delivery at
the Trust’s principal office of one or more certificates evidencing those
Units.
“Deposit” means the
amount of cash or other property contributed or agreed to be contributed to the
Trust by any Authorized Purchaser or by the Sponsor, as applicable, in
accordance with Article IV hereof.
“Depository” or “DTC” means The
Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, or such other depository of Units
as may be selected by the Sponsor as specified herein.
“Depository Agreement”
means the Letter of Representations relating to each Fund from the Sponsor to
the Depository in connection with the initial issuance of Units of such Fund, as
the same may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
“Distributor” means
ALPS Distributors, Inc. or any Person from time to time engaged to provide
distribution services or related services to the Trust pursuant to authority
delegated by the Sponsor.
“DTC Participants”
shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.6(c).
“Event of Withdrawal”
means the filing of a certificate of dissolution or cancellation of the Sponsor,
the revocation of the Sponsor’s charter (and the expiration of 90 days after the
date of notice to the Sponsor of revocation without a reinstatement of its
charter), or the provision of written notice by the Sponsor of its withdrawal as
Sponsor in accordance with Section 5.12(a) of this Trust Agreement.
“Exchange” means NYSE
Arca, Inc. or, if the Units of any Fund shall cease to be listed on such
exchange and are listed on one or more other exchanges, the exchange on which
the Units of such Fund are principally traded, as determined by the
Sponsor.
“Fiscal Year” shall
have the meaning assigned to such term in Article XI hereof.
“Fund” means a Fund
established and designated as a series of the Trust as provided in
Section 4.2(a).
3
“Futures Exchange”
means the contract market or derivatives transaction execution facility on which
futures contracts or other investments relating to any underlying Commodities
that comprise a Fund’s principal investment focus are principally traded,
including but not limited to the New York Mercantile Exchange, ICE Futures,
Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, London Metal Exchange,
Commodity Exchange, Inc. or on other foreign exchanges.
“Global Certificates”
means the global certificate or certificates for each Fund issued to the
Depository as provided in the Depository Agreement, each of which shall be in
substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
“Indirect
Participants” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.6
(c).
“Initial Contribution”
shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(a).
“Initial Trust
Agreement” means the Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the
Trust dated December 21, 2009, as amended and restated by that certain Amended
and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement dated April 1,
2010.
“Internal Revenue
Service” or “IRS” means the United
States Internal Revenue Service or any successor thereto.
“Liquidating Trustee”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section 14.2.
“Management Fee” means
the management fee paid to the Sponsor pursuant to this Agreement.
“Net Asset Value” at
any time means the total assets in the Trust Estate of a Fund as reasonably
determined by the Sponsor or its designee including, but not limited to, all
cash and cash equivalents, other debt securities or other property, less total
expenses and liabilities of such Fund, each determined on the basis of generally
accepted accounting principles in the United States, consistently applied under
the accrual method of accounting. The amount of any distribution made
pursuant to Article VII hereof shall be a liability of such Fund from the day
when the distribution is declared until it is paid.
“Net Asset Value Per
Basket” means the product obtained by multiplying the Net Asset Value Per
Unit of a Fund by the number of Units comprising a Basket at such
time.
“Net Asset Value Per
Unit” means the Net Asset Value of a Fund divided by the number of Units
of a Fund outstanding on the date of calculation.
“NFA” means the
National Futures Association.
“Order Cut-Off Time”
means such time as disclosed in the Prospectus by which orders for creation or
redemption of Baskets must be placed.
“Organization and Offering
Expenses” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section
5.8(a)(ii).
4
“Percentage Interest”
means, as to each Unitholder, the portion (expressed as a percentage) of the
total outstanding Units held by such Unitholder.
“Person” means any
natural person, or any partnership, limited liability company, trust, estate,
corporation, association or other legal entity, in its own or any representative
capacity.
“Prospectus” means the
final prospectus and disclosure document of the Trust and any Fund, constituting
a part of the Registration Statement for such Fund filed with the SEC and
declared effective thereby, as such prospectus may at any time and from time to
time be supplemented.
“Purchase Order” shall
have the meaning assigned thereto in Section 4.5(a)(i).
“Purchase Order Date”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section 4.5(a)(i).
“Reconstituted Trust”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section 14.1(a).
“Redemption Basket”
means the minimum number of Units of a Fund that may be redeemed pursuant to
Section 8.1, which shall be the number of Units of such Fund constituting a
Creation Basket on the relevant Redemption Order Date.
“Redemption
Distribution” means the cash or the combination of United States Treasury
securities, cash and/or cash equivalents or other securities or property to be
delivered in satisfaction of a redemption of a Redemption Basket as specified in
Section 8.1(c).
“Redemption Order”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section 8.1(a).
“Redemption Order
Date” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section
8.1(b).
“Redemption Settlement
Time” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section
8.1(d).
“Registration
Statement” means a registration statement filed with the SEC under the
Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or any rules or
regulations thereunder, on Form S-1 or any successor form or any other SEC
registration statement form that the Trust may be permitted to use, as any such
form may be amended from time to time, pursuant to which the Trust registered
Units, as such Registration Statement may at any time and from time to time be
amended.
“SEC” means the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Unitholder” means,
with respect to any Unit, the Person who owns the ultimate economic beneficial
interest in such Unit and does not hold the Unit as a mere nominee or custodian
for another Person.
“Units” means the
units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in a Fund.
5
“Sponsor” means United
States Commodity Funds LLC, a Delaware limited liability company which is
registered as a Commodity Pool Operator and controls the investments and other
decisions of the Funds, and any successor thereto or any substitute therefore as
provided herein.
“Sponsor’s Units”
means the units issued by a Fund to the Sponsor pursuant to Section 2.3,
evidencing the Sponsor’s beneficial interests in the net assets of such
Fund.
“Suspended Redemption
Order” shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section
8.1(d).
“Tax Matters Partner”
means the Sponsor or any successor in its capacity as the “tax matters partner”
designated to represent a Fund in certain federal income tax matters pursuant to
subchapter C of chapter 63 of the Code or under any comparable provisions of
state or local law.
“Transaction Fee”
shall have the meaning assigned thereto in Section 4.5(d).
“Trust” means United States Commodity
Index Funds Trust, the Delaware statutory trust formed pursuant to the
Certificate of Trust, the business and affairs of which are governed by this
Trust Agreement.
“Trust Agreement”
means this Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement
as the same may be amended from time to time.
“Trustee” means
Wilmington Trust Company, or any successor thereto as provided herein, acting
not in its individual capacity but solely as trustee of the Trust.
“Trust Estate” means,
with respect to a Fund, all property and cash held by such Fund.
“Unrealized Gain”
attributable to any property of a Fund means, as of any date of determination,
the excess, if any, of the fair market value of such property (as determined for
purposes of Section 7.1(d)) as of such date of determination over the adjusted
basis of such property as of such date of determination.
“Unrealized Loss”
attributable to any property of a Fund means, as of any date of determination,
the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of
determination over the fair market value of such property (as determined for
purposes of Section 7.1(d)) as of such date of determination.
ARTICLE
II
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
Section
2.1 Name. The name of
the Trust shall be “United
States Commodity Index Funds Trust” in which name the Trustee and the
Sponsor may engage in the business of the Trust, make and execute contracts and
other instruments on behalf of the Trust and xxx and be sued on behalf of the
Trust.
6
Section
2.2 Delaware
Trustee; Business Offices.
(a) The
sole Trustee of the Trust is Wilmington Trust Company, a Delaware banking
corporation, with its principal place of business in the State of Delaware,
which is located at 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000 or
at such other address in the State of Delaware as the Trustee may designate in
writing to the Sponsor. The Trustee shall receive service of process
on the Trust in the State of Delaware at the foregoing address. In
the event Wilmington Trust Company resigns or is removed as the Trustee, the
Trustee of the Trust in the State of Delaware shall be the successor
Trustee.
(b) The
principal office of the Trust, and such additional offices as the Sponsor may
establish, shall be located at such place or places inside or outside the State
of Delaware as the Sponsor may designate from time to time in writing to the
Trustee and the Unitholders. Initially, the principal office of the
Trust shall be located at 0000 Xxxxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxx 00000. The Trust may maintain such other offices at such
other places as the Sponsor deems advisable.
Section
2.3 Declaration of
Trust. The Sponsor contributed the sum of $1,000 as an initial
contribution to the capital of the Trust and as consideration for the Sponsor’s
Units in USCI designated in Section 4.2 hereof, and shall also contribute a sum
of $1,000 as consideration for the Sponsor’s Units in each additional Fund
designated in Section 4.2 hereof. The initial contribution to USCI is
held, and any similar contributions to additional Funds shall be held, in bank
accounts in the name of the Trust controlled by the Sponsor, which amount shall
constitute the initial trust estate. The trust estate shall be held
in trust for the Sponsor. The Sponsor agrees that upon the initial
public offering of any additional Fund formed pursuant to this Trust Agreement,
the initial capital contribution made by it to a Fund upon such Fund’s formation
shall be deemed payment for the Sponsor’s Units in such Fund. The
Sponsor declares that the Trust Estate of each Fund will be held in the name of
the Trust and each Fund, as applicable, for the benefit of such Fund’s
Unitholders for the purposes of, and subject to the terms and conditions set
forth in, this Agreement. It is the intention of the Parties hereto
to create a statutory trust under the Delaware Trust Statute, organized in
series or Funds, and that this Trust Agreement shall constitute the governing
instrument of the Trust. Nothing in this Trust Agreement shall be
construed to make the Unitholders of any Fund members of a limited liability
company, joint stock association, corporation or, except for tax purposes as
provided in Section 2.5, partners in a partnership. Effective as of
the date hereof, the Trustee and the Sponsor shall have all of the rights,
powers and duties set forth herein and, to the extent not inconsistent with this
Trust Agreement, in the Delaware Trust Statute with respect to accomplishing the
purposes of the Trust. The Trust was formed on December 21, 2009 at
which time the Trustee filed the Certificate of Trust required by Section 3810
of the Delaware Trust Statute in connection with the formation of the Trust
under the Delaware Trust Statute.
Section
2.4 Purposes and
Powers. The purpose and powers of the Trust and each Fund
shall be: (a) to implement the investment objective of each Fund as
contemplated by the Prospectus; (b) to enter into any lawful transaction
and engage in any lawful activity in furtherance of or incidental to the
foregoing purposes; and (c) as determined from time to time by the Sponsor, to
engage in any other lawful business or activity for which a statutory trust may
be organized under the Delaware Trust Statute. The Trust shall be
empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary, appropriate, proper,
advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment of
the purposes, business, protection and benefit of the Trust and the Trust shall
have all of the powers specified in this Section 2.4 hereof, including, without
limitation, all of the powers which may be exercised by a Trustee or Sponsor on
behalf of the Trust under this Trust Agreement. Except to the extent
expressly set forth in Section 2.2(a) and this Article II, the duty and
authority to manage the business and affairs of the Trust is hereby vested in
the Sponsor, which duty and authority the Sponsor may delegate as provided
herein, all pursuant to Section 3806(b)(7) of the Delaware Trust
Statute.
7
Section
2.5 Tax
Matters.
(a) Subject
to Section 4.9(b), the Sponsor, and each Unitholder by virtue of its purchase of
Units in a Fund, (i) express their intent that the Units of such Fund qualify
under applicable tax law as interests in a partnership, and (ii) agree to file
U.S. federal, state and local income, franchise and other tax returns in a
manner that is consistent with the treatment of such Fund as a partnership in
which each of the Unitholders thereof is a partner. The Tax Matters
Partner or the Unitholders (as appropriate) will make or refrain from making any
tax elections to the extent necessary to obtain treatment consistent with the
foregoing. The Sponsor shall not be liable to any Person for the
failure of any Fund to qualify as a partnership under the Code or any comparable
provision of the laws of any State or other jurisdiction where such treatment is
sought.
(b) The
Sponsor shall obtain a separate federal taxpayer identification number for each
Fund prior to the commencement of the Fund’s operations. The Sponsor,
at its expense, shall prepare or cause to be prepared all federal, state, and
local tax returns of a Fund for each year for which such returns are required to
be filed and shall timely file or cause to be timely filed such returns and
timely pay or cause to be timely paid, out of the Trust Estate of such Fund, any
taxes, assessments or other governmental charges owing with respect to the
Fund. The Trustee and the Administrator shall promptly notify the
Sponsor if it becomes aware that any tax, assessment or other governmental
charge is due or claimed to be due with respect to a Fund. The
Sponsor shall deliver or cause to be delivered to each Unitholder of a Fund and
the broker or nominee through which a Unitholder owns its Units an IRS Schedule
K-1 and such other information, if any, with respect to the Fund as may be
necessary for the preparation of the federal income tax or information returns
of such Unitholder, including a statement showing the Unitholder’s share of the
Fund’s items of income, gain, loss, expense, deduction and credit for the Fiscal
Year for federal income tax purposes, as soon as practicable after the last day
of the Fiscal Year but not later than March 15 of the following
year.
(c) Except
as provided herein, the Tax Matters Partner may, in its sole discretion, cause a
Fund to make, or refrain from making, any tax elections that the Tax Matters
Partner reasonably deems necessary or advisable, including, but not limited to,
an election pursuant to Section 754 of the Code.
8
(d) Each
Unitholder of a Unit in a Fund, by its acceptance or acquisition of a beneficial
interest therein, agrees to furnish the Sponsor with such representations,
forms, documents or other information as may be necessary to enable such Fund to
comply with its U.S. federal income tax reporting obligations in respect of such
Unit, including an Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 (or the substantial
equivalent thereof) in the case of a Unitholder that is a United States person
within the meaning of the Code or an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or
other applicable form in the case of a Unitholder that is not a United States
person. The Fund shall file any required forms with applicable
jurisdictions and, unless an exemption from withholding and backup withholding
tax is properly established by a Unitholder, shall remit amounts withheld with
respect to the Unitholder to the applicable tax authorities. To the
extent that the Sponsor reasonably believes that the Fund is required to
withhold and pay over any amounts (including taxes, interest, penalties,
assessments or additions to tax) to any tax authority with respect to
distributions or allocations to any Unitholder, the Fund may withhold such
amounts and treat the amounts withheld as distributions of cash to the
Unitholder in the amount of the withholding and reduce the amount of cash or
other property otherwise distributable to such Unitholder. If an
amount required to be withheld was not withheld, the Fund may reduce subsequent
distributions to such Unitholder by the amount of such required
withholding. In the event of any claimed over-withholding,
Unitholders shall be limited to an action against the applicable
jurisdiction.
(e) By
its acceptance of a beneficial interest in a Unit, a Unitholder waives all
confidentiality rights, including all confidentiality rights provided by
Section 3406(f) of the Code and Treasury Regulations
Section 31.3406(f)-1, with respect to any representations, forms, documents
or information, and any information contained in such representations, forms or
documents, that the Unitholder provides, or has previously provided, to any
broker or nominee through which it owns its Units, to the extent such
representations, forms, documents or information may be necessary to enable the
Fund to comply with its withholding tax and backup withholding tax and
information reporting obligations or to make basis adjustments under
Section 754 of the Code with respect to the Units. Furthermore,
the parties hereto, and by its acceptance or acquisition of a beneficial
interest in a Unit, a Unitholder, acknowledge and agree that any broker or
nominee through which a Unitholder holds its Units shall be a third party
beneficiary to this Trust Agreement for the purposes set forth in this Section
2.5.
