UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2016

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File Number:                    001-33231

 

POWERSHARES DB GOLD FUND

(A Series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust)

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 983-0903

 

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  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, an Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 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 filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

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

Indicate the number of outstanding Shares as of September 30, 2016: 5,200,000 Shares.

 

 

 

 

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POWERSHARES DB GOLD FUND

(A SERIES OF POWERSHARES DB MULTI-SECTOR COMMODITY TRUST)

QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statements of Financial Condition

September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015

(Unaudited)

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Schedule of Investments

September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Schedule of Investments

December 31, 2015

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statements of Income and Expenses

For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015

(Unaudited)

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015

(Unaudited)

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

(Unaudited)

 

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Statements of Cash Flows

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015

(Unaudited)

 

See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements which are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

 

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PowerShares DB Gold Fund

Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements

September 30, 2016

 

(1) Background

On October 24, 2014, DB Commodity Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“DBCS”), DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corporation (“DBUSH”) and Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (“Invesco”) entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”). DBCS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DBUSH. DBCS agreed to transfer and sell to Invesco all of DBCS’ interest in the PowerShares DB Gold Fund (the “Fund”), a separate series of PowerShares DB Multi-Sector Commodity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized in seven separate series, including the sole and exclusive power to direct the business and affairs of the Trust and the Fund, as well as certain other assets pertaining to the management of Trust and the Fund, pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement (the “Transaction”).

The Transaction was consummated on February 23, 2015 (the “Closing Date”). Invesco now serves as the managing owner (the “Managing Owner”), commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Trust and the Fund, in replacement of DBCS (the “Predecessor Managing Owner”).

 

 

(2) Organization

The Fund is a separate series of the Trust. The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized in seven separate series and was formed on August 3, 2006. The Predecessor Managing Owner seeded the Fund with a capital contribution of $1,000 in exchange for 40 General Shares of the Fund. The General Shares were sold to the Managing Owner by the Predecessor Managing Owner pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. The fiscal year end of the Fund is December 31st. The term of the Fund is perpetual (unless terminated earlier in certain circumstances) as provided for in the Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, as amended, and Trust Agreement of the Trust (the “Trust Agreement”). The Fund has an unlimited number of shares authorized for issuance.

The Fund offers common units of beneficial interest (the “Shares”) only to certain eligible financial institutions (the “Authorized Participants”) in one or more blocks of 200,000 Shares, called a Basket. The Fund commenced investment operations on January 3, 2007. The Fund commenced trading on the American Stock Exchange (which became the NYSE Alternext US LLC (the “NYSE Alternext”)) on January 5, 2007 and, as of November 25, 2008, is listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”).

This Quarterly Report (the “Report”) covers the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (hereinafter referred to as the “Three Months Ended September 30, 2016” and the “Three Months Ended September 30, 2015”, respectively) and the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (hereinafter referred to as the "Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016" and the "Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015", respectively).  The Fund’s performance information from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date, and the Fund’s performance information since the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Managing Owner. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (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 its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 as filed with the SEC on February 29, 2016.

 

 

(3) Fund Investment Overview

The Fund seeks to track changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Excess Return™ (“DBIQ-OY GC ER™”, or the “Index”) plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund invests in futures contracts in an attempt to track the Index. The Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) for margin and/or cash management purposes.

The Index is intended to reflect the change in market value of the gold sector. The single commodity comprising the Index is gold (the “Index Commodity”).

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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) and/or commodity exchanges, as applicable, impose position limits on market participants trading in the commodity futures contract included in the Index. The Index is comprised of commodity futures contracts on the Index Commodity that expire in a specific month and trade on a specific exchange (the “Index Contracts”). If the Managing Owner determines in its commercially reasonable judgment that it has become impracticable or inefficient for any reason for the Fund to gain full or partial exposure to the Index Commodity by investing in the Index Contract, the Fund may invest in a commodity futures contract referencing the Index Commodity other than the Index Contract or, in the alternative, invest in other commodity futures contracts not based on the Index Commodity if, in the commercially reasonable judgment of the Managing Owner, such commodity futures contracts tend to exhibit trading prices that correlate with the Index Commodity. 

Should the Fund approach or reach position limits with respect to certain futures contracts comprising the Index, the Fund will commence investing in other futures contracts based on commodities that comprise the Fund’s Index and in futures contracts based on commodities other that commodities that comprise the Fund’s Index.

 

(4) Service Providers and Related Party Agreements

The Trustee

Under the Trust Agreement, Wilmington Trust Company, the trustee of the Trust and the Fund (the “Trustee”), has delegated to the Managing Owner the exclusive management and control of all aspects of the business of the Trust and the Fund. The Trustee will have no duty or liability to supervise or monitor the performance of the Managing Owner, nor will the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Managing Owner.

The Managing Owner

The Managing Owner serves as the Fund’s commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor and managing owner. The Fund pays the Managing Owner a management fee, monthly in arrears, in an amount equal to 0.75% per annum of the daily net asset value of the Fund (the “Management Fee”). From inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, all Management Fees were payable to the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date and all Management Fee accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Managing Owner.

The Fund may, for cash management purposes, invest in money market mutual funds that are managed by an affiliate of the Managing Owner.  Through June 20, 2017, the Managing Owner has contractually agreed to waive a portion of the Fund’s management fee in an amount equal to 100% of the net advisory fees an affiliate of the Managing Owner receives that are attributable to the Fund’s investments in money market mutual funds managed by that affiliate. The Managing Owner cannot discontinue this waiver prior to its expiration.

The Managing Owner waived fees of $3,069 for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016.

The Commodity Broker

Effective as of the Closing Date, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as the Fund’s futures clearing broker (the “Commodity Broker”). Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (“DBSI”), a Delaware corporation, served as the Fund’s futures clearing broker up to and excluding the Closing Date (the “Predecessor Commodity Broker”). DBSI is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG and is an affiliate of the Predecessor Managing Owner.

A variety of executing brokers execute futures transactions on behalf of the Fund. Such executing brokers give-up all such transactions to the Commodity Broker. In its capacity as clearing broker, the Commodity Broker may execute or receive transactions executed by others and clears all of the Fund’s futures transactions and performs certain administrative and custodial services for the Fund. The Commodity Broker is responsible, among other things, for providing periodic accountings of all dealings and actions taken by the Trust on behalf of the Fund during the reporting period, together with an accounting of all securities, cash or other indebtedness or obligations held by it or its nominees for or on behalf of the Fund.

For the avoidance of doubt, from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, commission payments were paid to the Predecessor Commodity Broker. The Commodity Broker has served as the Fund’s futures clearing broker since the Closing Date and all commission accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Commodity Broker.

The Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent

The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Administrator” and “Custodian”) is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent of the Fund.  The Fund and the Administrator have entered into separate administrative, custodian, transfer agency and service agreements (collectively referred to as the “Administration Agreement”).

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Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, the Administrator performs or supervises the performance of services necessary for the operation and administration of the Fund (other than making investment decisions), including receiving and processing orders from Authorized Participants to create and redeem Baskets, net asset value calculations, accounting and other fund administrative services. The Administrator maintains certain financial books and records, including: Basket creation and redemption books and records, fund accounting records, ledgers with respect to assets, liabilities, capital, income and expenses, the registrar, transfer journals and related details, and trading and related documents received from the Commodity Broker.  The Managing Owner pays the Administrator fees for its services out of the Management Fee.

As of December 31, 2014, the Fund held $10,651,900 of cash and $149,996,759 of United States Treasury Obligations at the Predecessor Commodity Broker. In conjunction with the Transaction, during the three-day period from February 24, 2015 to February 26, 2015, the Fund transferred $10,488,749 of cash and $207,995,237 of United States Treasury Obligations from the Predecessor Commodity Broker to the Custodian. Additionally, during that same three-day period, the Fund transferred all of its open positions of commodity futures contracts from the Predecessor Commodity Broker to the Commodity Broker, $40,995,900 of United States Treasury Obligations from the Custodian to the Commodity Broker to satisfy maintenance margin requirements and $9,971,010 of cash from the Custodian to the Commodity Broker to satisfy variation margin requirements for open commodity futures contracts. Effective February 26, 2015, the Managing Owner began transferring cash daily from the Custodian to the Commodity Broker to satisfy the previous day’s variation margin on open futures contracts.

The Distributor

Effective June 20, 2016, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) became distributor and began providing certain distribution services to the Fund. Pursuant to the Distribution Services Agreement among the Managing Owner, the Fund and the Distributor, the Distributor assists the Managing Owner and the Administrator with certain functions and duties relating to distribution and marketing services to the Fund including reviewing and approving marketing materials. Prior to June 20, 2016, ALPS Distributors, Inc. provided distribution services to the Fund.

