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| Name | Symbol | Market | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF | AMEX:FLTB | AMEX | Exchange Traded Fund |
| Price Change | % Change | Price | High Price | Low Price | Open Price | Traded | Last Trade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.005 | 0.01% | 49.285 | 49.42 | 49.25 | 49.42 | 9,040 | 21:15:00 |
Securities Act of 1933 Registration No. 333-186372
Investment Company Act of 1940 Registration No. 811-22796
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 [X]
[ ] Pre-Effective Amendment No. ______
[X] Post-Effective Amendment No. 13
and
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 [X]
[X] Amendment No. 13
Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)
Registrant’s Telephone Number: 617-563-7000
Cynthia Lo Bessette, Secretary
245 Summer Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
It is proposed that this filing will become effective on December 30, 2019 pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time.
| Fund | Ticker |
| Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF | FCOR |
| Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF | FLTB |
| Fidelity Total Bond ETF | FBND |
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
Prospectus
December 30, 2019
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of a fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the fund or from your financial intermediary, such as a financial advisor, broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from a fund electronically, by contacting your financial intermediary. For Fidelity customers, visit Fidelity's web site or call Fidelity using the contact information listed below.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports, you may contact your financial intermediary or, if you are a Fidelity customer, visit Fidelity’s website, or call Fidelity at the applicable toll-free number listed below. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with the fund complex/your financial intermediary.
| Account Type | Website | Phone Number |
| Brokerage, Mutual Fund, or Annuity Contracts: | fidelity.com/mailpreferences | 1-800-343-3548 |
| Employer Provided Retirement Accounts: | netbenefits.fidelity.com/preferences (choose 'no' under Required Disclosures to continue to print) | 1-800-343-0860 |
|
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission has not determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. |
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210 |
Contents
Fund Summary
Fund:
Investment Objective
The fund seeks a high level of current income.
Fee Table
The following table describes the fees and expenses that may be incurred when you buy and hold shares of the fund. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchase and sale of fund shares, which are not reflected in the table or example below.
Shareholder fees
| (fees paid directly from your investment) | None |
Annual Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
| Management fee | 0.36% | |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) fees | None | |
| Other expenses | 0.00% | |
| Total annual operating expenses | 0.36% |
This example helps compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
Let's say, hypothetically, that the annual return for shares of the fund is 5% and that your shareholder fees and the annual operating expenses for shares of the fund are exactly as described in the fee table. This example illustrates the effect of fees and expenses, but is not meant to suggest actual or expected fees and expenses or returns, all of which may vary. For every $10,000 you invested, here's how much you would pay in total expenses if you sell all of your shares at the end of each time period indicated:
| 1 year | $37 |
| 3 years | $116 |
| 5 years | $202 |
| 10 years | $456 |
Portfolio Turnover
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 40% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Unlike individual debt securities, which typically pay principal at maturity, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate. You could lose money by investing in the fund.
Performance
The following information is intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the fund. The information illustrates the changes in the performance of the fund's shares from year to year and compares the performance of the fund's shares to the performance of a securities market index over various periods of time. The index description appears in the "Additional Index Information" section of the prospectus. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Visit www.fidelity.com for more recent performance information.
Year-by-Year Returns
| During the periods shown in the chart: | Returns | Quarter ended |
| Highest Quarter Return | 4.41% | June 30, 2016 |
| Lowest Quarter Return | (2.80)% | June 30, 2015 |
| Year-to-Date Return | 13.80% | September 30, 2019 |
Average Annual Returns
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, but do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns may differ depending on your individual circumstances. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant if you hold your shares in a retirement account or in another tax-deferred arrangement, such as an employee benefit plan (profit sharing, 401(k), or 403(b) plan). Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of fund shares.
| For the periods ended December 31, 2018 | Past 1 year | Life of fund(a) |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | ||
| Return Before Taxes | (2.92)% | 2.07% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | (4.33)% | 0.66% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | (1.73)% | 0.95% |
|
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
(2.11)% | 2.28% |
(a) From October 6, 2014
Investment Adviser
Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (the Adviser), an affiliate of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR), is the fund's manager. Other investment advisers serve as sub-advisers for the fund.
Portfolio Manager(s)
David Prothro (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2014.
Matthew Bartlett (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2016.
Dr. Ben Tarlow (co-manager) has managed the fund since December 2019.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund. Unlike shares of traditional mutual funds, shares of the fund are not individually redeemable and can be purchased and redeemed directly from the fund at NAV only in large increments called "Creation Units" (50,000 shares per Creation Unit) through certain participants, known as Authorized Participants. The fund will issue or redeem Creation Units in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash.
Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than a fund's NAV (premium) or less than a fund's NAV (discount).
The fund is open for business each day that either the listing exchange or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open.
Tax Information
Distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income tax and generally will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state or local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account (in which case you may be taxed later, upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
The Adviser, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), and/or their affiliates may pay intermediaries, which may include retirement plan sponsors, administrators, or service-providers (who may be affiliated with the Adviser or FDC), for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your intermediary and your investment professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your investment professional or visit your intermediary's web site for more information.
Fund Summary
Fund:
Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF
Investment Objective
The fund seeks to provide a high rate of income.
Fee Table
The following table describes the fees and expenses that may be incurred when you buy and hold shares of the fund. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchase and sale of fund shares, which are not reflected in the table or example below.
Shareholder fees
| (fees paid directly from your investment) | None |
Annual Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
| Management fee | 0.36% | |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) fees | None | |
| Other expenses | 0.00% | |
| Total annual operating expenses | 0.36% |
This example helps compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
Let's say, hypothetically, that the annual return for shares of the fund is 5% and that your shareholder fees and the annual operating expenses for shares of the fund are exactly as described in the fee table. This example illustrates the effect of fees and expenses, but is not meant to suggest actual or expected fees and expenses or returns, all of which may vary. For every $10,000 you invested, here's how much you would pay in total expenses if you sell all of your shares at the end of each time period indicated:
| 1 year | $37 |
| 3 years | $116 |
| 5 years | $202 |
| 10 years | $456 |
Portfolio Turnover
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 32% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Unlike individual debt securities, which typically pay principal at maturity, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate. You could lose money by investing in the fund.
Performance
The following information is intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the fund. The information illustrates the changes in the performance of the fund's shares from year to year and compares the performance of the fund's shares to the performance of a securities market index and a hypothetical composite of market indexes over various periods of time. The indexes have characteristics relevant to the fund's investment strategies. Index descriptions appear in the "Additional Index Information" section of the prospectus. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Visit www.fidelity.com for more recent performance information.
Year-by-Year Returns
| During the periods shown in the chart: | Returns | Quarter ended |
| Highest Quarter Return | 1.94% | March 31, 2016 |
| Lowest Quarter Return | (1.06)% | December 31, 2016 |
| Year-to-Date Return | 5.44% | September 30, 2019 |
Average Annual Returns
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, but do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns may differ depending on your individual circumstances. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant if you hold your shares in a retirement account or in another tax-deferred arrangement, such as an employee benefit plan (profit sharing, 401(k), or 403(b) plan). Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of fund shares.
| For the periods ended December 31, 2018 | Past 1 year | Life of fund(a) |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | ||
| Return Before Taxes | 0.88% | 1.48% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | (0.15)% | 0.69% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 0.51% | 0.78% |
|
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
1.38% | 1.27% |
|
Fidelity Limited Term Composite Index℠
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
1.19% | 1.56% |
(a) From October 6, 2014
Investment Adviser
Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (the Adviser), an affiliate of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR), is the fund's manager. Other investment advisers serve as sub-advisers for the fund.
Portfolio Manager(s)
Robert Galusza (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2014.
David Prothro (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2014.
David DeBiase (co-manager) has managed the fund since November 2018.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund. Unlike shares of traditional mutual funds, shares of the fund are not individually redeemable and can be purchased and redeemed directly from the fund at NAV only in large increments called "Creation Units" (50,000 shares per Creation Unit) through certain participants, known as Authorized Participants. The fund will issue or redeem Creation Units in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash.
Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than a fund's NAV (premium) or less than a fund's NAV (discount).
The fund is open for business each day that either the listing exchange or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open.
Tax Information
Distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income tax and generally will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state or local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account (in which case you may be taxed later, upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
The Adviser, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), and/or their affiliates may pay intermediaries, which may include retirement plan sponsors, administrators, or service-providers (who may be affiliated with the Adviser or FDC), for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your intermediary and your investment professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your investment professional or visit your intermediary's web site for more information.
Fund Summary
Fund:
Investment Objective
The fund seeks a high level of current income.
Fee Table
The following table describes the fees and expenses that may be incurred when you buy and hold shares of the fund. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchase and sale of fund shares, which are not reflected in the table or example below.
Shareholder fees
| (fees paid directly from your investment) | None |
Annual Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
| Management fee | 0.36% | |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) fees | None | |
| Other expenses | 0.00% | |
| Total annual operating expenses | 0.36% |
This example helps compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
Let's say, hypothetically, that the annual return for shares of the fund is 5% and that your shareholder fees and the annual operating expenses for shares of the fund are exactly as described in the fee table. This example illustrates the effect of fees and expenses, but is not meant to suggest actual or expected fees and expenses or returns, all of which may vary. For every $10,000 you invested, here's how much you would pay in total expenses if you sell all of your shares at the end of each time period indicated:
| 1 year | $37 |
| 3 years | $116 |
| 5 years | $202 |
| 10 years | $456 |
Portfolio Turnover
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 150% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Principal Investment Risks
An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Unlike individual debt securities, which typically pay principal at maturity, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate. You could lose money by investing in the fund.
Performance
The following information is intended to help you understand the risks of investing in the fund. The information illustrates the changes in the performance of the fund's shares from year to year and compares the performance of the fund's shares to the performance of a securities market index and an additional index over various periods of time. The indexes have characteristics relevant to the fund's investment strategies. Index descriptions appear in the "Additional Index Information" section of the prospectus. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Visit www.fidelity.com for more recent performance information.
Year-by-Year Returns
| During the periods shown in the chart: | Returns | Quarter ended |
| Highest Quarter Return | 3.55% | June 30, 2016 |
| Lowest Quarter Return | (2.18)% | December 31, 2016 |
| Year-to-Date Return | 9.19% | September 30, 2019 |
Average Annual Returns
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, but do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns may differ depending on your individual circumstances. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant if you hold your shares in a retirement account or in another tax-deferred arrangement, such as an employee benefit plan (profit sharing, 401(k), or 403(b) plan). Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to a tax benefit of realizing a capital loss upon the sale of fund shares.
| For the periods ended December 31, 2018 | Past 1 year | Life of fund(a) |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | ||
| Return Before Taxes | (0.67)% | 2.10% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | (1.84)% | 0.86% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | (0.40)% | 1.04% |
|
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
0.01% | 1.88% |
|
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Universal Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
(0.25)% | 2.11% |
(a) From October 6, 2014
Investment Adviser
Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (the Adviser), an affiliate of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR), is the fund's manager. FMR Co., Inc. (FMRC), FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (FMR UK), and other investment advisers serve as sub-advisers for the fund.
Portfolio Manager(s)
Michael Foggin (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2014.
Ford O’Neil (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2014.
Michael Plage (co-manager) has managed the fund since July 2015.
Celso Munoz (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2016.
Michael Weaver (co-manager) has managed the fund since October 2016.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund. Unlike shares of traditional mutual funds, shares of the fund are not individually redeemable and can be purchased and redeemed directly from the fund at NAV only in large increments called "Creation Units" (50,000 shares per Creation Unit) through certain participants, known as Authorized Participants. The fund will issue or redeem Creation Units in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash.
Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than a fund's NAV (premium) or less than a fund's NAV (discount).
The fund is open for business each day that either the listing exchange or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open.
Tax Information
Distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income tax and generally will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state or local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account (in which case you may be taxed later, upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
The Adviser, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), and/or their affiliates may pay intermediaries, which may include retirement plan sponsors, administrators, or service-providers (who may be affiliated with the Adviser or FDC), for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your intermediary and your investment professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your investment professional or visit your intermediary's web site for more information.
Fund Basics
Investment Details
Investment Objective
Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF seeks a high level of current income.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Adviser normally invests at least 80% of the fund's assets in investment-grade corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities and repurchase agreements for those securities.
The Adviser uses the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Bond Index as a guide in structuring the fund and selecting its investments. The Adviser manages the fund to have similar overall interest rate risk to the index.
