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Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form 10-Q

 

 

(Mark One)

 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2011

Or

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from              to             

Commission File Number 001-34879

 

 

Nuveen Diversified Commodity Fund

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   27-2048014
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago Illinois
  60606
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

(877) 827-5920

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  x    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ¨    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated file, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨      Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   x    (Do not check if smaller reporting company)   Smaller reporting company   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

As of May 10, 2011, the registrant had 9,267,040 shares outstanding.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page No.  
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION   
Item 1.    Financial Statements (Unaudited):   
   Statements of Financial Condition at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010      3   
   Schedule of Investments at March 31, 2011      4   
   Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010      11   
   Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Capital for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and year ended December 31, 2010      12   
   Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010      13   
   Notes to Financial Statements      14   
Item 2.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      27   
Item 3.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk      32   
Item 4.    Controls and Procedures      36   
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION   
Item 1.    Legal Proceedings      37   
Item 1A.    Risk Factors      37   
Item 2.    Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds      37   
Item 3.    Defaults Upon Senior Securities      37   
Item 4.    (Removed and Reserved)      37   
Item 5.    Other Information      37   
Item 6.    Exhibits      37   
Signatures      38   

 

2


Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Financial Statements

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

(Unaudited)

 

      March 31, 2011      December 31, 2010  
ASSETS      

Short-term investments, at value (cost $191,758,883 and $182,130,272, respectively)

   $     191,768,677       $     182,158,211   

Cash

             16   

Deposits with brokers for open futures contracts

     65,129,901         50,972,757   

Interest receivable

     23,177         3   

Unrealized appreciation on futures contracts, net

     5,677,692         18,854,639   
                 

Total assets

     262,599,447         251,985,626   
                 
LIABILITIES      

Call options written, at value (premiums received $1,363,869 and $1,629,313, respectively)

     730,322         3,494,305   

Payables:

     

Distributions

     1,343,721           

Due to Broker

     72,794           

Accrued expenses:

     

Management fees

     271,365         254,641   

Other

     553,987         478,932   
                 

Total liabilities

     2,972,189         4,227,878   
                 
SHAREHOLDERS’ CAPITAL      

Paid-in capital, unlimited number of shares authorized, 9,267,040 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010

     220,787,270         220,787,270   

Accumulated undistributed earnings (deficit)

     38,839,988         26,970,478   
                 

Total shareholders’ capital (Net assets)

     259,627,258         247,757,748   
                 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ capital

   $ 262,599,447       $ 251,985,626   
                 

Net assets

   $ 259,627,258       $ 247,757,748   

Shares outstanding

     9,267,040         9,267,040   
                 

Net asset value per share outstanding (net assets divided by shares outstanding)

   $ 28.02       $ 26.74   
                 

Market value per share outstanding

   $ 27.26       $ 25.80   
                 

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

3


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

Principal
Amount (000)

  

Description

   Coupon     Maturity      Ratings(1)      Value  
   Short-Term Investments           
   U.S. Government and Agency Obligations           

$  15,000

   Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Notes      0.000     4/18/11         AAA       $ 14,999,865   

  30,000

   Federal National Mortgage Association      0.000     6/10/11         AAA         29,994,750   

  5,000

   Federal National Mortgage Association      3.625     8/15/11         AAA         5,065,570   

  30,000

   U.S. Treasury Bills      0.000     6/23/11         AAA         29,993,970   

    50,000

   U.S. Treasury Bills      0.000     9/22/11         AAA         49,960,150   
                     

  130,000

   Total U.S. Government and Agency Obligations (cost $130,004,511)              130,014,305   
                   
   Repurchase Agreements           

  61,754

   Repurchase Agreement with State Street Bank, dated 3/31/11, repurchase price $61,754,389, collateralized by $61,995,000 U.S. Treasury Notes, 1.375%, due 5/15/13, value $62,993,321      0.010     4/01/11         N/A         61,754,372   
                   
   Total Repurchase Agreements (cost $61,754,372)              61,754,372   
                   
   Total Short-Term Investments (cost $191,758,883)              191,768,677   
                     

Investments in Derivatives

 

          

Futures Contracts outstanding:

 

Commodity Group    Contract   Contract
Position2
    Contract
Expiration
    Number
of
Contracts
    Notional
Amount
at Value
    Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Energy

   Crude Oil          
   ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        71      $ 8,332,560      $ 255,342   
   ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Contract     Long        June 2011        51        5,977,200        214,710   
   ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        20        2,339,400        65,400   
   NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        291        31,055,520        2,112,160   
   NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        130        14,002,300        864,510   
                    
   Total Crude Oil             3,512,122   
                    
   Heating Oil          
   ICE Gas Oil Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        10        989,250        30,691   
   ICE Gas Oil Futures Contract     Long        June 2011        25        2,468,750        57,000   
   NYMEX Heating Oil Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        65        8,497,125        178,597   
   NYMEX Heating Oil Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        12        1,579,838        747   
                    
   Total Heating Oil             267,035   
                    
   Natural Gas          
   NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        147        6,451,830        (25,248
   NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        90        4,079,700        258,790   
                    
   Total Natural Gas             233,542   
                    

 

4


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

Investments in Derivatives (Continued)

Futures Contracts outstanding (Continued):

 

Commodity Group   Contract   Contract
Position2
    Contract
Expiration
    Number
of
Contracts
    Notional
Amount
at Value
    Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Energy

(continued)

  Unleaded Gas          
  NYMEX Gasoline RBOB Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        42      $ 5,481,983      $ 219,402   
  NYMEX Gasoline RBOB Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        28        3,616,670        102,530   
                   
  Total Unleaded Gas             321,932   
                   
  Total Energy             4,334,631   
                   

Industrial Metals

  Aluminum          
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract     Long        April 2011        218        14,303,525        297,025   
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract     Short        April 2011        (109     (7,151,763     (276,588
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        109        7,180,375        277,269   
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract     Short        May 2011        (2     (131,750     -   
                   
  Total Aluminum             297,706   
                   
  Copper          
  CEC Copper Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        94        10,122,625        (226,734
  CEC Copper Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        15        1,622,063        (13,437
  LME Copper Futures Contract     Long        April 2011        50        11,775,000        (506,563
                   
  Total Copper             (746,734
                   
  Nickel          
  LME Nickel Futures Contract     Long        April 2011        16        2,504,256        (229,344
  LME Nickel Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        17        2,661,486        (195,024
  LME Nickel Futures Contract     Short        May 2011        (1     (156,558     17,436   
                   
  Total Nickel             (406,932
                   
  Zinc          
  LME Zinc Futures Contract     Long        April 2011        63        3,703,219        (197,663
  LME Zinc Futures Contract     Short        April 2011        (31     (1,822,219     (59,094
  LME Zinc Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        31        1,822,606        56,381   
  LME Zinc Futures Contract     Short        May 2011        (31     (1,822,606     (40,106
  LME Zinc Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        31        1,834,038        43,013   
                   
  Total Zinc             (197,469
                   
  Lead          
  LME Lead Futures Contract     Long        April 2011        33        2,260,913        183,213   
  LME Lead Futures Contract     Short        April 2011        (17     (1,164,713     (139,188
  LME Lead Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        17        1,153,663        133,663   
                   
  Total Lead             177,688   
                   
  Total Industrial Metals             (875,741
                   

 

5


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

Investments in Derivatives (Continued)

Futures Contracts outstanding (Continued):

 

Commodity Group    Contract   Contract
Position2
    Contract
Expiration
    Number
of
Contracts
    Notional
Amount
at Value
    Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Agriculturals

   Corn          
   CBOT Corn Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        153      $ 5,303,363      $ (202,625
   CBOT Corn Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        144        5,047,200        (64,225
                    
   Total Corn             (266,850
                    
   Soybean          
   CBOT Soybean Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        119        8,390,988        (5,038
   CBOT Soybean Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        45        3,197,250        132,913   
                    
   Total Soybean             127,875   
                    
   Wheat          
   CBOT Wheat Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        120        4,579,500        (348,525
   CBOT Wheat Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        7        279,738        (525
   KCBT Wheat Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        107        4,857,800        88,156   
                    
   Total Wheat             (260,894
                    
   Soybean Meal          
  

CBOT Soybean Meal Futures Contract

    Long        May 2011        123        4,559,610        250   
                    
  

Soybean Oil

         
   CBOT Soybean Oil Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        88        3,103,584        52,600   
                    
   Total Agriculturals             (347,019
                    

Precious Metals

   Gold          
   CEC Gold Futures Contract     Long        June 2011        160        23,038,400        70,400   
                    
   Silver          
   CEC Silver Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        43        8,145,920        1,433,595   
                    
   Platinum          
   NYMEX Platinum Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        28        2,496,480        4,205   
                    
   Palladium          
   NYMEX Palladium Futures Contract     Long        June 2011        14        1,075,060        (82,180
                    
   Total Precious Metals             1,426,020   
                    

Foods & Fibers

   Cotton          
   ICE Cotton Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        51        5,105,865        319,451   
   ICE Cotton Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        18        1,736,100        94,010   
                    