The Managing Owner pays the Distributor a distribution fee out of the Management Fee.

Index Sponsor

Effective as of the Closing Date, the Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, has appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to serve as the index sponsor (the “Index Sponsor”). Prior to the Closing Date, the index sponsor was Deutsche Bank AG London. The Index Sponsor calculates and publishes the daily index levels and the indicative intraday index levels. Additionally, the Index Sponsor also calculates the indicative value per Share of the Fund throughout each business day.

The Managing Owner pays the Index Sponsor a licensing fee and an index services fee out of the Management Fee for performing its duties.

Marketing Agent

Effective as of the Closing Date, the Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, has appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as the marketing agent (the “Marketing Agent”) to assist the Managing Owner by providing support to educate institutional investors about the DBIQ indices and to complete governmental or institutional due diligence questionnaires or requests for proposals related to the DBIQ indices.

The Managing Owner pays the Marketing Agent a marketing services fee out of the Management Fee.

The Marketing Agent will not open or maintain customer accounts or handle orders for the Fund. The Marketing Agent has no responsibility for the performance of the Fund or the decisions made or actions taken by the Managing Owner.

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(5) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Basis of Presentation

The financial statements of the Fund have been prepared using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”).  

The Fund has determined that it meets the definition of an investment company and has prepared the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP for investment companies in conformity with accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 — Investment Companies.

(b) Use of Estimates

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period of the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

(c) Financial Instruments and Fair Value

Investment transactions are recorded in the Statements of Financial Condition on a trade date basis at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings in each period. U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price 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, under current market conditions.

U.S. GAAP establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation methods, giving the highest priority to readily available unadjusted quoted prices in an active market for identical assets (Level 1) and the lowest priority to significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), generally when market prices are not readily available or are unreliable. Based on the valuation inputs, the securities or other investments are tiered into one of three levels. Changes in valuation methods or market conditions may result in transfers in or out of an investment’s assigned level:

United States Treasury Obligations are fair valued using an evaluated quote provided by an independent pricing service. Evaluated quotes provided by the pricing service may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices, and may reflect appropriate factors such as developments related to specific securities, yield, quality, type of issue, coupon rate, maturity, individual trading characteristics and other market data. All debt obligations involve some risk of default with respect to interest and/or principal payments.

Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded.

Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that do not trade on an exchange are valued at the end of day NAV per share. Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that trade on an exchange are valued at the last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded.

When market closing prices are not available, the Managing Owner may value an asset of the Fund pursuant to policies the Managing Owner has adopted, which are consistent with normal industry standards.

The levels assigned to the securities valuations may not be an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with investing in those securities. Because of the inherent uncertainties of valuation, the values reflected in the financial statements may materially differ from the value received upon actual sale of those investments.

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The following is a summary of the tiered valuation input levels as of September 30, 2016:

 

 

The following is a summary of the tiered valuation input levels as of December 31, 2015:

 

 

 

(d) Deposits with Commodity Broker and Custodian

The Fund deposits cash and United States Treasury Obligations with its Commodity Broker subject to CFTC regulations and various exchange and broker requirements. The combination of the Fund’s deposits with its Commodity Broker of cash and United States Treasury Obligations and the unrealized profit or loss on open futures contracts represents the Fund’s overall equity in its broker trading account. To meet the Fund’s maintenance margin requirements, the Fund holds United States Treasury Obligations. The Fund transfers cash to the Commodity Broker to satisfy variation margin requirements. The Fund earns interest on any excess cash deposited with the Commodity Broker and incurs interest expense on any deficit balance with the Commodity Broker. 

The Fund’s remaining cash, United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual fund holdings are on deposit with its Custodian.

The Fund defines cash and cash equivalents to be cash and other highly liquid investments, with original maturities of three months or less when purchased.

(e) Investment Transactions and Investment Income

Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis.  Realized gains (losses) from the sale or disposition of securities or derivatives are determined on a specific identification basis and recognized in the Statements of Income and Expenses in the period in which the contract is closed or the sale or disposition occurs, respectively.

Interest income on United States Treasury Obligations is recognized on an accrual basis when earned. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the United States Treasury Obligations. Dividend income (net of withholding tax, if any) is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

(f) Receivable/(Payable) for Shares Issued and Redeemed

On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order to create or redeem Shares of the Fund. Cash settlement occurs at the creation order settlement date or the redemption order settlement date as discussed in Note 7.

(g) Cash Held by Commodity Broker

The Fund’s arrangement with the Commodity Broker requires the Fund to meet its variation margin requirement related to the price movements on futures contracts held by the Fund by maintaining cash on deposit with the Commodity Broker. The Fund assesses its variation margin requirements on a daily basis by recalculating the change in value of the futures contracts based on price movements. Subsequent cash payments are made or received by the Fund each business day depending upon whether unrealized gains or losses are incurred on the futures contracts. Effective February 24, 2015, only the current day’s variation margin receivable or payable is disclosed as an asset or liability on the Statements of Financial Condition.

 

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(h) Income Taxes

The Fund is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Fund will generally not incur U.S. federal income taxes. No provision for federal, state, and local income taxes has been made in the accompanying financial statements, as investors are individually liable for income taxes, if any, on their allocable share of the Fund’s income, gain, loss, deductions and other items.

The Managing Owner has reviewed all of the Fund’s open tax years and major jurisdictions and concluded that there is no tax liability resulting from unrecognized tax benefits relating to uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in future tax returns. 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. On an ongoing basis, the Managing Owner will monitor the Fund’s tax positions taken under the interpretation (and consult with its tax counsel from time to time when appropriate) to determine if adjustments to conclusions are necessary based on factors including, but not limited to, on-going analysis of tax law, regulation, and interpretations thereof. The major tax jurisdiction for the Fund and the earliest tax year subject to examination: United States, 2012.

(i) Commodity Futures Contracts

The Fund utilizes derivative instruments to achieve its investment objective.  A futures contract is an agreement between counterparties to purchase or sell a specified underlying security or index for a specified price at a future date.  All of the Fund’s commodity futures contracts are held and used for trading purposes.  During the period the futures contracts are open, changes in the value of the contracts are recognized as unrealized gains or losses by recalculating the value of the contracts on a daily basis. Subsequent or variation margin payments are received or made depending upon whether unrealized gains or losses are incurred. These amounts are reflected as a receivable or payable on the Statements of Financial Condition.  When the contracts are closed or expire, the Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the proceeds from, or cost of, the closing transaction and the Fund’s basis in the contract.  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 Income and Expenses in the period in which the contract is closed or the changes occur, respectively.

The Fair Value of Derivative Instruments is as follows:

 

 

The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statements of Income and Expenses is as follows:

 

 

 

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The table below summarizes the average monthly notional value of commodity futures contracts outstanding during the period:

 

 

The brokerage agreement with the Commodity Broker provides for the net settlement of all financial instruments covered by the agreement in the event of default or termination of any one contract. The Managing Owner will utilize any excess cash held at the Commodity Broker to offset any realized losses incurred in the commodity futures contracts, if available. To the extent that any excess cash held at the Commodity Broker is not adequate to cover any realized losses, a portion of the United States Treasury Obligations on deposit with the Commodity Broker will be sold to make additional cash available. For financial reporting purposes, the Fund offsets financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements. In order for an arrangement to be eligible for netting, the Fund must have a basis to conclude that such netting arrangements are legally enforceable. The following table presents derivative instruments that are either subject to an enforceable netting agreement or offset by collateral arrangements as of September 30, 2016, net by contract:

 

 

The following table presents derivative instruments that are either subject to an enforceable netting agreement or offset by collateral arrangements as of December 31, 2015, net by contract:

 

 

(j) Brokerage Commissions and Fees

The Fund incurs all brokerage commissions, including applicable exchange fees, National Futures Association (“NFA”) fees, give-up fees, pit brokerage fees and other transaction related fees and expenses charged in connection with trading activities by the Commodity Broker. These costs are recorded as Brokerage Commissions and Fees in the Statements of Income and Expenses. The Commodity Broker’s brokerage commissions and trading fees are determined on a contract-by-contract basis. On average, total charges paid to the Commodity Broker and the Predecessor Commodity Broker, as applicable were less than $6.00 and $6.00 per round-turn trade during the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

(k) Routine Operational, Administrative and Other Ordinary Expenses

After the Closing Date, the Managing Owner assumed all routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses of the Fund, including, but not limited to, computer services, the fees and expenses of the Trustee, legal and accounting fees and expenses, tax preparation expenses, filing fees and printing, mailing and duplication costs. Prior to the Closing Date, the Predecessor Managing Owner assumed all routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses of the Fund. Accordingly, such expenses are not reflected in the Statements of Income and Expenses of the Fund.