(f) The
Sponsor is specifically authorized to act as the “Tax Matters Partner”
under the Code for each Fund and in any similar capacity under state or local
law. The Tax Matters Partner shall have the authority without any
further consent of Fund Unitholders being required (except as specifically
required herein) to make any and all elections for federal, state, local, and
foreign tax purposes including any election, if permitted by applicable
law: (i) to make the election provided for in Code Section
6231(a)(1)(B)(ii); (ii) to adjust the basis of the Fund’s assets pursuant to
Code Sections 754, 734(b) and 743(b) or comparable provisions of state, local,
or foreign law, in connection with transfers of Units and distributions; (iii)
to extend the statute of limitations for assessment of tax deficiencies against
the Unitholders with respect to adjustments to the Fund’s federal, state local,
or foreign tax returns; and (iv) to the extent provided in Code Sections 6221
through 6231 and similar provisions of federal, state, local, or foreign law, to
represent the Fund and its Unitholders before taxing authorities or courts of
competent jurisdiction in tax matters affecting the Fund or the Unitholders in
their capacities as Unitholders and to file any tax returns and execute any
agreements or other documents relating to or affecting such tax matters,
including agreements or other documents that bind the Unitholders with respect
to such tax matters or otherwise affect the rights of the Fund and its
Unitholders.
9
(g) By
its acceptance of a beneficial interest in a Unit of a Fund, a Unitholder agrees
to the designation of the Sponsor as the initial Tax Matters Partner of the
Fund. Each Unitholder agrees to take any further action as may be
required by regulation or otherwise to effectuate such
designation. The Tax Matters Partner of a Fund shall be authorized to
exercise all rights and responsibilities conferred upon a Tax Matters Partner
under Sections 6221-6234 of the Code with respect to such Fund, including,
without limitation: (i) handling all audits and other administrative proceedings
conducted by the IRS with respect to the Fund; (ii) extending the statute of
limitations with respect to the Fund’s partnership tax returns; (iii) entering
into a settlement with the IRS with respect to the Fund’s partnership items on
behalf of those Limited Owners having less than a 1% interest in the Fund; and
(iv) filing a petition or complaint with an appropriate U.S. federal court for
review of a final partnership administrative adjustment.
(h) The
Sponsor shall maintain all books, records and supporting documents that are
necessary to comply with any and all aspects of its duties under this Trust
Agreement.
Section
2.6 General
Liability of Unitholders. Subject to Sections 9.1 and 9.3
hereof, no Unitholder, other than the Sponsor to the extent set forth above,
shall have any personal liability for any liability or obligation of the Trust
or any Fund.
Section
2.7 Legal
Title. Legal title to all of the Trust Estate of each Fund
shall be vested in the Trust as a separate legal entity; provided, however, that
where applicable law in any jurisdiction requires any part of the Trust Estate
to be vested otherwise, the Sponsor may cause legal title to the Trust Estate or
any portion thereof to be held by or in the name of the Sponsor or any other
Person (other than a Unitholder) as nominee.
Section
2.8 Series
Trust. The Trust is a series trust pursuant to Sections
3804(a) and 3806(b)(2) of the Statutory Trust Act. The Units of the
Trust shall be divided into series, each a Fund, as provided in
Section 3806(b)(2) of the Delaware Trust Statute. Separate and
distinct records shall be maintained for each Fund and the assets associated
with a Fund shall be held in such separate and distinct records (directly or
indirectly, including a nominee or otherwise) and accounted for in such separate
and distinct records separately from the assets of any other
Fund. The use of the terms “Trust”, “Fund” or “series” in this Trust
Agreement shall in no event alter the intent of the parties hereto that the
Trust receive the full benefit of the limitation on inter-series liability as
set forth in Section 3804 of the Delaware Trust Statute.
Section
2.9 Derivative
Actions.
(a) No
person who is not a Unitholder of a particular Fund shall be entitled to bring
any derivative action, suit or other proceeding on behalf of the Trust with
respect to such Fund. No Unitholder of a Fund may maintain a
derivative action on behalf of the Trust with respect to such Fund unless
holders of a least ten percent (10%) of the outstanding Units of such Fund join
in the bringing of such action.
10
(b) In
addition to the requirements set forth in Section 3816 of the Act, a Unitholder
may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Trust with respect to a Fund only
if the following conditions are met: (i) the Unitholder or
Unitholders must make a pre-suit demand upon the Sponsor to bring the subject
action unless an effort to cause the Sponsor to bring such an action is not
likely to succeed; and a demand on the Sponsor shall only be deemed not likely
to succeed and therefore excused if the Sponsor has a personal financial
interest in the transaction at issue, and the Sponsor shall not be deemed
interested in a transaction or otherwise disqualified from ruling on the merits
of a Unitholder demand by virtue of the fact that the Sponsor receives
remuneration for its service as the Sponsor or as a sponsor of one or more
companies that are under common management with or otherwise affiliated with the
Trust; and (ii) unless a demand is not required under clause (i) of this
paragraph, the Sponsor must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider
such Unitholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim; and the
Sponsor shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisors in considering the
merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the Unitholders making
such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any such advisors in the
event that the Sponsor determines not to bring such action.
ARTICLE
III
THE
TRUSTEE
Section
3.1 Term;
Resignation.
(a) The
Trust shall have only one trustee unless otherwise determined by the
Sponsor. Wilmington Trust Company has been appointed and hereby
agrees to serve as the Trustee of the Trust. The Sponsor is entitled to appoint
additional Trustees and remove any Trustee without cause and appoint a successor
Trustee in accordance with the terms hereof at any time. The Trustee
is appointed to serve as the trustee of the Trust in the State of Delaware for
the purpose of satisfying the requirement of Section 3807(a) of the Delaware
Trust Statute that the Trust have at least one trustee with a principal place of
business in Delaware. It is understood and agreed by the parties
hereto that the Trustee shall have none of the duties or liabilities of the
Sponsor and shall have no obligation to supervise or monitor the Sponsor or
otherwise manage the Trust.
(b) Any
Trustee of the Trust, including the current Trustee, may resign upon 60 days’
prior written notice to the Sponsor and the other Trustee(s), if any; provided, that such
resignation shall not become effective unless and until a successor Trustee
shall have been appointed by the Sponsor in accordance with Section
3.5. If the Sponsor does not appoint a successor trustee within such
60 day period, the Trustee may, at the expense of the Trust, petition a court to
appoint a successor trustee. Any person into which the Trustee may be
merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any person resulting from any
merger or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any person
which succeeds to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of
the Trustee, shall be the successor Trustee under this Trust Agreement without
the execution, delivery or filing of any paper or instrument or further act to
be done on the part of the parties hereto, except as may be required by
applicable law.
Section
3.2 Powers. Except to
the extent expressly set forth in Section 2.2(a) and this Article III, the duty
and authority to manage the business and affairs of the Trust is hereby vested
in the Sponsor, which duty and authority the Sponsor may delegate as provided
herein, all pursuant to Section 3806(b)(7) of the Delaware Trust
Statute. The duties of the Trustee shall be limited to (i) accepting
legal process served on the Trust in the State of Delaware, (ii) the
execution of any certificates required to be filed with the Secretary of State
of the State of Delaware which the Trustee is required to execute under
Section 3811 of the Delaware Trust Statute, and (iii) any other duties
specifically allocated to the Trustee in the Trust Agreement. The
Trustee shall provide prompt notice to the Sponsor of its performance of any of
the foregoing. The Trustee shall not have any implied rights, duties,
obligations and liabilities with respect to the business and affairs of the
Trust or any Fund. The Sponsor shall reasonably keep the Trustee
informed of any actions taken by the Sponsor with respect to the Trust that
would reasonably be expected to affect the rights, obligations or liabilities of
the Trustee hereunder or under the Delaware Trust Statute.
11
Section
3.3 Compensation
and Expenses of the Trustee. The Trustee shall be entitled to
receive from the Sponsor or an Affiliate of the Sponsor (including the Trust)
reasonable compensation for its services hereunder as set forth in a separate
fee agreement and shall be entitled to be reimbursed by the Sponsor or an
Affiliate of the Sponsor (including the Trust) for reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses incurred by it in the performance of its duties hereunder, including
without limitation, the reasonable compensation, out-of-pocket expenses and
disbursements of counsel and such other agents as the Trustee may employ in
connection with the exercise and performance of its rights and duties
hereunder.
Section
3.4 Indemnification. The
Sponsor agrees, whether or not any of the transactions contemplated hereby shall
be consummated, to assume liability for, and does hereby indemnify, protect,
save and keep harmless, the Trustee (in its capacity as Trustee and
individually) and its successors, assigns, legal representatives, officers,
directors, shareholders, employees, agents and servants (the “Indemnified Parties”)
from and against any and all liabilities, obligations, losses, damages,
penalties, taxes (excluding any taxes payable by the Trustee on or measured by
any compensation received by the Trustee for its services hereunder or any
indemnity payments received by the Trustee pursuant to this Section), claims,
actions, suits, costs, expenses or disbursements (including reasonable legal
fees and expenses) of any kind and nature whatsoever (collectively, “Expenses”), which may
be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against the Indemnified Parties in any
way relating to or arising out of the formation, operation or termination of the
Trust, the execution, delivery and performance of any other agreements to which
the Trust is a party or the action or inaction of the Trustee hereunder or
thereunder, except for Expenses resulting from the gross negligence or willful
misconduct of any of the Indemnified Parties. The indemnities
contained in this Section 3.4 shall survive the termination of this Trust
Agreement, the termination of the Trust or the removal or resignation of the
Trustee.
Section
3.5 Successor
Trustee. Upon the resignation or removal of the Trustee, the
Sponsor shall appoint a successor Trustee by delivering a written instrument to
the outgoing Trustee. Any successor Trustee must satisfy the
requirements of Section 3807(a) of the Delaware Trust Statute. Any
resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor Trustee
shall not become effective until a written acceptance of appointment is
delivered by the successor Trustee to the outgoing Trustee and the Sponsor and
any fees and expenses due to the outgoing Trustee are paid. Following
compliance with the preceding sentence, the successor Trustee shall become fully
vested with all of the rights, powers, duties and obligations of the outgoing
Trustee under this Trust Agreement, with like effect as if originally named as
Trustee, and the outgoing Trustee shall be discharged of its duties and
obligations under this Trust Agreement.
12
Section
3.6 Liability of
Trustee. Except as otherwise provided in this Article III, the
Trustee acts solely as trustee hereunder and not in its individual capacity, and
all Persons having any claim against the Trustee by reason of the transactions
contemplated by this Trust Agreement and any other agreement to which the Trust
or any Fund is a party shall look only to the appropriate Fund’s Trust Estate
for payment or satisfaction thereof; provided, however, that in no event is the
foregoing intended to affect or limit the liability of the Sponsor as set forth
in Section 2.6 hereof.
The
Trustee shall not be liable or accountable hereunder to the Trust or to any
other person or under any other agreement to which the Trust is a party, except
for the Trustee’s own gross negligence or willful misconduct. In
particular, but not by way of limitation:
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(a)
|
The
Trustee shall have no liability or responsibility for the validity or
sufficiency of this Trust Agreement, any agreement contemplated hereunder,
or for the form, character, genuineness, sufficiency, value or validity of
any Trust Estate or any Units;
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(b)
|
The
Trustee shall not be liable for any actions taken or omitted to be taken
by it in good faith in accordance with the instructions of the
Sponsor;
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(c)
|
The
Trustee shall not have any liability for the acts or omissions of the
Sponsor or its delegatees, any beneficial owners or any other
person;
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(d)
|
The
Trustee shall not have any duty or obligation to supervise or monitor the
performance of, or compliance with this Trust Agreement by, the Sponsor or
its delegatees or any beneficial owner of the
Trust.
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(e)
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No
provision of this Trust Agreement shall require the Trustee to act or
expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in
the performance of any of its rights or powers hereunder if the Trustee
shall have reasonable grounds for believing that such action, repayment of
such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not
reasonably assured or provided to
it;
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(f)
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Under
no circumstances shall the Trustee be liable for indebtedness evidenced by
or other obligations of the Trust arising under this Trust Agreement or
any Fund other agreements to which the Trust or any Fund is a
party; and
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(g)
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Notwithstanding
anything contained herein to the contrary, the Trustee shall not be
required to take any action in any jurisdiction other than in the State of
Delaware if the taking of such action will (i) require the consent or
approval or authorization or order of or the giving of notice to, or the
registration with or taking of any action in respect of, any state or
other governmental authority or agency of any jurisdiction other than the
State of Delaware, (ii) result in any fee, tax or other governmental
charge under the laws of any jurisdiction or any political subdivision
thereof in existence as of the date hereof other than the State of
Delaware becoming payable by the Trustee or (iii) subject the Trustee to
personal jurisdiction, other than in the State of Delaware, for causes of
action arising from personal acts unrelated to the consummation of the
transactions by the Trustee, as the case may be, contemplated
hereby.
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13
Section
3.7 Reliance;
Advice of Counsel.
(a) The
Trustee is authorized to take such action or refrain from taking such action
under this Trust Agreement as it may be directed in writing by or on behalf of
the Sponsor or an Affiliate of the Sponsor from time to time; provided, however, that the
Trustee shall not be required to take or refrain from taking any such action if
it shall have determined, or shall have been advised by counsel, that such
performance is likely to involve the Trustee in personal liability or is
contrary to the terms of this Trust Agreement or of any document contemplated
hereby to which the Trust or the Trustee is a party or is otherwise contrary to
law. If at any time the Trustee determines that it requires or
desires guidance regarding the application of any provision of this Trust
Agreement or any other document, or regarding compliance with any direction
received by it hereunder, then the Trustee may deliver a notice to the Sponsor
requesting written instructions as to the course of action desired by the
Sponsor, and such instructions by or on behalf of the Sponsor shall constitute
full and complete authorization and protection for actions taken and other
performance by the Trustee in reliance thereon. Until the Trustee has
received such instructions after delivering such notice, it may refrain from
taking any action with respect to the matters described in such
notice.
(b) The
Trustee shall incur no liability to anyone in acting upon any document believed
by it to be genuine and believed by it to be signed by the proper party or
parties. The Trustee may accept a certified copy of a resolution of
the board of directors or other governing body of any corporate party as
conclusive evidence that such resolution has been duly adopted by such body and
that the same is in full force and effect. As to any fact or matter
the manner of ascertainment of which is not specifically prescribed herein, the
Trustee may for all purposes hereof rely on a certificate, signed by the
Sponsor, as to such fact or matter, and such certificate shall constitute full
protection to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in
good faith in reliance thereon.
(c) In
the exercise or administration of the Trust hereunder and in the performance of
its duties and obligations under this Trust Agreement, the Trustee (i) may act
directly or, at the expense of the Trust, through
agents or attorneys, and the Trustee shall not be liable for the default or
misconduct of such agents or attorneys if such agents or attorneys shall have
been selected by the Trustee in good faith, and (ii) may, at the expense of the
Trust, consult with such counsel, accountants and other experts and it shall not
be liable for anything done, suffered or omitted in good faith by it in
accordance with the advice or opinion of any such counsel, accountants or other
experts.
Section
3.8 Payments to the
Trustee. Any amounts paid to the Trustee pursuant to this
Article III shall be deemed not to be a part of any Fund’s Trust Estate
immediately after such payment. Any amounts owing to the Trustee
under this Trust Agreement shall constitute a claim against the applicable
Fund’s Trust Estate.
14
ARTICLE
IV
UNITS;
DEPOSITS
Section
4.1 General.
(a) The
Sponsor shall have the power and authority, without Unitholder approval, to
establish and designate one or more series, or Funds, and to issue Units
thereof, from time to time as set forth in Section 4.2, as it deems necessary or
desirable. Each Fund shall be separate from all other Funds created
as series of the Trust in respect of the assets and liabilities allocated to
that Fund and shall represent a separate investment portfolio of the
Trust. The Sponsor shall have exclusive power to fix and determine
the relative rights and preferences as between the Units of the Funds as to
right of redemption, special and relative rights as to dividends and other
distributions and on liquidation, conversion rights, and conditions under which
the Funds shall have separate voting rights or no voting rights.