   Total Cotton             413,461   
                    
   Sugar          
   ICE Sugar Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        194        5,890,461        (262,203
   ICE Sugar Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        98        2,748,390        (127,859
                    
   Total Sugar             (390,062
                    

 

6


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

Investments in Derivatives (Continued)

Futures Contracts outstanding (Continued):

 

Commodity Group   Contract   Contract
Position2
    Contract
Expiration
    Number
of
Contracts
    Notional
Amount
at Value
    Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Foods & Fibers

(continued)

  Coffee          
  ICE Coffee C Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        41      $ 4,061,306      $ 98,522   
  ICE Coffee C Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        1        100,031        -   
  LIFFE Coffee Robusta Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        20        505,600        50,400   
  LIFFE Coffee Robusta Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        30        725,400        (7,020
                   
  Total Coffee             141,902   
                   
  Cocoa          
  ICE Cocoa Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        67        1,977,840        (139,025
                   
  Total Foods & Fibers             26,276   
                   

Livestock

  Live Cattle          
  CME Live Cattle Futures Contract     Long        April 2011        147        7,147,140        525,600   
  CME Live Cattle Futures Contract     Long        June 2011        59        2,855,010        125,876   
  CME Live Cattle Futures Contract     Long        August 2011        25        1,221,750        28,440   
                   
  Total Live Cattle             679,916   
                   
  Lean Hogs          
  CME Lean Hogs Futures Contract     Long        June 2011        112        4,653,600        276,123   
  CME Lean Hogs Futures Contract     Long        July 2011        20        830,000        26,880   
                   
  Total Lean Hogs             303,003   
                   
  Feeder Cattle          
  CME Feeder Cattle Futures Contract     Long        May 2011        39        2,717,813        130,606   
                   
  Total Livestock             1,113,525   
                   
  Total Futures Contracts Outstanding           $ 5,677,692   
                   

 

7


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

Investments in Derivatives (Continued)

 

Call Options Written outstanding:

 

Commodity Group    Contract   

Contract
Expiration

     Number
of
Contracts
    Strike
Price
     Value  

Energy

   Crude Oil           
  

ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Options

     May 2011         (71   $ 127.0       $ (17,040
   NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Options      April 2011         (211     114.0         (126,600
                     
  

Total Crude Oil

             (143,640
                     
   Heating Oil           
   NYMEX Heating Oil Futures Options      April 2011         (52     3.4         (37,128
                     
   Natural Gas           
   NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Options      April 2011         (118     4,800.0         (49,560
                     
   Unleaded Gas           
   NYMEX Gasoline RBOB Futures Options      April 2011         (35     33,800.0         (24,990
                     
   Total Energy              (255,318
                     

Industrial Metals

   Aluminum           
   LME Primary Aluminum Futures Options      April 2011         (108     2,800.0         (324
                     
   Copper           
   LME Copper Futures Options      April 2011         (50     11,000.0         -   
                     
   Nickel           
   LME Nickel Futures Options      April 2011         (16     31,000.0         -   
                     
   Zinc           
   LME Zinc Futures Options      April 2011         (32     2,750.0         -   
                     
   Lead           
   LME Lead Futures Options      April 2011         (16     2,725.0         (21,908
                     
   Total Industrial Metals              (22,232
                     

Agriculturals

   Corn           
   CBOT Corn Futures Options      April 2011         (148     850.0         (15,725
                     

 

8


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

Investments in Derivatives (Continued)

Call Options Written outstanding (Continued):

 

Commodity Group    Contract   

Contract
Expiration

     Number of
Contracts
    Strike
Price
    Value  

Agriculturals

(continued)

   Soybean          
   CBOT Soybean Futures Options      April 2011         (82   $ 1,640.0      $ (5,637
                    
   Wheat          
   CBOT Wheat Futures Options      April 2011         (58     1,010.0        (1,450
   CBOT Wheat Futures Options      April 2011         (2     950.0        (150
   CBOT Wheat Futures Options      June 2011         (3     890.0        (4,950
   KCBT Wheat Futures Options      April 2011         (54     1,120.0        (9,113
                    
   Total Wheat             (15,663
                    
   Soybean Meal          
   CBOT Soybean Meal Futures Options      April 2011         (55     440.0        (1,100
   CBOT Soybean Meal Futures Options      April 2011         (7     410.0        (525
                    
   Total Soybean Meal             (1,625
                    
   Soybean Oil          
   CBOT Soybean Oil Futures Options      April 2011         (44     650.0        (2,772
                    
   Total Agriculturals             (41,422
                    

Precious Metals

   Gold          
   CEC Gold Futures Options      May 2011         (80     1,590.0        (21,600
                    
   Silver          
   CEC Silver Futures Options      April 2011         (22     3,700.0        (195,580
                    
   Total Precious Metals             (217,180
                    

Foods & Fibers

   Cotton          
   ICE Cotton Futures Options      April 2011         (35     220.0        (13,650
                    
   Sugar          
   ICE Sugar Futures Options      April 2011         (130     332.5        (4,368
   ICE Sugar Futures Options      April 2011         (16     327.5        (717
                    
   Total Sugar             (5,085
                    
   Coffee          
   ICE Coffee C Futures Options      April 2011         (26     302.5        (390
   ICE Coffee C Futures Options      April 2011         (1     312.5        (1,125
                    
   Total Coffee           615.0        (1,515
                    

 

9


Table of Contents

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

Investments in Derivatives (Continued)

Call Options Written outstanding (Continued):

 

Commodity Group    Contract   

Contract
Expiration

     Number of
Contracts
    Strike
Price
    Value  

Foods & Fibers

(continued)

   Cocoa          
   ICE Cocoa Futures Options      April 2011         (34   $ 3,700.0      $ (340
                    
   Total Foods & Fibers             (20,590
                    

Livestock

   Live Cattle          
   CME Live Cattle Futures Options      April 2011         (143     120.0        (94,380
                    
            
  

CME Lean Hogs Futures Options

     June 2011         (66     106.0        (79,200
                    
   Total Livestock             (173,580
                    
   Total Call Options Written Outstanding (premiums received $1,363,869)         (1,715     $ (730,322
                          

 

 

 

(1)   Ratings: Using the highest of Standard & Poor’s Group (“Standard & Poor’s”), Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”) rating.
(2)   The Fund expects to invest only in long futures contracts. Some short futures positions arise in futures contracts traded on the London Metal Exchange (“LME”) solely as the result of closing existing long LME futures positions. For every short LME futures contract outstanding, the Fund had previously entered into a long futures contract. The London Clearing house is the counterparty for both the long and short position.
N/A   Not applicable.
CBOT   Chicago Board of Trade
CEC   Commodities Exchange Center
CME   Chicago Mercantile Exchange
ICE   Intercontinental Exchange
KCBT   Kansas City Board of Trade
LIFFE   London International Financial Futures Exchange
LME   London Metal Exchange
NYMEX   New York Mercantile Exchange
RBOB   Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygen Blending

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,  
     2011     2010  

Investment Income:

    

Interest

   $ 110,343      $   
                

Total Investment Income

     110,343          
                

Expenses:

    

Management fees

     774,101                      —   

Brokerage commissions

     40,088          

Custodian’s fees and expenses

     3,837          

Organization expenses

            17,000   

Trustees’ fees and expenses

     33,125          

Professional fees

     84,307          

Shareholders’ reports - printing and mailing expenses

     56,923          

Other expenses

     11,359          
                

Total expenses before expense reimbursement

     1,003,740        17,000   

Expense reimbursement

            (17,000
                

Net expenses

     1,003,740          
                

Net investment income (loss)

     (893,397       
                

Realized gain (loss) from:

    

Short-term investments

              

Futures contracts

     25,097,025          

Call options written

     2,393,598          

Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

    

Short-term investments

     (18,145       

Futures contracts

     (13,176,947       

Call options written

     2,498,539          
                

Net realized gain (loss) and change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     16,794,070          
                

Net income (loss)

   $ 15,900,673      $   
                

Net income (loss) per weighted-average share

   $ 1.72      $ N/A (1) 

Weighted-average shares outstanding

     9,267,040        N/A (1) 

 

(1) 

Not applicable; there were no shares outstanding during the period.