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(l) Non-Recurring Fees and Expenses

The Fund pays all non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses (referred to as extraordinary fees and expenses in the Trust Agreement), if any, of itself, as determined by the Managing Owner. Non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses are fees and expenses which are non-recurring and unusual in nature, such as legal claims and liabilities, litigation costs or indemnification or other unanticipated expenses. Such non-recurring and unusual fees and expenses, by their nature, are unpredictable in terms of timing and amount. For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, the Fund did not incur such expenses.

 

 

(6) Financial Instrument Risk

In the normal course of its business, the Fund is a 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 balance sheet, may result in a future obligation or loss in excess of the amounts shown on the Statements of Financial Condition. The financial instruments used by the Fund are commodity futures contracts, 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. The financial instruments 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 these commodity futures contracts, there exists a market risk that such commodity futures contracts may be significantly influenced by adverse market conditions, resulting in such commodity futures contracts being less valuable. If the markets should move against all of the commodity futures contracts at the same time, the Fund could experience substantial losses.

Credit risk is the possibility that a loss may occur due to the failure of the Commodity Broker and/or clearinghouse to perform according to the terms of a commodity futures contract. 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 Commodity Broker, when acting as the Fund’s futures commission merchant in accepting orders for the purchase or sale of domestic futures contracts, is required by CFTC regulations to separately account for and segregate as belonging to the Fund all assets of the Fund relating to domestic futures trading and the Commodity Broker is not allowed to commingle such assets with other assets of the Commodity Broker. In addition, CFTC regulations also require the Commodity Broker to hold in a secure account assets of the Fund related to foreign futures trading. 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 commodity futures contract or notional amounts of the instruments.

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 noted above.

 

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(7) Share Purchases and Redemptions

(a) Purchases

On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Administrator who serves as the Fund’s transfer agent (“Transfer Agent”) to create one or more Baskets. For purposes of processing both creation and redemption orders, a “business day” means any day other than a day when banks in New York City are required or permitted to be closed. Creation orders must be placed by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. The day on which the Transfer Agent receives a valid creation order is the creation order date. The day on which a creation order is settled is the creation order settlement date. As provided below, the creation order settlement date may occur up to three business days after the creation order date. By placing a creation order, and prior to delivery of such Baskets, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the creation order.

Unless otherwise agreed to by the Managing Owner and the Authorized Participant as provided in the next sentence, Baskets are issued on the creation order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the creation order date at the applicable net asset value per Share as of the closing time of the NYSE Arca or the last to close of the exchanges on which its commodity futures contracts are traded, whichever is later, on the creation order date, but only if the required payment has been timely received. Upon submission of a creation order, the Authorized Participant may request the Managing Owner to agree to a creation order settlement date up to three business days after the creation order date.

Creation orders may be placed either (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement (“CNS”) clearing processes of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”) (the “CNS Clearing Process”) or (ii) if outside the CNS Clearing Process, only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC” or the “Depository”) (the “DTC Process”), or a successor depository.

(b) Redemptions

On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer Agent to redeem one or more Baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. The day on which the Managing Owner receives a valid redemption order is the redemption order date. The day on which a redemption order is settled is the redemption order settlement date. As provided below, the redemption order settlement date may occur up to three business days after the redemption order date. The redemption procedures allow Authorized Participants to redeem Baskets. Individual Shareholders may not redeem directly from the Fund. Instead, individual Shareholders may only redeem Shares in integral multiples of 200,000 and only through an Authorized Participant.

Unless otherwise agreed to by the Managing Owner and the Authorized Participant as provided in the next sentence, by placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund not later than the redemption order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the redemption order date. Upon submission of a redemption order, the Authorized Participant may request the Managing Owner to agree to a redemption order settlement date up to three business days after the redemption order date. By placing a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order.

Redemption orders may be placed either (i) through the CNS Clearing Process or (ii) if outside the CNS Clearing Process, only through the DTC Process, or a successor depository, and only in exchange for cash.

The redemption proceeds from the Fund consist of the cash redemption amount. The cash redemption amount is equal to the net asset value of the number of Basket(s) of the Fund requested in the Authorized Participant’s redemption order as of the closing time of the NYSE Arca or the last to close of the exchanges on which the Fund’s commodity futures contracts are traded, whichever is later, on the redemption order date. The Managing Owner will distribute the cash redemption amount at the redemption order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the redemption order settlement date through DTC to the account of the Authorized Participant as recorded on DTC’s book-entry system.

The redemption proceeds due from the Fund are delivered to the Authorized Participant at 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the redemption order settlement date if, by such time, the Fund’s DTC account has been credited with the Baskets to be redeemed. If the Fund’s DTC account has not been credited with all of the Baskets to be redeemed by such time, the redemption distribution is delivered to the extent of whole Baskets received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution is delivered on the next business day to the extent of remaining whole Baskets received if the Transfer Agent receives the fee applicable to the extension of the redemption distribution date which the Managing Owner may, from time-to-time, determine and the remaining Baskets to be redeemed are credited to the Fund’s DTC account by 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on such next business day. Any further outstanding amount of the redemption order will be cancelled. The Managing Owner is also authorized to deliver the redemption distribution notwithstanding that the Baskets to be redeemed are not credited to the Fund’s DTC account by 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the redemption order

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settlement date if the Authorized Participant has collateralized its obligation to deliver the Baskets through DTC’s book-entry system on such terms as the Managing Owner may determine from time-to-time.

 

 

(8) Profit and Loss Allocations and Distributions

Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, income and expenses are allocated pro rata to the Managing Owner as holder of the General Shares and to the Shareholders monthly based on their respective percentage interests as of the close of the last trading day of the preceding month. Distributions (other than redemption of units) may be made at the sole discretion of the Managing Owner on a pro rata basis in accordance with the respective capital balances of the shareholders.

No distributions were paid for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.

 

 

(9) Commitments and Contingencies

The Managing Owner, either in its own capacity or in its capacity as the Managing Owner and on behalf of the Fund, has entered into various service agreements that contain a variety of representations, or provide indemnification provisions related to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interests of the Fund. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, no claims had been received by the Fund. Further, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Accordingly, the Managing Owner expects the risk of loss to be remote.

 

 

(10) Net Asset Value and Financial Highlights

The Fund is presenting the following net asset value and financial highlights related to investment performance for a Share outstanding for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015.  An individual investor’s return and ratios may vary based on the timing of capital transactions.

Net asset value per Share is the net asset value of the Fund divided by the number of outstanding Shares at the date of each respective period presented.

 

 

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This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report (the “Report”). The discussion and analysis which follows may contain trend analysis and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”), which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial results. The matters discussed throughout this Report that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the registrant’s current expectations, estimates and projections about the registrant’s business and industry and its beliefs and assumptions about future events. Words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate,” as well as similar words and phrases, signify forward-looking statements. PowerShares DB Gold Fund’s (the “Fund”) forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions and important factors, risks and uncertainties may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the Federal securities laws, Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC (“Invesco”), undertakes 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.

Overview/Introduction

PowerShares DB Gold Fund (the ”Fund”) seeks to track the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Excess Return™ (the “DBIQ-OY GC ER™”, or the “Index”) over time plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds (affiliated or otherwise) over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund invests in futures contracts in an attempt to track the Index.  The Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds for margin and/or cash management purposes.

The Index is intended to reflect the change in market value of the gold sector. The Shares are designed for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in commodity futures contracts on U.S. and, if applicable, non-U.S. markets.

The Fund pursues its investment objective by investing in a portfolio of exchange-traded commodity futures contracts that expire in a specific month and trade on a specific exchange (the “Index Contracts”) in the single commodity comprising the Index (the “Index Commodity”). The single Index Commodity is gold. The Index is composed of notional amounts of the Index Commodity. The Fund also holds United States Treasury Obligations and cash on deposit with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the Fund’s commodity broker (the “Commodity Broker”) as margin and United States Treasury Obligations, money market mutual funds and cash on deposit with The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”) for cash management purposes. The aggregate notional value of the commodity futures contracts owned by the Fund is expected to approximate the aggregate net asset value of the Fund, as opposed to the aggregate Index value.