(b) The
Sponsor may, without Unitholder approval, divide or subdivide Units of any Fund
into two or more classes or subclasses, Units of each such class or subclass
having such preferences and special or relative rights and privileges as the
Sponsor may determine as provided in Section 4.3. The fact that a
Fund shall have been initially established and designated without any specific
establishment or designation of classes or subclasses shall not limit the
authority of the Sponsor to divide a Fund and establish and designate separate
classes or subclasses thereof.
(c) The
number of Units authorized shall be unlimited, and the Units so authorized may
be represented in part by fractional Units, calculated to four decimal
places. From time to time, the Sponsor may divide or combine the
Units of any Fund or class into a greater or lesser number without thereby
changing the proportionate beneficial interests in the Fund or class
thereof. The Sponsor may issue Units of any Fund or class thereof for
such consideration and on such terms as it may determine (or for no
consideration if pursuant to a Unit dividend, split or reverse split), all
without action or approval of the Unitholders of such Fund. All Units
when so issued on the terms determined by the Sponsor shall be fully paid and
non-assessable. The Sponsor may classify or reclassify any unissued
Units or any Units previously issued and reacquired of any Fund or class thereof
into one or more series or classes thereof that may be established and
designated from time to time. The Sponsor may hold as treasury Units,
reissue for such consideration and on such terms as it may determine, or cancel,
at its discretion from time to time, any Units of any Fund or class thereof
reacquired by the Trust. Unless otherwise determined by the Sponsor,
treasury Units shall not be deemed cancelled.
(d) The
Units of each Fund shall initially be a single class.
(e) No
certificates or other evidence of beneficial ownership of the Units will be
issued for Sponsor’s Units. Global Certificates will be issued in
accordance with Section 4.5(e) of this Agreement for all Units of a Fund other
than the Sponsor’s Units of such Fund.
(f) Every
Unitholder, by virtue of having purchased or otherwise acquired a Unit, shall be
deemed to have expressly consented and agreed to be bound by the terms of this
Trust Agreement.
15
Section
4.2 Establishment
of Series, or Funds, of the Trust.
(a) Without
limiting the authority of the Sponsor set forth in Section 4.2(b) to establish
and designate any further series, the Sponsor has established and designated on
initial series or Fund, United
States Commodity Index Fund (“USCI”), and hereby establishes and
designates additional series, or Funds, as follows:
United
States Agriculture Index Fund (“USAI”)
United
States Metals Index Fund (“USMI”)
United
States Copper Index Fund (“USCUI”)
The
provisions of this Article IV shall be applicable to each of the
above-designated Funds and any further Fund that may from time to time be
established and designated by the Sponsor as provided in Section 4.2(b);
provided, however, that such provisions may be amended, varied or abrogated by
the Sponsor with respect to any Fund created after the initial formation of the
Trust in this Agreement or any other written instrument creating such additional
Fund.
(b) The
establishment and designation of any series, or Funds, other than those set
forth above shall be effective upon the execution by the Sponsor of an
instrument in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B setting forth
such establishment and designation and the relative rights and preferences of
such series, or Funds, or as otherwise provided in such
instrument. At any time that there are no Units outstanding of any
particular Fund previously established and designated, the Sponsor may by an
instrument executed by it abolish that Fund and the establishment and
designation thereof. Each instrument referred to in this paragraph
shall have the status of an amendment to this Trust Agreement.
Section
4.3 Establishment
of Classes and Sub-Classes. The division of any series, or
Funds, into two or more classes or sub-classes of Units thereof and the
establishment and designation of such classes or sub-classes of Units shall be
effective upon the execution by the Sponsor of an instrument in substantially
the form attached hereto as Exhibit B setting forth such division, and the
establishment, designation, and relative rights and preferences of such classes
of Units, or as otherwise provided in such instrument. The relative
rights and preferences of the classes or sub-classes of Units of any Fund may
differ in such respects as the Sponsor may determine to be appropriate, provided
that such differences are set forth in the aforementioned
instrument. At any time that there are no Units outstanding of any
particular class or sub-class of Units previously established and designated,
the Sponsor may by an instrument executed by it abolish that class or sub-class
of Units and the establishment and designation thereof. Each
instrument referred to in this paragraph shall have the status of an amendment
to this Trust Agreement.
Section
4.4 Offer of
Units. With respect to each Fund, during the period commencing
with the initial effective date of the Prospectus of the Fund and ending no
later than immediately prior to the time Units of such Fund begin trading on an
Exchange, such Fund shall offer Units to Authorized Purchasers in Creation
Baskets pursuant to SEC Rule 415, at an offering price
of $50.00 per Unit ($5,000,000 per Creation
Basket). After such period, each Fund shall continue to offer Units
in Creation Baskets at the Net Asset Value Per Basket of such
Fund. The Sponsor shall make such arrangements for the sale of the
Units as it deems appropriate. The offering for each Fund shall be
made on the terms and conditions set forth in the Prospectus for such
Fund.
16
Section
4.5 Procedures for
Creation and Issuance of Creation Baskets.
(a) General. The
following procedures, as supplemented by the more detailed procedures specified
in an attachment to the Authorized Purchaser Agreement for each Fund, which may
be amended from time to time in accordance with the provisions of the Authorized
Purchaser Agreement (and any such amendment will not constitute an amendment of
this Trust Agreement), will govern the Trust with respect to the creation and
issuance of Creation Baskets for each Fund. Subject to the
limitations upon and requirements for issuance of Creation Baskets stated herein
and in such procedures, the number of Creation Baskets which may be issued by
each Fund is unlimited.
(i)
On any Business Day, an Authorized Purchaser
may submit to the Sponsor or its designee a purchase order to subscribe for and
agree to purchase one or more Creation Baskets for the applicable Fund (such
request by an Authorized Purchaser, a “Purchase Order”) in
the manner provided in the Authorized Purchaser Agreement. Any
Purchase Order must be received by the Order Cut-Off Time on a Business Day (the
“Purchase Order
Date”). By placing a Purchase Order, an Authorized Purchaser
agrees to deposit cash or a combination of United States Treasury securities,
cash and/or cash equivalents or other securities or property with the
Trust. Failure to do so shall result in the cancellation of the
Purchase Order. The Sponsor or its designee will process Purchase
Orders only from Authorized Purchasers with respect to which the Authorized
Purchaser Agreement for the Fund is in full force and effect. The
Sponsor or its designee will maintain and provide to Unitholders upon request a
current list of the Authorized Purchasers for each Fund with respect to which
the Authorized Purchaser Agreement is in full force and effect.
(ii) Any
Purchase Order is subject to rejection by the Sponsor or its designee pursuant
to Section 4.5(c). The Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion or
in consultation with the Administrator, the requirements for securities that may
be included in Creation Basket Deposits and publishes, or its agent publishes on
its behalf, such requirements at the beginning of each Business
Day.
(iii) After
accepting an Authorized Purchaser’s Purchase Order, the Sponsor or its designee
will issue and deliver Creation Baskets to fill an Authorized Purchaser’s
Purchase Order on the third Business Day following
the Purchase Order Date, but only if by such time the Sponsor or its designee
has received (A) for its own account, the Transaction Fee, and (B) for the
account of the Trust, the Creation Basket Deposit due from the Authorized
Purchaser submitting the Purchase Order. The Sponsor determines, in
its sole discretion or in consultation with the Administrator, the requirements
for Treasuries and/or the amount of cash, including the maximum permitted
remaining maturity of a Treasury and the proportions of Treasuries and cash,
that may be included in Deposits to create Baskets and publishes, or its agent
publishes on its behalf, such requirements at the beginning of each Business
Day. The Sponsor or its designee will obtain from each Authorized
Purchaser an acknowledgment that it has received a copy of the Prospectus prior
to accepting any Purchase Order.
17
(b) Deposit with the
Depository. Upon issuing a Creation Basket for any Fund
pursuant to a Purchase Order, the Sponsor will cause the Trust to deposit the
Creation Basket with the Depository in accordance with the Depository’s
customary procedures, for credit to the account of the Authorized Purchaser that
submitted the Purchase Order.
(c) Rejection. For
each Fund, the Sponsor or its designee shall have the absolute right, but shall
have no obligation, to reject any Purchase Order or Creation Basket Deposit: (i)
determined by the Sponsor or its designee not to be in proper form; (ii)
determined by the Sponsor not to be in the best interest of the Unitholders;
(iii) that, due to position limits or otherwise, the Sponsor determines
investment alternatives that will enable a Fund to meet its investment objective
are not available to such Fund at that time; (iv) the acceptance or receipt of
which would have adverse tax consequences to the Trust, the Fund or the Fund’s
Unitholders; (v) the acceptance or receipt of which would, in the opinion of
counsel to the Sponsor, be unlawful; (vi) if circumstances outside the control
of the Sponsor or its designee make it, for all practical purposes, not
feasible, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, to process
creations of Creation Baskets; or (vii) for any other reason set forth in the
Authorized Purchaser Agreement entered into with that Authorized
Purchaser. Neither the Sponsor nor its designee shall be liable to
any person by reason of the rejection of any Purchase Order or Creation Basket
Deposit.
(d) Transaction
Fee. For each Fund, a non-refundable transaction fee will be
payable by an Authorized Purchaser to the Sponsor for its own account in
connection with each Purchase Order pursuant to this Section 4.5 and in
connection with each Redemption Order of such Authorized Purchaser pursuant to
Section 8.1 (each a “Transaction
Fee”). The Transaction Fee charged in connection with each
such creation and redemption shall be initially $1,000, but may be changed as
provided below. Even though a single Purchase Order or Redemption
Order may relate to multiple Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets, only a
single Transaction Fee will be due for each Purchase Order or Redemption Order
for a Fund. The Transaction Fee may subsequently be waived, modified,
reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the Sponsor.
(e) Global Certificate
Only. Certificates for Creation Baskets of a Fund will not be
issued, other than the Global Certificates issued to the
Depository. So long as the Depository Agreement is in effect,
Creation Baskets will be issued and redeemed and Units will be transferable
solely through the book-entry systems of the Depository and the DTC Participants
and their Indirect Participants as more fully described in Section
4.6.
(f) Replacement of
Depository. The Depository may determine to discontinue
providing its service with respect to Creation Baskets and Units of any Fund by
giving notice to the Sponsor pursuant to and in conformity with the provisions
of the Depository Agreement and discharging its responsibilities with respect
thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Sponsor
shall take action to find a replacement for the Depository to perform its
functions at a comparable cost and on terms acceptable to the Sponsor or, if
such a replacement is unavailable, to either (i) terminate the Trust or specific
Funds, as applicable, or (ii) execute and deliver separate certificates
evidencing Units registered in the names of the Unitholders thereof, with such
additions, deletions and modifications to this Trust Agreement and to the form
of certificate evidencing Units as the Sponsor deems necessary or
appropriate.
18
Section
4.6 Book-Entry-Only
System, Global Certificates.
(a) Global Certificates.
The Trust and the Sponsor will enter into the Depository Agreement pursuant to
which the Depository will act as securities depository for Units of each
Fund. Units of each Fund will be represented by the Global
Certificates (which may consist of one or more certificates as required by the
Depository), which will be registered, as the Depository shall direct, in the
name of Cede & Co., as nominee for the Depository and deposited with,
or on behalf of, the Depository. No other certificates evidencing
Units will be issued. The Global Certificates for each Fund shall be
in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A or described therein and shall
represent such Units as shall be specified therein, and may provide that it
shall represent the aggregate amount of outstanding Units of a Fund from time to
time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate amount of outstanding Units
represented thereby may from time to time be increased or decreased to reflect
creations or redemptions of Baskets. Any endorsement of a Global
Certificate to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, of
outstanding Units represented thereby shall be made in such manner and upon
instructions given by the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust as specified in the
Depository Agreement.
(b) Legend. Any
Global Certificate issued to The Depository Trust Company or its nominee shall
bear a legend substantially to the following effect: “Unless this certificate is
presented by an authorized representative of The Depository Trust Company, a New
York corporation (“DTC”), to the Trust
or its agent for registration of transfer, exchange, or payment, and any
certificate issued is registered in the name of Cede & Co., or in such
other name as is requested by an authorized representative of DTC (and any
payment is made to Cede & Co., or to such other entity as is required
by an authorized representative of DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE
HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL inasmuch as the
registered owner hereof, Cede & Co., has an interest
herein.”
(c) The
Depository. The Depository has advised the Trust and the
Sponsor as follows: The Depository is a limited-purpose trust company organized
under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve
System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform
Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions
of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. The Depository was created to hold securities of its
participants (the “DTC
Participants”) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of
securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through
electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby
eliminating the need for physical movement of securities
certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and
dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other
organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own the
Depository. Access to the Depository’s system is also available to
others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or
maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or
indirectly (“Indirect
Participants”).
19
(d) Unitholders. As
provided in the Depository Agreement, upon the settlement date of any creation,
transfer or redemption of Units of a Fund, the Depository will credit or debit,
on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the number of Units so
created, transferred or redeemed to the accounts of the appropriate DTC
Participants. The accounts to be credited and charged shall be
designated by the Sponsor on behalf of each Fund and each Authorized Purchaser,
in the case of a creation or redemption of Baskets. Ownership of
beneficial interest in Units will be limited to DTC Participants, Indirect
Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect
Participants. Unitholders will be shown on, and the transfer of Units
will be effected only through, in the case of DTC Participants, the records
maintained by the Depository and, in the case of Indirect Participants and
Unitholders holding through a DTC Participant or an Indirect Participant,
through those records or the records of the relevant DTC Participants or
Indirect Participants. Unitholders are expected to receive, from or
through the broker or bank that maintains the account through which the
Unitholder has purchased Units, a written confirmation relating to their
purchase of Units.
(e) Reliance on
Procedures. Unitholders will not be entitled to have Units
registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical
delivery of certificates in definitive form. Accordingly, to exercise
any rights of a holder of Units under the Trust Agreement, a Unitholder must
rely on the procedures of the Depository and, if such Unitholder is not a DTC
Participant, on the procedures of each DTC Participant or Indirect Participant
through which such Unitholder holds its interests. The Trust and the
Sponsor understand that under existing industry practice, if the Trust or any
Fund requests any action of a Unitholder, or a Unitholder desires to take any
action that the Depository or its nominee, as the record owner of all
outstanding Units of each Fund, is entitled to take, (1) in the case of a Trust
request, the Depository will notify the DTC Participants regarding such request,
such DTC Participants will in turn notify each Indirect Participant holding
Units through it, with each successive Indirect Participant continuing to notify
each person holding Units through it until the request has reached the
Unitholder, and (2) in the case of a request or authorization to act being
sought or given by a Unitholder, such request or authorization is given by such
Unitholder and relayed back to the Trust or such Fund through each Indirect
Participant and DTC Participant through which the Unitholder’s interest in the
Units is held.
(f) Communication between the
Trust and the Unitholders. As described above, the Trust and
the Funds will recognize the Depository or its nominee as the owner of all Units
for all purposes except as expressly set forth in this Trust
Agreement. Conveyance of all notices, statements and other
communications to Unitholders will be effected as follows. Pursuant to the
Depository Agreement, the Depository is required to make available to the Funds
upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Funds a listing of the Unit
holdings of each DTC Participant. The Trust or the Funds shall
inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Unitholders holding
Units of a Fund, directly or indirectly, through such DTC
Participant. The Trust or the Funds shall provide each such DTC
Participant with sufficient copies of such notice, statement or other
communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant
may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication
may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such
Unitholders. In addition, the Funds shall pay to each such DTC
Participant an amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such
transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory
requirements.