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ CAPITAL

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2011
    Year Ended
December 31, 2010
 

Shareholders’ capital—beginning of period

   $ 247,757,748      $   

Issuance of shares, net of offering costs

            220,787,270   
                

Net increase (decrease) in shareholders’ capital resulting from operations:

    

Net investment income (loss)

     (893,397     (1,185,458

Realized gain (loss) from:

    

Short-term investments

            832   

Futures contracts

     25,097,025        13,688,473   

Call options written

     2,393,598        1,480,208   

Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

    

Short-term investments

     (18,145     27,939   

Futures contracts

     (13,176,947     18,854,639   

Call options written

     2,498,539        (1,864,992
                

Net income (loss)

     15,900,673        31,001,641   
                

Distributions to shareholders

     (4,031,163     (4,031,163
                

Shareholders’ capital—end of period

   $         259,627,258      $ 247,757,748   
                

Shares—beginning of period

     9,267,040          

Issuance of shares

            9,267,040   
                

Shares—end of period

     9,267,040        9,267,040   
                

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,  
     2011     2010  

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

Net income (loss)

   $ 15,900,673      $   

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

    

Purchases of short-term investments

     (469,669,866       

Proceeds from sales and maturities of short-term investments

     460,128,232          

Cash paid for exercised, terminated and expired call options written

     (359,538       

Premiums received for call options written

     2,487,692          

Amortization (Accretion)

     (86,977       

(Increase) Decrease in:

    

Deposits with brokers for open futures contracts

     (14,157,144       

Interest receivable

     (23,174       

Receivable from Manager

            (17,000

Unrealized appreciation on futures contracts, net

     13,176,947          

Increase (Decrease) in:

    

Payable for due to broker

     72,794          

Payable for organization expenses

                      17,000   

Accrued management fees

     16,724          

Other accrued expenses

     75,055          

Net realized (gain) loss from:

    

Call options written

     (2,393,598       

Change in net unrealized (appreciation) depreciation of:

    

Short-term investments

     18,145          

Call options written

     (2,498,539       
                

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     2,687,426          
                

Cash flows from financing activities:

    

Distributions to shareholders

     (2,687,442  
                

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     (2,687,442       
                

Net increase (decrease) in cash

     (16       

Cash—beginning of period

     16          
                

Cash—end of period

   $      $     —   
                

 

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

1. Organization

The Nuveen Diversified Commodity Fund (the “Fund”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 7, 2005, to operate as a commodity pool. On May 11, 2010, the Fund issued 840 shares to Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC, the Fund’s manager (“NCAM” or the “Manager”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Investments, Inc. (“Nuveen”). NCAM is a Delaware limited liability company registered as a commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) and is a member of the National Futures Association (“NFA”). The Fund commenced operations with the public offering of 8,550,000 shares on September 27, 2010. During October 2010, the Fund, upon exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters in connection with the Fund’s initial public offering, issued an additional 716,200 shares. The Fund operates pursuant to an Amended and Restated Trust Agreement (“Trust Agreement”). The Fund’s shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in, and ownership of, the Fund. The Fund’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange Amex (“NYSE Amex”) under the ticker symbol “CFD.” The Fund is not a mutual fund, a closed-end fund, or any other type of “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and is not subject to regulation thereunder.

Prior to its initial public offering, the Fund had no operations other than those related to organizational matters. The Fund received an initial capital contribution of $20,055 from the Manager, and recorded organizational expenses that were reimbursed by Nuveen Investments, LLC, an affiliate of the Manager and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen.

The Manager selected Gresham Investment Management LLC (“Gresham” or the “Commodity Sub-advisor”) to manage the Fund’s commodity investment strategy and its options strategy. Gresham is a Delaware limited liability company, the successor to Gresham Investment Management, Inc., formed in July 1992. Gresham is registered with the CFTC as a commodity trading advisor and commodity pool operator, is a member of the NFA and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as an investment adviser.

The Manager selected Nuveen Asset Management (the “Collateral Sub-advisor”), an affiliate of the Manager and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen, to invest the Fund’s collateral in short-term, high grade debt securities. Effective January 1, 2011, Nuveen Asset Management changed its name to Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. (“Nuveen Fund Advisors”). Concurrently, Nuveen Fund Advisors formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, to house its portfolio management capabilities. Nuveen Asset Management, LLC now serves as the Fund’s Collateral Sub-advisor. Nuveen Asset Management, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company and is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser.

The Fund’s investment objective is to generate higher risk-adjusted total return than leading commodity market benchmarks, specifically the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index® (“DJ-UBSCI”) and the S&P GSCI® Commodity Index (“GSCI”), and passively managed commodity funds. Risk-adjusted total return refers to the income and capital appreciation generated by a portfolio (the combination of which equals its total return) per unit of risk taken, with such risk measured by the volatility of the portfolio’s total returns over a specific period of time. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund invests directly in a diversified portfolio of commodity futures, forward and options contracts to obtain broad exposure to all principal groups in the global commodity markets. The Fund’s investment strategy has three elements:

 

   

An actively managed portfolio of commodity futures and forward contracts utilizing Gresham’s proprietary Tangible Asset Program TAP®, a long-only rules-based commodity investment strategy designed to maintain consistent, fully collateralized exposure to commodities as an asset class;

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

   

An integrated program of writing commodity call options designed to enhance the risk-adjusted total return of the Fund’s commodity investments (TAP® and the options strategy are collectively referred to as TAP PLUSSM); and

 

   

A collateral portfolio of cash equivalents and short-term, high grade debt securities.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”).

The accompanying unaudited financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and the rules and regulations of the SEC. In the opinion of management, all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair statement of the interim period financial statements have been made. Interim period results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full-year period. These financial statements and the notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s financial statements included in the Fund’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2010.

Basis of Accounting

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Futures Contracts

The Fund invests in commodity futures contracts. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or liquid securities equal to a specified percentage of the contract amount. This is known as the “initial margin.” Cash held by the broker to cover initial margin requirements on open futures contracts, if any, is recognized as “Deposits with brokers for open futures contracts” on the Statements of Financial Condition. During the period the futures contract is open, changes in the value of the contract are recognized as an unrealized gain or loss by “marking-to-market” on a daily basis to reflect the changes in market value of the contract and are recognized as a component of “Unrealized appreciation or depreciation on futures contracts, net” on the Statements of Financial Condition and “Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures contracts” on the Statements of Operations. When the contract is closed or expired, the Fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract on the closing date and the value of the contract when originally entered into, which is recognized as a component of “Realized gain (loss) from futures contracts” on the Statements of Operations.

The Fund expects to invest only in long futures contracts. Some short futures positions may arise in futures contracts traded on the London Metal Exchange (“LME”) solely for the purpose of closing existing long LME futures positions. For every short LME futures contract held by the Fund, the Fund has previously entered into a long futures contract. The LME Clearing house is the counterparty for both the long and short position.

 

15


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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

Risks of investments in commodity futures contracts include the possible adverse movement in the price of the commodities underlying the contracts, the possibility that there may not be a liquid secondary market for the contracts and/or that a change in the value of the contract may not correlate with a change in the value of the underlying commodities. During the three months ended March 31, 2011 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, the Fund entered into futures contracts.

The average number of futures contracts outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2011, was 3,698. The average number of futures contracts outstanding during the period October 1, 2010 (date on which the Fund began entering into futures contracts) through December 31, 2010, was 3,838.

Refer to Footnote 3 – Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities for further details on futures contract activity.

Options Contracts

The Fund may write (sell) and purchase options on commodity futures and forward contracts to enhance the Fund’s risk-adjusted total return. When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the premium received is recognized as a component of “Call options written, at value” on the Statements of Financial Condition and is subsequently adjusted to reflect the current value of the written option until the option expires or the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. The changes in value of the options written during the reporting period are recognized as a component of “Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of call options written” on the Statements of Operations. When an option expires or the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction, the difference between the net premium received and any amount paid at expiration or on executing a closing purchase transaction, including commission, is recognized as a component of “Realized gain (loss) from call options written” on the Statements of Operations. The Fund, as writer of an option, has no control over whether the underlying instrument may be sold (called) and as a result bears the risk of an unfavorable change in the market value of the instrument underlying the written option. There is also the risk the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid market. During the three months ended March 31, 2011 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, the Fund wrote call options on futures contracts.

The purchase of options involves the risk of loss of all or part of the cash paid for the options (the premium). The market risk associated with purchasing options is limited to the premium paid. The counterparty credit risk of purchasing options, however, needs to take into account the current value of the option, as this is the performance expected from the counterparty. The Fund did not purchase any options on futures or forward contracts during the three months ended March 31, 2011 or the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

Transactions in call options written were as follows:

 

      Three Months Ended
March 31, 2011
    Year Ended
December 31, 2010
 
     Number of
Contracts
    Premiums
Received
    Number of
Contracts
    Premiums
Received
 

Outstanding, beginning of period

     1,813      $ 1,629,313        —        $ —     

Options written

     3,515        2,487,692        4,670        3,227,880   

Options terminated in closing purchase transactions

     (2,669     (2,224,776     (1,761     (975,129

Options expired

     (944     (528,360     (1,096     (623,438

Options exercised

     —                  —          —          —     
                                

Outstanding, end of the period

     1,715      $ 1,363,869        1,813      $ 1,629,313   
                                

The average number of outstanding call option contracts written during the three months ended March 31, 2011, was 1,764. The average number of outstanding call option contracts written during the period October 1, 2010 (date on which the Fund began entering into options contracts) through December 31, 2010, was 1,813.

Refer to Footnote 3 – Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities for further details on options activity.