The Adviser may invest the fund's assets in securities of foreign issuers in addition to securities of domestic issuers.
The Adviser may invest the fund's assets in lower-quality debt securities.
The Adviser may engage in transactions that have a leveraging effect on the fund, including investments in derivatives, regardless of whether the fund may own the asset, instrument, or components of the index underlying the derivative, and forward-settling securities. The Adviser may invest a significant portion of the fund's assets in these types of investments. If the fund invests a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, its investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. The fund's derivative investments may include interest rate swaps, total return swaps, credit default swaps, options (including options on futures and swaps), and futures contracts (both long and short positions) on securities, other instruments, and indexes. Depending on the Adviser's outlook and market conditions, the Adviser may engage in these transactions to increase or decrease the fund's exposure to changing security prices, interest rates, credit qualities, or other factors that affect security values, or to gain or reduce exposure to an asset, instrument, or index.
In buying and selling securities for the fund, the Adviser analyzes the credit quality of the issuer, security-specific features, current valuation relative to alternatives in the market, short-term trading opportunities resulting from market inefficiencies, and potential future valuation. In managing the fund's exposure to various risks, including interest rate risk, the Adviser considers, among other things, the market's overall risk characteristics, the market's current pricing of those risks, information on the fund's competitive universe and internal views of potential future market conditions.
In selecting foreign securities, the Adviser's analysis also considers the credit, currency, and economic risks associated with the security and the country of its issuer. The Adviser may also consider an issuer's potential for success in light of its current financial condition, its industry position, and economic and market conditions.
To earn additional income for the fund, the Adviser may use a trading strategy that involves selling (or buying) mortgage securities and simultaneously agreeing to purchase (or sell) mortgage securities on a later date at a set price. This trading strategy may increase interest rate exposure and result in an increased portfolio turnover rate which increases transaction costs and may increase taxable gains.
If the Adviser's strategies do not work as intended, the fund may not achieve its objective.
Shareholders should be aware that investments made by the fund and results achieved by the fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which the Adviser or an affiliate acts as manager, including funds with names, investment objectives, and policies that are similar to the fund.
Investment Objective
Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF seeks to provide a high rate of income.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Adviser normally invests at least 80% of the fund's assets in investment-grade debt securities (those of medium and high quality) of all types and repurchase agreements for those securities.
The Adviser uses the Fidelity Limited Term Composite Index℠ as a guide in structuring the fund and selecting its investments. The Adviser manages the fund to have similar overall interest rate risk to the index.
The Adviser considers other factors when selecting the fund's investments, including the credit quality of the issuer, security-specific features, current valuation relative to alternatives in the market, short-term trading opportunities resulting from market inefficiencies, and potential future valuation. In managing the fund's exposure to various risks, including interest rate risk, the Adviser considers, among other things, the market's overall risk characteristics, the market's current pricing of those risks, information on the fund's competitive universe and internal views of potential future market conditions.
In addition, the fund normally maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity between two and five years. As of August 31, 2019, the fund's dollar-weighted average maturity was approximately 2.8 years and the index's dollar-weighted average maturity was approximately 2.8 years. In determining a security's maturity for purposes of calculating the fund's average maturity, an estimate of the average time for its principal to be paid may be used. This can be substantially shorter than its stated maturity.
The Adviser allocates the fund's assets among different market sectors (for example, corporate, asset-backed, or government securities) and different maturities based on its view of the relative value of each sector or maturity.
The Adviser may invest the fund's assets in securities of foreign issuers in addition to securities of domestic issuers.
The Adviser may also invest the fund's assets in lower-quality debt securities.
The Adviser may engage in transactions that have a leveraging effect on the fund, including investments in derivatives, regardless of whether the fund may own the asset, instrument, or components of the index underlying the derivative, and forward-settling securities. The Adviser may invest a significant portion of the fund's assets in these types of investments. If the fund invests a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, its investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. The fund's derivative investments may include interest rate swaps, total return swaps, credit default swaps, options (including options on futures and swaps), and futures contracts (both long and short positions) on securities, other instruments, and indexes. Depending on the Adviser's outlook and market conditions, the Adviser may engage in these transactions to increase or decrease the fund's exposure to changing security prices, interest rates, credit qualities, or other factors that affect security values, or to gain or reduce exposure to an asset, instrument, or index.
To earn additional income for the fund, the Adviser may use a trading strategy that involves selling (or buying) mortgage securities and simultaneously agreeing to purchase (or sell) mortgage securities on a later date at a set price. This trading strategy may increase interest rate exposure and result in an increased portfolio turnover rate which increases transaction costs and may increase taxable gains.
If the Adviser's strategies do not work as intended, the fund may not achieve its objective.
Shareholders should be aware that investments made by the fund and results achieved by the fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which the Adviser or an affiliate acts as manager, including funds with names, investment objectives, and policies that are similar to the fund.
Investment Objective
Fidelity® Total Bond ETF seeks a high level of current income.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Adviser normally invests at least 80% of the fund's assets in debt securities of all types and repurchase agreements for those securities. The Adviser allocates the fund's assets across investment-grade, high yield, and emerging market debt securities. The Adviser may invest up to 20% of the fund's assets in lower-quality debt securities.
The Adviser uses the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Universal Bond Index as a guide in structuring the fund and selecting its investments. The Adviser uses the index as a guide in allocating the fund's assets across the investment-grade, high yield, and emerging market asset classes. The Adviser manages the fund to have similar overall interest rate risk to the index.
The Adviser considers other factors when selecting the fund's investments, including the credit quality of the issuer, security-specific features, current valuation relative to alternatives in the market, short-term trading opportunities resulting from market inefficiencies, and potential future valuation. In managing the fund's exposure to various risks, including interest rate risk, the Adviser considers, among other things, the market's overall risk characteristics, the market's current pricing of those risks, information on the fund's competitive universe and internal views of potential future market conditions.
The Adviser may invest the fund's assets in securities of foreign issuers in addition to securities of domestic issuers.
The Adviser may engage in transactions that have a leveraging effect on the fund, including investments in derivatives, regardless of whether the fund may own the asset, instrument, currency, or components of the index underlying the derivative, and forward-settling securities. The Adviser may invest a significant portion of the fund's assets in these types of investments. If the fund invests a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, its investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own. The fund's derivative investments may include interest rate swaps, total return swaps, credit default swaps, options (including options on futures and swaps), forwards, and futures contracts (both long and short positions) on securities, other instruments, indexes, or currencies. Depending on the Adviser's outlook and market conditions, the Adviser may engage in these transactions to increase or decrease the fund's exposure to changing security prices, interest rates, credit qualities, foreign exchange rates, or other factors that affect security values, or to gain or reduce exposure to an asset, instrument, currency, or index.
The Adviser allocates the fund's assets among different asset classes using the composition of the index as a guide, and among different market sectors (for example, corporate, asset-backed, or government securities) and different maturities based on its view of the relative value of each sector or maturity.
In selecting foreign securities, the Adviser's analysis also considers the credit, currency, and economic risks associated with the security and the country of its issuer. The Adviser may also consider an issuer's potential for success in light of its current financial condition, its industry position, and economic and market conditions.
To earn additional income for the fund, the Adviser may use a trading strategy that involves selling (or buying) mortgage securities and simultaneously agreeing to purchase (or sell) mortgage securities on a later date at a set price. This trading strategy may increase interest rate exposure and result in an increased portfolio turnover rate which increases transaction costs and may increase taxable gains.
If the Adviser's strategies do not work as intended, the fund may not achieve its objective.
Shareholders should be aware that investments made by the fund and results achieved by the fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as those made by other funds for which the Adviser or an affiliate acts as manager, including funds with names, investment objectives, and policies that are similar to the fund.
Description of Principal Security Types
Debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money. The issuer usually pays a fixed, variable, or floating rate of interest, and must repay the amount borrowed, usually at the maturity of the security. Some debt securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest but are sold at a discount from their face values. Debt securities include corporate bonds, government securities (including Treasury securities), repurchase agreements, money market securities, mortgage and other asset-backed securities, loans and loan participations, and other securities believed to have debt-like characteristics, including hybrids and synthetic securities.
Corporate debt securities are bonds and other debt securities issued by corporations and other business structures. Corporate debt securities include repurchase agreements with corporate counterparties and other securities believed to have corporate debt-like characteristics, including hybrids and synthetic securities.
A repurchase agreement is an agreement to buy a security at one price and a simultaneous agreement to sell it back at an agreed-upon price.
Derivatives are investments whose values are tied to an underlying asset, instrument, currency, or index. Derivatives include futures, options, forwards, and swaps, such as interest rate swaps (exchanging a floating rate for a fixed rate), total return swaps (exchanging a floating rate for the total return of an index, security, or other instrument or investment) and credit default swaps (buying or selling credit default protection). Currency-related derivatives, in particular, include foreign exchange (FX) transactions such as spot FX trades, FX forwards, non-deliverable forwards, and cross-currency FX trades.
Forward-settling securities involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities when issued, or at a predetermined price or yield. When a fund does not already own or have the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount, a commitment to sell securities is equivalent to a short sale. Payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period.
Principal Investment Risks
Many factors affect each fund's performance. A fund's share price and yield change daily based on changes in market conditions and interest rates and in response to other economic, political, or financial developments. A fund's reaction to these developments will be affected by the types and maturities of securities in which the fund invests, the financial condition, industry and economic sector, and geographic location of an issuer, and the fund's level of investment in the securities of that issuer. Unlike individual debt securities, which typically pay principal at maturity, the value of an investment in a fund will fluctuate. When you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you could lose money by investing in a fund.
The following factors can significantly affect a fund's performance:
Interest Rate Changes. Debt securities, including money market securities, have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt security can fall when interest rates rise and can rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities and certain types of securities, such as mortgage securities and the securities of issuers in the financial services sector, can be more sensitive to interest rate changes, meaning the longer the maturity of a security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security's price. Short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates, and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates. Securities with floating interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much as interest rates in general. Securities whose payment at maturity is based on the movement of all or part of an index and inflation-protected debt securities may react differently from other types of debt securities.
Foreign Exposure. Foreign securities, foreign currencies, and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions in foreign countries. These risks include fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; withholding or other taxes; trading, settlement, custodial, and other operational risks; and the less stringent investor protection and disclosure standards of some foreign markets. All of these factors can make foreign investments, especially those in emerging markets, more volatile and potentially less liquid than U.S. investments. In addition, foreign markets can perform differently from the U.S. market.
Investing in emerging markets can involve risks in addition to and greater than those generally associated with investing in more developed foreign markets. The extent of economic development; political stability; market depth, infrastructure, and capitalization; and regulatory oversight can be less than in more developed markets. Emerging market economies can be subject to greater social, economic, regulatory, and political uncertainties. All of these factors can make emerging market securities more volatile and potentially less liquid than securities issued in more developed markets.
Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers or providers in, or foreign exchange rates with, a different country or region.
Prepayment. Many types of debt securities, including mortgage securities, are subject to prepayment risk. Prepayment risk occurs when the issuer of a security can repay principal prior to the security's maturity. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility.
Issuer-Specific Changes. Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a security's or instrument's credit quality or value. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Entities providing credit support or a maturity-shortening structure also can be affected by these types of changes, and if the structure of a security fails to function as intended, the security could decline in value. Lower-quality debt securities (those of less than investment-grade quality, also referred to as high yield debt securities or junk bonds) and certain types of other securities tend to be particularly sensitive to these changes.
Lower-quality debt securities and certain types of other securities involve greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer. The value of lower-quality debt securities and certain types of other securities often fluctuates in response to company, political, or economic developments and can decline significantly over short as well as long periods of time or during periods of general or regional economic difficulty. Lower-quality debt securities can be thinly traded or have restrictions on resale, making them difficult to sell at an acceptable price, and often are considered to be speculative. The default rate for lower-quality debt securities is likely to be higher during economic recessions or periods of high interest rates.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value and Share Price. The NAV of each fund's shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of each fund's holdings. Each fund's shares are listed on an exchange and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV and supply and demand on the listing exchange. Although a share's market price is expected to approximate its NAV, it is possible that the market price and NAV will vary significantly. As a result, you may sustain losses if you pay more than the shares' NAV when you purchase shares, or receive less than the shares' NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. During periods of disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility, or lack of an active trading market for a fund's shares, the market price of fund shares is more likely to differ significantly from the fund's NAV. During such periods, you may be unable to sell your shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of a fund. Disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants or market participants may also result in significant differences between the market price of a fund's shares and the fund's NAV. In addition, in stressed market conditions, the market for shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The market price of shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a "bid/ask" spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers, or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. Securities held by a fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than the listing exchange. During the time when the listing exchange is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the fund's NAV may widen. The Adviser expects that, under normal market conditions, large discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained in the long term because of arbitrage opportunities.