20
(g) Distributions. Any
distributions on Units pursuant to Section 7.8 shall be made to the Depository
or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered owner of all
Units. The Trust and the Sponsor expect that the Depository or its
nominee, upon receipt of any payment of distributions in respect of Units, shall
credit immediately DTC Participants’ accounts with payments in amounts
proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Units as shown on the
records of the Depository or its nominee. The Trust and the Sponsor
also expect that payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and
Unitholders holding Units through such DTC Participants and Indirect
Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices,
as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer
form or registered in a “street name,” and will be the responsibility of such
DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. None of the Trust, the
Funds, the Trustee or the Sponsor will have any responsibility or liability for
any aspects of the records relating to or notices to Unitholders, or payments
made on account of beneficial ownership interests in Units, or for maintaining,
supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership
interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between the Depository and
the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the
Indirect Participants and Unitholders owning through such DTC Participants or
Indirect Participants or between or among the Depository, any Unitholder and any
person by or through which such Unitholder is considered to own
Units.
(h) Limitation of
Liability. Each Global Certificate to be issued hereunder is
executed and delivered solely on behalf of the Trust by the Sponsor, as Sponsor,
in the exercise of the powers and authority conferred and vested in it by this
Trust Agreement. The representations, undertakings and agreements
made on the part of the Trust in each Global Certificate are made and intended
not as personal representations, undertakings and agreements by the Sponsor or
the Trustee, but are made and intended for the purpose of binding only the
Trust. Nothing in the Global Certificate shall be construed as
creating any liability on the Sponsor or the Trustee, individually or
personally, to fulfill any representation, undertaking or agreement other than
as provided in this Trust Agreement.
(i) Successor
Depository. If a successor to The Depository Trust Company
shall be employed as Depository hereunder, the Trust and the Sponsor shall
establish procedures acceptable to such successor with respect to the matters
addressed in this Section 4.6.
Section
4.7 Assets. All
consideration received by a Fund for the issue or sale of Units together with
such Fund’s Trust Estate in which such consideration is invested, all income,
earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, including any proceeds derived from the
sale, exchange or liquidation of such assets, shall belong to each Fund for all
purposes, subject only to the rights of creditors of such Fund and except as may
otherwise be required by applicable tax laws, and shall be so recorded upon the
books of account of such Fund.
Section
4.8 Liabilities of
Funds.
(a) The
Trust Estate belonging to each particular Fund shall be charged with the
liabilities of the Trust in respect of that Fund and only that Fund, and all
expenses, costs, charges, indemnities and reserves attributable to that
Fund. Any general liabilities, expenses, costs, charges, indemnities
or reserves of the Trust which are not readily identifiable as belonging to any
particular Fund shall be allocated and charged by the Sponsor to and among any
one or more of the Funds established and designated from time to time in such
manner and on such basis as the Sponsor in its sole discretion deems fair and
equitable. Each allocation of liabilities, expenses, costs, charges
and reserves by the Sponsor shall be conclusive and binding upon all Unitholders
for all purposes. The Sponsor shall have full discretion, to the
extent not inconsistent with applicable law, to determine which items shall be
treated as income and which items as capital, and each such determination and
allocation shall be conclusive and binding upon the
Unitholders. Every written agreement, instrument or other undertaking
made or issued by or on behalf of a particular Fund shall include a recitation
limiting the obligation or claim represented thereby to that Fund and its
assets.
21
(b) Without
limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.8, but subject to the right
of the Sponsor in its discretion to allocate general liabilities, expenses,
costs, charges or reserves as herein provided, the debts, liabilities,
obligations and expenses (“Claims”) incurred,
contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to a particular Fund shall be
enforceable against the assets of such Fund only, and not against the assets of
the Trust generally or of any other Fund. Notice of this limitation
on inter-series liabilities is set forth in the Certificate of Trust of the
Trust as filed in the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware
pursuant to the Delaware Trust Statute, and upon the giving of such notice in
the Certificate of Trust, the statutory provisions of Section 3804 of the
Delaware Trust Statute relating to limitations on inter-series liabilities (and
the statutory effect under Section 3804 of setting forth such notice in the
Certificate of Trust) became applicable to the Trust and each
Fund. Every Unit, note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or
other undertaking made or issued by or on behalf of a particular Fund shall
include a recitation limiting the obligation on the Units represented thereby to
that Fund and its assets, but the absence of such a provision shall not be
construed as creating recourse to any other Fund or any other
person.
(c) Any
agreement entered into by the Trust, any Fund, or the Sponsor, on behalf of the
Trust generally or any Fund, including, without limitation, the Purchase Order
entered into with each Authorized Purchaser, will include language substantially
similar to the language set forth in Section 4.8(b).
Section
4.9 Voting
Rights. The Unitholders shall have the limited voting rights
as set forth in this Agreement.
(a) Unless
approved by at least a majority of the Unitholders of the applicable Fund, the
Sponsor shall not take any action or refuse to take any reasonable action the
effect of which, if taken or not taken, as the case may be, would be to cause
the Fund, to the extent it would materially and adversely affect such Fund’s
Unitholders, to be taxable other than as a partnership for federal income tax
purposes.
(b) Notwithstanding
any other provision hereof, on each matter submitted to a vote of the
Unitholders, each Unitholder shall be entitled to a proportionate vote based
upon the number of Units, or fraction thereof, standing in its name on the books
of the applicable Fund.
Section
4.10 Equality. Except
as provided herein or in an instrument establishing a Fund, all Units of a Fund
shall represent an equal proportionate beneficial interest in the assets of the
Fund subject to the liabilities of the Fund, and each Unit shall be equal to
each other Unit. The Sponsor may from time to time divide or combine
the Units into a greater or lesser number of Units without thereby changing the
proportionate beneficial interest in the assets of the Fund or in any way
affecting the rights of Unitholders.
22
Section
4.11 Record
Dates. Whenever any distribution will be made, or whenever for
any reason there is a split, reverse split or other change in the outstanding
Units, or whenever the Sponsor shall find it necessary or convenient in respect
of any matter, the Sponsor in its sole discretion shall fix a record date for
the determination of the Unitholders who shall be entitled to receive such
distribution or the net proceeds of the sale thereof, or entitled to act in
respect of any other matter for which the record date was set.
ARTICLE
V
THE
SPONSOR
Section
5.1 Management of
the Trust. Pursuant to Section 3806(b)(7) of the Delaware
Trust Statute, the Trust shall be managed by the Sponsor as an agent of the
Trust and the conduct of the Trust’s business shall be controlled and conducted
solely by the Sponsor in accordance with this Trust Agreement.
Section
5.2 Authority of
Sponsor. In addition to and not in limitation of any rights
and powers conferred by law or other provisions of this Trust Agreement, and
except as limited, restricted or prohibited by the express provisions of this
Trust Agreement or the Delaware Trust Statute, the Sponsor shall have and may
exercise on behalf of the Trust, all powers and rights necessary, proper,
convenient or advisable to effectuate and carry out the purposes, business and
objectives of the Trust, which shall include, without limitation, the
following:
(a) To
enter into, execute, deliver and maintain, and to cause the Trust to perform its
obligations under, contracts, agreements and any or all other documents and
instruments, and to do and perform all such things as may be in furtherance of
Trust purposes or necessary or appropriate for the offer and sale of the Units
and the conduct of Trust activities;
(b) To
establish, maintain, deposit into, sign checks and/or otherwise draw upon
accounts on behalf of the Trust with appropriate banking and savings
institutions, and execute and/or accept any instrument or agreement incidental
to the Trust’s business and in furtherance of its purposes, any such instrument
or agreement so executed or accepted by the Sponsor in the Sponsor’s name shall
be deemed executed and accepted on behalf of the Trust by the
Sponsor;
(c) To
deposit, withdraw, pay, retain and distribute each Fund’s Trust Estate or any
portion thereof in any manner consistent with the provisions of this Trust
Agreement;
(d) To
supervise the preparation and filing of any Registration Statement and
supplements and amendments thereto;
(e) To
adopt, implement or amend, from time to time, such disclosure and financial
reporting information gathering and control policies and procedures as are
necessary or desirable to ensure compliance with applicable disclosure and
financial reporting obligations under any applicable securities
laws;
(f) To
make any necessary determination or decision in connection with the preparation
of the Trust’s financial statements and amendments thereto, and any
Prospectus;
23
(g) To
prepare, file and distribute, if applicable, any periodic reports or updates
that may be required under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the CE Act, or
the rules and regulations thereunder;
(h) To
pay or authorize the payment of distributions to the Unitholders and expenses of
each Fund;
(i)
Subject to section 2.5(a), to make any elections on behalf of the
Trust under the Code, or any other applicable U.S. federal or state tax law, as
the Sponsor shall determine to be in the best interests of the Trust;
and
(j)
In the sole discretion of the Sponsor, to admit an Affiliate
or Affiliates of the Sponsor as additional Sponsors.
Section
5.3 Obligations of
the Sponsor. In addition to the obligations expressly provided
by the Delaware Trust Statute or this Trust Agreement, the Sponsor
shall:
(a) Devote
such of its time to the business and affairs of the Trust as it shall, in its
discretion exercised in good faith, determine to be necessary to conduct the
business and affairs of the Trust for the benefit of the Trust and the
Unitholders;
(b) Execute,
file, record and/or publish all certificates, statements and other documents and
do any and all other things as may be appropriate for the formation,
qualification and operation of the Trust and for the conduct of its business in
all appropriate jurisdictions;
(c) Appoint
and remove independent public accountants to audit the accounts of the
Trust;
(d) Employ
attorneys to represent the Trust;
(e) Use
its best efforts to maintain the status of the Trust as a “statutory trust” for
state law purpose and as a “partnership” for U.S. federal income tax
purposes;
(f) Invest,
reinvest, hold uninvested, sell, exchange, write options on, lease, lend and,
subject to Section 5.4(b), pledge, mortgage and hypothecate the Trust Estate of
each Fund in accordance with the purposes of the Trust and the Registration
Statement.
(g) Have
fiduciary responsibility for the safekeeping and use of the Trust Estate,
whether or not in the Sponsor’ s immediate possession or control;
(h) Enter
into an Authorized Purchaser Agreement with each Authorized Purchaser and
discharge the duties and responsibilities of the Trust and the Sponsor
thereunder;
(i)
For each Fund, receive from Authorized Purchasers and process, or cause the
Distributor to process, properly submitted Purchase Orders, as described in
Section 4.5(a)(i);
(j)
For each Fund, in connection with Purchase Order, receive Creation
Basket Deposits from Authorized Purchasers;
24
(k) For
each Fund, in connection with Purchase Order, deliver or cause the delivery of
Creation Baskets to the Depository for the account of the Authorized Purchaser
submitting a Purchase Order for which the Sponsor has received the requisite
Transaction Fee and the Trust has received the requisite Deposit, as described
in Section 4.5(d);
(l)
For each Fund, receive from Authorized
Purchasers and process, or cause the Distributor to process, properly submitted
Redemption Orders, as described in Section 8.1(a), or as may from time to time
be permitted by Section 8.2;
(m) For
each Fund, in connection with Redemption Orders, receive from the redeeming
Authorized Purchaser through the Depository, and thereupon cancel or cause to be
cancelled, Units corresponding to the Redemption Baskets to be redeemed as
described in Section 8.1, or as may from time to time be permitted by Section
8.2;
(n) Interact
with the Depository as required; and
(o) Delegate
those of its duties hereunder as it shall determine from time to time to one or
more Administrators or commodity trading or other advisors.
Section
5.4 General
Prohibitions. The Trust and each Fund, as applicable, shall
not:
(a) Borrow
money from or loan money to any Unitholder (including the Sponsor);
(b) Create,
incur, assume or suffer to exist any lien, mortgage, pledge, conditional sale or
other title retention agreement, charge, security interest or encumbrance,
except (i) liens for taxes not delinquent or being contested in good faith and
by appropriate proceedings and for which appropriate reserves have been
established, (ii) deposits or pledges to secure obligations under workmen’s
compensation, social security or similar laws or under unemployment insurance,
(iii) deposits or pledges to secure contracts (other than contracts for the
payment of money), leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds and
other obligations of like nature arising in the ordinary course of business,
(iv) mechanic’s, warehousemen’s, carrier’s, workmen’s, materialmen’s or other
like liens arising in the ordinary course of business with respect to
obligations which are not due or which are being contested in good faith, and
for which appropriate reserves have been established if required by generally
accepted accounting principles, and liens arising under ERISA, or (v) the
deposit of margin or collateral with respect to the initiation and maintenance
of Commodity Contract positions; or
(c) Operate
the Trust or a Fund in any manner so as to contravene the requirements to
preserve the limitation on inter-series liability set forth in Section 3804 of
the Delaware Trust Statute.
25
Section
5.5 Liability of
Covered Persons. A Covered Person shall have no liability to
the Trust, any Fund, or to any Unitholder or other Covered Person for any loss
suffered by the Trust or any Fund which arises out of any action or inaction of
such Covered Person if such Covered Person, in good faith, determined that such
course of conduct was in the best interest of the Trust or the applicable Fund
and such course of conduct did not constitute gross negligence or willful
misconduct of such Covered Person. Subject to the foregoing, neither
the Sponsor nor any other Covered Person shall be personally liable for the
return or repayment of all or any portion of the capital or profits of any
Unitholder or assignee thereof, it being expressly agreed that any such return
of capital or profits made pursuant to this Trust Agreement shall be made solely
from the assets of the applicable Fund without any rights of contribution from
the Sponsor or any other Covered Person. A Covered Person shall not
be liable for the conduct or willful misconduct of any Administrator or other
delegatee selected by the Sponsor with reasonable care, provided, however, that
the Trustee and its Affiliates shall not under any circumstances be liable for
the conduct or willful misconduct of any Administrator or other delegatee or any
other Person selected by the Sponsor to provide services to the
Trust.
Section
5.6 Fiduciary
Duty.
(a) To
the extent that, at law (common or statutory) or in equity, the Sponsor has
duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the
Trust, the Funds, the Unitholders or to any other Person, the Sponsor acting
under this Trust Agreement shall not be liable to the Trust, the Funds, the
Unitholders or to any other Person for its good faith reliance on the provisions
of this Trust Agreement subject to the standard of care set forth in Section 5.5
herein. For the avoidance of doubt, to the fullest extent permitted
by law, no person other than the Sponsor and the Trustee shall have any duties
(including fiduciary duties) or liabilities at law or in equity to the Trust,
any Fund, any Unitholder or any other person. The provisions of this
Trust Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties and
liabilities of the Sponsor or the Trustee otherwise existing at law or in
equity, are agreed by the parties hereto to replace such other duties and
liabilities of the Sponsor or the Trustee.
(b) Unless
otherwise expressly provided herein:
(i) whenever
a conflict of interest exists or arises between the Sponsor or any of its
Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Trust, any Fund or any Unitholder or any
other Person, on the other hand; or
(ii) whenever
this Trust Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein or therein
provides that the Sponsor shall act in a manner that is, or provides terms that
are, fair and reasonable to the Trust, any Fund, any Unitholder or any other
Person,
the
Sponsor shall (i) resolve such conflict of interest, or (ii) take such action or
provide for such terms as are fair and reasonable to the Trust, any Fund, any
Unitholder or any other Person, as applicable, considering in each case the
relative interest of each party (including its own interest) to such conflict,
agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to
such interests, any customary or accepted industry practices, and any applicable
generally accepted accounting practices or principles. In the absence
of bad faith by the Sponsor, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or
provided by the Sponsor shall not constitute a breach of this Trust Agreement or
any other agreement contemplated herein or of any duty or obligation of the
Sponsor at law or in equity or otherwise.