Forward Contracts

The Fund may enter into forward contracts. A forward contract is an agreement between two parties to purchase or sell a specified quantity of a commodity at or before a specified date in the future at a specified price. Forward contracts are typically traded in the over-the-counter (“OTC”) markets and all details of the contract are negotiated between the counterparties to the agreement. Accordingly, the forward contracts are valued by reference to the contracts traded in the OTC markets.

The contractual obligations of a buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by taking or making physical delivery of the underlying commodity, establishing an opposite position in the contract and recognizing the profit or loss on both positions simultaneously on the delivery date or, in some instances, paying a cash settlement before the designated date of delivery. The forward contracts are adjusted by the daily fluctuation of the underlying commodity or currency and any gains or losses are recognized on the Statements of Operations as unrealized appreciation or depreciation until the contract settlement date.

Forward contracts are, in general, not cleared or guaranteed by a third party. The Funds may collateralize forward commodity contracts with cash and/or certain securities as indicated on their Statements of Financial Condition or Schedule of Investments, when applicable, and such collateral is held for the benefit of the counterparty in a segregated account at the custodian to protect the counterparty against non-payment by the Fund. In the event of a default by the counterparty, the Fund will seek return of this collateral and may incur certain costs exercising its right with respect to the collateral.

The Fund remains subject to credit risk with respect to the amount it expects to receive from counterparties, as those amounts are not similarly collateralized by the counterparty. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. The Fund may obtain only limited recovery or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances.

Participants in trading foreign exchange forward contracts often do not require margin deposits, but rely upon internal credit limitations and their judgments regarding the creditworthiness of their counterparties.

The Fund will enter into forward contracts only with large, well-capitalized and well-established financial institutions. The creditworthiness of each of the firms which is a party to a forward contract is monitored by the Manager. The Fund did not enter into any forward contracts during the three months ended March 31, 2011 or the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

Collateral Investments

Approximately 25% of the Fund’s assets are committed to secure the Fund’s futures and forward contract positions. These assets will be placed in a commodity futures account maintained by the Fund’s clearing broker, and will be held in cash or invested in U.S. Treasury bills and other direct or guaranteed debt obligations of the U.S. government maturing within less than one year at the time of investment.

The remaining approximately 75% of assets are held in a separate collateral investment account managed by the Collateral Sub-advisor. The Fund’s assets held in the separate collateral account are invested in cash equivalents or short-term debt securities with final terms not exceeding one year at the time of investment. These collateral investments are rated at the applicable highest short-term or long-term debt or deposit rating or money market fund rating as determined by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), or if unrated, are judged by the Collateral Sub-advisor to be of comparable quality.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that the Fund would receive upon selling an investment or transferring a liability in an orderly transaction to an independent buyer in the principal or most advantageous market of the investment. A three-tier hierarchy is used to maximize the use of observable market data and minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs are based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs are based on the best information available in the circumstances. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2—Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).

Level 3—Significant unobservable inputs (including management’s assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The following is a summary of the Fund’s fair value measurements as of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010:

 

     March 31, 2011  
     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3      Total  

Investments:

         

Short-Term Investments

   $                   —      $   191,768,677      $                   —       $   191,768,677   

Derivatives:

         

Futures Contracts*

     5,677,692                       5,677,692   

Call Options Written

     (708,090     (22,232             (730,322
                                 

Total

   $ 4,969,602      $ 191,746,445      $       $ 196,716,047   
                                 
     December 31, 2010  
     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3      Total  

Investments:

         

Short-Term Investments

   $                   —      $   182,158,211      $                   —       $   182,158,211   

Derivatives:

         

Futures Contracts*

     18,854,639                       18,854,639   

Call Options Written

     (2,903,405     (590,900             (3,494,305
                                 

Total

   $ 15,951,234      $ 181,567,311      $       $ 197,518,545   
                                 
* Represents net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) as reported in the Schedule of Investments.

    During the three months ended March 31, 2011 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, the Fund recognized no significant transfers to or from Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.

Investment Valuation

Commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts traded on an exchange will be valued at the final settlement price or official closing price as determined by the principal exchange on which the instruments are traded as supplied by independent pricing services. These securities are generally classified as Level 1 for fair value measurement purposes. OTC commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts not traded on an exchange will be valued, in order of hierarchy, by independent pricing services, price quotations obtained from counterparty broker-dealers, or through fair valuation methodologies as determined by the Manager. These securities are generally classified as Level 2.

Market quotations for exchange-traded commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts may not be readily available as a result of significant events, which can include, but are not limited to: trading halts or suspensions, market disruptions, or the absence of market makers willing to make a market in such instruments. In addition, events may occur after the close of the market, but prior to the determination of the Fund’s net asset value, that may affect the values of the Fund’s investments. In such circumstances, the Manager will determine a fair valuation for such investments that in its opinion is reflective of fair market value. These securities are generally classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

In the event the Fund utilizes independent pricing services to value any of its commodity futures and forward contracts, options on commodity futures and forward contracts and OTC commodity options, the pricing service typically will value such commodity futures and forward contracts, options on futures and forward contracts and OTC commodity put options using a range of market data and other information and analysis, including reference to transactions in other comparable investments, if available. The procedures of any independent pricing service provider will be reviewed by the Manager on a periodic basis.

Prices of fixed-income securities, including highly rated zero coupon fixed-income securities, like U.S. Treasury Bills, issued with maturities of one year or less, are provided by a pricing service approved by the Fund’s Manager. These securities are generally classified as Level 2. Prices of fixed-income securities are based on the mean between the bid and asked prices. When price quotes are not readily available the pricing service establishes a security’s fair value using methods that may include consideration of the following: yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and rating, market quotes or indications of value from security dealers, evaluations of anticipated cash flows or collateral, general market conditions and other information and analysis, including the obligor’s credit characteristics considered relevant. These securities are generally classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the priority of the significant inputs.

Repurchase agreements are valued at contract amount plus accrued interest, which approximates market value. These securities are generally classified as Level 2.

Investment Transactions

Investment transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are determined on the specific identification method, which is the same for federal income tax purposes.

Investment Income

Interest income, which reflects the amortization of premiums and includes accretion of discount for financial reporting purposes, is recorded on an accrual basis. Interest income also reflects paydown gains and losses, if any.

Brokerage Commissions and Fees

The Fund pays its respective brokerage commissions, including applicable clearing costs, exchange fees, NFA fees, give-up fees, pit brokerage fees and other transaction-related fees and expenses charged in connection with trading activities for the Fund’s investment in CFTC regulated investments. Brokerage commissions on futures contracts are recognized on half-turn basis.

Income Taxes

No provision for federal, state, and local income taxes has been made in the accompanying financial statements because the Fund has elected to be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Each owner of the Fund’s shares will be required to take into account its allocable share of the Fund’s income, gains, losses, deductions and other items for the Fund’s taxable year.

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

For all open tax years and all major taxing jurisdictions, the Manager of the Fund has concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions that would require recognition in the financial statements. Open tax years are those that are open for examination by taxing authorities (i.e., generally the last four tax year ends and the interim tax period since then). Furthermore, the Manager of the Fund is also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months.

Management Fees

For the services and facilities provided by the Manager, the Fund has agreed to pay the Manager an annual management fee, payable monthly, based on the Fund’s average daily net assets, according to the following schedule:

 

Average Daily Net Assets

   Management Fee  

Up to $500 million

     1.250

$500 million to $1 billion

     1.225

$1 billion to $1.5 billion

     1.200

$1.5 billion to $2 billion

     1.175

$2 billion and over

     1.150

“Average daily net assets” means the total net assets of the Fund, minus the sum of liabilities.

The Manager and the Fund have entered into Sub-Advisory Agreements with the Commodity Sub-advisor and the Collateral Sub-advisor. Both the Commodity Sub-advisor and Collateral Sub-advisor (collectively, the “Sub-advisors”) are compensated for their services to the Fund from the management fee paid to the Manager.

Expense Recognition

All expenses of the Fund are recognized on an accrual basis. The Fund pays all routine and extraordinary costs and expenses of its operations, brokerage expenses, custody fees, transfer agent expenses, professional fees, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing reports, notices, information statements, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, and taxes, if any.

Custodian Fee Credit

The Fund has an arrangement with its custodian bank, State Street Bank and Trust Company, whereby certain custodian fees and expenses are reduced by net credits earned on the Fund’s cash on deposit. Such deposit arrangements are an alternative to overnight investments. Credits for cash balances may be offset by charges for any days on which the Fund overdraws its account at the custodian bank.

Organization Expenses and Offering Costs

In connection with the Fund’s initial public offering, Nuveen Investments, LLC (i) reimbursed all organization expenses of the Fund and (ii) paid all offering costs (other than underwriting commissions) that exceeded $.05 per share. The Fund’s share of offering costs was recorded as a reduction of the proceeds from the sale of shares.

 

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

Calculation of Net Asset Value

The net asset value per share of the Fund on any given day is computed by dividing the value of all assets of the Fund (including any accrued interest), less all liabilities (including accrued expenses and distributions declared but unpaid), by the total number of shares outstanding.