As of the date of this Report, each of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., Virtu Financial Capital Markets LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Virtu Financial BD LLC, Knight Capital Americas LLC, Timber Hill LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC, Nomura Securities International Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, UBS Securities LLC, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Goldman, Sachs & Co., Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing, L.P. and Citadel Securities LLC has executed a Participant Agreement and are the only Authorized Participants.

On February 23, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), Invesco completed the purchase of the assets of DB Commodity Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“DBCS”), including all of its interests in the Fund and the sole and exclusive power to direct the business and affairs of the Trust and the Fund, as well as certain other assets of DBCS pertaining to the management of the Trust and the Fund, pursuant to the terms and conditions of a certain asset purchase agreement (the “Transaction”). Invesco now serves as the managing owner (the “Managing Owner”), commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor of the Trust and the Fund, in replacement of DBCS (the “Predecessor Managing Owner”).

Effective as of the Closing Date, the Managing Owner, on behalf of the Fund, appointed Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to serve as the index sponsor (the “Index Sponsor”). Prior to the Closing Date, the index sponsor was Deutsche Bank AG London. The Index Sponsor calculates and publishes the daily index levels and the indicative intraday index levels. Additionally, the Index Sponsor also calculates the indicative value per Share of the Fund throughout each business day. The Index Sponsor may subcontract its services from time-to-time to one or more third parties.

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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and/or commodity exchanges, as applicable, impose position limits on market participants trading in the commodity included in the Index. As disclosed in the Fund’s Prospectus, if the Managing Owner determines in its commercially reasonable judgment that it has become impracticable or inefficient for any reason for the Fund to gain full or partial exposure to the Index Commodity by investing in the Index Contract, the Fund may invest in (i) a futures contract referencing the Index Commodity other than the Index Contract or, in the alternative, invest in (ii) other futures contracts not based on the Index Commodity ((i) and (ii) collectively, the “Alternative Futures Contracts”) if, in the commercially reasonable judgment of the Managing Owner, such Alternative Futures Contracts tend to exhibit trading prices that correlate with the Index Commodity. Please see http://www.invescopowershares.com with respect to the most recently available weighted composition of the Fund and the composition of the Index on the Base Date (as defined below).

Under the Fifth Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Trust Agreement of the Fund, as amended (the “Trust Agreement”), Wilmington Trust Company, the trustee of the Trust and the Fund (the “Trustee”), has delegated to the Managing Owner the exclusive management and control of all aspects of the business of the Trust and the Fund. The Trustee will have no duty or liability to supervise or monitor the performance of the Managing Owner, nor will the Trustee have any liability for the acts or omissions of the Managing Owner.

The Shares are intended to provide investment results that generally correspond to the changes, positive or negative, in the levels of the Index over time. The value of the Shares is expected to fluctuate in relation to changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio. The market price of the Shares may not be identical to the net asset value per Share, but these two valuations are expected to be very close.

Index Description

The Managing Owner pays the Index Sponsor a licensing fee and an index services fee for performing its duties. These fees constitute a portion of the routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses which are paid out of the Management Fee and are not charged to or reimbursed by the Fund.

Neither the Managing Owner nor any affiliate of the Managing Owner has any rights to influence the selection of the futures contracts underlying the Index. Neither the Managing Owner, nor, after the Closing Date, the Fund is affiliated with the Index Sponsor. The Managing Owner has entered into a license agreement with the Index Sponsor to use the Index.

The Fund is not sponsored or endorsed by Deutsche Bank AG, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. or any subsidiary or affiliate of Deutsche Bank AG or Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (collectively, “Deutsche Bank”). The DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Excess Return™ (the “Index”) is the exclusive property of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. “DBIQ” is a service mark of Deutsche Bank AG and has been licensed for use for certain purposes by Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, concerning the Index, the Fund or the advisability of investing in securities generally. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index has any obligation to take the needs of the Managing Owner, or its clients into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Index. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, related to, making or compiling the Index is responsible for or has participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, quantities or valuation of the Fund. Neither Deutsche Bank nor any other party involved in, or related to, making or compiling the Index has any obligation or liability in connection with the administration or trading of the Fund.

NEITHER DEUTSCHE BANK NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX, WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. NEITHER DEUTSCHE BANK NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX, MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY INVESCO POWERSHARES CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC FROM THE USE OF THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER DEUTSCHE BANK NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX, MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL DEUTSCHE BANK OR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING THE INDEX HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OR LOSSES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED TO THE CONTRARY, THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN DEUTSCHE BANK AND INVESCO POWERSHARES CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC.

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No purchaser, seller or holder of the Shares of this Fund, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any Deutsche Bank trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote this Fund without first contacting Deutsche Bank to determine whether Deutsche Bank’s permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with Deutsche Bank without the written permission of Deutsche Bank.

The Index is composed of one underlying Index Commodity.  The notional amount of the Index Commodity included in the Index is intended to reflect the changes in market value of the Index Commodity within the Index.  The closing level of the Index is calculated on each business day by the Index Sponsor based on the closing price of the futures contracts for the underlying Index Commodity and the notional amount of such Index Commodity.

The composition of the Index may be adjusted in the event that the Index Sponsor is not able to calculate the closing price of the Index Commodity.

The Index includes provisions for the replacement of commodity futures contracts as they approach maturity. This replacement takes place over a period of time in order to lessen the impact on the market for the commodity futures contracts being replaced. With respect to the Index Commodity, the Fund employs a rule-based approach when it “rolls” from one commodity futures contract to another. The Index replaces the underlying commodity futures contracts on an “optimum yield” basis.

Rather than select a new futures contract based on a predetermined schedule (e.g., monthly), the Index Commodity rolls to the futures contract which generates the best possible “implied roll yield.” The commodity futures contract with a delivery month within the next thirteen months which generates the best possible implied roll yield will be included in the Index. As a result, the Commodity, and in turn, the Fund, is able to potentially maximize the roll benefits in backwardated markets and minimize the losses from rolling in contangoed markets for the Index Commodity.

In general, as a commodity futures contract approaches its expiration date, its price will move towards the spot price in a contangoed market. Assuming the spot price does not change, this would result in the futures contract price decreasing and a negative implied roll yield. The opposite is true in a backwardated market. Rolling in a contangoed market will tend to cause a drag on the Index Commodity’s contribution to the Fund’s return while rolling in a backwardated market will tend to cause a push on the Index Commodity’s contribution to the Fund’s return.

The DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index™ is calculated in USD on both an excess return (unfunded) and total return (funded) basis.

The futures contract price for the Index Commodity will be the exchange closing price for the Index Commodity on each weekday when the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is open for business (the “Index Business Days”). If a weekday is not an Exchange Business Day (as defined in the following sentence) but is an Index Business Day, the exchange closing price from the previous Index Business Day will be used for the Index Commodity. “Exchange Business Day” means, in respect of the Index Commodity, a day that is a trading day for the Index Commodity on the relevant exchange (unless either an Index disruption event or force majeure event has occurred).

On the first Index Business Day of each month (the “Verification Date”), the Index Commodity futures contract will be tested in order to determine whether to continue including it in the Index. If the Index Commodity futures contract requires delivery of the underlying commodity in the next month, known as the Delivery Month, a new Index Commodity futures contract will be selected for inclusion in the Index. For example, if the first Index Business Day is May 1of the current year, and the Delivery Month of the Index Commodity futures contract currently in such Index is June of the current year, a new Index Commodity futures contract with a later Delivery Month will be selected.

For the underlying Index Commodity of the Index, the new Index Commodity futures contract selected will be the Index Commodity futures contract with the best possible “implied roll yield” based on the closing price for each eligible Index Commodity futures contract. Eligible Index Commodity futures contracts are any Index Commodity futures contracts having a Delivery Month (i) no sooner than the month after the Delivery Month of the Index Commodity futures contract currently in the Index, and (ii) no later than the 13th month after the Verification Date. For example, if the first Index Business Day is May 1 of the current year and the Delivery Month of an Index Commodity futures contract currently in the Index is June of the current year, the Delivery Month of an eligible new Index Commodity futures contract must be between July of the current year and June of the following year. The implied roll yield is then calculated and the futures contract on the Index Commodity with the best possible implied roll yield is then selected. If two futures contracts have the same implied roll yield, the futures contract with the minimum number of months prior to the Delivery Month is selected.

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After the selection of the replacement futures contract, the monthly roll for the Index Commodity subject to a roll in that particular month unwinds the old futures contract and enters a position in the new futures contract. This takes place between the 2nd and 6th Index Business Day of the month.

On each day during the roll period, new notional holdings are calculated. The calculations for the futures contracts on the old Index Commodity that are leaving the Index and the futures contracts on the new Index Commodity are then calculated.