26
(c) The
Sponsor and any Affiliate of the Sponsor may engage in or possess an interest in
other profit-seeking or business ventures of any nature or description,
independently or with others, whether or not such ventures are competitive with
the Trust or any Fund, as applicable, and the doctrine of corporate opportunity,
or any analogous doctrine, shall not apply to the Sponsor. If the
Sponsor acquires knowledge of a potential transaction, agreement, arrangement or
other matter that may be an opportunity for the Trust or any Fund, as
applicable, it shall have no duty to communicate or offer such opportunity to
the Trust or any Fund, as applicable, and the Sponsor shall not be liable to the
Trust, any Fund, or to the Unitholders for breach of any fiduciary or other duty
by reason of the fact that the Sponsor pursues or acquires for, or directs such
opportunity to, another Person or does not communicate such opportunity or
information to the Trust or any Fund. The Trust, the Funds and the
Unitholders shall not have any rights or obligations by virtue of this Agreement
or the trust relationship created hereby in or to such independent ventures or
the income or profits or losses derived therefrom. The pursuit of such ventures,
even if competitive with the activities of the Trust or any Fund, shall not be
deemed wrongful or improper. Except to the extent expressly provided
herein, the Sponsor may engage or be interested in any financial or other
transaction with the Trust, the Funds, the Unitholders or any Affiliate of the
Trust or the Unitholders.
Section
5.7 Indemnification
of the Sponsor.
(a) The
Sponsor shall be indemnified by the Trust (or, in furtherance of Section 4.8, by
a Fund separately to the extent the matter in question relates to a single Fund
or disproportionately affects a specific Fund in relation to other Funds)
against any losses, judgments, liabilities, expenses and amounts paid in
settlement of any claims sustained by it in connection with its activities for
the Trust or any Fund, as applicable, provided that (i) the Sponsor was acting
on behalf of or performing services for the Trust or such Fund,
as applicable, and has determined, in good faith, that such course of
conduct was in the best interests of the Trust or such Fund,
as applicable, and such liability or loss was not the result of gross
negligence, willful misconduct, or a breach of this Trust Agreement on the part
of the Sponsor, and (ii) any such indemnification will only be recoverable from
the Trust estate or the applicable estate of such Fund. All rights to
indemnification permitted herein and payment of associated expenses shall not be
affected by the dissolution or other cessation to exist of the Sponsor, or the
withdrawal, adjudication of bankruptcy or insolvency of the Sponsor, or the
filing of a voluntary or involuntary petition in bankruptcy under Title 11 of
the Bankruptcy Code by or against the Sponsor.
(b) Notwithstanding
the provisions of this Section 5.7(a) above, the Sponsor shall not be
indemnified for any losses, liabilities or expenses arising from or out of an
alleged violation of U.S. federal or state securities laws unless (i) there has
been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged
securities law violations as to the particular indemnitee and the court approves
the indemnification of such expenses (including, without limitation, litigation
costs), (ii) such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a
court of competent jurisdiction as to the particular indemnitee and the court
approves the indemnification of such expenses (including, without limitation,
litigation costs) or (iii) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a
settlement of the claims against a particular indemnitee and finds that
indemnification of the settlement and related costs should be
made.
27
(c) The
Trust and the Funds shall not incur the cost of that portion of any insurance
which insures any party against any liability, the indemnification of which is
herein prohibited.
(d) Expenses
incurred in defending a threatened or pending civil, administrative or criminal
action suit or proceeding against the Sponsor shall be paid by the Trust in
advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, if (i) the
legal action relates to the performance of duties or services by the Sponsor on
behalf of the Trust or any Fund, as applicable; (ii) the legal action is
initiated by a party other than the Trust or any Fund, as applicable; and (iii)
the Sponsor undertakes to repay the advanced funds with interest to the Trust or
any Fund, as applicable, in cases in which it is not entitled to indemnification
under this Section 5.7.
(e) The
term “Sponsor” as used only in this Section 5.7 shall include, in addition to
the Sponsor, any other Covered Person performing services on behalf of the Trust
or any Fund, as applicable, and acting within the scope of the Sponsor’s
authority as set forth in this Trust Agreement.
(f) In
the event the Trust or any Fund, as applicable, is made a party to any claim,
dispute, demand or litigation or otherwise incurs any loss, liability, damage,
cost or expense as a result of or in connection with any Unitholder’s (or
assignee’s) obligations or liabilities unrelated to the business of the Trust or
any Fund, as applicable, such Unitholder (or assignees cumulatively) shall
indemnify, defend, hold harmless, and reimburse the Trust or such Fund, as
applicable, for all such loss, liability, damage, cost and expense incurred,
including attorneys’ and accountants’ fees.
(g) The
payment of any amount by the Trust pursuant to this Section 5.7 shall be subject
to Section 4.8 with respect to the allocation of liabilities and other amounts,
as appropriate, among the Funds.
Section
5.8 Expenses and
Limitations Thereon.
(a) The
Sponsor or an Affiliate of the Sponsor shall be responsible for the payment of
all Sponsor Expenses incurred in connection with the Trust or any Fund and the
initial issuance of the Units of any Fund.
“Sponsor Expenses”
shall mean those expenses incurred in connection with the formation,
qualification and registration of the Trust, any Fund and the Units under
applicable U.S. federal and state law, and any other expenses actually incurred
and, directly or indirectly, related to the organization of the Trust or any
Fund or the offering of a Fund’s Units prior to the time such Units begin
trading on an Exchange, including, but not limited to, expenses such as: (i)
initial registration fees, prepaid licensing fees, filing fees, escrow fees and
taxes, (ii) costs of preparing, printing (including typesetting), amending,
supplementing, mailing and distributing the Registration Statement, the Exhibits
thereto and the Prospectus for a Fund, (iii) the costs of qualifying, printing,
(including typesetting), amending, supplementing, mailing and distributing sales
materials used in connection with the offering and issuance of the Units of a
Fund, (iv) travel, telephone and other expenses in connection with the offering
and issuance of the Units of a Fund, (v) accounting, auditing and legal fees
(including disbursements related thereto) incurred in connection therewith, (vi)
the routine expenses associated with preparation of monthly, quarterly, annual
and other reports required by applicable U.S. federal and state regulatory
authorities, and (vii) payment for fees associated with custody and transfer
agency services, whether performed by an outside service provider or by
Affiliates of the Sponsor.
28
(b) Except
as set forth in Article III and Sections 5.8(a), all ongoing charges, costs and
expenses of each Fund’s operation shall be billed to and paid by the applicable
Fund. Such costs and expenses shall include, without limitation:
(i) the Sponsor’s fee in
accordance with Section 5.9; (ii) brokerage and other fees and commissions
incurred in connection with the trading activities of the Funds; (iii) expenses
incurred in connection with registering additional Units of a Fund or offering
Units of a Fund after the time any Units of such Fund have begun trading on an
Exchange; (iv) the routine expenses associated with distribution, including
printing and mailing, of any monthly, annual and other reports to Unitholders
required by applicable U.S. federal and state regulatory authorities; (v) fees and expenses
associated with compensation to the directors; (vi) payment for routine services
of the Trustee, legal counsel and independent accountants; (vii) payment for
fees associated with tax accounting and reporting, routine accounting,
bookkeeping, whether performed by an outside service provider or by Affiliates
of the Sponsor; (viii) postage and insurance, including directors and officers’
liability insurance; (ix) costs and expenses associated with client relations
and services; (x) the payment of any distributions related to redemption of
Units; (xi) payment of all federal, state, local or foreign taxes payable on the
income, assets or operations of the Fund and the preparation of all tax returns
related thereto; and (xii) extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited
to, indemnification of any Person against liabilities and obligations to the
extent permitted by law and required under this Agreement and the bringing and
defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct
of litigation and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims
and litigation).
Section
5.9 Compensation to
the Sponsor. The Sponsor shall be entitled to receive a
management fee as compensation for the management and administrative services
rendered by Sponsor to the Trust and each Fund (the “Management
Fee”). Each Fund shall pay the Sponsor (or such other person
or entity designated by the Sponsor) the Management Fee as set forth in such
Fund’s current Prospectus. The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion,
waive all or part of the Management Fee.
Section
5.10 Other Business
of Unitholders. Except as otherwise specifically provided
herein, any of the Unitholders and any unitholder, officer, director, member,
manager, employee or other person holding a legal or beneficial interest in an
entity which is a Unitholder, may engage in or possess an interest in other
business ventures of every nature and description, independently or with others,
and the pursuit of such ventures, even if competitive with the business of the
Trust, shall not be deemed wrongful or improper.
29
Section
5.11 Merger,
Consolidation, Incorporation.
(a) Notwithstanding
anything else herein, the Sponsor may, without Unitholder approval, (i) cause
the Trust to convert into or merge, reorganize or consolidate with or into one
or more trusts, partnerships, limited liability companies, associations,
corporations or other business entities (or a series of any of the foregoing to
the extent permitted by law) (including trusts, partnerships, limited liability
companies, associations, corporations or other business entities created by the
Sponsor to accomplish such conversion, merger or consolidation), (ii) cause the
Units to be exchanged under or pursuant to any state or federal statute to the
extent permitted by law, (iii) cause the Trust to incorporate under the laws of
a state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United States, (iv) sell or
convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust or any Fund to
another Fund of the Trust or to another trust, partnership, limited liability
company, association, corporation or other business entity (or a series of any
of the foregoing to the extent permitted by law) (including a trust,
partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other
business entity created by the Sponsor to accomplish such sale and conveyance),
organized under the laws of the United States or of any state, commonwealth,
possession or colony of the United States, for adequate consideration as
determined by the Sponsor which may include the assumption of all outstanding
obligations, taxes and other liabilities, accrued or contingent of the Trust or
any affected Fund, and which may include Units of such other Fund of the Trust
or shares of beneficial interest, stock or other ownership interest of such
trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, corporation or other
business entity (or series thereof) or (v) at any time sell or convert into
money all or any part of the assets of the Trust or any Fund
thereof.
(b) Pursuant
to and in accordance with the provisions of Section 3815(f) of the Delaware
Trust Statute and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this
Trust Agreement, an agreement of merger or consolidation approved by the Sponsor
in accordance with this Section 5.11 may effect any amendment to the Trust
Agreement (other than an amendment adverse to the Trustee without its consent)
or effect the adoption of a new trust agreement of the Trust or change the name
of the Trust if the Trust is the surviving or resulting entity in the merger or
consolidation.
(c) Notwithstanding
anything else herein, the Sponsor may, without Unitholder approval, create one
or more statutory or business trusts to which all or any part of the assets,
liabilities, profits or losses of the Trust or any Fund thereof may be
transferred and may provide for the conversion of Units in the Trust or any Fund
thereof into beneficial interests in any such newly created trust or trusts or
any series or classes thereof.
Section
5.12 Withdrawal of
the Sponsor.
(a) The
Sponsor may withdraw voluntarily as the Sponsor of the Trust only upon ninety
(90) days’ prior notice to all Unitholders and the Trustee. If the
Sponsor withdraws and a successor Sponsor is selected in accordance with Section
14.1(a)(ii), the withdrawing Sponsor shall pay all expenses as a result of its
withdrawal.
(b) The
Sponsor will not cease to be a Sponsor of the Trust merely upon the occurrence
of its making an assignment for the benefit of creditors, filing a voluntary
petition in bankruptcy, filing a petition or answer seeking for itself any
reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment, liquidation, dissolution
or similar relief under any statute, law or regulation, filing an answer or
other pleading admitting or failing to contest material allegations of a
petition filed against it in any proceeding of this nature or seeking,
consenting to or acquiescing in the appointment of a trustee, receiver or
liquidator for itself or of all or any substantial part of its
properties.
30
(c) In
connection with any Event of Withdrawal, the Sponsor shall not cease to be a
Sponsor of the Trust, or to have the power to exercise any rights or powers as a
Sponsor, or to have liability for the obligations of the Trust under Section 2.6
hereof, until a substitute Sponsor, which shall carry on the business of the
Trust, has been admitted to the Trust or until the Trust has been terminated in
accordance with Section 14.1.
(d) To
the full extent permitted by law, nothing in this Trust Agreement shall be
deemed to prevent the merger of the Sponsor with another corporation or other
entity, the reorganization of the Sponsor into or with any other corporation or
other entity, the transfer of all the capital stock of the Sponsor or the
assumption of the rights, duties and liabilities of the Sponsor by, in the case
of a merger, reorganization or consolidation, the surviving corporation or other
entity by operation of law or the transfer of the Sponsor’s Units to an
Affiliate of the Sponsor. Without limiting the foregoing, none of the
transactions referenced in the preceding sentence shall be deemed to be a
voluntary withdrawal for purposes of Section 5.12(a) or an Event of Withdrawal
or assignment of Units for purposes of Section 6.2(a).
(e) The
Sponsor may be removed as Sponsor of the Trust only if such removal is approved
by the Unitholders holding at least 66⅔ % of the outstanding Units (excluding
for this purpose any Units held by the Sponsor and its Affiliates). Any such
action by such holders for removal of the Sponsor of the Trust must also provide
for the election of a successor Sponsor of the Trust by the Unitholders holding
a majority of the outstanding Units (excluding for this purpose any Units held
by the Sponsor and its Affiliates). Such removal shall be effective immediately
following the admission of a successor Sponsor of the Trust.
Section
5.13 Authorization
of Registration Statements. Each Unitholder (or any permitted
assignee thereof) hereby agrees that the Sponsor, the Trust, and the Trustee are
authorized to execute, deliver and perform the agreements, acts, transactions
and matters contemplated hereby or described in or contemplated by any
Registration Statement on behalf of the Trust without any further act, approval
or vote of the Unitholders of the Funds, notwithstanding any other provision of
this Trust Agreement, the Delaware Trust Statute or any applicable law, rule or
regulation.
Section
5.14 Litigation. The
Sponsor is hereby authorized to prosecute, defend, settle or compromise actions
or claims at law or in equity as may be necessary or proper to enforce or
protect the interests of the Trust or any Fund, as applicable. The
Sponsor shall satisfy any judgment, decree or decision of any court, board or
authority having jurisdiction or any settlement of any suit or claim prior to
judgment or final decision thereon, first, out of any insurance proceeds
available therefor, next, out of the assets of the applicable Fund, or with
respect to the Trust, out of the Funds’ assets on a pro rata basis and,
thereafter, out of the assets (to the extent that it is permitted to do so under
the various other provisions of this Trust Agreement) of the
Sponsor.
31
ARTICLE
VI
TRANSFERS
OF UNITS
Section
6.1 Transfer of
Units. To the fullest extent permitted by law, a Unitholder
may not transfer his Units or any part of his right, title and interest in the
capital or profits in any Fund except as permitted in this Article VI and any
act in violation of this Article VI shall not be binding upon or recognized by
the Trust (regardless of whether the Sponsor shall have knowledge thereof),
unless approved in writing by the Sponsor. Unitholders that are not DTC
Participants may transfer Units by instructing the DTC Participant or Indirect
Participant holding the Units for such Unitholder in accordance with standard
securities industry practice. Unitholders that are DTC Participants
may transfer Units by instructing the Depository in accordance with the rules of
the Depository and standard securities industry practice.
Section
6.2 Transfer of
Sponsor’s Units. Upon the Sponsor ceasing to serve as Sponsor
of the Trust, the Sponsor’s Units shall be purchased by the Trust for a purchase
price in cash equal to the Net Asset Value thereof.
ARTICLE
VII
CAPITAL
ACCOUNTS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND ALLOCATIONS
Section
7.1 Capital
Accounts.
(a) There
shall be established on the books and records of each Fund for each Unitholder a
separate account (a “Capital Account”),
which shall be determined in accordance with the following
provisions:
(i) A
Unitholder’s Capital Account shall be increased by such Unitholder’s Capital
Contributions to the Fund and by any income or gain (including income and gain
exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 7.1(b) and allocated to
such Unitholder pursuant to Section 7.2.