Information about the premiums and discounts at which each fund's shares have traded is available at www.fidelity.com.
Trading Issues. Although shares are listed on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market or requirements to remain listed will be met or maintained. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a fund. A fund has a limited number of intermediaries that act as Authorized Participants. There are no obligations of market makers to make a market in a fund's shares or of Authorized Participants to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. Decisions by market makers or Authorized Participants to reduce their role with respect to market making or creation and redemption activities during times of market stress, or a decline in the number of Authorized Participants due to decisions to exit the business, bankruptcy, or other factors, could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of a fund's portfolio securities and the market price of fund shares. To the extent no other Authorized Participants are able to step forward to create or redeem, shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting. In addition, trading of shares in the secondary market may be halted, for example, due to activation of marketwide "circuit breakers." If trading halts or an unanticipated early closing of the listing exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares of a fund. FDC, the distributor of each fund's shares, does not maintain a secondary market in the shares.
If a fund's shares are delisted from the listing exchange, the Adviser may seek to list the fund shares on another market, merge the fund with another exchange-traded fund or traditional mutual fund, or redeem the fund shares at NAV.
Shares of a fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short.
Leverage Risk. Derivatives, forward-settling securities, and short sale transactions involve leverage because they can provide investment exposure in an amount exceeding the initial investment. Leverage can magnify investment risks and cause losses to be realized more quickly. A small change in the underlying asset, instrument, or index can lead to a significant loss. Assets segregated to cover these transactions may decline in value and are not available to meet redemptions. Forward-settling securities and short sale transactions also involve the risk that a security will not be issued, delivered, available for purchase, or paid for when anticipated. An increase in the market price of securities sold short will result in a loss. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of these transactions and could limit a fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies.
High Portfolio Turnover. A fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to a fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups, and other transaction costs on the sale of securities or reinvestment in other securities. The sale of a fund's securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect a fund's performance.
In response to market, economic, political, or other conditions, a fund may temporarily use a different investment strategy for defensive purposes. If the fund does so, different factors could affect its performance and the fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Fundamental Investment Policies
The following is fundamental, that is, subject to change only by shareholder approval:
Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF seeks a high level of current income.
Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF seeks to provide a high rate of income.
Fidelity® Total Bond ETF seeks a high level of current income.
Shareholder Notice
The following is subject to change only upon 60 days' prior notice to shareholders:
Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF normally invests at least 80% of its assets in investment-grade corporate bonds and other corporate debt securities and repurchase agreements for those securities.
Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF normally invests at least 80% of its assets in investment-grade debt securities of all types and repurchase agreements for those securities.
Fidelity® Total Bond ETF normally invests at least 80% of its assets in debt securities of all types and repurchase agreements for those securities.
Valuing Shares
The fund is open for business each day that either the listing exchange or the NYSE is open.
The NAV is the value of a single share. Fidelity normally calculates NAV as of the close of regular trading hours on the listing exchange or the NYSE, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. Each fund's assets normally are valued as of this time for the purpose of computing NAV. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
NAV is not calculated and a fund will not process purchase and redemption requests submitted on days when the fund is not open for business. The time at which shares are priced and until which purchase and redemption orders are accepted may be changed as permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Shares of each fund may be purchased through a broker in the secondary market by individual investors at market prices which may vary throughout the day and may differ from NAV.
To the extent that a fund's assets are traded in other markets on days when the fund is not open for business, the value of the fund's assets may be affected on those days. In addition, trading in some of a fund's assets may not occur on days when the fund is open for business.
Shares of open-end funds in which each fund may invest (referred to as underlying funds) are valued at their respective NAVs. NAV is calculated using the values of any underlying funds in which it invests. Other assets are valued primarily on the basis of market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service. Certain short-term securities are valued on the basis of amortized cost. If market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available or, in the Adviser's opinion, are deemed unreliable for a security, then that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Adviser in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. For example, if, in the Adviser's opinion, a security's value has been materially affected by events occurring before a fund's pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, then that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Adviser in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. Fair value pricing will be used for high yield debt securities when available pricing information is determined to be stale or for other reasons not to accurately reflect fair value.
Fair value pricing is based on subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value of a security may differ materially from the value that would be realized if the security were sold.
The intraday portfolio value of a Creation Unit on a per share basis will be disseminated every fifteen seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of ICE Data Indices, LLC. The intraday portfolio value has a securities component and a cash component reflecting cash and other assets that may be held by each fund. You should not view this intraday portfolio value as a "real-time" update of the actual NAV because the intraday portfolio value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, and may not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a fund at a particular point in time. Each fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of such amount and makes no warranty as to its accuracy.
Shareholder Information
Additional Information about the Purchase and Sale of Shares
As used in this prospectus, the term "shares" generally refers to the shares offered through this prospectus.
General Information
Information on Fidelity
Fidelity Investments was established in 1946 to manage one of America's first mutual funds. Today, Fidelity is one of the world's largest providers of financial services.
In addition to its fund business, the company operates one of America's leading brokerage firms, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Fidelity is also a leader in providing tax-advantaged retirement plans for individuals investing on their own or through their employer.
The Depository Trust Company (DTC) is a limited trust company and securities depository that facilitates the clearance and settlement of trades for its participating banks and broker-dealers. DTC has executed an agreement with FDC, each fund's distributor.
Buying and Selling Shares in the Secondary Market
Shares of each fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. Each fund does not impose any minimum investment for shares of a fund purchased on an exchange. These transactions are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than a fund's NAV (premium) or less than a fund's NAV (discount). As a result, you may pay more than NAV when you purchase shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. If you buy or sell shares in the secondary market, you will generally incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Due to such commissions and charges, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns.
Each fund is designed to offer investors an investment that can be bought and sold frequently in the secondary market without impact on a fund, and such trading activity is critical to ensuring that the market price of fund shares remains at or close to NAV. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees has not adopted policies and procedures designed to discourage excessive or short-term trading by these investors.
Each fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by Authorized Participants and does not place a limit on purchases or redemptions of Creation Units by these investors. Each fund reserves the right, but does not have the obligation, to reject any purchase or redemption transaction at any time. In addition, each fund reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading.
Precautionary Notes
For example, you may be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase Creation Units from a fund, break them down into individual fund shares, and sell such shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new fund shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for fund shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person's activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Dealers who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with shares as part of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, you should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of a fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange. Certain affiliates of each fund may purchase and resell fund shares pursuant to this prospectus.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions
The funds may impose a creation transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of shares. The creation and redemption transaction fees applicable to the funds are listed below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash are also subject to a variable additional fee (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This fee is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. From time to time, the Adviser may cover the cost of any transaction fees when believed to be in the best interests of the funds.
The following table shows, as of August 31, 2019, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional transaction fees for creations and redemptions (as described above). These fees are payable only by investors who purchase shares directly from the funds. Retail investors who purchase shares through their brokerage account will not pay these fees.
| Name of Fund | Approximate Value of One Creation Unit | Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee | Maximum Additional Creation Transaction Fee* | Maximum Additional Redemption Transaction Fee* |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | $2,500,000 | $500 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | $2,500,000 | $500 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | $2,500,000 | $500 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
* As a percentage of the cash amount invested or redeemed.
Dividends and Capital Gain Distributions
Each fund earns interest, dividends, and other income from its investments, and distributes this income (less expenses) to shareholders as dividends. Each fund also realizes capital gains from its investments, and distributes these gains (less any losses) as capital gain distributions. If you purchased your shares in the secondary market, your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
Each fund normally pays dividends monthly and capital gain distributions in December.
Tax Consequences
As with any investment, your investment in a fund could have tax consequences for you. If you are not investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account, you should consider these tax consequences.
Taxes on Distributions
Distributions investors receive are subject to federal income tax, and may also be subject to state or local taxes.
For federal tax purposes, certain distributions, including dividends and distributions of short-term capital gains, are taxable to investors as ordinary income, while certain distributions, including distributions of long-term capital gains, are taxable to investors generally as capital gains. A percentage of certain distributions of dividends may qualify for taxation at long-term capital gains rates (provided certain holding period requirements are met). Because each fund's income is primarily derived from interest, dividends from each fund generally will not qualify for the long-term capital gains tax rates available to individuals.
Each fund generally expects to effect its creations and redemptions for cash rather than in-kind securities and may recognize more capital gains and be less tax-efficient than if it were to redeem in-kind. Because each fund generally expects to effect its redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind distributions, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds, which involves transaction costs. If the fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally will cause the fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required. Each fund generally intends to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid being taxed on these gains at the fund level and otherwise comply with applicable tax rules. This may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to or at an earlier date then if the fund effected redemptions in-kind.
If investors buy shares when a fund has realized but not yet distributed income or capital gains, they will be "buying a dividend" by paying the full price for the shares and then receiving a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution.
Any taxable distributions investors receive will normally be taxable to them when they receive them.
Taxes on Transactions
Purchases and sales of shares, as well as purchases and redemptions of Creation Units, may result in a capital gain or loss for federal tax purposes.
Fund Services
Fund Management
Adviser
FIMM. The Adviser is each fund's manager. The address of the Adviser is 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
As of December 31, 2018, the Adviser had approximately $868.5 billion in discretionary assets under management, and approximately $2.42 trillion when combined with all of its affiliates' assets under management.
As the manager, the Adviser has overall responsibility for directing each fund's investments and handling its business affairs.
Sub-Adviser(s)
FMRC, at 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210, serves as a sub-adviser for Fidelity® Total Bond ETF. FMRC has day-to-day responsibility for choosing certain types of investments for Fidelity® Total Bond ETF.
FMRC is an affiliate of the Adviser. As of December 31, 2018, FMRC had approximately $918.8 billion in discretionary assets under management.
FMR UK, at 1 St. Martin's Le Grand, London, EC1A 4AS, United Kingdom, serves as a sub-adviser for each fund. As of December 31, 2018, FMR UK had approximately $20.2 billion in discretionary assets under management. Currently, FMR UK has day-to-day responsibility for choosing certain types of investments for Fidelity® Total Bond ETF. FMR UK may provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States and may also provide investment advisory services for Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF and Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF. FMR UK is an affiliate of the Adviser.
Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.), at Floor 19, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong, serves as a sub-adviser for each fund. As of December 31, 2018, FMR H.K. had approximately $15.3 billion in discretionary assets under management. FMR H.K. may provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States and may also provide investment advisory services for each fund. FMR H.K. is an affiliate of the Adviser.
Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan), at Kamiyacho Prime Place, 1-17, Toranomon-4-Chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, serves as a sub-adviser for each fund. FMR Japan was organized in 2008 to provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States. FMR Japan may provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States and may also provide investment advisory services for each fund. FMR Japan is an affiliate of the Adviser.
Portfolio Manager(s)
Matthew Bartlett is co-manager of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2016. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2005, Mr. Bartlett has worked as a managing director of research, research analyst, and portfolio manager.
David Prothro is co-manager of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF and Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2014. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 1991, Mr. Prothro has worked as a research analyst and portfolio manager.
Dr. Ben Tarlow is co-manager of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF, which he has managed since December 2019. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2010, Dr. Tarlow has worked as a quantitative analyst and portfolio manager.
David DeBiase is co-manager of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF, which he has managed since November 2018. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2006, Mr. DeBiase has worked as a trader and portfolio manager.
Robert Galusza is co-manager of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2014. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 1987, Mr. Galusza has worked as a research analyst and portfolio manager.
Michael Foggin is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2014. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2012, Mr. Foggin has worked as a portfolio manager.
Celso Munoz is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2016. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2005, Mr. Munoz has worked as a research analyst and portfolio manager.
Ford O’Neil is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2014. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 1990, Mr. O’Neil has worked as a research analyst and portfolio manager.