On all days that are not monthly index roll days, the notional holdings of the Index Commodity future remains constant.

Margin Calls

Like other futures and derivatives traders, the Fund may be subject to margin calls from time-to-time. The term “margin” has a different meaning in the context of commodity futures contracts and other derivatives than it does in the context of securities. In particular, “margin” on a futures position does not constitute a borrowing of money or the collateralization of a loan. The Fund does not borrow money.

To establish a position in an exchange-traded commodity futures contract, the Fund makes a deposit of “initial margin.” The amount of initial margin required to be deposited in order to establish a position in an exchange-traded futures contract varies from instrument to instrument depending, generally, on the historical volatility of the futures contract in question. Determination of the amount of the required initial margin deposit in respect of a particular contract is made by the exchange on which the contract is listed. To establish a long position in an over-the-counter instrument, the counterparty may require an analogous deposit of collateral, depending upon the anticipated volatility of the instrument and the creditworthiness of the person seeking to establish the position. The deposit of initial margin provides assurance to futures commission merchants and clearing brokers involved in the settlement process that sufficient resources are likely to be on deposit to enable a client’s position to be closed by recourse to the initial margin deposit should the client fail to meet a demand for variation margin, even if changes in the value of the contract in question, which are marked to market from day to day, continue to reflect the contract’s historical volatility. Collateral deposited in support of an over-the-counter instrument serves a similar purpose.

Once a position has been established on a futures exchange, “variation margin” generally may be credited or assessed at least daily to reflect changes in the value of the position, except in certain instances where midday variation margin calls are made. In contrast to “initial margin,” “variation margin” represents a system of marking to market the commodity futures contract’s value. Thus, traders in exchange- traded futures contracts are assessed daily in an amount equal to that day’s accumulated losses in respect of any open position (or are credited daily with accumulated gains in respect of such position). Collateral may move between the parties to an over-the-counter instrument in a similar manner as gains or losses accumulate in the instrument. As with initial margin, variation margin serves to secure the obligations of the investor under the contract and to protect those involved in the settlement process against the possibility that a client will have insufficient resources to meet its contractual obligations. Collateral deposited in support of an over-the-counter instrument serves a similar purpose. Like initial margin (or an equivalent deposit of collateral), variation margin (or an equivalent deposit of collateral) does not constitute a borrowing of money, is not considered to be part of the contract purchase price and is returned upon the contract’s termination unless it is used to cover a loss in the contract position. United States Treasury Obligations are used routinely to collateralize OTC derivative positions, and are deposited routinely as margin to collateralize futures positions. The Fund may liquidate United States Treasury Obligations to meet an initial or variation margin requirement.

Performance Summary

This Report covers the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (hereinafter referred to as the “Three Months Ended September 30, 2016” and the “Three Months Ended September 30, 2015”, respectively) and the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 (hereinafter referred to as the "Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016" and the "Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015", respectively).

The Fund commenced trading on the American Stock Exchange (now known as the NYSE Alternext US LLC (the “NYSE Alternext”)) on January 5, 2007, and, as of November 25, 2008, is listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”).

Performance of the Fund and the exchange traded Shares are detailed below in “Results of Operations”. The Fund’s performance information from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Predecessor Managing Owner. The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date, and the Fund’s performance information since the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Managing Owner. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

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The Index is intended to reflect the change in market value of the Index Commodity. In turn, the Index is intended to reflect the gold sector. The DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Total Return™ (the “DBIQ-OY GC TR™”) consists of the Index plus 3-month United States Treasury Obligations returns. Past Index results are not necessarily indicative of future changes, positive or negative, in the Index closing levels.

The section “Summary of the DBIQ-OY GC TR™ and Underlying Index Commodity Returns for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015” below provides an overview of the changes in the closing levels of the DBIQ-OY GC TR™ by disclosing the change in market value of the underlying component Index Commodity through a “surrogate” (and analogous) index plus 3 month United States Treasury Obligations returns. Please note also that the Fund’s objective is to track the Index (not the DBIQ-OY GC TR™) and the Fund does not attempt to outperform or underperform the Index. The Index employs the optimum yield roll method with the objective of mitigating the negative effects of contango, the condition in which distant delivery prices for futures exceed spot prices, and maximizing the positive effects of backwardation, a condition opposite of contango.

Summary of DBIQ-OY GC TR™ and Underlying Index Commodity

Returns for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015

 

 

If the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds were to exceed the Fund’s fees and expenses, the aggregate return on an investment in the Fund is expected to outperform the Index and underperform the DBIQ-OY GC TR™. The only difference between (i) the Index and (ii) the DBIQ-OY GC TR™ is that the Index does not include interest income from a hypothetical basket of fixed income securities while the DBIQ-OY GC TR™ does include such a component. Thus, the difference between the Index and the DBIQ-OY GC TR™ is attributable entirely to the hypothetical interest income from this hypothetical basket of fixed income securities. If the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds exceeds the Fund’s fees and expenses, then the amount of such excess is expected to be distributed periodically. The market price of the Shares is expected to closely track the Index. The aggregate return on an investment in the Fund over any period is the sum of the capital appreciation or depreciation of the Shares over the period plus the amount of any distributions during the period. Consequently, the Fund’s aggregate return is expected to outperform the Index by the amount of the excess, if any, of its interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings of money market mutual funds over its fees and expenses but, as a result of the Fund’s fees and expenses, the aggregate return on the Fund is expected to underperform the DBIQ-OY GC TR™. If the Fund’s fees and expenses were to exceed the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds, the aggregate return on an investment in the Fund is expected to underperform the Index.

Net Asset Value

Net asset value means the total assets of the Fund, including, but not limited to, all commodity futures contracts, cash
and investments less total liabilities of the Fund, each determined on the basis of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles
(“U.S. GAAP”), consistently applied under the accrual method of accounting. In particular, net asset value includes any unrealized appreciation or depreciation on open commodity futures contracts, and any other credit or debit accruing to the Fund but unpaid or not received by the Fund. All open commodity futures contracts will be calculated at their then current market value, which will be based upon the settlement price for that particular commodity futures contract traded on the applicable primary exchange on the date with respect to which net asset value is being determined. Under certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, instances where the settlement price is not available, the Managing Owner may value any asset of the Fund pursuant to such other principles as the Managing Owner deems fair and equitable so long as such principles are consistent with normal industry standards. Interest earned on the Fund’s brokerage account is accrued monthly. The amount of any distribution is a liability of the Fund from the day when the distribution is declared until it is paid.

Net asset value per Share is the net asset value of the Fund divided by the number of outstanding Shares.

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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 U.S. GAAP requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well as the use of estimates, and requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expense and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period of the financial statements and accompanying notes. The Fund’s application of these policies involves judgments and actual results may differ from the estimates used. There were no significant estimates used in the preparation of these financial statements.

Commodity futures contracts, United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds are recorded on a trade date basis and at fair value in the financial statements, with changes in fair value, if any, reported in the Statements of Income and Expenses.

The use of fair value to measure financial instruments, with related unrealized gains or losses 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
(the exit price).

United States Treasury Obligations are fair valued using an evaluated quote provided by an independent pricing service. Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. (Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that do not trade on an exchange are valued at the end of day NAV per share. Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that trade on an exchange are valued at the last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded.) Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification for fair value measurement and disclosure guidance requires a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price 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 (an exit price). The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. See Note 5(c) within the financial statements in Item 1 for further information.

When market closing prices are not available, the Managing Owner may value an asset of the Fund pursuant to policies the Managing Owner has adopted, which are consistent with normal industry standards.

Realized gains (losses) from the sale or disposition of securities or derivatives are determined on a specific identification basis and recognized in the Statements of Income and Expenses in the period in which the contract is closed or the sale or disposition occurs, respectively.

Interest income on United States Treasury Obligations is recognized on an accrual basis when earned. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the United States Treasury Obligations. Dividend income (net of withholding tax, if any) is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

Market Risk

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

The Fund’s exposure to market risk is also influenced by a number of factors including the volatility of interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, the liquidity of the markets in which the contracts are traded and the relationships among the contracts held. The inherent uncertainty of the Fund’s trading as well as the development of drastic market occurrences could ultimately lead to a loss of all or substantially all of the investors’ capital.

Credit Risk

When the Fund enters into commodity futures contracts, the Fund is exposed to credit risk that the counterparty to the contract will not meet its obligations. The counterparty for commodity futures contracts traded on United States and on most foreign futures exchanges is the clearing house associated with the particular exchange. In general, clearing houses are backed by their corporate members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the nonperformance by one of their members and, as

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such, should significantly reduce this credit risk. In cases where the clearing house is not backed by the clearing members (i.e., 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 clearinghouse will meet its obligations to the Fund.