(ii) A
Unitholder’s Capital Account shall be decreased by the amount of cash
distributed to such Unitholder pursuant to any provision of this Agreement and
by any expenses, deductions or losses computed in accordance with section 7.1(b)
and allocated to such Unitholder pursuant to Section 7.2.
(b) For
purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, deduction, expense
or loss to be reflected in a Unitholder’s Capital Account, the determination,
recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its
determination, recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes
pursuant to Code section 703(a); provided,
that:
(i) Items
described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code shall be treated as items of
deduction. All fees and other expenses incurred by the Fund to
promote the sale of (or to sell) a Unit that can neither be deducted nor
amortized under section 709 of the Code shall, for purposes of Capital Account
maintenance, be treated as an item described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the
Code.
32
(ii) Except
as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all
items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be made without regard to any
election under Section 754 of the Code.
(iii) In
computing income, gain, deduction, expense or loss for Capital Account purposes,
the amount of such item shall be determined taking into account the book value
of the Fund’s property, as adjusted pursuant to Section 7.1(c) .
(c) Consistent
with the provisions of Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), upon an issuance or
redemption of Units, in connection with the dissolution, liquidation or
termination of a Fund, or otherwise as appropriate pursuant to generally
accepted industry accounting practices, the Capital Accounts of all Unitholders
may, immediately prior to such issuance, redemption, dissolution, liquidation,
termination, or otherwise, be adjusted (consistent with the provisions hereof)
upwards or downwards to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss
attributable to Fund property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had
been recognized upon an actual sale of such property, immediately prior to such
issuance, redemption, dissolution, liquidation, termination, or otherwise, and
had been allocated to the Unitholders at such time pursuant to Section 7.2.
Pursuant to Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g), appropriate adjustments
shall be made to the book value of a Fund’s property with Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss. Proper adjustment shall be made to the amount of any
Capital Account adjustment under this Section 7.1(c) to take into account any
prior Capital Account adjustment under this Section.
(d) In
the event a Unit (or beneficial interest therein) is transferred in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital
Account of the transferor to the extent it relates to the transferred
Unit.
The
foregoing provisions and the other provisions of this Agreement relating to the
maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with section 1.704-1(b)
of the Treasury regulations, and shall be interpreted and applied in a manner
consistent with such regulations. In the event the Sponsor shall
determine that it is prudent to modify the manner in which the Capital Accounts,
or any debits or credits thereto are computed in order to comply with such
regulations, it may make such modification. The Sponsor also shall (i) make any
adjustments that are necessary or appropriate to maintain equality between the
aggregate Capital Accounts of the Unitholders and the amount of capital
reflected on a Fund’s balance sheet, as computed for book purposes, in
accordance with Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(q) and (ii) make any
appropriate modifications in the event unanticipated events might otherwise
cause this Agreement not to comply with Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b).
Section
7.2 Allocations for
Capital Account Purposes.
(a) For
purposes of maintaining Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the
Unitholders among themselves, except as otherwise provided in this
Section 7.2 each item of income, gain, loss, expense and deduction
(computed in accordance with Section 7.1(b)) shall be allocated to the
Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests.
33
(b) Pursuant
to Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g), items of depreciation,
depletion, amortization and gain or loss attributable to Adjusted Property that
has a Book-Tax Disparity shall be allocated among the Unitholders in accordance
with Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g)(3).
(c) If
any Unitholder unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or
distributions described in Treasury Regulations
section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-
1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6),
items of a Fund’s income and gain shall be specially allocated to such
Unitholder in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate a deficit balance in
its Capital Account (after decreasing such Unitholder’s Capital Account balance
by the items described in Treasury Regulations
section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) and
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6)) created by such
adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as
possible. This Section 7.2(c) is intended to constitute a
“qualified income offset” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations
section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d).
Section
7.3 Allocations for Tax Purposes.
(a) For
U.S. federal income tax purposes, except as otherwise provided in this
Section 7.3, each item of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit of a
Fund shall be allocated among the Unitholders in accordance with their
respective Percentage Interests.
(b) In
an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to Adjusted Property,
items of income, gain, or loss shall be allocated for U.S. federal income tax
purposes among the Unitholders under the principles of the remedial method of
Treasury Regulations section 1.704-3(d).
(c) If
any Unitholder unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or
distributions described in Treasury Regulations
Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d), items of income and gain
shall be specially allocated to such Unitholder in an amount and manner
consistent with the allocations of income and gain pursuant to
Section 7.2(c).
(d) The
provisions of this Article VII and the other provisions of this Trust Agreement
relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are intended to comply with
Treasury Regulations section 1.704-1(b) and shall be interpreted and
applied in a manner consistent with such Regulations. The Sponsor or
Administrator shall be authorized to make appropriate amendments to the
allocations of items pursuant to this Section 7.3 if necessary in order to
comply with Section 704 of the Code or applicable Treasury Regulations
thereunder.
Section
7.4 Tax
Conventions.
(a) For
purposes of Sections 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3, the Sponsor or Administrator shall adopt
such conventions as may be necessary, appropriate or advisable in the Sponsor’s
reasonable discretion in order to comply with applicable law, including
Section 706 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations or rulings promulgated
thereunder. The Sponsor may revise, alter or otherwise modify such
conventions in accordance with the standard established in the previous
sentence.
34
(b) Unless
the Sponsor determines that another convention is necessary or appropriate in
the Sponsor’s reasonable discretion in order to comply with applicable law, each
Fund shall use the monthly convention described in this section
7.4(b).
(i) All
issuances, redemptions and transfers of Units or beneficial interests therein
shall be deemed to take place at a price (the “single monthly
price”) equal to the value of such Unit or beneficial interest therein at
the end of the Business Day during the month in which the issuance, redemption
or transfer takes place on which the value of a Unit is
lowest. Accordingly, in determining Unrealized Gain or Unrealized
Loss and in making the adjustments provided for by Section 7.1(c), the fair
market value of all Fund property immediately prior to the issuance, redemption
or transfer of Units shall be deemed to be equal to the lowest value of such
property (as determined under Section 7.6) during the month in which such
Units are issued or redeemed. In the event that a Fund makes an
election under Section 754 of the Code, adjustments to be made under
Sections 734(b) and 743(b) of the Code will be made using the same monthly
convention, including by reference to the single monthly price.
(ii) All
property contributed to a Fund shall be deemed to have a value equal to
the value of such property (determined under principles similar to
those described in Section 7.6) on the date of such
contribution. All purchases and sales of property, however, shall be
treated as taking place at a price equal to the purchase or sale price of the
property, respectively.
(iii) In
general, each item of a Fund’s income, gain, expense, loss, deduction and credit
shall, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be determined for each calendar
month during a taxable period based on an interim closing of the books and shall
be allocated solely to the Unitholders recognized as unitholders of a Fund as of
the close of business on the last trading day of the preceding calendar
month. For this purpose, any transfer of a Unit during a calendar
month shall be treated as being effective immediately prior to the close of
business on the last trading day of a calendar month. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, unless the Sponsor determines that another method is necessary or
appropriate in the Sponsor’s reasonable discretion, gain or loss on a sale or
other disposition of all or a substantial portion of the assets of a Fund (or,
in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, other sales or dispositions of assets if
appropriate to more accurately allocate such gain and loss to Unitholders in a
manner that corresponds to their economic gain and loss) shall be allocated to
the Unitholders who own Units as of the close of the day in which such gain or
loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes. Investors who
hold a Unit on the last trading day of the first month of a Fund’s operation
will be allocated the tax items for that month, as well as the tax items for the
following month, attributable to the Unit.
(c) The
allocations pursuant to Section 7.4(b) are intended to constitute a reasonable
method of allocation in accordance with Treasury Regulations
section 1.706-1(c)(2)(ii) and to take into account a Unitholder’s or
Unitholders’ varying Units during the taxable year of any issuance, redemption
or transfer of Units or beneficial interests therein. Any person who
is the transferee of Units shall be deemed to consent to the methods of
determination and allocation set forth in Section 7.4(b), and in any other
provision of this Article VII, as a condition of receiving such
Units.
35
Section
7.5 No Interest on
Capital Account. No Unitholder shall be entitled to interest
on its Capital Account.
Section
7.6 Valuation.
(a) For
purposes of determining the Net Asset Value of a Fund, the Trust will value all
property at (A) its current market value, if quotations for such property
are readily available or (B) its fair value, as reasonably determined by
the Sponsor, if the current market value cannot be determined.
(b) The
Sponsor may (but is not required to) employ the services of, and rely upon the
reports of, a recognized pricing service. If the Sponsor determines
that the procedures in this Section are an inappropriate basis for the valuation
of the Trust’s assets, it shall determine an alternative basis to be
employed. The Sponsor shall not be liable to any Person for any
determination as to the alternative basis for evaluation, provided that such
determination is made in good faith.
Section
7.7 Distributions.
(a) Distributions
on Units of a Fund may be paid with such frequency as the Sponsor may determine,
which may be daily or otherwise, to the Unitholders in accordance with Section
4.6(g) from such of the income and capital gains, accrued or realized, from each
Trust Estate, after providing for actual and accrued
liabilities. Such distributions shall be made in cash or, at the sole
discretion of the Sponsor, in property.
(b) Distributions
from a Fund upon the occurrence of a redemption or upon dissolution, liquidation
or termination pursuant to Sections 8.1 and 14.2 of this Trust Agreement will be
in the form of property and/or cash as determined by such sections, as
applicable; provided that amounts received by Unitholders in the case of
distributions upon dissolution, liquidation or termination shall be in
accordance with Capital Accounts as provided in Treasury Regulations section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(b).
(c) Notwithstanding
any provision to the contrary contained in this Trust Agreement, a Fund shall
not be required to make a distribution with respect to Units if such
distribution would violate the Delaware Trust Statute or any other applicable
law. A determination that a distribution is not prohibited under this
Section 7.8 or the Delaware Trust Statute shall be made by the Trust and, to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, may be based either on financial
statements prepared on the basis of accounting practices and principles that are
reasonable under the circumstances or on a fair valuation or any other method
that is reasonable under the circumstances. Unless otherwise agreed
to by the Unitholders, a Unitholder shall be entitled only to the distributions
expressly provided for in this Trust Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Trust Agreement, the Unitholders
understand and acknowledge that a Unitholder (or its agent) may be compelled to
accept a distribution of any asset in kind from a Fund despite the fact that the
percentage of the asset distributed to such Unitholder (or its agent) exceeds
the percentage of that asset which is equal to the percentage in which such
Unitholder receives distributions from the Trust.
36
ARTICLE
VIII
REDEMPTIONS
Section
8.1 Redemption of
Redemption Baskets. The following procedures, as supplemented
by the more detailed procedures specified in the attachment to the applicable
Authorized Purchaser Agreement, which may be amended from time to time in
accordance with the provisions of such Authorized Purchaser Agreement (and any
such amendment will not constitute an amendment of this Trust Agreement), will
govern the Trust and the Funds with respect to the redemption of Redemption
Baskets.
(a) On
any Business Day, an Authorized Purchaser with respect to which an Authorized
Purchaser Agreement is in full force and effect (as reflected on the list
maintained by the Sponsor pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(i)) may redeem one or more
Redemption Baskets standing to the credit of the Authorized Purchaser on the
records of the Depository by delivering a request for redemption to the Sponsor
or its designee (such request, a “Redemption Order”) in
the manner specified in the procedures described in the attachment to the
Authorized Purchaser Agreement, as amended from time to time in accordance with
the provisions of the Authorized Purchaser Agreement (and any such amendment
will not constitute an amendment of this Trust Agreement).
(b) To
be effective, a Redemption Order must be submitted on a Business Day by the
Order Cut-Off Time in form satisfactory to the Sponsor (the Business Day on
which the Redemption Order is so submitted, the “Redemption Order
Date”). The Sponsor acting by itself or through the Marketing
Agent may, in its sole discretion, reject any Redemption Order (i) the Sponsor
determines that the Redemption Order is not in proper form (ii) the fulfillment
of which its counsel advises may be illegal under applicable laws and
regulations, or (iii) if circumstances outside the control of the Sponsor, the
Marketing Agent or the Custodian make it for all practical purposes not feasible
for the Units to be delivered under the Redemption Order. The Sponsor may also
reject a redemption order if the number of units being redeemed would reduce the
remaining outstanding units to 100,000 units (i.e., one basket) or less, unless
the Sponsor has reason to believe that the placer of the redemption order does
in fact possess all the outstanding units and can deliver them.
(c) The
redemption distribution (“Redemption
Distribution”) shall consist of cash or a combination of United States
Treasury securities, cash and/or cash equivalents. The Sponsor
determines, in its sole discretion or in consultation with the Administrator,
the requirements for securities and/or property that may be included in
Redemption Distributions and publishes, or its agent publishes on its behalf,
such requirements at the beginning of each Business Day.
37
(d) By
3:00 PM New York time on the third Business Day following the Redemption Order
Date (the “Redemption
Settlement Time”), if the Distributor’s account at the Depository has by
the Redemption Settlement Time been credited with the Redemption Baskets being
tendered for redemption and the Sponsor has by such time received the
Transaction Fee, the Sponsor shall deliver the Redemption Distribution through
the Depository to the account of the Authorized Purchaser as recorded on the
book entry system of the Depository. If the Fund’s DTC account has
not been credited with all of the Redemption Baskets by such time, the
redemption distribution is delivered to the extent of whole Redemption
Baskets received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution is delivered on
the next Business Day to the extent of remaining whole Redemption Baskets
received if the Fund receives the fee applicable to the extension of the
Redemption Distribution Date which the Sponsor may, from time to time,
determine and the remaining Redemption Baskets are credited to the Fund’s
DTC account by 3:00 PM New York time on such next Business Day. Any
further remaining amount of the Redemption Order shall be cancelled
and the Authorized Purchaser will indemnify the Trust for any losses,
if any, due to such cancellation, including but not limited to the difference in
the price of investments sold as a result of the Redemption Order and
investments made to reflect that such Redemption Order has been
cancelled.
(e) The
Sponsor may, in its discretion, suspend the right of redemption or postpone the
Redemption Settlement Date for a Fund (i) for any period during which the
Exchange or the Fund’s Futures Exchange is closed other than customary weekend
or holiday closings, or trading on the Exchange or the Fund’s Futures Exchange
is suspended or restricted; (ii) for any period during which an emergency exists
as a result of which delivery of Redemption Distributions is not reasonably
practicable; or (iii) for such other period as the Sponsor determines to be
necessary for the protection of Unitholders. Neither the Sponsor nor
its designees will be liable to any person or in any way for any loss or damages
that may result from any such suspension or postponement.
(f) Redemption
Baskets effectively redeemed pursuant to the provisions of this Section 8.1
shall be cancelled by the Trust or the applicable Fund in accordance with the
Depository’s procedures, and no longer be deemed outstanding for purposes of
this Trust Agreement and the Delaware Trust Statute.
Section
8.2 Other
Redemption Procedures. The Sponsor from time to time may, but
shall have no obligation to, establish procedures with respect to redemption of
Units in (i) lot sizes smaller than the Redemption Basket, (ii) permitting the
Redemption Distribution to be in a form, and delivered in a manner, other than
that specified in Section 8.1, and (iii) for redemptions deemed necessary, in
the Sponsor’s sole discretion, to comply with applicable law, rule, regulation
or policy.