Michael Plage is co-manager of Fidelity Total Bond ETF, which he has managed since July 2015. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2005, Mr. Plage has worked as a trader and portfolio manager.
Michael Weaver is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF, which he has managed since October 2016. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2005, Mr. Weaver has worked as a research analyst and portfolio manager.
The statement of additional information (SAI) provides additional information about the compensation of, any other accounts managed by, and any fund shares held by the portfolio manager(s).
From time to time a manager, analyst, or other Fidelity employee may express views regarding a particular company, security, industry, or market sector. The views expressed by any such person are the views of only that individual as of the time expressed and do not necessarily represent the views of Fidelity or any other person in the Fidelity organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and Fidelity disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a Fidelity® fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any Fidelity® fund.
Advisory Fee(s)
Each fund pays a management fee to the Adviser. The management fee is calculated and paid to the Adviser every month. The Adviser pays all of the other expenses of each fund with limited exceptions.
Each fund's annual management fee rate is 0.36% of its average net assets.
The Adviser pays FMRC, FMR UK, FMR H.K., and FMR Japan for providing sub-advisory services.
The basis for the Board of Trustees approving the management contract and sub-advisory agreements for each fund is available in each fund's semi-annual report for the fiscal period ended February 28, 2019.
From time to time, the Adviser or its affiliates may agree to reimburse or waive certain fund expenses while retaining the ability to be repaid if expenses fall below the specified limit prior to the end of the fiscal year.
Reimbursement or waiver arrangements can decrease expenses and boost performance.
Fund Distribution
FDC distributes each fund's shares.
Intermediaries may receive from the Adviser, FDC, and/or their affiliates compensation for providing recordkeeping and administrative services, as well as other retirement plan expenses, and compensation for services intended to result in the sale of fund shares. These payments are described in more detail in this section and in the SAI.
Distribution and Service Plan(s)
While each fund will not make direct payments for distribution or shareholder support services, each fund has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) with respect to its shares. Each Plan recognizes that the Adviser or FMR may use its management fee revenues, as well as its past profits or its resources from any other source, to pay FDC for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of shares of each fund and/or shareholder support services. The Adviser or FMR, directly or through FDC, may pay significant amounts to intermediaries that provide those services. Currently, the Board of Trustees of each fund has authorized such payments for shares of each fund.
If payments made by the Adviser or FMR to FDC or to intermediaries under a Distribution and Service Plan were considered to be paid out of a fund's assets on an ongoing basis, they might increase the cost of your investment and might cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
No dealer, sales representative, or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in this prospectus and in the related SAI, in connection with the offer contained in this prospectus. If given or made, such other information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the funds or FDC. This prospectus and the related SAI do not constitute an offer by the funds or by FDC to sell shares of the funds to or to buy shares of the funds from any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer.
Other Service Providers
State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as each fund's transfer agent and custodian, and is located at One Heritage Drive, Floor 1, North Quincy, Massachusetts, 02171 and 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, respectively.
Appendix
Financial Highlights
Financial Highlights are intended to help you understand the financial history of fund shares for the past 5 years (or, if shorter, the period of operations). Certain information reflects financial results for a single share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in shares (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The annual information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with fund financial statements, is included in the annual report. Annual reports are available for free upon request.
Financial Highlights — Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF
|
Year ended
August 31, 2019 |
Year ended
August 31, 2018 |
Year ended
August 31, 2017 |
Year ended
August 31, 2016 |
Year ended
August 31, 2015A |
|
| Selected Per-Share Data | |||||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 48.64 | $ 50.97 | $ 51.20 | $ 48.59 | $ 50.06 |
| Income from Investment Operations | |||||
| Net investment income (loss)B | 1.732 | 1.599 | 1.444 | 1.587 | 1.342 |
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | 4.610 | 2.311 | 0.243 | 2.805 | 1.448 |
| Total from investment operations | 6.342 | 0.712 | 1.201 | 4.392 | 0.106 |
| Distributions from net investment income | (1.722) | (1.618) | (1.431) | (1.594) | (1.364) |
| Distributions from net realized gain | — | — | — | (0.188) | — |
| Total distributions | (1.722) | (1.618) | (1.431) | (1.782) | (1.364) |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 53.26 | $ 48.64 | $ 50.97 | $ 51.20 | $ 48.59 |
| Total ReturnC,D | 13.39% | (1.41)% | 2.43% | 9.30% | 0.26% |
| Ratios to Average Net AssetsE,F | |||||
| Expense before reductions | .36% | .42% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Expenses net of fee waivers, if any | .36% | .42% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Expenses net of all reductions | .36% | .42% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Net investment income (loss) | 3.45% | 3.22% | 2.87% | 3.24% | 2.96%G |
| Supplemental Data | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) | $127,822 | $58,362 | $63,711 | $40,959 | $29,152 |
| Portfolio turnover rateH | 40% | 81%I | 29% | 37% | 28%I,J |
A For the period October 6, 2014 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2015.
B Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
C Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
D Total returns would have been lower if certain expenses had not been reduced during the applicable periods shown.
E Expense ratios reflect operating expenses of the Fund. Expenses before reductions do not reflect amounts reimbursed by the investment adviser or reductions from brokerage service arrangements or reductions from other expense offset arrangements and do not represent the amount paid by the Fund during periods when reimbursements or reductions occur. Expenses net of fee waivers reflect expenses after reimbursement by the investment adviser but prior to the reductions from brokerage service arrangements or other expense offset arrangements. Expenses net of all reductions represent the net expenses paid by the Fund but do not include expenses of the investment companies in which the fund invests.
F Fees and expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds are not included in the Funds' expense ratio. Each Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds.
G Annualized.
H Amount does not include the portfolio activity of any underlying funds.
I Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered in-kind.
J Amount not annualized.
Financial Highlights — Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF
|
Year ended
August 31, 2019 |
Year ended
August 31, 2018 |
Year ended
August 31, 2017 |
Year ended
August 31, 2016 |
Year ended
August 31, 2015A |
|
| Selected Per-Share Data | |||||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 49.42 | $ 50.60 | $ 50.85 | $ 49.90 | $ 50.06 |
| Income from Investment Operations | |||||
| Net investment income (loss)B | 1.344 | 1.072 | 0.767 | 0.681 | 0.623 |
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | 1.687 | 1.201 | 0.131 | 0.990 | 0.012 |
| Total from investment operations | 3.031 | 0.129 | 0.636 | 1.671 | 0.611 |
| Distributions from net investment income | (1.381) | (1.051) | (0.836) | (0.721) | (0.771) |
| Distributions from net realized gain | — | — | (0.050) | — | — |
| Total distributions | (1.381) | (1.051) | (0.886) | (0.721) | (0.771) |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 51.07 | $ 49.42 | $ 50.60 | $ 50.85 | $ 49.90 |
| Total ReturnC,D | 6.22% | (0.23)% | 1.27% | 3.37% | 1.22% |
| Ratios to Average Net AssetsE,F | |||||
| Expense before reductions | .36% | .41% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Expenses net of fee waivers, if any | .36% | .41% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Expenses net of all reductions | .36% | .41% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Net investment income (loss) | 2.69% | 2.15% | 1.54% | 1.35% | 1.37%G |
| Supplemental Data | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) | $127,663 | $190,278 | $103,725 | $134,759 | $47,408 |
| Portfolio turnover rateH,I | 32% | 113% | 206% | 265% | 312%J |
A For the period October 6, 2014 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2015.
B Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
C Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
D Total returns would have been lower if certain expenses had not been reduced during the applicable periods shown.
E Expense ratios reflect operating expenses of the Fund. Expenses before reductions do not reflect amounts reimbursed by the investment adviser or reductions from brokerage service arrangements or reductions from other expense offset arrangements and do not represent the amount paid by the Fund during periods when reimbursements or reductions occur. Expenses net of fee waivers reflect expenses after reimbursement by the investment adviser but prior to the reductions from brokerage service arrangements or other expense offset arrangements. Expenses net of all reductions represent the net expenses paid by the Fund but do not include expenses of the investment companies in which the fund invests.
F Fees and expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds are not included in the Funds' expense ratio. Each Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds.
G Annualized.
H Amount does not include the portfolio activity of any underlying funds.
I Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered in-kind.
J Amount not annualized.
Financial Highlights — Fidelity Total Bond ETF
|
Year ended
August 31, 2019 |
Year ended
August 31, 2018 |
Year ended
August 31, 2017 |
Year ended
August 31, 2016 |
Year ended
August 31, 2015A |
|
| Selected Per-Share Data | |||||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 48.80 | $ 50.51 | $ 50.82 | $ 49.08 | $ 50.00 |
| Income from Investment Operations | |||||
| Net investment income (loss)B | 1.502 | 1.334 | 1.225 | 1.463 | 1.403 |
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | 3.147 | 1.690 | 0.242 | 1.813 | 0.975 |
| Total from investment operations | 4.649 | 0.356 | 0.983 | 3.276 | 0.428 |
| Distributions from net investment income | (1.499) | (1.354) | (1.279) | (1.536) | (1.348) |
| Return of capital | — | — | (0.014) | — | — |
| Total distributions | (1.499) | (1.354) | (1.293) | (1.536) | (1.348) |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 51.95 | $ 48.80 | $ 50.51 | $ 50.82 | $ 49.08 |
| Total ReturnC,D | 9.73% | (0.69)% | 1.99% | 6.84% | 0.83% |
| Ratios to Average Net AssetsE,F | |||||
| Expense before reductions | .36% | .41% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Expenses net of fee waivers, if any | .36% | .41% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Expenses net of all reductions | .36% | .41% | .45% | .45% | .45%G |
| Net investment income (loss) | 3.01% | 2.70% | 2.45% | 2.98% | 3.10%G |
| Supplemental Data | |||||
| Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) | $761,195 | $427,093 | $280,414 | $172,898 | $105,614 |
| Portfolio turnover rateH | 150%I | 91%I | 128% | 158%I | 276%J |
A For the period October 6, 2014 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2015.
B Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
C Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
D Total returns would have been lower if certain expenses had not been reduced during the applicable periods shown.
E Expense ratios reflect operating expenses of the Fund. Expenses before reductions do not reflect amounts reimbursed by the investment adviser or reductions from brokerage service arrangements or reductions from other expense offset arrangements and do not represent the amount paid by the Fund during periods when reimbursements or reductions occur. Expenses net of fee waivers reflect expenses after reimbursement by the investment adviser but prior to the reductions from brokerage service arrangements or other expense offset arrangements. Expenses net of all reductions represent the net expenses paid by the Fund but do not include expenses of the investment companies in which the fund invests.
F Fees and expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds are not included in the Funds' expense ratio. Each Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds.
G Annualized.
H Amount does not include the portfolio activity of any underlying funds.
I Portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered in-kind.
J Amount not annualized.
Additional Index Information
Fidelity Limited Term Composite Index℠ is a customized blend of unmanaged indexes, weighted as follows: Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Credit Bond Index - 80%; and Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government Bond Index - 20%.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Bond Index is a market value-weighted index of fixed-rate investment-grade debt securities with maturities from one to five years from the U.S. Treasury, U.S. Government-Related, and U.S. Corporate Indexes.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based, market-value-weighted benchmark that measures the performance of the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. Sectors in the index include Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, MBS (agency fixed-rate and hybrid ARM pass-throughs), ABS, and CMBS.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Bond Index is a market value-weighted index of investment-grade corporate fixed-rate debt issues with maturities of one year or more.
Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Universal Bond Index represents the union of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index, the Bloomberg Barclays 144A Bond Index, the Bloomberg Barclays Eurodollar Bond Index, the Bloomberg Barclays Emerging Markets Aggregate USD Bond Index, and the non-ERISA portion of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. CMBS Index. Municipal debt, private placements, and non-dollar-denominated issues are excluded from the index. The only constituent of the index that includes floating-rate debt is the Bloomberg Barclays Emerging Markets Aggregate USD Bond Index.
Supplemental Information
The following tables provide information about the premiums and discounts at which each fund's shares have traded on the listing exchange or the NYSE. The tables show the number of trading days, during the most recently completed calendar year, and any quarters since that year on which the closing market price of each fund's shares was above (or equal to) or below each fund's NAV. The tables also show information regarding the frequency of these deviations.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a basis point differential with 1 basis point equaling 1/100 of 1%) between each fund's NAV and the closing market price. A premium indicates that the closing market price is trading above the NAV. A discount indicates that the closing market price is trading below the NAV. A discrepancy may exist with respect to the timing of when the NAV is calculated and the determination of the closing market price.