Distributions

The Fund intends to make regular monthly distributions to its shareholders (stated in terms of a fixed cents per share distribution rate) based on the past and projected performance of the Fund. Among other factors, the Fund seeks to establish a distribution rate that roughly corresponds to the Manager’s projections of the total return that could reasonably be expected to be generated by the Fund over an extended period of time. Each monthly distribution is not solely dependent on the amount of income earned or capital gains realized by the Fund, and such distributions may from time to time represent a return of capital and may require that the Fund liquidate investments. As market conditions and portfolio performance may change, the rate of distribution on the shares and the Fund’s distribution policy could change. The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions, or may temporarily suspend or reduce distributions without a change in policy, at any time and may do so without prior notice to shareholders.

Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.

Commitments and Contingencies

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, the Manager, Wilmington Trust Company (the Fund’s Delaware trustee) and the individual trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that provide general indemnifications to other parties. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts and does not expect the risk of loss to be immaterial.

Financial Instrument Risk

In the normal course of its business, the Fund is party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk. The term “off-balance sheet risk” refers to an unrecorded potential liability that, even though it does not appear on the Statements of Financial Condition, may result in a future obligation or loss. The financial instruments used by the Fund are commodity futures and options, whose values are based upon an underlying asset and generally represent future commitments that have a reasonable possibility of being settled in cash or through physical delivery. As of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the financial instruments held by the Fund are traded on an exchange and are standardized contracts.

Market risk is the potential for changes in the value of the financial instruments traded by the Fund due to market changes, including fluctuations in commodity prices. In entering into futures contracts, there exists a market risk that such futures contracts may be significantly influenced by adverse market conditions, resulting in such futures contracts being less valuable. If the markets should move against all of the futures contracts at the same time, the Fund could experience substantial losses.

 

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)

 

Credit risk is the possibility that a loss may occur due to failure of a counterparty to perform according to the terms of the forwards futures and option contracts. Credit risk with respect to exchange-traded instruments is reduced to the extent that an exchange or clearing organization acts as a counterparty to the transactions. The Fund’s risk of loss in the event of counterparty default is typically limited to the amounts recognized in the Statements of Financial Condition and not represented by the contract or notional amounts of the instruments.

3. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Fund records derivative instruments at fair value, with changes in fair value recognized on the Statements of Operations, when applicable. For additional information on the derivative instruments in which Fund invested during and at the end of the reporting period, refer to the Schedule of Investments and Footnote 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

The following tables present the fair value of all derivative instruments held by the Fund and the location of these instruments on the Statements of Financial Condition and the primary underlying risk exposure.

 

       

Three Months Ended March 31, 2011

Location on the Statements of Financial Condition

 
Underlying
Risk Exposure
  Derivative
Instrument
 

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 
    Location   Value     Location   Value  
   

Commodity

  Futures Contracts   Unrealized appreciation on futures contracts, net*   $
8,825,906
  
  Unrealized appreciation on futures contracts, net*   $ 3,148,214   

Commodity

  Options            Call options written, at value     730,322   

Total

          $ 8,825,906          $ 3,878,536   

 

       

Year Ended December 31, 2010

Location on the Statements of Financial Condition

 
Underlying
Risk Exposure
  Derivative
Instrument
 

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 
    Location   Value     Location   Value  
   

Commodity

  Futures Contracts   Unrealized appreciation on futures contracts, net*   $
19,281,313
  
  Unrealized appreciation on futures contracts, net*   $ 426,674   

Commodity

  Options            Call options written, at value     3,494,305   

Total

          $ 19,281,313          $ 3,920,979   
* Value represents cumulative gross unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures contracts as reported in the Schedule of Investments and not the deposits with brokers as presented on the Statements of Financial Condition.

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

3. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Continued)

 

The following table presents the amount of net realized gain (loss) and change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) recognized on derivative instruments and the primary underlying risk exposure.

 

Commodity Risk Exposure

  

Three Months Ended
March 31, 2011

    Year Ended
December 31, 2010
        

Net Realized Gain (Loss) from:

      

Futures Contracts

Options Written

   $
 
25,097,025
2,393,598
  
  
  $

 

 13,688,473

1,480,208

  

  

 

Change in Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) of:

      

Futures Contracts

Options Written

   $

 

(13,176,947

2,498,539


  

  $

 

18,854,639

(1,864,992

  

       

4. Related Parties

The Manager, the Collateral Sub-advisor and Nuveen Investments, LLC are considered to be related parties to the Fund.

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

5. Financial Highlights

 

The Fund is presenting the following financial highlights related to investment performance and operations for a share outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2011. The Net Asset Value presentation is calculated using average daily shares outstanding. The Ratios to Average Net Assets are calculated using average daily net assets and have been annualized. The Total Returns at Net Asset Value and Market Value are based on the change in net asset value and market value, respectively, for a share during the period. An investor’s return and ratios will vary based on the timing of purchasing and selling Fund shares.

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2011
 

Net Asset Value:

  

Net asset value per share—beginning of period

   $ 26.74   

Net investment income (loss)

     (.10

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

     1.82   

Distributions

     (.44
        

Net asset value per share—end of period

   $                  28.02   
        

Market Value:

  

Market value per share—beginning of period

   $ 25.80   
        

Market value per share—end of period

   $ 27.26   
        

Ratios to Average Net Assets:(a)

  

Net investment income (loss)

     (1.44 )% 
        

Expenses

                     1.62  % 
        

Total Returns:(b)

  

Based on Net Asset Value

     6.44  % 
        

Based on Market Value

     7.35  % 
        

 

(a) Annualized.
(b) Total Return Based on Net Asset Value is the combination of changes in net asset value per share and the assumed reinvestment of distributions, if any, at net asset value per share on the distribution payment date. The last distribution declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the net asset value per share at the end of the period. Total returns are not annualized.

Total Return Based on Market Value is the combination of changes in the market price per share and the assumed reinvestment of distributions, if any, at the ending market price per share on the distribution payment date. The last distribution declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending market price per share at the end of the period. Total returns are not annualized.

 

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NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2011

(Unaudited)

 

6. New Accounting Pronouncement

 

Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB) Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860): Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements (the “ASU”).

On April 15, 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-03. The guidance in the ASU is intended to improve the accounting for repurchase agreements (“repos”) and other similar agreements. Specifically, the ASU modifies the criteria for determining when these transactions would be accounted for as financings (secured borrowings/lending agreements) as opposed to sales (purchases) with commitments to repurchase (resell). At this time, management is evaluating the implications of this guidance and the impact it will have to the financial statement amounts or footnote disclosures, if any.

7. Subsequent Events

Issuance of Shares

During April 2011, the Fund filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1with the SEC to register additional Fund shares for future issuance. The Fund has not yet determined the size or timing of any potential future offering.

Name Changes

On April 30, 2011, Nuveen Investments, LLC changed its name to Nuveen Securities, LLC.

 

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes to financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report (the “Report”). The discussion and analysis includes forward-looking statements that generally relate to future events or future performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC (“NCAM” or the “Manager”), Gresham Investment Management LLC (“Gresham” or the “Commodity Sub-advisor”) and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (the “Collateral Sub-advisor”) and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, both known and unknown, that could cause the actual results, performance, prospects or opportunities of the Nuveen Diversified Commodity Fund (the “Fund”) to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws or otherwise, the Fund and the Manager undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or the risks, uncertainties or other factors described in this Report, as a result of new information, future events or changed circumstances or for any other reason after the date of this Report.

Introduction

The Fund is a commodity pool which was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 7, 2005 and completed its initial public offering on September 30, 2010. The shares of the Fund trade on the New York Stock Exchange Amex (“NYSE Amex”) under the ticker symbol “CFD.” Prior to the initial public offering, the Fund was inactive except for matters relating to its organization and registration, therefore no results of operations are presented for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. The Fund’s investment objective is to generate higher risk-adjusted total return than leading commodity market benchmarks, specifically the Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index® (“DJ-UBSCI”) and the S&P GSCI® Commodity Index (“GSCI”), and passively managed commodity funds. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund invests directly in a diversified portfolio of commodity futures and forward contracts to obtain broad exposure to all principal groups in the global commodity markets. The Fund is unleveraged, and the Fund’s commodity contract positions are fully collateralized with cash equivalents and short-term, high grade debt securities. The Fund also writes commodity call options seeking to enhance the Fund’s risk-adjusted total return. The Manager focuses on the DJ-UBSCI when evaluating its underlying commodity futures, forwards, and options positions in the Fund’s portfolio.