ARTICLE
IX
UNITHOLDERS
Section
9.1 No Management
or Control; Limited Liability; Exercise of Rights through
DTC. The Unitholders of a Fund shall not participate in the
management or control of the Trust or the applicable Fund or the applicable
Fund’s business, shall not transact any business for the Trust or any Fund and
shall not have the power to sign for or bind the Trust or any Fund, said power
being vested solely and exclusively in the Sponsor. Except as
provided in Section 9.3 hereof, no Unitholder of any Fund shall be bound by, or
be personally liable for, the expenses, liabilities or obligations of the Trust,
the applicable Fund or any other series of the Trust except to the extent of
such Unitholder’s proportionate share of the applicable Fund’s Trust
Estate. Except as provided in Section 9.3 hereof, each Unit shall be
fully paid and no assessment shall be made against any Unitholder. No
salary shall be paid to any Unitholder in its capacity as such, nor shall any
Unitholder have a drawing account or earn interest on its share of a Fund’s
Trust Estate. By the purchase and acceptance or other lawful delivery
and acceptance of Units, each Unitholder shall be deemed to be a beneficiary of
the applicable Fund and vested with beneficial undivided interest in such Fund
to the extent of the Units owned beneficially by such Unitholder, subject to the
terms and conditions of this Trust Agreement. The rights under this
Trust Agreement of any Unitholder that is not a DTC Participant must be
exercised by a DTC Participant acting on behalf of such Unitholder in accordance
with the rules and procedures of the Depository, as provided in Section
4.6.
38
Section
9.2 Rights and
Duties. The Unitholders shall have the following rights,
powers, privileges, duties and liabilities:
(a) The
Unitholders shall have the right to obtain from the Sponsor the reports and
information as are set forth in Article X and the list of Authorized Purchasers
contemplated by Section 4.5(a)(i). The foregoing rights are in
addition to, and do not limit, other remedies available to Unitholders under
U.S. federal or state law.
(b) The
Unitholders shall receive the share of the distributions provided for in this
Trust Agreement in the manner and at the times provided for in this Trust
Agreement.
(c) Except
for the Unitholders’ redemption rights set forth in Article VIII hereof,
Unitholders of a Fund shall have the right to demand the return of their capital
only upon the dissolution and winding up of the applicable Fund or the Trust and
only to the extent of funds available therefore. In no event shall a
Unitholder of a Fund be entitled to demand property other than cash unless the
Sponsor, as determined in its sole discretion, has specified property for
distribution to all Unitholders of such Fund, or the Trust, as
applicable. No Unitholder of any Fund shall have priority over any
other Unitholder of such Fund either as to the return of capital or as to
profits, losses or distributions. No Unitholder of any Fund shall
have the right to bring an action for partition against the Trust or a
Fund.
(d) Unitholders,
voting together as a single class, or, if the proposed change affects only
certain Funds, of each affected Fund voting separately as a class, may vote
to (i) approve the
items set forth in 4.9(a), (ii) remove the Sponsor and elect a successor Sponsor
as set forth in Section 5.12(e), (iii) approve amendments to this Trust
Agreement as set forth in Section 12.1, (iv) continue the Trust as provided in
Section 14.1(a), (v) terminate the Trust as provided in Section 14.1(e), and
(vi) in the event there is no Sponsor, elect the Liquidating Trustee as set
forth in Section 14.2. Unless otherwise specified in the relevant
section of this Trust Agreement or in federal law or regulations of rules on any
exchange, any matter upon which the Unitholders vote shall be approved by the
affirmative vote of Unitholders holding Units representing at least 66⅔ % of the
outstanding Units
of the Trust or the applicable Fund, as the case may be. Except as
expressly provided in this Trust Agreement, the Unitholders shall have no voting
or other rights with respect to the Trust or any Fund.
39
Section
9.3 Limitation on
Liability.
(a) Except
as provided in Section 5.7(f) hereof, and as otherwise provided under
Delaware law, the Unitholders shall be entitled to the same limitation of
personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations for profit
organized under the general corporation law of the State of Delaware and no
Unitholder shall be
liable for claims against, or debts of the Trust or the applicable Fund in
excess of its Deposit or share of the applicable Fund’s Trust Estate and
undistributed profits. In addition, and subject to the exceptions set
forth in the immediately preceding sentence, the Trust or the applicable Fund
shall not make a claim against a Unitholder with respect to amounts distributed
to such Unitholder or amounts received by such Unitholder upon redemption
unless, under Delaware law, such Unitholder is liable to repay such
amount.
(b) The
Trust or the applicable Fund indemnifies to the full extent permitted by law and
the other provisions of this Trust Agreement, and to the extent of the
applicable Fund’s Trust Estate, each Unitholder and its agent or nominee against
any claims of liability asserted against such Unitholder solely based on its
status as a Unitholder of one or more Units (other than for taxes for which such
Unitholder is liable under Section 7.2 hereof).
(c) Every
written note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking made or
issued by the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or a Fund shall give notice to the
effect that the same was executed or made by or on behalf of the Trust or the
applicable Fund and that the obligations of such instrument are not binding upon
the Unitholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property
of the applicable Fund, and no resort shall be had to the Unitholders’ personal
property for satisfaction of any obligation or claim thereunder, and appropriate
references may be made to this Trust Agreement and may contain any further
recital which the Sponsor deems appropriate, but the omission thereof shall not
operate to bind the Unitholders individually or otherwise invalidate any such
note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking. Nothing
contained in this Section 9.3 shall diminish the limitation on the liability of
the Trust to the extent set forth in Section 4.7 and 4.8 hereof.
ARTICLE
X
BOOKS
OF ACCOUNT AND REPORTS
Section
10.1 Books of
Account. Proper books of account for each Fund shall be kept
and shall be audited annually by an independent certified public accounting firm
selected by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, and there shall be entered
therein all transactions, matters and things relating to each Fund’s business as
are required by the CE Act and regulations promulgated thereunder, and all other
applicable rules and regulations, and as are usually entered into books of
account kept by Persons engaged in a business of like character. The
books of account shall be kept at the principal office of the Trust and, subject
to Section 9.2(a), each Unitholder (or any duly constituted designee of a
Unitholder) shall have, at all times during normal business hours, upon
reasonable advance written notice, access to and the right to inspect and copy
the same (at such Unitholder’s own cost) to the extent such access is required
under CFTC rules and regulations. Such books of account shall be kept
in accordance with, and the Trust shall report its profits and losses on, the
accrual method of accounting for financial accounting purposes on a Fiscal Year
basis as described in Article XI.
40
Section
10.2 Reports to
Unitholders. The Trust will furnish to DTC Participants for
distribution to each Fund’s Unitholders monthly and annual (as of the end of
each fiscal year) reports (in such detail) as are required to be provided to
Unitholders by the CFTC and the NFA. Monthly reports will contain
certain unaudited financial information regarding a Fund, including the Fund’s
NAV, and annual reports will contain financial statements prepared by the
Sponsor and audited by an independent registered public accounting firm
designated by the Sponsor. The Sponsor will furnish to Fund
Unitholders any other reports or information which the Sponsor, in its
discretion, determines to be necessary or appropriate. In addition,
it is expected that the Trust will be required under SEC rules to file quarterly
and annual reports with the SEC, which need not be sent to Fund Unitholders
directly but will be publicly available through the SEC. The Trust
will post the same information that would otherwise be provided in the Trust’s
CFTC, NFA and SEC reports on the Trust’s website.
Section
10.3 Calculation of
Net Asset Value. Net Asset Value of a Fund shall be calculated
once each Business Day at such time as the Sponsor shall determine from time to
time.
Section
10.4 Maintenance of
Records. The Sponsor shall maintain: (a) for a period of at
least six Fiscal Years all books of account required by Section 10.1 hereof, a
list of the names and last known address of, and number of Units owned by, all
Unitholders of each Fund, a copy of the Certificate of Trust and all
certificates of amendment thereto, together with executed copies of any powers
of attorney pursuant to which any certificate has been executed, and copies of
the Trust’s and Funds’ federal, state and local income tax returns and reports,
if any; and (b) for a period of at least six Fiscal Years, copies of any
effective written trust agreements, subscription agreements and any financial
statements of the Trust and the Funds. The Sponsor may keep and
maintain the books and records of the Trust and the Funds in paper, magnetic,
electronic or other format as the Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion,
provided the Sponsor uses reasonable care to prevent the loss or destruction of
such records.
ARTICLE
XI
FISCAL
YEAR
Section
11.1 Fiscal
Year. The Fiscal Year of the Trust shall be the calendar
year. The first Fiscal Year of the Trust shall commence on the date
of filing of the Certificate of Trust and end on the thirty-first day of
December, 2009. The Fiscal Year in which the Trust shall terminate
shall end on the date of termination.
ARTICLE
XII
AMENDMENT
OF TRUST AGREEMENT; MEETINGS
Section
12.1 Amendments to
the Trust Agreement.
(a) The
Sponsor may, without the approval of the Unitholders, amend or supplement this
Trust Agreement; provided, however, that the
Unitholders shall have the right to vote on any amendment (i) if expressly
required under federal law or regulations or rules of any exchange, or (ii)
submitted to them by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. The Sponsor shall
provide to the Unitholders notice of any amendment on which the Unitholders have
a right to vote setting forth the substance of the amendment and its effective
date.
(b) Upon
amendment of this Trust Agreement, the Certificate of Trust shall also be
amended, if required by the Delaware Trust Statute, to reflect such
change.
41
(c) No
amendment shall be made to this Trust Agreement without the consent of the
Trustee if it reasonably believes that such amendment adversely affects any of
the rights, duties or liabilities of the Trustee. At the expense of
the Sponsor, the Trustee shall execute and file any amendment to the Certificate
of Trust if so directed by the Sponsor or if such amendment is required in the
opinion of the Trustee.
(d) The
Trustee shall be under no obligation to execute any amendment to the Trust
Agreement or any agreement to which the Trust is a party until it has received
an instruction letter from the Sponsor, in form and substance reasonably
satisfactory to the Trustee (i) directing the Trustee to execute such amendment,
(ii) representing and warranting to the Trustee that such execution is
authorized and permitted by the terms of the Trust Agreement and (if applicable)
such other agreement to which the Trust is a party and does not conflict with or
violate any other agreement to which the Trust is a party and (iii) confirming
that such execution and acts related thereto are covered by the indemnity
provisions of the Trust Agreement in favor of the Trustee and do not adversely
affect the Trustee.
(e) No
provision of this Trust Agreement may be amended, waived or otherwise modified
orally but only by a written instrument adopted in accordance with this
Section.
Section
12.2 Meetings of
the Unitholders. Meetings of the Unitholders may be called by
the Sponsor and the Sponsor may, but is not required to, call a meeting upon the
written request of Unitholders holding at least 50% of the outstanding Units of
all Funds or any Fund, as applicable. The Sponsor shall deposit in
the United States mail or electronically transmit written notice to all
Unitholders of the applicable Fund of the meeting and the purpose of the
meeting, which shall be held on a date, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days
after the date of mailing of said notice, at a reasonable time and
place. Where the meeting is being called upon the written request of
Unitholders as set forth in this Section 12.2, such written notice shall be
mailed or transmitted not more than forty-five (45) days after such written
request for a meeting was received by the Sponsor. Any notice of
meeting shall be accompanied by a brief description of the purpose of the
meeting. Unitholders may vote in person or by proxy at any such
meeting. The Sponsor shall be entitled to establish voting and quorum
requirements and other reasonable procedures for Unitholder voting.
Section
12.3 Action Without
a Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken by
Unitholders by vote may be taken without a meeting by written consent setting
forth the actions so taken. Such written consents shall be treated
for all purposes as votes at a meeting. If the vote or consent of any
Unitholder to any action of the Trust, any Fund or any Unitholder, as
contemplated by this Trust Agreement, is solicited by the Sponsor, the
solicitation shall be effected by notice to each Unitholder given in the manner
provided in Section 16.4. Any vote or consent that has been cast by a
Unitholder so solicited shall be deemed conclusively to have been cast or
granted as requested in the notice of solicitation, whether or not the notice of
solicitation is actually received by that Unitholder, unless the Unitholder
expresses written objection to the vote or consent by notice given in the manner
provided in Section 16.4 below and actually received by the Trust within twenty
(20) days after the notice of solicitation is effected. The Sponsor and all
persons dealing with the Trust shall be entitled to act in reliance on any vote
or consent which is deemed cast or granted pursuant to this Section 12.3 and
shall be fully indemnified by the Trust in so doing. Any action taken
or omitted in reliance on any such deemed vote or consent of one or more
Unitholders shall not be void or voidable by reason of timely communication made
by or on behalf of all or any of such Unitholders in any manner other than as
expressly provided in Section 16.4.
42
ARTICLE
XIII
TERM
Section
13.1 Term. The term for
which the Trust is to exist shall commence on the date of the filing of the
Certificate of Trust, and the Trust and any Fund shall exist in perpetuity,
unless earlier terminated in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV
hereof or as otherwise provided by law.
ARTICLE
XIV
TERMINATION
Section
14.1 Events
Requiring Dissolution of the Trust or any Fund. The Trust or,
as the case may be, any Fund shall dissolve at any time upon the happening of
any of the following events:
(a) The
occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal, unless (i) at the time there is at least
one remaining Sponsor and that remaining Sponsor carries on the business of the
Trust or (ii) within ninety (90) days of such Event of Withdrawal, the
affirmative vote or written consent of Unitholders in accordance with Section
9.2(d) or Section 12.3 of this Trust Agreement is obtained to continue the
business of the Trust and to select, effective as of the date of such selection,
one or more successor Sponsors.
(b) The
occurrence of any event which would make unlawful the continued existence of the
Trust or any Fund, as the case may be.
(c) In
the event of the suspension, revocation or termination of the Sponsor’s
registration as a commodity pool operator under the CE Act, or membership as a
commodity pool operator with the NFA (if, in either case, such registration is
required under the CE Act or the rules promulgated thereunder) unless at the
time there is at least one remaining Sponsor whose registration or membership
has not been suspended, revoked or terminated.
(d) The
Trust or any Fund, as the case may be, becomes insolvent or
bankrupt.
(e) Unitholders
owning at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the outstanding Units held in all
Funds, voting together as a single class, vote to dissolve the Trust, upon
notice to the Sponsor of not less than ninety (90) Business Days prior to the
effective date of termination.
(f) Upon
written notice to the Trustee and the Unitholders by the Sponsor of its
determination, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, that the Trust’s or a Fund’s
aggregate net assets in relation to the operating expenses of the Trust or such
Fund make it unreasonable or imprudent to continue the business of the Trust or
such Fund.
43
(g) The
Trust is required to be registered as an investment company under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(h) DTC
is unable or unwilling to continue to perform its functions, and a comparable
replacement is unavailable.
The
death, legal disability, bankruptcy, insolvency, dissolution, or withdrawal of
any Unitholder (as long as such Unitholder is not the sole Unitholder of the
Trust) shall not result in the termination of the Trust or any Fund, and such
Unitholder, his estate, custodian or personal representative shall have no right
to withdraw or value such Unitholder’s Units. Each Unitholder (and
any assignee thereof) expressly agrees that in the event of his death, he waives
on behalf of himself and his estate, and he directs the legal representative of
his estate and any person interested therein to waive the furnishing of any
inventory, accounting or appraisal of the assets of the applicable Fund and any
right to an audit or examination of the books of the applicable Fund, except for
such rights as are set forth in Article X hereof relating to the books of
account and reports of the applicable Fund.
Section
14.2 Distributions
on Dissolution. Upon the dissolution of the Trust or any Fund,
the Sponsor (or in the event there is no Sponsor, such person (the “Liquidating Trustee”)
as the majority in interest of the Unitholders may propose and approve) shall
take full charge of the Trust Estate. Any Liquidating Trustee so
appointed shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or approval
of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the Sponsor under
the terms of this Trust Agreement, subject to all of the applicable limitations,
contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, and provided that
the Liquidating Trustee shall not have general liability for the acts,
omissions, obligations and expenses of the Trust or the
Funds. Thereafter, in accordance with Section 3808(e) or (g), as
applicable, of the Delaware Trust Statute, the business and affairs of the Trust
or any Fund shall be wound up and all assets shall be liquidated as promptly as
is consistent with obtaining the fair value thereof, and the proceeds therefrom
shall be applied and distributed in the following order of priority: (a) to the
expenses of liquidation and termination and to creditors, including Unitholders
who are creditors, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, in satisfaction of
liabilities of the Trust or the Funds (whether by payment or the making of
reasonable provision for payment thereof) other than liabilities for
distributions to Unitholders, and (b) to the Unitholders in accordance with
their positive book Capital Account balances, after giving effect to all
contributions, distributions and allocations for all periods.