Secondary market transactions are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may differ from each fund's NAV. As a result, you may pay more than NAV when you purchase shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market.
Calendar Year 2018
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 148 | 58.96% | 50 | 19.92% |
| 25 - <50 | 44 | 17.53% | 6 | 2.39% |
| 50 - <75 | 2 | 0.80% | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 1 | 0.40% | 0 | -- |
| Total | 195 | 77.69% | 56 | 22.31% |
Period Ended September 30, 2019(a)
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 13 | 6.92% | 56 | 29.79% |
| 25 - <50 | 2 | 1.06% | 105 | 55.85% |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 12 | 6.38% |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Total | 15 | 7.98% | 173 | 92.02% |
(a) From January 1, 2019
Calendar Year 2018
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 108 | 43.03% | 142 | 56.57% |
| 25 - <50 | 1 | 0.40% | 0 | -- |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Total | 109 | 43.43% | 142 | 56.57% |
Period Ended September 30, 2019(a)
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 65 | 34.57% | 123 | 65.43% |
| 25 - <50 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Total | 65 | 34.57% | 123 | 65.43% |
(a) From January 1, 2019
Fidelity® Total Bond ETFCalendar Year 2018
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 12 | 4.78% | 168 | 66.93% |
| 25 - <50 | 0 | -- | 71 | 28.29% |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Total | 12 | 4.78% | 239 | 95.22% |
Period Ended September 30, 2019(a)
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 0 | -- | 145 | 77.13% |
| 25 - <50 | 0 | -- | 43 | 22.87% |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Total | 0 | -- | 188 | 100.00% |
(a) From January 1, 2019
The preceding data represents past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.
You can obtain additional information about the funds. A description of each fund's policies and procedures for disclosing its holdings is available in its SAI and on Fidelity's web sites. Each fund's SAI also includes more detailed information about the fund and its investments. The SAIs are incorporated herein by reference (legally form a part of the prospectus). Each fund's annual and semi-annual reports also include additional information. Each fund's annual report includes a discussion of the fund's holdings and recent market conditions and the fund's investment strategies that affected performance.
For a free copy of any of these documents or to request other information or ask questions about a fund, call Fidelity at 1-800-FIDELITY. In addition, you may visit Fidelity's web site at www.fidelity.com for a free copy of a prospectus, SAI, or annual or semi-annual report or to request other information.
The SAIs, the funds' annual and semi-annual reports and other related materials are available from the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) Database on the SEC's web site (http://www.sec.gov). You can obtain copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by sending a request by e-mail to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520. You can also review and copy information about the funds, including the funds' SAIs, at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Call 1-202-551-8090 for information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room.
Investment Company Act of 1940, File Number, 811-22796
FDC is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). You may obtain information about SIPC, including the SIPC brochure, by visiting www.sipc.org or calling SIPC at 202-371-8300.
Fidelity Investments & Pyramid Design and Fidelity are registered service marks of FMR LLC. © 2019 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Fidelity Limited Term Composite Index is a service mark of FMR LLC.
Any third-party marks that may appear above are the marks of their respective owners.
| 1.9870493.103 | FIXETF-PRO-1219 |
Fund/Ticker
Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF/FLDR
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
Prospectus
December 30, 2019
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of a fund’s shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the fund or from your financial intermediary, such as a financial advisor, broker-dealer or bank. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from a fund electronically, by contacting your financial intermediary. For Fidelity customers, visit Fidelity's web site or call Fidelity using the contact information listed below.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports, you may contact your financial intermediary or, if you are a Fidelity customer, visit Fidelity’s website, or call Fidelity at the applicable toll-free number listed below. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held with the fund complex/your financial intermediary.
| Account Type | Website | Phone Number |
| Brokerage, Mutual Fund, or Annuity Contracts: | fidelity.com/mailpreferences | 1-800-343-3548 |
| Employer Provided Retirement Accounts: | netbenefits.fidelity.com/preferences (choose 'no' under Required Disclosures to continue to print) | 1-800-343-0860 |
|
These securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission has not determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. |
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210 |
Contents
|
Fund Summary |
Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF |
|
|
Fund Basics |
Investment Details |
|
|
Valuing Shares |
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|
Shareholder Information |
Additional Information about the Purchase and Sale of Shares |
|
|
Dividends and Capital Gain Distributions |
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|
Tax Consequences |
||
|
Fund Services |
Fund Management |
|
|
Fund Distribution |
||
|
Other Service Providers |
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|
Appendix |
Financial Highlights |
|
|
Additional Index Information |
||
|
Supplemental Information |
Fund Summary
Fund:
Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF
Investment Objective
The fund seeks to provide investment returns that correspond, before fees and expenses, generally to the performance of the Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠.
Fee Table
The following table describes the fees and expenses that may be incurred when you buy and hold shares of the fund. Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchase and sale of fund shares, which are not reflected in the table or example below.
Shareholder fees
| (fees paid directly from your investment) | None |
Annual Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
| Management fee | 0.15% | |
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) fees | None | |
| Other expenses | 0.00% | |
| Total annual operating expenses | 0.15% |
This example helps compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
Let's say, hypothetically, that the annual return for shares of the fund is 5% and that your shareholder fees and the annual operating expenses for shares of the fund are exactly as described in the fee table. This example illustrates the effect of fees and expenses, but is not meant to suggest actual or expected fees and expenses or returns, all of which may vary. For every $10,000 you invested, here's how much you would pay in total expenses if you sell all of your shares at the end of each time period indicated:
| 1 year | $15 |
| 3 years | $48 |
| 5 years | $85 |
| 10 years | $192 |
Portfolio Turnover
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate was 14% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Principal Investment Risks
The performance of the fund and its index may vary somewhat due to factors such as fees and expenses of the fund, transaction costs, sample selection, regulatory restrictions, and timing differences associated with additions to and deletions from its index. Errors in the construction or calculation of the index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for some period of time, which may have an adverse impact on the fund and its shareholders.
An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Unlike individual debt securities, which typically pay principal at maturity, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate. You could lose money by investing in the fund.
Performance
Performance history will be available for the fund after the fund has been in operation for one calendar year.
Investment Adviser
Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (the Adviser), an affiliate of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR), is the fund's manager. Other investment advisers serve as sub-advisers for the fund.
Portfolio Manager(s)
Brandon Bettencourt (co-manager) has managed the fund since June 2018.
Jay Small (co-manager) has managed the fund since June 2018.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
The fund is an exchange-traded fund. Unlike shares of traditional mutual funds, shares of the fund are not individually redeemable and can be purchased and redeemed directly from the fund at NAV only in large increments called "Creation Units" (25,000 shares per Creation Unit) through certain participants, known as Authorized Participants, in the Depository Trust Company (DTC) or the Continuous Net Settlement System (CNSS) of the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The fund will issue or redeem Creation Units in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash.
Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. These transactions, which do not involve the fund, are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than a fund's NAV (premium) or less than a fund's NAV (discount).
The fund is open for business each day that either the listing exchange or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open.
Tax Information
Distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income tax and generally will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state or local taxes, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account (in which case you may be taxed later, upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
The fund, the Adviser, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), and/or their affiliates may pay intermediaries, which may include banks, broker-dealers, retirement plan sponsors, administrators, or service-providers (who may be affiliated with the Adviser or FDC), for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing your intermediary and your investment professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your investment professional or visit your intermediary's web site for more information.
Fund Basics
Investment Details
Investment Objective
Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF seeks to provide investment returns that correspond, before fees and expenses, generally to the performance of the Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Adviser normally invests at least 80% of the fund’s assets in securities included in the Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠. The index is designed to optimize the balance of interest rate risk and credit risk, such that both returns and risk measures may be improved relative to traditional U.S. investment grade floating rate note indices.
The universe of securities is intended to reflect a blend of two components: U.S. corporate floating rate notes with less than 5 years maturity and U.S. Treasury Notes with 7 to 10 years maturity.
The fund may not always hold all of the same securities as the Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠. The Adviser may use statistical sampling techniques to attempt to replicate the returns of the index using a smaller number of securities. Statistical sampling techniques attempt to match the investment characteristics of the index and the fund by taking into account such factors as duration, maturity, interest rate sensitivity, security structure, and credit quality.
The fund may not track the Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠ because differences between the index and the fund's portfolio can cause differences in performance. In addition, expenses and transaction costs, the size and frequency of cash flows into and out of the fund, and differences between how and when the fund and the index are valued can cause differences in performance.
The fund may lend securities to broker-dealers or other institutions to earn income.
The fund normally maintains a duration of 1 year or less. Duration is a measure of a bond's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates. For example, if a bond has a 1-year duration and interest rates rise 1%, the bond's value is likely to fall about 1%. Similarly, if a bond fund has a 1-year duration and interest rates rise 1%, the fund's value is likely to fall about 1%.
The fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers in a particular industry to approximately the same extent that the fund's index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry.
If the Adviser's strategies do not work as intended, the fund may not achieve its objective.
Description of Principal Security Types
Debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money. The issuer usually pays a fixed, variable, or floating rate of interest, and must repay the amount borrowed, usually at the maturity of the security. Some debt securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest but are sold at a discount from their face values. Floating rate notes are debt securities with interest rates that reset or adjust periodically by reference to a benchmark interest rate. Debt securities include corporate bonds, government securities (including Treasury securities), repurchase agreements, money market securities, mortgage and other asset-backed securities, loans and loan participations, and other securities believed to have debt-like characteristics, including hybrids and synthetic securities.
U.S. Government securities are high-quality securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government. U.S. Government securities may be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, the right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, or the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the security. U.S. Government securities include mortgage and other asset-backed securities.
Derivatives are investments whose values are tied to an underlying asset, instrument, currency, or index. Derivatives include futures, options, forwards, and swaps, such as interest rate swaps (exchanging a floating rate for a fixed rate), total return swaps (exchanging a floating rate for the total return of an index, security, or other instrument or investment) and credit default swaps (buying or selling credit default protection).
Principal Investment Risks
Many factors affect the fund's performance. The fund's share price and yield change daily based on changes in market conditions and interest rates and in response to other economic, political, or financial developments. The fund's reaction to these developments will be affected by the types and maturities of securities in which the fund invests, the financial condition, industry and economic sector, and geographic location of an issuer, and the fund's level of investment in the securities of that issuer. Unlike individual debt securities, which typically pay principal at maturity, the value of an investment in the fund will fluctuate. When you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you could lose money by investing in the fund.
The following factors can significantly affect the fund's performance:
Interest Rate Changes. Debt securities, including money market securities, have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. In general, the price of a debt security can fall when interest rates rise and can rise when interest rates fall. Securities with longer maturities and certain types of securities, such as mortgage securities and the securities of issuers in the financial services sector, can be more sensitive to interest rate changes, meaning the longer the maturity of a security, the greater the impact a change in interest rates could have on the security's price. Short-term and long-term interest rates do not necessarily move in the same amount or the same direction. Short-term securities tend to react to changes in short-term interest rates, and long-term securities tend to react to changes in long-term interest rates. Securities whose payment at maturity is based on the movement of all or part of an index and inflation-protected debt securities may react differently from other types of debt securities.
Floating Rate Notes. Securities with floating interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities typically will not increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest rates may result in a reduction in income received from floating rate notes held by the fund and may adversely affect the fund’s NAV. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes and thus are usually more volatile than securities with shorter durations.
Prepayment. Many types of debt securities, including mortgage securities, are subject to prepayment risk. Prepayment risk occurs when the issuer of a security can repay principal prior to the security's maturity. Securities subject to prepayment can offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and similar or greater potential for loss in a rising interest rate environment. In addition, the potential impact of prepayment features on the price of a debt security can be difficult to predict and result in greater volatility.
Issuer-Specific Changes. Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty (e.g., broker-dealer or other borrower in a securities lending transaction), changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a security's or instrument's credit quality or value. Entities providing credit support or a maturity-shortening structure also can be affected by these types of changes, and if the structure of a security fails to function as intended, the security could decline in value.