Results of Operations

The Quarter Ended March 31, 2011 – Fund Share Price

The Fund’s shares traded on the NYSE Amex at a price of $27.26 on the close of business on March 31, 2011. This represents an increase of 5.66% in share price (not including the effect of distributions) from the $25.80 price at which the shares of the Fund traded on the close of business on December 31, 2010. The high and low share prices for the quarter were $28.90 (March 2) and $25.16 (January 10), respectively. During the quarter, the Fund declared distributions totaling $0.435 per share to shareholders, of which $0.145 was paid on April 1, 2011. The remainder was paid during the quarter. The cumulative total return on market value for the Fund, including distributions during the period, for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 was 7.35%. At March 31, 2011, the shares of the Fund traded at a 2.71% discount to the Fund’s net asset value of $28.02.

The Quarter Ended March 31, 2011 – Net Assets of the Fund

The Fund’s net assets increased from $247.8 million at December 31, 2010, to $259.6 million at March 31, 2011, an increase of $11.8 million. The increase in the Fund’s net assets was primarily due to the realization of gains on

 

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the Fund’s futures and options portfolio (the commodity portfolio) during the quarter, offset by a decrease in the change in net unrealized value of the Fund’s commodity portfolio, and distributions paid to shareholders.

The Fund’s commodity portfolio rose approximately 6.8% during the period before considering the expenses of the Fund. The overall commodities market, as measured by the DJ-UBSCI rose 4.5% and using the GSCI, which has greater energy-related exposure than the DJ-UBSCI (70% versus 34%, respectively), the market gained 11.5% over the quarter. Commodity market performance was driven in part by the continuing recovery of global economic growth and the expectation of rising inflation, as well as geopolitical concerns and natural disasters, such as the political unrest in the Middle East and the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which have affected the supply and demand relationship of various commodities in which the Fund trades.

The Fund’s commodity portfolio performed well in this environment as it generated positive returns in all six principal commodity groups and most sub-groups in which it trades. Among the six principal commodity groups in which the Fund trades, energy, foods and fibers, and livestock led the commodity portfolio’s results and experienced an increase in value of approximately 12%, 10% and 7%, respectively. The remaining commodity groups, precious metals, agriculturals, and industrial metals, experienced increases of nearly 5%, 2% and 2%, respectively. The commodity portfolio’s largest futures position was crude oil, which represented almost 24% of the commodity portfolio at the end of the quarter and generated a return of approximately 11.7% versus the DJ-UBSCI crude oil return of 8.0%. Within the crude oil segment, the commodity portfolio holds both West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) and Brent crude oil contracts. The DJ-UBSCI only includes WTI crude oil contracts. WTI crude oil is a representation of more U.S. oriented supply. Brent crude oil generally reflects international oil supply as oil from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East is priced off the Brent crude oil price. Generally, as a result of Middle East and North African turmoil and unrest, Brent crude oil contracts rose over 20% over the quarter while WTI gained about 8%. The Commodity Sub-advisor’s inclusion of Brent crude oil in the Fund’s commodity portfolio drove the outperformance by the Fund against the DJ-UBSCI in relation to crude oil.

The commodity call option component of the investment strategy used by the Commodity Sub-advisor was generally successful over the period as it served to limit volatility without sacrificing significant appreciation in the commodity futures contracts. The Commodity Sub-advisor utilizes a quantitatively driven strategy to set the call option strike prices it writes (sells) at various levels out-of-the money. Typically, the more out-of-the-money a written call option strike price is, the more upside potential remains, though this is balanced by less premium received for selling the options. During the quarter, several of the commodity portfolio’s options expired without being exercised. This allowed the Fund to earn the call option premium without sacrificing any appreciation in the commodity futures contracts which benefited the Fund’s performance. In certain cases where the futures price appreciation was significant, such as cotton, the options the Fund wrote were exercised, which limited the Fund’s full participation in that commodity contract’s gains. While cotton futures prices rose approximately 40%, the commodity portfolio’s futures and options performance was approximately 34%, reflecting the impact of the forgone futures contract appreciation due to the option contracts being exercised. In total, across all of the commodity and options holdings, the Fund’s commodity portfolio outperformed the DJ-UBSCI by approximately 2.3% while experiencing less volatility.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2011, the Fund’s collateral investments generated interest income of $110,343.

The net asset value per share on March 31, 2011, was $28.02. This represents an increase of 4.79% in net asset value (not including the effect of distributions) from the $26.74 net asset value as of December 31, 2010. The Fund declared distributions of $0.435 per share during the quarter, of which $0.145 was paid on April 1, 2011. The remainder was paid during the quarter. When these distributions are taken into account, the cumulative total return for the Fund on net asset value was 6.44% for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.

The Fund generated net income of $15.9 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2011, resulting from interest income of $0.1 million, net realized gains of $27.5 million, change in net unrealized depreciation of $10.7 million, and net expenses of $1.0 million.

 

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The table below presents the composition of the Fund’s TAP PLUSSM strategy (Gresham’s long-only rules-based investment strategy which uses futures and forward contracts to gain exposure to commodities and options to enhance the Fund’s risk-adjusted total return) and the DJ-UBSCI as of March 31, 2011. This table serves as a guide to how the composition of the Fund’s TAP PLUSSM investment strategy compared to that of the DJ-UBSCI, a leading commodity market benchmark.

 

          Composition  
Commodity Group    Commodity    TAP PLUSSM      DJ-UBSCI  

Energy

   Crude Oil      23.75%         16.01%   
   Heating Oil      5.21%         4.04%   
   Natural Gas      4.05%         10.23%   
   Unleaded Gas      3.50%         4.06%   
           
        36.51%         34.34%   
           

Industrial Metals

   Aluminum      5.46%         4.98%   
   Copper      9.05%         6.86%   
   Nickel      1.93%         2.20%   
   Zinc      1.43%         2.50%   
   Lead      0.88%         —%   
           
        18.75%         16.54%   
           

Agriculturals

   Corn      3.98%         7.35%   
   Soybean      4.46%         7.36%   
   Wheat      3.74%         4.08%   
   Soybean Meal      1.75%         —%   
   Soybean Oil      1.19%         2.75%   
           
        15.12%         21.54%   
           

Precious Metals

   Gold      8.86%         10.04%   
   Silver      3.13%         3.92%   
   Platinum      0.96%         —%   
   Palladium      0.41%         —%   
           
        13.36%         13.96%   
           

Foods and Fibers

   Cotton      2.63%         2.59%   
   Sugar      3.32%         2.73%   
   Coffee      2.07%         2.44%   
   Cocoa      0.76%         —%   
           
        8.78%         7.76%   
           

Livestock

   Live Cattle      4.32%         3.48%   
   Lean Hogs      2.11%         2.38%   
   Feeder Cattle      1.05%         —%   
           
        7.48%         5.86%   
           
   

Total

        100.00%         100.00%   
   

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Fund implemented its commodity investment activities on October 1, 2010, by taking long positions in commodity futures contracts pursuant to Gresham’s long-only rules-based investment strategy designed to maintain consistent, fully collateralized exposure to commodities as an asset class (Tangible Asset Program or TAP®) and its integrated program of writing commodity call options designed to enhance the risk-adjusted total return of the Fund’s commodity investments (collectively referred to as TAP PLUSSM). The Fund’s investment activity in futures contracts and writing commodity call options do not require a significant outlay of capital. The

 

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Fund does not intend to utilize leverage and its commodity contract positions are fully collateralized. Ordinary expenses and distributions are met by cash on hand, although distributions may at times consist of return of capital and may require that the Fund liquidate investments. The Fund earns interest on its continuing investments in short-term, high grade debt securities with any remaining cash balance on deposit with the custodian earning custody fee credits. The Fund also generates cash from the premiums it receives when writing call options on the Fund’s futures contracts.

The Fund’s investments in commodity futures contracts and options on commodity futures contracts may be subject to periods of illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other reasons. For example, commodity exchanges limit fluctuations in certain commodity futures contract prices during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once the price of a futures contract for a particular commodity has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the futures contract can neither be taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or within the limit. Commodity futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive days with little or no trading. Such market conditions could prevent the Fund from promptly liquidating its commodity futures positions.

In regards to shareholder transactions, the Fund’s shares trade on the NYSE Amex and shares are not redeemed by the Fund in the normal course of business, thereby alleviating the need for the Fund to have liquidity available for possible shareholder redemptions. On April 15, 2011, the Fund filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to register additional shares of the Fund for future issuance. The Fund has not yet determined the size or timing of any potential future offering.

The Fund is unaware of any other trends, demands, conditions or events that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to the Fund’s liquidity needs.

Because the Fund invests in commodity futures contracts, its capital is at risk from changes in the value of these contracts (market risk) or the inability of counterparties to perform under the terms of the contracts (credit risk).

Market Risk

Investing in commodity futures and forward contracts involves the Fund entering into contractual commitments to purchase or sell a particular commodity at a specified date and price. The market risk associated with the Fund’s commitments to purchase commodities will be limited to the gross or face amount of the contracts held.

The Fund’s exposure to market risk may be influenced by a number of factors, including changes in international balances of payments and trade, currency devaluations and revaluations, changes in interest and foreign currency exchange rates, price volatility of commodity futures and forwards contracts and market liquidity, weather, geopolitical events and other factors. These factors also affect the Fund’s investments in options on commodity futures and forward contracts. The inherent uncertainty of the Fund’s investments as well as the development of drastic market occurrences could ultimately lead to a loss of all or substantially all of investors’ capital.