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 CFTC regulations to separately account for and segregate as belonging to the Fund all assets of the Fund relating to domestic futures trading and the Commodity Broker is not allowed to commingle such assets with other assets of the Commodity Broker. In addition, CFTC regulations also require the Commodity Broker to hold in a secure account assets of the Fund related to foreign futures trading.

Liquidity

The Fund’s entire source of capital is derived from the Fund’s offering of Shares to Authorized Participants. The Fund in turn allocates its net assets to commodities trading. A significant portion of the net asset value is held in United States Treasury Obligations which may be used as margin for the Fund’s trading in commodity futures contracts and United States Treasury Obligations, money market mutual funds and cash, which may be used for cash management purposes. The percentage that United States Treasury Obligations bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period as the market values of the Fund’s commodity interests change. A portion of the Fund’s United States Treasury Obligations are held for deposit with the Commodity Broker to meet margin requirements. All remaining cash, money market mutual funds and United States Treasury Obligations are on deposit with the Custodian. Interest earned on the Fund’s interest-bearing funds and dividends from the Fund’s holdings of money market mutual funds are paid to the Fund.

The Fund’s commodity futures contracts may be subject to periods of illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations or for other reasons. For example, commodity exchanges generally have the ability to 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 particular commodity futures contract has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the commodity 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 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.

Because the Fund trades commodity futures contracts, its capital is at risk due to changes in the value of commodity futures contracts (market risk) or the inability of counterparties (including the Commodity Broker and/or exchange clearinghouses) to perform under the terms of the contracts (credit risk).

On any business day, an Authorized Participant may place an order with the Transfer Agent to redeem one or more Baskets. Redemption orders must be placed by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. The day on which the Managing Owner receives a valid redemption order is the redemption order date. The day on which a redemption order is settled is the redemption order settlement date. As provided below, the redemption order settlement date may occur up to three business days after the redemption order date. Redemption orders are irrevocable. The redemption procedures allow Authorized Participants to redeem Baskets. Individual Shareholders may not redeem directly from the Fund. Instead, individual Shareholders may only redeem Shares in integral multiples of 200,000 and only through an Authorized Participant.

Unless otherwise agreed to by the Managing Owner and the Authorized Participant as provided in the next sentence, by placing a redemption order, an Authorized Participant agrees to deliver the Baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry system to the Fund not later than the redemption order settlement date as of 2:45 p.m., Eastern Time, on the business day immediately following the redemption order date. Upon submission of a redemption order, the Authorized Participant may request the Managing Owner to agree to a redemption order settlement date up to three business days after the redemption order date. By placing a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order.

Redemption orders may be placed either (i) through the Continuous Net Settlement (“CNS”) clearing processes of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the “NSCC”) (the “CNS Clearing Process”) or (ii) if outside the CNS Clearing Process, only through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC” or the “Depository”) (the “DTC Process”), or a successor depository, and only in exchange for cash. By placing a redemption order, and prior to receipt of the redemption proceeds, an Authorized Participant’s DTC account is charged the non-refundable transaction fee due for the redemption order and such fee is not borne by the Fund.

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Cash Flows

The primary cash flow activity of the Fund is to raise capital from Authorized Participants through the issuance of Shares. This cash is used to invest in United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds and to meet margin requirements as a result of the positions taken in commodity futures contracts to match the fluctuations of the Index the Fund is tracking.

Operating Activities

Net cash flow provided by (used for) operating activities was $(43.9) million and $(21.9) million for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. These amounts primarily include net income (loss) and net purchases and sales of United States Treasury Obligations which are held at fair value on the Statements of Financial Condition. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund invests in futures contracts in an attempt to track its Index. The Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds for margin and/or cash management purposes.

During the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016, $672.0 million was paid to purchase United States Treasury Obligations and $594.0 million was received from sales and maturing United States Treasury Obligations. During the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015, $480.7 million was paid to purchase United States Treasury Obligations and $478.7 million was received from sales and maturing United States Treasury Obligations. The net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on United States Treasury Obligations and commodity futures contracts increased (decreased) net cash flow provided by (used for) operating activities by $0.0 million and $0.3 million during the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Financing Activities

The Fund’s net cash flow provided by (used for) financing activities was $49.3 million and $33.0 million during the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. This included $123.2 million and $104.3 million from the purchase of Shares by Authorized Participants and $73.9 million and $71.3 million from Shares redeemed by Authorized Participants during the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Results of Operations

FOR THE THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 AND 2015

The Fund was launched on January 3, 2007 at $25.00 per Share. The Shares traded on the NYSE Alternext from January 5, 2007 to November 25, 2008 and have been trading on the NYSE Arca since November 25, 2008. The Fund’s performance information from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Predecessor Managing Owner.  The Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund since the Closing Date, and the Fund’s performance information since the Closing Date is a reflection of the performance associated with the Managing Owner. Past performance of the Fund is not necessarily indicative of future performance.

The Fund seeks to track changes in the closing levels of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Excess Return™ (the “DBIQ-OY GC ER™”, or the “Index”) over time, plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds over the expenses of the Fund. For the avoidance of doubt, the Fund invests in futures contracts in an attempt to track its Index. The Fund may hold United States Treasury Obligations and money market mutual funds for margin and/or cash management purposes.

The following graphs illustrate changes in (i) the price of the Shares (as reflected by the line “Market”), (ii) the Fund’s NAV (as reflected by the line “NAV”), and (iii) the closing levels of the Index (as reflected by the line “DBIQ Opt Yield Gold Index ER”). Whenever the interest income and dividend earned by the Fund exceeds Fund expenses, the price of the Shares generally has exceeded the levels of the Index primarily because the Share price reflects interest income and dividend from the Fund’s collateral holdings whereas the Index does not consider such income. There can be no assurances that the price of the Shares will exceed the Index levels.

The Index is a set of rules applied to a body of data and does not represent the results of actual investment or trading. The Index is frictionless, in that it does not take into account fees or expenses associated with investing in the Fund. Also, because it does not represent actual futures positions, the Index is not subject to, and does not take into account the impact of, speculative position limits or certain other similar limitations on the ability of the Fund to trade the Index Commodity. The “TR” version of the Index includes an assumed amount of interest income based on prevailing rates that is adjusted from time to time. The Fund, by contrast, invests actual money and trades actual commodity futures contracts. As a result, the performance of the Fund involves friction, in that fees and expenses impose a drag on performance. The Fund is currently subject to accountability levels and may be subject to speculative position limits (if applicable) and certain other limitations on its ability to trade the Index Commodity, which may compel the Fund to trade futures or other instruments that are not the Index Commodity as proxies for the Index Commodity. The interest rate and dividend income actually earned by the Fund over any period may differ from the assumed amount of interest income factored into the

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“TR” version of the Index over the same period. All of these factors can contribute to discrepancies between changes in net asset value per Share and changes in the level of the Index over any period of time. The dividends received by the Fund from its holdings in money market mutual funds, if any, is not taken into account when determining the performance of the Index and, therefore, it may also contribute to those discrepancies. The extent to which the Fund has invested at an aggregate notional level approximating the Index value as opposed to the Fund’s aggregate net asset value also may contribute to discrepancies. Fees and expenses always will tend to cause changes in the net asset value per Share to underperform changes in the value of the Index over any given period, all other things being equal. Actual interest income from the Fund’s holdings of United States Treasury Obligations could be higher or lower than the assumed interest income factored into the “TR” version of the Index, and together with the dividends could cause changes in the net asset value per Share to outperform or underperform changes in the value of the “TR” version of the Index over any given period, all other things being equal. Similarly, trading futures or other instruments that are not the Index Commodity as proxies for the Index Commodity could cause changes in the net asset value per Share to outperform or underperform changes in the value of the Index over any given period, all other things being equal.

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COMPARISON OF Market, NAV AND DBIQ Opt Yield Gold Index ER
FOR THE THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 AND 2015

 

NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

 

 

 

 

NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

 

 

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NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

 

 

 

NEITHER THE PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND NOR THE PRIOR INDEX LEVELS AND CHANGES, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, SHOULD BE TAKEN AS AN INDICATION OF THE FUND’S FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

 

 

See Additional Legends below.