Fluctuation of Net Asset Value and Share Price. The NAV of the fund's shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the fund's holdings. The fund's shares are listed on an exchange and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV and supply and demand on the listing exchange. Although a share's market price is expected to approximate its NAV, it is possible that the market price and NAV will vary significantly. As a result, you may sustain losses if you pay more than the shares' NAV when you purchase shares, or receive less than the shares' NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. During periods of disruptions to creations and redemptions, the existence of extreme market volatility, or lack of an active trading market for the fund's shares, the market price of fund shares is more likely to differ significantly from the fund's NAV. During such periods, you may be unable to sell your shares or may incur significant losses if you sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of a fund. Disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants or market participants may also result in significant differences between the market price of the fund's shares and the fund's NAV. In addition, in stressed market conditions, the market for shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the fund's underlying portfolio holdings.
The market price of shares during the trading day, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a "bid/ask" spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers, or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid/ask spread can increase significantly. At those times, shares are most likely to be traded at a discount to NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. The Adviser expects that, under normal market conditions, large discounts or premiums to NAV will not be sustained in the long term because of arbitrage opportunities.
Information about the premiums and discounts at which the fund's shares have traded is available at www.fidelity.com.
Correlation to Index. The performance of the fund and its index may vary somewhat due to factors such as fees and expenses of the fund, transaction costs, imperfect correlation between the fund's securities and those in the index, timing differences associated with additions to and deletions from the index, and changes in the shares outstanding of the component securities. The fund may not be fully invested at times as a result of cash flows into the fund. The use of sampling techniques or futures or other derivative positions may affect the fund's ability to achieve close correlation with the index. In addition, the fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the index or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the index due to regulatory restrictions. Errors in the construction or calculation of the index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for some period of time, which may have an adverse impact on the fund and its shareholders.
Passive Management Risk. An index fund is managed with a passive investment strategy, attempting to track the performance of an unmanaged index of securities, regardless of the current or projected performance of the fund's index or of the actual securities included in the index. This differs from an actively managed fund, which typically seeks to outperform a benchmark index. As a result, an index fund's performance could be lower than actively managed funds that may shift their portfolio assets to take advantage of market opportunities or lessen the impact of a market decline or a decline in the value of one or more issuers. The structure and composition of an index fund's index will affect the performance, volatility, and risk of the index and, consequently, the performance, volatility, and risk of the fund. The fund will be concentrated to approximately the same extent that the fund's index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry.
Factor-Based Strategy Risk. Although the index uses a rules-based proprietary index methodology that seeks to optimize the balance of certain risks, there is no guarantee that this methodology will be successful. In addition, there may be periods when a particular factor is out of favor and therefore, during such periods, the investment performance of the fund may suffer.
Trading Issues. Although shares are listed on an exchange, there can be no assurance that an active trading market or requirements to remain listed will be met or maintained. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. The fund has a limited number of intermediaries that act as Authorized Participants. There are no obligations of market makers to make a market in the fund's shares or of Authorized Participants to submit purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. Decisions by market makers or Authorized Participants to reduce their role with respect to market making or creation and redemption activities during times of market stress, or a decline in the number of Authorized Participants due to decisions to exit the business, bankruptcy, or other factors, could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of the fund's portfolio securities and the market price of fund shares. To the extent no other Authorized Participants are able to step forward to create or redeem, shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting. In addition, trading of shares in the secondary market may be halted, for example, due to activation of marketwide "circuit breakers." If trading halts or an unanticipated early closing of the listing exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares of the fund. FDC, the distributor of the fund's shares, does not maintain a secondary market in the shares.
If the fund's shares are delisted from the listing exchange, the Adviser may seek to list the fund shares on another market, merge the fund with another exchange-traded fund or traditional mutual fund, or redeem the fund shares at NAV.
Shares of the fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short.
Leverage Risk. Derivatives, forward-settling securities, and short sale transactions involve leverage because they can provide investment exposure in an amount exceeding the initial investment. Leverage can magnify investment risks and cause losses to be realized more quickly. A small change in the underlying asset, instrument, or index can lead to a significant loss. Assets segregated to cover these transactions may decline in value and are not available to meet redemptions. Forward-settling securities and short sale transactions also involve the risk that a security will not be issued, delivered, available for purchase, or paid for when anticipated. An increase in the market price of securities sold short will result in a loss. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of these transactions and could limit a fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies.
Other Investment Strategies
In addition to the principal investment strategies discussed above, the Adviser may also use various techniques, such as buying and selling futures contracts, swaps, and exchange traded funds, to increase or decrease the fund's exposure to changing security prices, interest rates, credit qualities, or other factors that affect security values or to gain or reduce exposure to an asset, instrument, or index.
The Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠ is constructed using Fidelity's rules-based proprietary index methodology. The weight of each component in the blend is set to target a duration, which seeks to optimize the balance of credit risk and interest rate risk. The final weights of securities within the corporate floating rate notes component are determined by their market capitalization, subject to an issuer cap of 3.5%.
The Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠ is rebalanced monthly.
Shareholder Notice
The following is subject to change only upon 60 days' prior notice to shareholders:
Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF normally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities included in the Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠.
Valuing Shares
The fund is open for business each day that either the listing exchange or the NYSE is open.
The NAV is the value of a single share. Fidelity normally calculates NAV as of the close of regular trading hours on the listing exchange or the NYSE, normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The fund's assets normally are valued as of this time for the purpose of computing NAV. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
NAV is not calculated and the fund will not process purchase and redemption requests submitted on days when the fund is not open for business. The time at which shares are priced and until which purchase and redemption orders are accepted may be changed as permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Shares of the fund may be purchased through a broker in the secondary market by individual investors at market prices which may vary throughout the day and may differ from NAV.
To the extent that the fund's assets are traded in other markets on days when the fund is not open for business, the value of the fund's assets may be affected on those days. In addition, trading in some of the fund's assets may not occur on days when the fund is open for business.
Shares of open-end funds in which the fund may invest (referred to as underlying funds) are valued at their respective NAVs. NAV is calculated using the values of any underlying funds in which it invests. Other assets are valued primarily on the basis of market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service. Certain short-term securities are valued on the basis of amortized cost. If market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available or, in the Adviser's opinion, are deemed unreliable for a security, then that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Adviser in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. For example, if, in the Adviser's opinion, a security's value has been materially affected by events occurring before a fund's pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, then that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Adviser in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. Fair value pricing will be used for high yield debt securities when available pricing information is determined to be stale or for other reasons not to accurately reflect fair value.
Fair value pricing is based on subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value of a security may differ materially from the value that would be realized if the security were sold.
The intraday portfolio value of a Creation Unit on a per share basis will be disseminated every fifteen seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of ICE Data Indices, LLC. The intraday portfolio value has a securities component and a cash component reflecting cash and other assets that may be held by the fund. You should not view this intraday portfolio value as a "real-time\" update of the actual NAV because the intraday portfolio value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, and may not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a fund at a particular point in time. The fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of such amount and makes no warranty as to its accuracy.
Shareholder Information
Additional Information about the Purchase and Sale of Shares
As used in this prospectus, the term "shares" generally refers to the shares offered through this prospectus.
General Information
Information on Fidelity
Fidelity Investments was established in 1946 to manage one of America's first mutual funds. Today, Fidelity is one of the world's largest providers of financial services.
In addition to its fund business, the company operates one of America's leading brokerage firms, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC. Fidelity is also a leader in providing tax-advantaged retirement plans for individuals investing on their own or through their employer.
The Depository Trust Company (DTC) is a limited trust company and securities depository that facilitates the clearance and settlement of trades for its participating banks and broker-dealers. DTC has executed an agreement with FDC, the fund's distributor.
Buying and Selling Shares in the Secondary Market
Shares of the fund are listed and traded on an exchange, and individual fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker. The fund does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the fund purchased on an exchange. These transactions are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than the fund's NAV (premium) or less than the fund's NAV (discount). As a result, you may pay more than NAV when you purchase shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market. If you buy or sell shares in the secondary market, you will generally incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Due to such commissions and charges, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns.
The fund is designed to offer investors an investment that can be bought and sold frequently in the secondary market without impact on the fund, and such trading activity is critical to ensuring that the market price of fund shares remains at or close to NAV. Accordingly, the Board of Trustees has not adopted policies and procedures designed to discourage excessive or short-term trading by these investors.
The fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by Authorized Participants and does not place a limit on purchases or redemptions of Creation Units by these investors. The fund reserves the right, but does not have the obligation, to reject any purchase or redemption transaction at any time. In addition, the fund reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading.
Precautionary Notes
For example, you may be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase Creation Units from the fund, break them down into individual fund shares, and sell such shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new fund shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for fund shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person's activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Dealers who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with shares as part of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act.
This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, you should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the Securities Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the Securities Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the Securities Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange. Certain affiliates of the fund may purchase and resell fund shares pursuant to this prospectus.
Costs Associated with Creations and Redemptions
The fund may impose a creation transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of shares. The creation and redemption transaction fees applicable to the fund are listed below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash are also subject to a variable additional fee (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below). This fee is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. From time to time, the Adviser may cover the cost of any transaction fees when believed to be in the best interests of the fund.
The following table shows, as of August 31, 2019, the approximate value of one Creation Unit, standard fees and maximum additional transaction fees for creations and redemptions (as described above). These fees are payable only by investors who purchase shares directly from the fund. Retail investors who purchase shares through their brokerage account will not pay these fees.
| Name of Fund | Approximate Value of One Creation Unit | Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee | Maximum Additional Creation Transaction Fee* | Maximum Additional Redemption Transaction Fee* |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | $1,250,000 | $125 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
* As a percentage of the cash amount invested or redeemed.
Dividends and Capital Gain Distributions
The fund earns interest, dividends, and other income from its investments, and distributes this income (less expenses) to shareholders as dividends. The fund also realizes capital gains from its investments, and distributes these gains (less any losses) as capital gain distributions. If you purchased your shares in the secondary market, your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
The fund normally pays dividends monthly and capital gain distributions in December.
Tax Consequences
As with any investment, your investment in the fund could have tax consequences for you. If you are not investing through a tax-advantaged retirement account, you should consider these tax consequences.
Taxes on Distributions
Distributions investors receive are subject to federal income tax, and may also be subject to state or local taxes.
For federal tax purposes, certain distributions, including dividends and distributions of short-term capital gains, are taxable to investors as ordinary income, while certain distributions, including distributions of long-term capital gains, are taxable to investors generally as capital gains. A percentage of certain distributions of dividends may qualify for taxation at long-term capital gains rates (provided certain holding period requirements are met). Because the fund's income is primarily derived from interest, dividends from the fund generally will not qualify for the long-term capital gains tax rates available to individuals.
The fund generally expects to effect its creations and redemptions for cash rather than in-kind securities and may recognize more capital gains and be less tax-efficient than if it were to redeem in-kind. Because the fund generally expects to effect its redemptions for cash, rather than in-kind distributions, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds, which involves transaction costs. If the fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally will cause the fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required. The fund generally intends to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid being taxed on these gains at the fund level and otherwise comply with applicable tax rules. This may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to or at an earlier date then if the fund effected redemptions in-kind.
If investors buy shares when a fund has realized but not yet distributed income or capital gains, they will be "buying a dividend" by paying the full price for the shares and then receiving a portion of the price back in the form of a taxable distribution.
Any taxable distributions investors receive will normally be taxable to them when they receive them.
Taxes on Transactions
Purchases and sales of shares, as well as purchases and redemptions of Creation Units, may result in a capital gain or loss for federal tax purposes.
Fund Services
Fund Management
Adviser
FIMM. The Adviser is the fund's manager. The address of the Adviser is 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
As of December 31, 2018, the Adviser had approximately $868.5 billion in discretionary assets under management, and approximately $2.42 trillion when combined with all of its affiliates' assets under management.
As the manager, the Adviser has overall responsibility for directing the fund's investments and handling its business affairs.
Sub-Adviser(s)
FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (FMR UK), at 1 St. Martin's Le Grand, London, EC1A 4AS, United Kingdom, serves as a sub-adviser for the fund. As of December 31, 2018, FMR UK had approximately $20.2 billion in discretionary assets under management. FMR UK may provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States and may also provide investment advisory services for the fund. FMR UK is an affiliate of the Adviser.
Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.), at Floor 19, 41 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong, serves as a sub-adviser for the fund. As of December 31, 2018, FMR H.K. had approximately $15.3 billion in discretionary assets under management. FMR H.K. may provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States and may also provide investment advisory services for the fund. FMR H.K. is an affiliate of the Adviser.
Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan), at Kamiyacho Prime Place, 1-17, Toranomon-4-Chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, serves as a sub-adviser for the fund. FMR Japan was organized in 2008 to provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States. FMR Japan may provide investment research and advice on issuers based outside the United States and may also provide investment advisory services for the fund. FMR Japan is an affiliate of the Adviser.
Portfolio Manager(s)
Brandon Bettencourt is co-manager of the fund, which he has managed since June 2018. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2008, Mr. Bettencourt has worked as a research associate, portfolio analyst, and portfolio manager.
Jay Small is co-manager of the fund, which he has managed since June 2018. He also manages other funds. Since joining Fidelity Investments in 2010, Mr. Small has worked as a corporate bond trader and portfolio manager.
The statement of additional information (SAI) provides additional information about the compensation of, any other accounts managed by, and any fund shares held by the portfolio manager(s).
From time to time a manager, analyst, or other Fidelity employee may express views regarding a particular company, security, industry, or market sector. The views expressed by any such person are the views of only that individual as of the time expressed and do not necessarily represent the views of Fidelity or any other person in the Fidelity organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and Fidelity disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a Fidelity® fund are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any Fidelity® fund.
Advisory Fee(s)
The fund pays a management fee to the Adviser. The management fee is calculated and paid to the Adviser every month. The Adviser pays all of the other expenses of the fund with limited exceptions.
The fund's annual management fee rate is 0.15% of its average net assets.
The Adviser pays FMR UK, FMR H.K., and FMR Japan for providing sub-advisory services.
The basis for the Board of Trustees approving the management contract and sub-advisory agreements for the fund is available in the fund’s annual report for the fiscal period ended August 31, 2018.
From time to time, the Adviser or its affiliates may agree to reimburse or waive certain fund expenses while retaining the ability to be repaid if expenses fall below the specified limit prior to the end of the fiscal year.
Reimbursement or waiver arrangements can decrease expenses and boost performance.
Fund Distribution
FDC distributes the fund's shares.
Intermediaries may receive from the Adviser, FDC, and/or their affiliates compensation for providing recordkeeping and administrative services, as well as other retirement plan expenses, and compensation for services intended to result in the sale of fund shares. These payments are described in more detail in this section and in the SAI.
Distribution and Service Plan(s)
While the fund will not make direct payments for distribution or shareholder support services, the fund has adopted a Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) with respect to its shares. The Plan recognizes that the Adviser or FMR may use its management fee revenues, as well as its past profits or its resources from any other source, to pay FDC for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund and/or shareholder support services. The Adviser or FMR, directly or through FDC, may pay significant amounts to intermediaries that provide those services. Currently, the Board of Trustees of the fund has authorized such payments for shares of the fund.
If payments made by the Adviser or FMR to FDC or to intermediaries under the Distribution and Service Plan were considered to be paid out of the fund's assets on an ongoing basis, they might increase the cost of your investment and might cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
No dealer, sales representative, or any other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations, other than those contained in this prospectus and in the related SAI, in connection with the offer contained in this prospectus. If given or made, such other information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the fund or FDC. This prospectus and the related SAI do not constitute an offer by the fund or by FDC to sell shares of the fund to or to buy shares of the fund from any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer.
Other Service Providers
State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as the fund's transfer agent and custodian, and is located at One Heritage Drive, Floor 1, North Quincy, Massachusetts, 02171 and 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, respectively.
Appendix
Financial Highlights
Financial Highlights are intended to help you understand the financial history of fund shares for the past 5 years (or, if shorter, the period of operations). Certain information reflects financial results for a single share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in shares (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The annual information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with fund financial statements, is included in the annual report. Annual reports are available for free upon request.
Financial Highlights — Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF
|
Year ended
August 31, 2019 |
Year ended
August 31, 2018A |
|
| Selected Per-Share Data | ||
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 50.10 | $ 50.00 |
| Income from Investment Operations | ||
| Net investment income (loss)B | 1.479 | 0.279 |
| Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | 0.469 | 0.096 |
| Total from investment operations | 1.948 | 0.375 |
| Distributions from net investment income | (1.338) | (0.275) |
| Total distributions | (1.338) | (0.275) |
| Net asset value, end of period | $ 50.71 | $ 50.10 |
| Total ReturnC,D | 3.95% | 0.75% |
| Ratios to Average Net AssetsE,F | ||
| Expense before reductions | .15% | .15%G |
| Expenses net of fee waivers, if any | .15% | .15%G |
| Expenses net of all reductions | .15% | .15%G |
| Net investment income (loss) | 2.90% | 2.51%G |
| Supplemental Data | ||
| Net assets, end of period (000 omitted) | $109,024 | $10,020 |
| Portfolio turnover rateH | 14% | 2%I |
A For the period June 12, 2018 (commencement of operations) to August 31, 2018.
B Calculated based on average shares outstanding during the period.
C Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.
D Total returns would have been lower if certain expenses had not been reduced during the applicable periods shown.
E Expense ratios reflect operating expenses of the Fund. Expenses before reductions do not reflect amounts reimbursed by the investment adviser or reductions from brokerage service arrangements or reductions from other expense offset arrangements and do not represent the amount paid by the Fund during periods when reimbursements or reductions occur. Expenses net of fee waivers reflect expenses after reimbursement by the investment adviser but prior to the reductions from brokerage service arrangements or other expense offset arrangements. Expenses net of all reductions represent the net expenses paid by the Fund but do not include expenses of the investment companies in which the fund invests.
F Fees and expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds are not included in the Funds' expense ratio. Each Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of expenses of any underlying Fidelity Central Funds.
G Annualized.
H Amount does not include the portfolio activity of any underlying funds.
I Amount not annualized.
Additional Index Information
The Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠ is designed to optimize the balance of interest rate risk and credit risk such that both returns and risk measures may be improved relative to traditional U.S. investment grade floating rate note indices.
The Fidelity index listed above was created by the FMR Co., Inc. (FMRC), an affiliate of the Adviser, using a rules-based proprietary index methodology described for the fund under the heading "Other Investment Strategies" in the "Fund Basics - Investment Details" section of this prospectus.
The fund is entitled to use its Index pursuant to a licensing arrangement with FMRC.
The fund and FMRC have each adopted policies and procedures designed to minimize potential conflicts of interest in connection with the management of the fund.
Additional information regarding the Index is available on www.fidelity.com.
BLOOMBERG is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. or its affiliates. Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, “Bloomberg”) are not affiliated with FMRC (“Client”). Bloomberg’s association with Client is to act as the calculation agent of The Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index℠, which is the property of Client. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accuracy, or completeness of any data or information relating to the Index. Bloomberg makes no warranty, express or implied, as to the Index, any data or values relating thereto or any financial product or instrument linked to, using as a component thereof or based on the Index (“Products”) or results to be obtained therefrom, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect thereto. To the maximum extent allowed by law, Bloomberg, its licensors, and its and their respective employees, contractors, agents, suppliers, and vendors shall have no liability or responsibility whatsoever for any injury or damages—whether direct, indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive, or otherwise—arising in connection with the Index, any data or values relating thereto or any Products—whether arising from their negligence or otherwise.
FMRC is the index provider. FMRC is an affiliated person of the fund's investment adviser and as such is an affiliated index provider. FMRC makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the fund particularly or the ability of the fund to track the Index or of the ability of the Index to operate as designed. FMRC has no obligation to take the needs of the funds or the owners of shares of the funds into consideration in determining, composing, or calculating the Index. FMRC does not make 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. FMRC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or performance of the Index or the data included therein and shall have no liability in connection with the Index or Index calculation, errors, omissions or interruptions of any Fidelity Index or any data included therein. FMRC has contracted with an independent calculation agent to calculate the Index. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall FMRC have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Index, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Supplemental Information
The following table provides information about the premiums and discounts at which the fund's shares have traded on the listing exchange or the NYSE. The table shows the number of trading days, during the most recently completed calendar year and any quarters since that year on which the closing market price of the fund's shares was above (or equal to) or below the fund's NAV. The table also shows information regarding the frequency of these deviations.
Premiums or discounts are the differences (expressed as a basis point differential with 1 basis point equaling 1/100 of 1%) between the fund's NAV and the closing market price. A premium indicates that the closing market price is trading above the NAV. A discount indicates that the closing market price is trading below the NAV. A discrepancy may exist with respect to the timing of when the NAV is calculated and the determination of the closing market price.
Secondary market transactions are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may differ from the fund's NAV. As a result, you may pay more than NAV when you purchase shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market.
Calendar Year 2018*
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 12 | 8.70% | 112 | 81.16% |
| 25 - <50 | 0 | -- | 13 | 9.42% |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 1 | 0.72% |
| Total | 12 | 8.70% | 126 | 91.30% |
* From June 14, 2018, date initially listed on the CboeBZX exchange.
Period Ended September 30, 2019(a)
| Closing Price Below NAV | Closing Price Above or Equal to NAV | |||
| Basis Point Differential | Number of Days | % of Total Days | Number of Days | % of Total Days |
| 0 - <25 | 1 | 0.53% | 187 | 99.47% |
| 25 - <50 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 50 - <75 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 75 - <100 | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| 100 or above | 0 | -- | 0 | -- |
| Total | 1 | 0.53% | 187 | 99.47% |
(a) From January 1, 2019
The preceding data represents past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.
You can obtain additional information about the fund. A description of the fund's policies and procedures for disclosing its holdings is available in its SAI and on Fidelity's web sites. The SAI also includes more detailed information about the fund and its investments. The SAI is incorporated herein by reference (legally forms a part of the prospectus). The fund's annual and semi-annual reports also include additional information. The fund's annual report includes a discussion of the fund's holdings and recent market conditions and the fund's investment strategies that affected performance.
For a free copy of any of these documents or to request other information or ask questions about the fund, call Fidelity at 1-800-FIDELITY. In addition, you may visit Fidelity's web site at www.fidelity.com for a free copy of a prospectus, SAI, or annual or semi-annual report or to request other information.
The SAI, the fund's annual and semi-annual reports and other related materials are available from the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) Database on the SEC's web site (http://www.sec.gov). You can obtain copies of this information, after paying a duplicating fee, by sending a request by e-mail to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520. You can also review and copy information about the fund, including the fund's SAI, at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Call 1-202-551-8090 for information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room.
Investment Company Act of 1940, File Number, 811-22796
FDC is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). You may obtain information about SIPC, including the SIPC brochure, by visiting www.sipc.org or calling SIPC at 202-371-8300.
Fidelity Investments & Pyramid Design and Fidelity are registered service marks of FMR LLC. © 2019 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Fidelity Low Duration Investment Grade Factor Index is a service mark of FMR LLC.
Any third-party marks that may appear above are the marks of their respective owners.
| 1.9887640.103 | LDE-PRO-1219 |
| Fund | Ticker |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | FCOR |
Fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
December 30, 2019
This statement of additional information (SAI) is not a prospectus. Portions of the fund's annual report are incorporated herein. The annual report is supplied with this SAI.
To obtain a free additional copy of the prospectus or SAI, dated December 30, 2019, or an annual report, please call Fidelity at 1-800-FIDELITY or visit Fidelity’s web site at www.fidelity.com.
T12-PTB-1219
1.9860542.105
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND(S)
Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF (the fund) is a diversified actively-managed exchange-traded fund that seeks a high level of current income. The fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at net asset value per share (NAV) in aggregations of a specified number of shares called "Creation Units." Creation Units generally are issued in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. Shares are listed and traded on an exchange. Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from the shares' NAV. Shares are not individually redeemable, but are redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. A Creation Unit of the fund consists of a block of 50,000 shares. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants (as defined herein), therefore, will not be able to purchase or redeem shares directly with or from the fund. Instead, most shareholders who are not Authorized Participants will buy and sell shares in the secondary market through a broker.
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS
The following policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the fund's assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the fund's acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the fund's investment policies and limitations.
The fund's fundamental investment policies and limitations cannot be changed without approval by a "majority of the outstanding voting securities" (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act)) of the fund. However, except for the fundamental investment limitations listed below, the investment policies and limitations described in this SAI are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The following are the fund's fundamental investment limitations set forth in their entirety.
Diversification
The fund may not with respect to 75% of the fund's total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, (a) more than 5% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (b) the fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Senior Securities
The fund may not issue senior securities, except in connection with the insurance program established by the fund pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission or as otherwise permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Borrowing
The fund may not borrow money, except that the fund may borrow money for temporary or emergency purposes (not for leveraging or investment) in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount will be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33 1/3% limitation.