Credit Risk

The Fund may be exposed to credit risk from its investments in commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts resulting from the clearing house associated with a particular exchange failing to meet its obligations to the Fund. In general, clearing houses are backed by their corporate members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the nonperformance of one of their members, which should significantly reduce this credit risk. In cases where the clearing house is not backed by the clearing members (i.e., as in some foreign exchanges), it may be backed by a consortium of banks or other financial institutions. There can be no assurance that any counterparty, clearing member or clearing house will meet its obligations to the Fund.

 

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The Fund’s investment strategy attempts to moderate these market risks, and the Commodity Sub-advisor attempts to minimize credit risks, by requiring the Fund to abide by various investment limitations and policies, which include limiting margin accounts, investing only in liquid markets and permitting the use of stop-loss orders. The Commodity Sub-advisor implements procedures which include, but are not limited to:

 

   

Employing the options strategy to reduce directional risk (although there is no guarantee that the Fund’s options strategy will be successful);

 

   

Executing and clearing trades only with creditworthy counterparties;

 

   

Limiting the amount of margin or premium required for any one commodity contract or all commodities contracts combined; and

 

   

Generally limiting transactions to contracts which are traded in sufficient volume to permit the efficient taking and liquidating of positions.

The commodity broker, when acting as the Fund’s futures commission merchant in accepting orders for the purchase or sale of domestic commodity futures contracts, is required by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulations to separately account for, and segregate as belonging to the Fund, all assets of the Fund relating to domestic futures investments. The commodity broker is not allowed to commingle such assets with other assets of, or held by, the commodity broker. In addition, CFTC regulations also require the commodity broker, when acting as the Fund’s futures commission merchant, to hold in a separate account the assets of the Fund related to foreign commodity futures investments and not commingle such assets with other assets of, or held by, the commodity broker.

If the Fund purchases over-the-counter (“OTC”) commodity put options, the Fund will be exposed to credit risk that the counterparty to the contract will not meet its obligations. In cases where the Fund purchases OTC commodity put options with a counterparty, the sole recourse of the Fund will be the financial resources of the counterparty to the transaction since there is no clearing house to assume the obligations of the counterparty.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of March 31, 2011, the Fund has not utilized, nor does it expect to utilize in the future, special purpose entities to facilitate off-balance sheet financing arrangements and has no loan guarantee arrangements or off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into in the normal course of business, which may include indemnification provisions related to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interests of the Fund. While the Fund’s exposure under such indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, these general business indemnifications are not expected to have a material impact on the Fund’s financial position.

Contractual Obligations

The Fund’s contractual obligations are with the Manager, the Sub-advisors, the custodian, the transfer agent, the commodity broker and, to the extent that the Fund enters into OTC transactions, dealers. Management fee payments made to the Manager are calculated as a fixed percentage of the Fund’s net assets. The custodian fee is calculated based on the Fund’s assets and trading activity. The transfer agent fee is calculated based on the total number of registered accounts. Commission payments to the commodity broker are on a contract-by-contract, or round-turn basis, and payments to forward contract dealers are usually based on a fee or percentage of the notional value of the contract. The Manager cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements for future periods, as these payments are based on figures which are not known until a future date. Additionally, these agreements may be terminated by either party for various reasons.

 

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Critical Accounting Policies

The Fund’s critical accounting policies are as follows:

Preparation of the financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well as the use of estimates. The Fund’s application of these policies involves judgments and actual results may differ from the estimates used.

The Fund holds a significant portion of its assets in options, futures and/or forward contracts, and high quality debt instruments, all of which are recorded on a trade date basis and at fair value, with changes in fair value reported on the Statements of Operations as changes in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation).

The use of fair value to measure financial instruments, with related unrealized appreciation (depreciation) recognized in earnings in each period, is fundamental to the Fund’s financial statements. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

Generally, commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts traded on an exchange will be valued at the final settlement price or official closing price as determined by the principal exchange on which the instruments are traded as supplied by independent pricing services. OTC commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts not traded on an exchange will be valued, in order of hierarchy, by independent pricing services, price quotations obtained from counterparty broker-dealers, or through fair valuation methodologies as determined by the Manager.

Market quotations for exchange-traded commodity futures and forward contracts and options on commodity futures and forward contracts may not be readily available as a result of significant events, which can include, but are not limited to: trading halts or suspensions, market disruptions, or the absence of market makers willing to make a market in such instruments. In addition, events may occur after the close of the market, but prior to the determination of the Fund’s net asset value, that may affect the values of the Fund’s investments. In such circumstances, the Manager will determine a fair valuation for such investments that in its opinion is reflective of fair market value.

Realized gains (losses) and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on open positions are determined on a specific identification basis and recognized in the Statements of Operations in the period in which the contract is closed or the changes occur, respectively.

Interest income, which reflects the amortization of premiums and includes accretion of discount, is recorded on an accrual basis. Interest income also reflects paydown gains and losses, if any.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Quantitative Disclosure

The Fund is exposed to commodity price risk through the futures and forward contracts and the options on futures and forward contracts that the Fund invests in as part of its investment strategy. These instruments have been entered into for trading purposes. The following table provides information about the Fund’s futures and forward contracts and options on futures and forward contracts, which are sensitive to changes in commodity prices as of March 31, 2011. The Fund expects to invest only in long futures contracts. Some short futures positions arise in futures contracts traded on the London Metal Exchange (“LME”) solely as the result of closing

 

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existing long LME futures positions. For every short LME futures contract held by the Fund, the Fund had previously entered into a long futures contract.

Futures Contracts

 

Commodity Group   Contract   Contract
Position
  Contract
Expiration
  Number of
Contracts
    Valuation
Price
    Contract
Multiplier
    Notional Amount
at Value
 

Energy

  Crude Oil            
  ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     71      $ 117.3600        1,000      $ 8,332,560   
  ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Contract   Long   June 2011     51        117.2000        1,000        5,977,200   
  ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     20        116.9700        1,000        2,339,400   
  NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     291        106.7200        1,000        31,055,520   
  NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     130        107.7100        1,000        14,002,300   
  Heating Oil            
  ICE Gas Oil Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     10        989.2500        100        989,250   
  ICE Gas Oil Futures Contract   Long   June 2011     25        987.5000        100        2,468,750   
  NYMEX Heating Oil Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     65        3.1125        42,000        8,497,125   
  NYMEX Heating Oil Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     12        3.1346        42,000        1,579,838   
  Natural Gas            
  NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     147        4.3890        10,000        6,451,830   
  NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     90        4.5330        10,000        4,079,700   
  Unleaded Gas            
  NYMEX Gasoline RBOB Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     42        3.1077        42,000        5,481,983   
  NYMEX Gasoline RBOB Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     28        3.0754        42,000        3,616,670   

Industrial Metals

  Aluminum            
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract   Long   April 2011     218        2,624.5000        25        14,303,525   
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract   Short   April 2011     (109     2,624.5000        25        (7,151,763
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     109        2,635.0000        25        7,180,375   
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Contract   Short   May 2011     (2     2,635.0000        25        (131,750
  Copper            
  CEC Copper Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     94        4.3075        25,000        10,122,625   
  CEC Copper Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     15        4.3255        25,000        1,622,063   
  LME Copper Futures Contract   Long   April 2011     50        9,420.0000        25        11,775,000   
  Nickel            
  LME Nickel Futures Contract   Long   April 2011     16        26,086.0000        6        2,504,256   
  LME Nickel Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     17        26,093.0000        6        2,661,486   
  LME Nickel Futures Contract   Short   May 2011     (1     26,093.0000        6        (156,558
  Zinc            
  LME Zinc Futures Contract   Long   April 2011     63        2,351.2500        25        3,703,219   
  LME Zinc Futures Contract   Short   April 2011     (31     2,351.2500        25        (1,822,219
  LME Zinc Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     31        2,351.7500        25        1,822,606   
  LME Zinc Futures Contract   Short   May 2011     (31     2,351.7500        25        (1,822,606
  LME Zinc Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     31        2,366.5000        25        1,834,038   
  Lead            
  LME Lead Futures Contract   Long   April 2011     33        2,740.5000        25        2,260,913   
  LME Lead Futures Contract   Short   April 2011     (17     2,740.5000        25        (1,164,713
  LME Lead Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     17        2,714.5000        25        1,153,663   

Agriculturals

  Corn            
  CBOT Corn Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     153        6.9325        5,000        5,303,363   
  CBOT Corn Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     144        7.0100        5,000        5,047,200   
  Soybean            
  CBOT Soybean Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     119        14.1025        5,000        8,390,988   
  CBOT Soybean Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     45        14.2100        5,000        3,197,250   
  Wheat            
  CBOT Wheat Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     120        7.6325        5,000        4,579,500   
  CBOT Wheat Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     7        7.9925        5,000        279,738   
  KCBT Wheat Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     107        9.0800        5,000        4,857,800   
  Soybean Meal            
  CBOT Soybean Meal Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     123        370.7000        100        4,559,610   
  Soybean Oil            
  CBOT Soybean Oil Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     88        0.5878        60,000        3,103,584   