Additional Legends

The Fund seeks to track the changes, whether positive or negative, in the level of the DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Excess Return™ (the “DBIQ-OY GC ER™”, or the “Index”) over time plus the excess, if any, of the Fund’s interest income from its holdings of United States Treasury Obligations and dividends from its holdings in money market mutual funds over the expenses of the Fund. The Index is intended to reflect the change in market value of the gold sector. The single commodity comprising the Index is gold (the

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“Index Commodity”). The Shares are designed for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in commodity futures on U.S. and non-U.S. markets.

DBIQ Optimum Yield Gold Index Excess Return™ is an index and does not reflect (i) actual trading and (ii) any fees or expenses.

WHILE THE FUND’S OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO GENERATE PROFIT THROUGH ACTIVE PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT, BUT IS TO TRACK THE INDEX, BECAUSE THE INDEX WAS ESTABLISHED IN MAY 2006 (RENAMED IN OCTOBER 2010), CERTAIN INFORMATION RELATING TO THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS MAY BE CONSIDERED TO BE “HYPOTHETICAL.” HYPOTHETICAL INFORMATION MAY HAVE CERTAIN INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW.

WITH RESPECT TO INDEX DATA, NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT THE INDEX WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE CLOSING LEVELS CONSISTENT WITH OR SIMILAR TO THOSE SET FORTH HEREIN. SIMILARLY, NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT THE FUND WILL GENERATE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THE FUND’S PAST PERFORMANCE OR THE HISTORICAL ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE CHANGES IN THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY INVESTMENT METHODOLOGIES, WHETHER ACTIVE OR PASSIVE.

WITH RESPECT TO INDEX DATA, ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL INFORMATION IS THAT IT IS GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. TO THE EXTENT THAT INFORMATION PRESENTED HEREIN RELATES TO THE PERIOD DECEMBER 1988 THROUGH APRIL 2006, THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS REFLECT THE APPLICATION OF THE INDEX’S METHODOLOGY, AND SELECTION OF INDEX COMMODITY, IN HINDSIGHT.

NO HYPOTHETICAL RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE NUMEROUS FACTORS, INCLUDING THOSE DESCRIBED UNDER ITEM 1A.—“RISK FACTORS” SET FORTH IN THE FUND’S ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015, RELATED TO THE COMMODITIES MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FUND’S EFFORTS TO TRACK THE INDEX OVER TIME WHICH CANNOT BE, AND HAVE NOT BEEN, ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF THE INDEX INFORMATION SET FORTH ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES, ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS FOR THE FUND. FURTHERMORE, THE INDEX INFORMATION DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK OR ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FEES AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUND.

THE MANAGING OWNER AND ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS HAVE LIMITED EXPERIENCE MANAGING THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS FOR THE FUND AND HAVE ONLY MANAGED AN EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND THAT RELATES TO A BROAD-BASED COMMODITY INDEX FOR A SHORT PERIOD. BECAUSE THERE ARE LIMITED ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS OF THE MANAGING OWNER THAT ARE COMPARABLE TO THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS SET FORTH HEREIN, PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY WARY OF PLACING UNDUE RELIANCE ON THE ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE INDEX RESULTS. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, NONE OF THE PERFORMANCE RELATED INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE CLOSING DATE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE MANAGING OWNER.

THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER, AN INDIRECT WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF DEUTSCHE BANK AG, COMMENCED OPERATIONS IN JANUARY 2006. AS THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER, THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER AND ITS TRADING PRINCIPALS MANAGED THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS FOR THE FUND FROM INCEPTION UP TO AND EXCLUDING THE CLOSING DATE. BECAUSE THERE ARE LIMITED TRADING RESULTS TO COMPARE TO THE INDEX CLOSING LEVELS SET FORTH HEREIN, PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY WARY OF PLACING UNDUE RELIANCE ON THE ANNUAL OR CUMULATIVE INDEX RESULTS IN RESPECT OF ANY PERIOD. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, NONE OF THE PERFORMANCE RELATED INFORMATION THAT IS COVERED HEREIN ON AND AFTER THE CLOSING DATE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER.

THE FUND’S PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FROM INCEPTION UP TO AND EXCLUDING THE CLOSING DATE IS A REFLECTION OF THE PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREDECESSOR MANAGING OWNER. THE MANAGING OWNER HAS SERVED AS MANAGING OWNER OF THE FUND SINCE THE CLOSING DATE, AND THE FUND’S PERFORMANCE INFORMATION SINCE THE CLOSING DATE IS A REFLECTION OF THE PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANAGING OWNER. PAST PERFORMANCE OF THE FUND IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE.

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FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 COMPARED TO THE THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Fund Share Price Performance

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share decreased 1.25% from $43.19 per Share to $42.65 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016 and related change from the Share price on June 30, 2016 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $42.25 per Share (-2.18%) on August 31, 2016, and a high of $44.53 per Share (-3.09%) on July 8, 2016.

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share decreased 5.18% from $38.58 per Share to $36.58 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015 and related change from the Share price on June 30, 2015 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $35.57 per Share (-7.80)% on August 5, 2015, and a high of $38.45 per Share (-0.34)% on July 6, 2015.

Fund Share Net Asset Performance

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016, the net asset value of each Share decreased 1.16% from $43.02 per Share to $42.52 per Share. Falling prices for gold futures contracts during the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016 contributed to an overall 0.95% decrease in the level of the DBIQ-OY Diversified TR™.

Net income (loss) for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016 was $(3.6) million, primarily resulting from $0.2 million of income, net realized gain (loss) of $33.8 million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(37.1) million and operating expenses of $0.5 million.

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015, the net asset value of each Share decreased 5.18% from $38.58 per Share to $36.58 per Share. Falling prices for gold futures contracts during the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015 contributed to an overall 5.00% decrease in the level of the DBIQ-OY GC TR™.

Net income (loss) for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015 was $(7.3) million, primarily resulting from net realized gain (loss) of $(0.01) million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(7.1) million and operating expenses of $0.3 million.

FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2016 COMPARED TO THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Fund Share Price Performance

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share increased 23.02% from $34.67 per Share to $42.65 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 and related change from the Share price on December 31, 2015 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $35.15 per Share (1.38%) on January 4, 2016, and a high of $44.53 per Share (28.43%) on July 8, 2016.

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015, the NYSE Arca market value of each Share decreased 6.56% from $39.15 per Share to $36.58 per Share. The Share price low and high for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 and related change from the Share price on December 31, 2014 was as follows: Shares traded at a low of $35.57 per Share (-9.14%) on August 5, 2015,and a high of $43.28 per Share (+10.55%) on January 22, 2015.

Fund Share Net Asset Performance

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016, the net asset value of each Share increased 22.57% from $34.69 per Share to $42.52 per Share. Increasing prices for gold futures contracts during the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 resulted in an overall 23.29% increase in the level of the DBIQ-OY Diversified TR™.

 

Net income (loss) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 was $33.0 million, primarily resulting from $0.4 million of income, net realized gain (loss) of $34.6 million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(0.8) million and operating expenses of $1.2 million.

For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015, the net asset value of each Share decreased 6.61% from $39.17 per Share to $36.58 per Share. For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015, falling prices for gold futures contracts during the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 contributed to an overall 6.14% decrease in the level of the DBIQ-OY GC TR™.

Net income (loss) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015, was $(13.1) million, primarily resulting from net realized gain (loss) of $(11.9) million, net change in unrealized gain (loss) of $(0.3) million, and operating expenses of $0.9 million.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations

In the normal course of its business, the Fund is a 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 balance sheet, may result in a future obligation or loss. The financial instruments used by the Fund are commodity futures, whose values are based upon an underlying asset and generally represent future commitments which have a reasonable possibility to be settled in cash or through physical delivery. The financial instruments are traded on an exchange and are standardized contracts.

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 noted above, which may include indemnification provisions related to certain risks service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interest 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. The Managing Owner expects the risk of loss to be remote.

The Fund’s contractual obligations are with the Managing Owner and the Commodity Broker. Management Fee payments made to the Managing Owner are calculated as a fixed percentage of the Fund’s net asset value. Commission payments to the Commodity Broker are on a contract-by-contract, or round-turn, basis. As such, the Managing Owner cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements for future periods as net asset values and trading activity are not known until a future date. These agreements are effective for one-year terms, renewable automatically for additional one-year terms unless terminated. Additionally, these agreements may be terminated by either party for various reasons. For the avoidance of doubt, from inception up to and excluding the Closing Date, all Management Fees and commission payments were paid to the Predecessor Managing Owner and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (the “Predecessor Commodity Broker”), respectively. Since the Closing Date, the Managing Owner has served as managing owner of the Fund and the Commodity Broker has served as the Fund’s futures clearing broker and all Management Fee accruals and commission accruals since the Closing Date have been paid to the Managing Owner and the Commodity Broker, respectively.