Section
14.3 Termination; Certificate of
Cancellation. Following the dissolution and distribution of
the assets of all Funds, the Trust shall terminate and the Sponsor or the
Liquidating Trustee, as the case may be, shall instruct the Trustee to execute
and cause such certificate of cancellation of the Certificate of Trust pursuant
to Section 3810(d) to be filed in accordance with the Delaware Trust Statute at
the expense of the Sponsor. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in this Trust Agreement, the existence of the Trust as a separate
legal entity shall continue until the filing of such certificate of
cancellation.
44
ARTICLE
XV
POWER
OF ATTORNEY
Section
15.1 Power of
Attorney Executed Concurrently. Each Unitholder, by virtue of
its purchase of Units in a Fund, irrevocably constitutes and appoints the
Sponsor with full power of substitution, as the true and lawful attorney-in-fact
and agent for such Unitholder with full power and authority to act in his name
and on his behalf in the execution, acknowledgment, filing and publishing of
Trust documents, including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Any
certificates and other instruments, including but not limited to, any
applications for authority to do business and amendments thereto, which the
Sponsor deems appropriate to qualify or continue the Trust as a business or
statutory trust in the jurisdictions in which the Trust may conduct business, so
long as such qualifications and continuations are in accordance with the terms
of this Trust Agreement or any amendment hereto, or which may be required to be
filed by the Trust or the Unitholders under the laws of any
jurisdiction;
(b) Any
instrument which may be required to be filed by the Trust under the laws of any
state or by any governmental agency, or which the Sponsor deems advisable to
file; and
(c) This
Trust Agreement and any documents which may be required to effect an amendment
to this Trust Agreement approved under the terms of the Trust Agreement, and the
continuation of the Trust, the increase or decrease of the Global Certificates
pursuant to Section 4.6, or the termination of the Trust, provided such
continuation, increase, decrease or termination is in accordance with the terms
of this Trust Agreement.
Section
15.2 Effect of
Power of Attorney. The Power of Attorney granted by each
Unitholder to the Sponsor:
(a) Is
a special, irrevocable Power of Attorney coupled with an interest, and shall
survive and not be affected by the death, disability, dissolution, liquidation,
termination or incapacity of the Unitholder;
(b) May
be exercised by the Sponsor for each Unitholder by facsimile signature and/or by
a single signature of one of its officers acting as attorney-in-fact for all of
them; and
(c) Shall
survive the delivery of an assignment by a Unitholder of the whole or any
portion of his Units, as applicable, except that where the records of a Direct
Participant or Indirect Participant reflect a transfer by a Unitholder of its
Units that has otherwise been effectuated in accordance with the provisions of
this Trust Agreement, the Depository’s procedures and the procedures of such
Direct Participant or Indirect Participant, as applicable, the Power of Attorney
of the assignor shall survive the delivery of such assignment for the sole
purpose of enabling the Sponsor to execute, acknowledge and file any instrument
necessary to effect such transfer.
45
Each
Unitholder agrees to be bound by any representations made by the Sponsor and by
any successor thereto, determined to be acting in good faith pursuant to such
Power of Attorney and not constituting gross negligence or willful
misconduct.
Section
15.3 Limitation on
Power of Attorney. The Power of Attorney granted by each
Unitholder to the Sponsor shall not authorize the Sponsor to act on behalf of
Unitholders in any situation in which this Trust Agreement requires the approval
of Unitholders unless such approval has been obtained as required by this Trust
Agreement. In the event of any conflict between this Trust Agreement
and any instruments filed by the Sponsor or any new Sponsor pursuant to this
Power of Attorney, this Trust Agreement shall control.
ARTICLE
XVI
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
16.1 Governing
Law. The validity and construction of this Trust Agreement and
all amendments hereto shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware,
and the rights of all parties hereto and the effect of every provision hereof
shall be subject to and construed according to the laws of the State of Delaware
without regard to the conflict of laws provisions thereof; provided, however,
that the parties hereto intend that the provisions hereof shall control over any
contrary or limiting statutory or common law of the State of Delaware (other
than the Delaware Trust Statute) and that, to the maximum extent permitted by
applicable law, there shall not be applicable to the Trust, the Funds, the
Trustee, the Sponsor, the Unitholders or this Trust Agreement any provision of
the laws (statutory or common) of the State of Delaware (other than the Delaware
Trust Statute) pertaining to trusts which relate to or regulate in a manner
inconsistent with the terms hereof: (a) the filing with any court or
governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and
charges, (b) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers,
agents, or employees of a trust, (c) the necessity for obtaining court or other
governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding or disposition of real
or personal property, (d) fees or other sums payable to trustees, officers,
agents or employees of a trust, (e) the allocation of receipts and expenditures
to income or principal, (f) restrictions or limitations on the permissible
nature, amount or concentration of trust investments or requirements relating to
the titling, storage or other manner of holding or investing of trust assets, or
(g) the establishment of fiduciary or other standards or responsibilities or
limitations on the acts or powers of trustees or managers that are inconsistent
with the limitations on liability or authorities and powers of the Trustee or
the Sponsor set forth or referenced in this Trust Agreement. The
Trust shall be of the type commonly called a “statutory trust,” and without
limiting the provisions hereof, as determined from time to time by the Sponsor,
the Trust may exercise all powers that are ordinarily exercised by such a trust
under Delaware law. The Trust specifically reserves the right to
exercise any of the powers or privileges afforded to statutory trusts and the
absence of a specific reference herein to any such power, privilege or action
shall not imply that the Trust may not exercise such power or privilege or take
such actions.
46
Section
16.2 Provisions In
Conflict With Law or Regulations.
(a) The
provisions of this Trust Agreement are severable, and if the Sponsor shall
determine, with the advice of counsel, that any one or more of such provisions
(the “Conflicting
Provisions”) are in conflict with the Code, the Delaware Trust Statute or
other applicable U.S. federal or state laws, the Conflicting Provisions shall be
deemed never to have constituted a part of this Trust Agreement, even without
any amendment of this Trust Agreement pursuant to this Trust Agreement;
provided, however, that such determination by the Sponsor shall not affect or
impair any of the remaining provisions of this Trust Agreement or render invalid
or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such
determination. No Sponsor or Trustee shall be liable for making or
failing to make such a determination.
(b) If
any provision of this Trust Agreement shall be held invalid or unenforceable in
any jurisdiction, such holding shall not in any manner affect or render invalid
or unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction or any other provision
of this Trust Agreement in any jurisdiction.
Section
16.3 Construction. In
this Trust Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, words used in the
singular or in the plural include both the plural and singular and words
denoting any gender include all genders. The title and headings of
different parts are inserted for convenience and shall not affect the meaning,
construction or effect of this Trust Agreement.
Section
16.4 Notices. All
notices or communications under this Trust Agreement (other than requests for
redemption of Units, notices of assignment, transfer, pledge or encumbrance of
Units, and reports and notices by the Sponsor to the Unitholders) shall be in
writing and shall be effective upon personal delivery, or if sent by mail,
postage prepaid or by overnight courier, or if sent electronically, by
facsimile; and addressed, in each such case, to the address set forth in the
books and records of the Trust or the applicable Fund or such other address as
may be specified in writing, of the party to whom such notice is to be given,
and shall be effective upon the deposit of such notice in the United States
mail, upon deposit with a representative of an overnight courier, or upon
transmission and electronic confirmation thereof, as the case may
be. Notices of assignment, transfer, pledge or encumbrance of Units
shall be effective upon timely receipt by the Sponsor in
writing. Requests for redemption of Units shall be effected in
accordance with the provisions of Article VIII of this Trust
Agreement.
Section
16.5 Counterparts. This
Trust Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, and all so executed
shall constitute one agreement, binding upon all of the parties hereto,
notwithstanding that all the parties are not signatories to the original or the
same counterpart.
Section
16.6 Binding Nature
of Trust Agreement. The terms and provisions of this Trust
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the heirs,
custodians, executors, estates, administrators, personal representatives,
successors and permitted assigns of the respective Unitholders. For
purposes of determining the rights of any Unitholder or assignee hereunder, the
Trust and the Sponsor may rely upon the Trust and Fund records as to who are
Unitholders and permitted assignees, and all Unitholders and assignees agree
that the Trust, each Fund and the Sponsor, in determining such rights, shall
rely on such records and that Unitholders and assignees shall be bound by such
determination.
47
Section
16.7 No Legal Title
to Trust Estate. Subject to the provisions of Section 2.7 in
the case of the Sponsor, the Unitholders shall not have legal title to any part
of the applicable Fund’s Trust Estate.
Section
16.8 Creditors. No
creditors of any Unitholders shall have any right to obtain possession of, or
otherwise exercise legal or equitable remedies with respect to the applicable
Fund’s Trust Estate.
Section
16.9 Integration. This
Trust Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto
pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and
understandings pertaining thereto.
Section
16.10 Goodwill; Use
of Name. No value shall be placed on the name or goodwill of
the Trust, which shall belong exclusively to United States Commodity Funds
LLC.
48
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
undersigned have duly executed this Second Amended and Restated Declaration of
Trust and Trust Agreement as of the day and year first above
written.
WILMINGTON
TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
By:
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/s/
Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
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Name:
Xxxxxx
X. Xxxx
|
|
Title:
Vice
President
|
UNITED
STATES COMMODITY FUNDS LLC, as Sponsor
By:
|
/s/
Xxxxxx Xxx
|
Name:
Xxxxxx Xxx
|
|
Title:
Management Director
|
49
EXHIBIT
A
FORM
OF GLOBAL CERTIFICATE1
CERTIFICATE
OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST
-Evidencing-
All
Units
-in-
WITH
RESPECT TO ONE OF ITS SERIES
UNLESS
THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY
TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE TRUST WITH RESPECT TO THE
FUND OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE, OR PAYMENT, AND ANY
CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER
NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS
MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED
REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR
OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER
HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
This is
to certify that Cede & Co., is the owner and registered holder of this
Certificate evidencing the ownership of all issued and outstanding Units (“Units”), each of
which represents a fractional undivided Unit of beneficial interest in
_____________ Fund (the “Fund”), established
and designated as a series of the United States Commodity Index Funds Trust (the
“Trust”), a
Delaware statutory trust formed under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (12 Del.
C. § 3801 et seq.) pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, dated as of and filed in
the offices of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 21,
2009, and a Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust
Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2010, by and between United States Commodity
Funds LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, as Sponsor, and Wilmington
Trust Company, a Delaware banking corporation, as Trustee (hereinafter called
the “Trust
Agreement”), copies of which are available at the principal offices of
the Trust.
1 Forms of Global Certificates of Beneficial Interest for each of the Trust’s Funds shall be, except for the names of the Funds, substantially identical to this Form of Global Certificate.
A-1
At any
given time this Certificate shall represent all units of beneficial interest in
the Fund, which shall be the total number of Units that are outstanding at such
time. The Trust Agreement provides for the deposit of cash or a
combination of United States Treasury securities, cash and/or cash equivalents
or other securities or property with the Fund from time to time and the issuance
by the Trust, with respect to the Fund, of additional Creation Baskets
representing the undivided units of beneficial interest in the assets of the
Trust. At the request of the registered holder this Certificate may
be exchanged for one or more Certificates issued to the registered holder in
such denominations as the registered holder may request, provided, however,
that, in the aggregate, the Certificates issued to the registered holder hereof
shall represent all Units outstanding at any given time.
Each
Authorized Purchaser hereby grants and conveys all of its rights, title and
interest in and to the Fund to the extent of the undivided interest represented
hereby to the registered holder of this Certificate subject to and in pursuance
of the Trust Agreement, all the terms, conditions and covenants of which are
incorporated herein as if fully set forth at length.
The
registered holder of this Certificate is entitled at any time upon tender of
this Certificate to the Fund, endorsed in blank or accompanied by all necessary
instruments of assignment and transfer in proper form, at its principal office
in the State of New York and, upon payment of any tax or other governmental
charges, to receive at the time and in the manner provided in the Trust
Agreement, such holder’s ratable portion of the assets of the Fund for each
Redemption Basket tendered and evidenced by this Certificate.
The
holder of this Certificate, by virtue of the purchase and acceptance hereof,
assents to and shall be bound by the terms of the Trust Agreement, copies of
which are on file and available for inspection at reasonable times during
business hours at the principal office of the Trust, to which reference is made
for all the terms, conditions and covenants thereof.
The Fund
may deem and treat the person in whose name this Certificate is registered upon
the books of the Fund as the owner hereof for all purposes and the Fund shall
not be affected by any notice to the contrary.
The Trust
Agreement permits the Sponsor, without the approval of the Unitholders, to amend
or supplement the Trust Agreement; provided, however, that the
affirmative vote or written consent of Unitholders holding Units equal to at
least a majority of the Trust’s outstanding Units or, if the proposed amendment
affects only certain Funds, of each affected Fund’s outstanding Units, or such
higher percentage as may be required by applicable law, is required to approve
any amendment (i) if expressly required under Delaware or federal law or
regulations or rules of any exchange, or (ii) submitted to them by the Sponsor
in its sole discretion. The Sponsor shall provide notice of any
amendment to the Trust Agreement to the Unitholders setting forth the substance
of the amendment and its effective date. Any such vote, consent or
waiver by the holder of Units shall be conclusive and binding upon such holder
of Units and upon all future holders of Units, and shall be binding upon any
Units, whether evidenced by a Certificate or held in uncertificated form, issued
upon the registration or transfer hereof whether or not notation of such consent
or waiver is made upon this Certificate and whether or not the Units evidenced
hereby are at such time in uncertificated form.
In
accordance with Section 4.8 of the Trust Agreement, the holder of this
Certificate agrees and consents (the “Consent”) to look
solely to the assets (the “Fund Assets”) of the
Fund and to the Sponsor and its assets for payment in respect of any claim
against or obligation of the Fund. The Fund Assets include only those
funds and other assets that are paid, held or distributed to the Trust on
account of and for the benefit of the Fund, including, without limitation, funds
delivered to the Trust for the purchase of Units in the Fund.
A-2
The Trust
Agreement, and this Certificate, are executed and delivered by United States
Commodity Funds LLC, as Sponsor, in the exercise of the powers and authority
conferred and vested in it by the Trust Agreement. The
representations, undertakings and agreements made on the part of the Trust in
the Trust Agreement or the Fund in this Certificate are made and intended not as
personal representations, undertakings and agreements by United States Commodity
Funds LLC, but are made and intended for the purpose of binding only the
Trust. Nothing in the Agreement or this Certificate shall be
construed as creating any liability on United States Commodity Funds LLC,
individually or personally, to fulfill any representation, undertaking or
agreement other than as provided in the Trust Agreement or this
Certificate.
This
Certificate shall not become valid or binding for any purpose until properly
executed by the Sponsor pursuant to the Trust Agreement.
Terms not
defined herein have the same meaning as in the Trust Agreement.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, United States Commodity Funds LLC, as Sponsor, has caused this
Certificate to be executed in its name by the manual or facsimile signature of
one of its Authorized Officers.
United
States Commodity Funds LLC,
|
||
as
Sponsor
|
||
By:
|
|
|
Authorized
Officer
|
||
Date:
|
A-3
EXHIBIT
B
FORM
OF INSTRUMENT ESTABLISHING SERIES OR CLASS
B-1