Precious Metals

  Gold            
  CEC Gold Futures Contract   Long   June 2011     160        1,439.9000        100        23,038,400   
  Silver            
  CEC Silver Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     43        37.8880        5,000        8,145,920   
  Platinum            
  NYMEX Platinum Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     28        1,783.2000        50        2,496,480   
  Palladium            
  NYMEX Palladium Futures Contract   Long   June 2011     14        767.9000        100        1,075,060   

 

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Table of Contents

Futures Contracts (Continued)

 

Commodity Group   Contract   Contract
Position
  Contract
Expiration
  Number of
Contracts
    Valuation
Price
    Contract
Multiplier
    Notional Amount
at Value
 

Foods and Fibers

  Cotton            
  ICE Cotton Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     51          $ 2.0023        50,000      $ 5,105,865   
  ICE Cotton Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     18            1.9290        50,000        1,736,100   
  Sugar            
  ICE Sugar Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     194            0.2711        112,000        5,890,461   
  ICE Sugar Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     98            0.2504        112,000        2,748,390   
  Coffee            
  ICE Coffee C Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     41            2.6415        37,500        4,061,306   
  ICE Coffee C Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     1            2.6675        37,500        100,031   
  LIFFE Coffee Robusta Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     20            2,528.0000        10        505,600   
  LIFFE Coffee Robusta Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     30            2,418.0000        10        725,400   
  Cocoa            
  ICE Cocoa Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     67            2,952.0000        10        1,977,840   

Livestock

  Live Cattle            
  CME Live Cattle Futures Contract   Long   April 2011     147            1.2155        40,000        7,147,140   
  CME Live Cattle Futures Contract   Long   June 2011     593            1.2098        40,000        2,855,010   
  CME Live Cattle Futures Contract   Long   August 2011     25            1.2218        40,000        1,221,750   
  Lean Hogs            
  CME Lean Hogs Futures Contract   Long   June 2011     112            1.0388        40,000        4,653,600   
  CME Lean Hogs Futures Contract   Long   July 2011     20            1.0375        40,000        830,000   
  Feeder Cattle            
  CME Feeder Cattle Futures Contract   Long   May 2011     39            1.3938        50,000        2,717,813   
Commodity Call Options   
Commodity Group   Contract        Contract
Expiration
  Number of
Contracts
   

Strike Price

           Value  

Energy

  Crude Oil            
  ICE Brent Crude Oil Futures Options     May 2011     (71   $ 127.0        $ (17,040
  NYMEX Crude Oil Futures Options     April 2011     (211     114.0          (126,600
  Heating Oil            
  NYMEX Heating Oil Futures Options     April 2011     (52     3.4          (37,128
  Natural Gas            
  NYMEX Natural Gas Futures Options     April 2011     (118     4,800.0          (49,560
  Unleaded Gas            
  NYMEX Gasoline RBOB Futures Options     April 2011     (35     33,800.0          (24,990

Industrial Metals

  Aluminum            
  LME Primary Aluminum Futures Options     April 2011     (108     2,800.0          (324
  Copper            
  LME Copper Futures Options     April 2011     (50     11,000.0          —     
  Nickel            
  LME Nickel Futures Options     April 2011     (16     31,000.0          —     
  Zinc            
  LME Zinc Futures Options     April 2011     (32     2,750.0          —     
  Lead            
  LME Lead Futures Options     April 2011     (16     2,725.0          (21,908

Agriculturals

  Corn            
  CBOT Corn Futures Options     April 2011     (148     850.0          (15,725
  Soybean            
  CBOT Soybean Futures Options     April 2011     (82     1,640.0          (5,637
  Wheat            
  CBOT Wheat Futures Options     April 2011     (58     1,010.0          (1,450
  CBOT Wheat Futures Options     April 2011     (2     950.0          (150
  CBOT Wheat Futures Options     June 2011     (3     890.0          (4,950
  KCBT Wheat Futures Options    

April 2011

    (54     1,120.0          (9,113
  Soybean Meal            
  CBOT Soybean Meal Futures Options     April 2011     (55     440.0          (1,100
  CBOT Soybean Meal Futures Options     April 2011     (7     410.0          (525
  Soybean Oil            
  CBOT Soybean Oil Futures Options     April 2011     (44     650.0          (2,772

Precious Metals

  Gold            
  CEC Gold Futures Options     May 2011     (80     1,590.0          (21,600
  Silver            
  CEC Silver Futures Options     April 2011     (22     3,700.0          (195,580

 

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Table of Contents

Commodity Call Options (Continued)

 

Commodity Group   Contract        Contract
Expiration
    Number of
Contracts
    Strike Price          Value  

Foods and Fibers

  Cotton            
  ICE Cotton Futures Options       April 2011        (35   $ 220.0        $ (13,650
  Sugar            
  ICE Sugar Futures Options       April 2011        (130     332.5          (4,368
  ICE Sugar Futures Options       April 2011        (16     327.5          (717
  Coffee            
  ICE Coffee C Futures Options       April 2011        (26     302.5          (390
  ICE Coffee C Futures Options       April 2011        (1     312.5          (1,125
  Cocoa            
  ICE Cocoa Futures Options       April 2011        (34     3,700.0          (340

Livestock

  Live Cattle            
  CME Live Cattle Futures Options       April 2011        (143     120.0          (94,380
  Lean Hogs            
  CME Lean Hogs Futures Options       June 2011        (66     106.0          (79,200

The Fund also invests the assets held as collateral for its investments in commodity futures and forward contracts in short-term, high grade debt securities which exposes the Fund to interest rate risk. These instruments are deemed to be entered into for non-trading purposes, with an emphasis on current income, liquidity and preservation of capital. As of March 31, 2011, the Fund held agency notes and discount notes, and U.S. Treasury bills worth $130,014,305 with a total par value of $130,000,000.

Qualitative Disclosure

The Fund’s primary trading risk exposure is commodity price risk which affects the futures contracts and options on futures contracts in which the Fund invests. There are numerous uncertainties, contingencies and risks associated with these investments (as discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors of the December 31, 2010 Form 10-K filed with the SEC. These include, but are not limited to, government interventions, defaults and expropriations, adverse weather conditions, commodity supply factors, illiquid markets, the emergence of dominant fundamental factors, political upheavals, changes in historical price relationships, an influx of new market participants, and increased regulation. Investors may lose all or substantially all of their investment in the Fund.

To help manage the commodity price risk mentioned above, the Fund uses its options strategy in an attempt to enhance the Fund’s risk-adjusted total returns relative to the returns of leading commodity market benchmarks. In up markets, the portion of the Fund on which call options have been sold will forego potential appreciation in the value of the underlying contracts to the extent the price of those contracts exceeds the exercise price of options written plus the premium collected by writing the call options. In flat or sideways markets, the portion of the Fund on which call options have been sold will generate current gains from the premium collected by writing the call options. In down markets, the Fund will experience declines in value of the underlying contracts to the extent that the amount of the decline in the value of the underlying contracts exceeds the option premium collected by writing the call options. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s options strategy will be successful. The Fund’s risk-adjusted returns over any particular period may be positive or negative. Furthermore, the Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of commodity futures and forward contracts to obtain broad exposure to all principal groups in the global commodity markets, thereby limiting its exposure to the commodity price risk of any one future contract or any specific commodity group.

The Fund’s primary non-trading risk exposure is interest rate risk as it relates to its collateral investments in short-term, high grade debt securities which is mitigated due to the short term nature of these debt securities, as well as by ensuring that the collateral investments are rated at the highest rating applicable for the type of investment as determined by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, judged by the Collateral Sub-advisor to be of comparable quality.

 

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Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Manager of the Fund, the Manager has evaluated the effectiveness of the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Based upon that evaluation, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Report.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in the Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that occurred during the reporting period covered by this Report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

36


Table of Contents

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

None.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no changes to the Risk Factors since last reported on Part 1, Item 1A of the Fund’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

a) None.

b) The Fund did not issue new shares within the fiscal quarter ended on March 31, 2011.

c) There were no repurchases made by the Fund or any of its affiliates within the fiscal quarter ended on March 31, 2011.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. (Removed and Reserved)

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

None.

Item 6. Exhibits

 

4.1    Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Fund. (1)
31.1    Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2    Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1    Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2    Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

(1) 

Filed on September 23, 2010 as an exhibit to Amendment No. 8 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-130360) and incorporated by reference herein

 

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Table of Contents

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED COMMODITY FUND
By:   Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC, its Manager
Date: May 10, 2011
/s/ Gifford R. Zimmerman

Gifford R. Zimmerman

Chief Administrative Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

Date: May 10, 2011
/s/ Stephen D. Foy

Stephen D. Foy

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer)

 

38