INTRODUCTION

The Fund is designed to replicate positions in a commodity index. The market sensitive instruments held by it are subject to the risk of trading loss. Unlike an operating company, the risk of market sensitive instruments is integral, not incidental, to the Fund’s main line of business.

Market movements can produce frequent changes in the fair market value of the Fund’s open positions and, consequently, in its earnings and cash flow. The Fund’s market risk is primarily influenced by changes in the prices of commodities.

Value at Risk, or VaR, is a measure of the maximum amount which the Fund could reasonably be expected to lose in a given market sector. However, the inherent uncertainty in the markets in which the Fund trades and the recurrence in the markets traded by the Fund of market movements far exceeding expectations could result in actual trading or non-trading losses far beyond the indicated VaR or the Fund’s experience to date (i.e., “risk of ruin”). In light of this, as well as the risks and uncertainties intrinsic to all future projections, the inclusion of the quantification included in this section should not be considered to constitute any assurance or representation that the Fund’s losses in any market sector will be limited to VaR or by the Fund’s attempts to manage its market risk.

Standard of Materiality

Materiality as used in this section, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” is based on an assessment of reasonably possible market movements and the potential losses caused by such movements, taking into account the effects of margin and any other multiplier features, as applicable, of the Fund’s market sensitive instruments.

QUANTIFYING THE FUND’S TRADING VALUE AT RISK

Quantitative Forward-Looking Statements

The following quantitative disclosures regarding the Fund’s market risk exposures contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor from civil liability provided for such statements by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (set forth in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act). All quantitative disclosures in this section are deemed to be forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor, except for statements of historical fact (such as the dollar amount of maintenance margin required for market risk sensitive instruments held at the end of the reporting period).

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VaR is a statistical measure of the value of losses that would not be expected to be exceeded over a given time horizon and at a given probability level arising from movement of underlying risk factors. Loss is measured as a decline in the fair value of the portfolio as a result of changes in any of the material variables by which fair values are determined. VaR is measured over a specified holding period (one day) and to a specified level of statistical confidence (99th percentile). However, the inherent uncertainty in the markets in which the Fund trades and the recurrence in the markets traded by the Fund of market movements far exceeding expectations could result in actual trading or non-trading losses far beyond the indicated VaR or the Fund’s experience to date (i.e., “risk of ruin”). In light of this, as well as the risks and uncertainties intrinsic to all future projections, the inclusion of the quantification included in this section should not be considered to constitute any assurance or representation that the Fund’s losses in any market sector will be limited to VaR or by the Fund’s attempts to manage its market risk.

THE FUND’S TRADING VALUE AT RISK

The Fund calculates VaR using the actual historical market movements of the Fund’s net assets.

 

The following table indicates the trading VaR associated with the Fund’s net assets as of September 30, 2016.

 

The following table indicates the trading VaR associated with the Fund’s net assets as of December 31, 2015.

 

 

NON-TRADING RISK

The Fund has non-trading market risk as a result of investing in short-term United States Treasury Obligations. The market risk represented by these investments is expected to be immaterial.

QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES REGARDING PRIMARY TRADING RISK EXPOSURES

The following qualitative disclosures regarding the Fund’s market risk exposures—except for those disclosures that are statements of historical fact—constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. The Fund’s primary market risk exposures are subject to numerous uncertainties, contingencies and risks. Government interventions, defaults and expropriations, illiquid markets, the emergence of dominant fundamental factors, political upheavals, changes in historical price relationships, an influx of new market participants, increased regulation and many other factors could result in material losses as well as in material changes to the risk exposures of the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s current market exposure will not change materially. Investors may lose all or substantially all of their investment in the Fund.

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The primary trading risk exposure of the Fund as of September 30, 2016 relating to the Index Commodity is as follows:

Gold

The price of gold is volatile and is affected by numerous factors. Gold prices float freely in accordance with supply and demand. The price movement of gold may be influenced by a variety of factors, including announcements from central banks regarding reserve gold holdings, agreements among central banks, purchases and sales of gold by central banks, other governmental agencies that hold large supplies of gold, political uncertainties, economic concerns such as an increase or decrease in confidence in the global monetary system, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar, interest rates and numerous other factors. Gold prices may also be affected by industry factors such as industrial and jewelry demand.

QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES REGARDING NON-TRADING RISK EXPOSURE

General

The Fund is unaware of any (i) anticipated known demands, commitments or capital expenditures; (ii) material trends, favorable or unfavorable, in its capital resources; or (iii) trends or uncertainties that will have a material effect on operations.

QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES REGARDING MEANS OF MANAGING RISK EXPOSURE

Under ordinary circumstances, the Managing Owner’s discretionary power is limited to determining whether the Fund will make a distribution. Under emergency or extraordinary circumstances, the Managing Owner’s discretionary powers increase, but remain circumscribed. These special circumstances, for example, include the unavailability of the Index or certain natural or man-made disasters. The Managing Owner does not actively manage the Fund to avoid losses. The Fund initiates positions only on the “long” side of the market and does not employ “stop-loss” techniques.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of the management of the Managing Owner, including Daniel Draper, its Principal Executive Officer and President, and Steven Hill, its Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, the Fund carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report, and, based upon that evaluation, Daniel Draper, the Principal Executive Officer and President, and Steven Hill, the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, of the Managing Owner, concluded that the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information the Fund is required to disclose in the reports that it files or submits with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Fund in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management of the Managing Owner, including its Principal Executive Officer and President and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in internal control over financial reporting (as defined in the Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the Fund’s quarter ended September 30, 2016 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Not applicable.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP informed the Fund that it has identified an issue related to its independence under Rule 2-01(c)(1)(ii)(A) of Regulation S-X (referred to as the Loan Rule). The Loan Rule prohibits accounting firms, such as

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PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, from being deemed independent if they have certain financial relationships with their audit clients or certain affiliates of those clients. The Fund is required under various securities laws to have its financial statements audited by an independent accounting firm.

 

The Loan Rule specifically provides that an accounting firm would not be independent if it receives a loan from a lender that is a record or beneficial owner of more than ten percent of an audit client’s equity securities. For purposes of the Loan Rule, audit clients include the Fund as well as all registered investment companies advised by the Managing Owner and its affiliates, including other subsidiaries of the Managing Owner’s parent company, Invesco Ltd. (collectively, the Invesco Fund Complex). PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP informed the Fund it has relationships with lenders who hold, as record owner, more than ten percent of the shares of certain funds within the Invesco Fund Complex. These relationships call into question PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s independence under the Loan Rule with respect to those funds, as well as all other funds in the Invesco Fund Complex.

 

On June 20, 2016, the SEC Staff issued a “no-action” letter to another mutual fund complex (see Fidelity Management & Research Company et al., No-Action Letter) related to the audit independence issue described above. In that letter, the SEC confirmed that it would not recommend enforcement action against a fund that relied on audit services performed by an audit firm that was not in compliance with the Loan Rule in certain specified circumstances. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has communicated that the circumstances which called into question its independence under the Loan Rule with respect to the audits of the Invesco Fund Complex are consistent with the circumstances described in the no action letter.  PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP also concluded that its objectivity and impartiality was not impaired with respect to the planning for and execution of the Funds’ audits and that they have complied with PCAOB Rule 3526(b)(1) and (2), which are conditions to the Funds relying on the no action letter.  Therefore, the Managing Owner, the Fund and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP have concluded that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP can continue as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm.  The Invesco Fund Complex intends to rely upon the no-action letter.

 

If in the future the independence of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is called into question under the Loan Rule by circumstances that are not addressed in the SEC’s no-action letter, the Fund will need to take other action in order for the Fund’s filings with the SEC containing financial statements to be deemed compliant with applicable securities laws. Such additional actions could result in additional costs, impair the ability of the Fund to issue new shares or have other material adverse effects on the Fund. In addition, the SEC has indicated that the no-action relief will expire 18 months from its issuance, after which the Invesco Fund Complex will no longer be able to rely on the letter unless it’s term is extended or made permanent by the SEC Staff.

(a) There have been no unregistered sales of the Fund’s securities. No Fund securities are authorized for issuance by the Fund under equity compensation plans.

(b) Not applicable.

(c) The following table summarizes the redemptions by Authorized Participants during the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016:

 

 

None.

Not applicable.

None.

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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.

 

 

Dated: November 07, 2016

 

 

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