Underwriting
The fund may not underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in the disposition of restricted securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies.
Concentration
The fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) looks through to the U.S. Government securities.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in Fidelity® Money Market Central Fund and/or any non-money market central fund, FIMM looks through to the holdings of the central fund.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, FIMM may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and security and assign an industry or sector classification consistent with those characteristics in the event that the third-party classification provider used by FIMM does not assign a classification.
Real Estate
The fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).
Commodities
The fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
Loans
The fund may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, but this limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.
The following investment limitations are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
Short Sales
The fund does not currently intend to sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short, and provided that transactions in futures contracts, options, and swaps are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.
Margin Purchases
The fund does not currently intend to purchase securities on margin, except that the fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions, and provided that margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.
Borrowing
The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements are treated as borrowings for purposes of the fundamental borrowing investment limitation).
Illiquid Securities
The fund does not currently intend to purchase any security if, as a result, more than 10% of its net assets would be invested in securities that are deemed to be illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business at approximately the prices at which they are valued.
For purposes of the fund's illiquid securities limitation discussed above, if through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, the fund were in a position where more than 10% of its net assets were invested in illiquid securities, it would consider appropriate steps to protect liquidity.
Loans
The fund does not currently intend to lend assets other than securities to other parties, except by (a) lending money (up to 15% of the fund's net assets) to a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) assuming any unfunded commitments in connection with the acquisition of loans, loan participations, or other forms of debt instruments. (This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities, to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.)
In addition to the fund's fundamental and non-fundamental investment limitations discussed above:
In order to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the fund currently intends to comply with certain diversification limits imposed by Subchapter M.
The following pages contain more detailed information about types of instruments in which the fund may invest, techniques the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may employ in pursuit of the fund's investment objective, and a summary of related risks. The fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may not buy all of these instruments or use all of these techniques unless it believes that doing so will help the fund achieve its goal. However, the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) is not required to buy any particular instrument or use any particular technique even if to do so might benefit the fund.
On the following pages in this section titled "Investment Policies and Limitations," and except as otherwise indicated, references to "an adviser" or "the adviser" may relate to the fund's adviser or a sub-adviser, as applicable.
Affiliated Bank Transactions. A Fidelity® fund may engage in transactions with financial institutions that are, or may be considered to be, "affiliated persons" of the fund under the 1940 Act. These transactions may involve repurchase agreements with custodian banks; short-term obligations of, and repurchase agreements with, the 50 largest U.S. banks (measured by deposits); municipal securities; U.S. Government securities with affiliated financial institutions that are primary dealers in these securities; short-term currency transactions; and short-term borrowings. In accordance with exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Board of Trustees has established and periodically reviews procedures applicable to transactions involving affiliated financial institutions.
Asset-Backed Securities represent interests in pools of mortgages, loans, receivables, or other assets. Payment of interest and repayment of principal may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities and, in certain cases, supported by letters of credit, surety bonds, or other credit enhancements. Asset-backed security values may also be affected by other factors including changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the loans or receivables, or the entities providing the credit enhancement. In addition, these securities may be subject to prepayment risk. Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) are a type of asset-backed security. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CLOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses. For CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class. Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CLOs may be characterized by a fund as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions.
Borrowing. If a fund borrows money, its share price may be subject to greater fluctuation until the borrowing is paid off. If a fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage.
Cash Management. A fund may hold uninvested cash or may invest it in cash equivalents such as money market securities, repurchase agreements, or shares of short-term bond or money market funds, including (for Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients only) shares of Fidelity® central funds. Generally, these securities offer less potential for gains than other types of securities.
Central Funds are special types of investment vehicles created by Fidelity for use by the Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients. Central funds are used to invest in particular security types or investment disciplines, or for cash management. Central funds incur certain costs related to their investment activity (such as custodial fees and expenses), but do not pay additional management fees. The investment results of the portions of a Fidelity® fund's assets invested in the central funds will be based upon the investment results of those funds.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Notice of Exclusion. The trust, on behalf of the Fidelity® fund to which this SAI relates, has filed with the National Futures Association a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and the rules of the CFTC promulgated thereunder, with respect to the fund's operation. Accordingly, neither a fund nor its adviser is subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool or a CPO. However, the CFTC has adopted certain rule amendments that significantly affect the continued availability of this exclusion, and may subject advisers to funds to regulation by the CFTC. As of the date of this SAI, the adviser does not expect to register as a CPO of the fund. However, there is no certainty that a fund or its adviser will be able to rely on an exclusion in the future as the fund's investments change over time. A fund may determine not to use investment strategies that trigger additional CFTC regulation or may determine to operate subject to CFTC regulation, if applicable. If a fund or its adviser operates subject to CFTC regulation, it may incur additional expenses.
Dollar-Weighted Average Maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each security by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a fund's portfolio. An obligation's maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule.
Under certain circumstances, a fund may invest in nominally long-term securities that have maturity shortening features of shorter-term securities, and the maturities of these securities may be deemed to be earlier than their ultimate maturity dates by virtue of an existing demand feature or an adjustable interest rate. Under other circumstances, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. The maturities of mortgage securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and some asset-backed securities are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For a mortgage security, this average time is calculated by estimating the timing of principal payments, including unscheduled prepayments, during the life of the mortgage. The weighted average life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity.
Duration is a measure of a bond's price sensitivity to a change in its yield. For example, if a bond has a 5-year duration and its yield rises 1%, the bond's value is likely to fall about 5%. Similarly, if a bond fund has a 5-year average duration and the yield on each of the bonds held by the fund rises 1%, the fund's value is likely to fall about 5%. For funds with exposure to foreign markets, there are many reasons why all of the bond holdings do not experience the same yield changes. These reasons include: the bonds are spread off of different yield curves around the world and these yield curves do not move in tandem; the shapes of these yield curves change; and sector and issuer yield spreads change. Other factors can influence a bond fund's performance and share price. Accordingly, a bond fund's actual performance will likely differ from the example.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are shares of other investment companies, commodity pools, or other entities that are traded on an exchange. Typically, assets underlying the ETF shares are stocks, though they may also be commodities or other instruments. An ETF may seek to replicate the performance of a specific index or may be actively managed.
Typically, shares of an ETF that tracks an index are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark increases. However, in the case of inverse ETFs (also called "short ETFs" or "bear ETFs"), ETF shares are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark decreases. Inverse ETFs seek to deliver the opposite of the performance of the benchmark they track and are often marketed as a way for investors to profit from, or at least hedge their exposure to, downward moving markets. Investments in inverse ETFs are similar to holding short positions in the underlying benchmark.
ETF shares are redeemable only in large blocks of shares often called "creation units" by persons other than a fund, and are redeemed principally in-kind at each day's next calculated net asset value per share (NAV). ETFs typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by a fund. A fund's purchase of ETFs results in the layering of expenses, such that the fund would indirectly bear a proportionate share of any ETF's operating expenses. Further, while traditional investment companies are continuously offered at NAV, ETFs are traded in the secondary market (e.g., on a stock exchange) on an intra-day basis at prices that may be above or below the value of their underlying portfolios.
Some of the risks of investing in an ETF that tracks an index are similar to those of investing in an indexed mutual fund, including tracking error risk (the risk of errors in matching the ETF's underlying assets to the index or other benchmark); and the risk that because an ETF that tracks an index is not actively managed, it cannot sell stocks or other assets as long as they are represented in the index or other benchmark. Other ETF risks include the risk that ETFs may trade in the secondary market at a discount from their NAV and the risk that the ETFs may not be liquid. ETFs also may be leveraged. Leveraged ETFs seek to deliver multiples of the performance of the index or other benchmark they track and use derivatives in an effort to amplify the returns (or decline, in the case of inverse ETFs) of the underlying index or benchmark. While leveraged ETFs may offer the potential for greater return, the potential for loss and the speed at which losses can be realized also are greater. Most leveraged and inverse ETFs "reset" daily, meaning they are designed to achieve their stated objectives on a daily basis. Leveraged and inverse ETFs can deviate substantially from the performance of their underlying benchmark over longer periods of time, particularly in volatile periods.
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) are a type of senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt security issued by financial institutions that combines aspects of both bonds and ETFs. An ETN's returns are based on the performance of a market index or other reference asset minus fees and expenses. Similar to ETFs, ETNs are listed on an exchange and traded in the secondary market. However, unlike an ETF, an ETN can be held until the ETN's maturity, at which time the issuer will pay a return linked to the performance of the market index or other reference asset to which the ETN is linked minus certain fees. Unlike regular bonds, ETNs typically do not make periodic interest payments and principal typically is not protected.
ETNs also incur certain expenses not incurred by their applicable index. The market value of an ETN is determined by supply and demand, the current performance of the index or other reference asset, and the credit rating of the ETN issuer. The market value of ETN shares may differ from their intraday indicative value. The value of an ETN may also change due to a change in the issuer's credit rating. As a result, there may be times when an ETN's share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV. Some ETNs that use leverage in an effort to amplify the returns of an underlying index or other reference asset can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs may offer the potential for greater return, but the potential for loss and speed at which losses can be realized also are greater.
Exposure to Foreign and Emerging Markets. Foreign securities, foreign currencies, and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.
Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political, economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments, and may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors. Such actions may include expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or convert currency into U.S. dollars, or other government intervention. From time to time, a fund's adviser and/or its affiliates may determine that, as a result of regulatory requirements that may apply to the adviser and/or its affiliates due to investments in a particular country, investments in the securities of issuers domiciled or listed on trading markets in that country above certain thresholds (which may apply at the account level or in the aggregate across all accounts managed by the adviser and its affiliates) may be impractical or undesirable. In such instances, the adviser may limit or exclude investment in a particular issuer, and investment flexibility may be restricted. Additionally, governmental issuers of foreign debt securities may be unwilling to pay interest and repay principal when due and may require that the conditions for payment be renegotiated. There is no assurance that a fund's adviser will be able to anticipate these potential events or counter their effects. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies and of dividends and interest paid with respect to such securities will fluctuate based on the relative strength of the U.S. dollar.
It is anticipated that in most cases the best available market for foreign securities will be on an exchange or in over-the-counter (OTC) markets located outside of the United States. Foreign stock markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as those in the United States, and securities of some foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign security trading, settlement and custodial practices (including those involving securities settlement where fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment) are often less developed than those in U.S. markets, and may result in increased investment or valuation risk or substantial delays in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of, or breach of duty by, a foreign broker-dealer, securities depository, or foreign subcustodian. In addition, the costs associated with foreign investments, including withholding taxes, brokerage commissions, and custodial costs, are generally higher than with U.S. investments.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S. markets. Foreign issuers are generally not bound by uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available, and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding corporate actions on a timely basis. In general, there is less overall governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers, and listed companies than in the United States. OTC markets tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain countries, may be totally unregulated. Regulatory enforcement may be influenced by economic or political concerns, and investors may have difficulty enforcing their legal rights in foreign countries.
Some foreign securities impose restrictions on transfer within the United States or to U.S. persons. Although securities subject to such transfer restrictions may be marketable abroad, they may be less liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject to such restrictions.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) as well as other "hybrid" forms of ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include foreign exchange risk as well as the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer's country.
The risks of foreign investing may be magnified for investments in emerging markets. Security prices in emerging markets can be significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets, reflecting the greater uncertainties of investing in less established markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times.
Foreign Currency Transactions. A fund may conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) or forward basis (i.e., by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies). Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for such conversions, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the counterparty desire to resell that currency to the dealer. Forward contracts are customized transactions that require a specific amount of a currency to be delivered at a specific exchange rate on a specific date or range of dates in the future. Forward contracts are generally traded in an interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The parties to a forward contract may agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity, or may hold the contract to maturity and complete the contemplated currency exchange.
The following discussion summarizes the principal currency management strategies involving forward contracts that could be used by a fund. A fund may also use swap agreements, indexed securities, and options and futures contracts relating to foreign currencies for the same purposes. Forward contracts not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying currency. All of these instruments and transactions are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default.
A "settlement hedge" or "transaction hedge" is designed to protect a fund against an adverse change in foreign currency values between the date a security denominated in a foreign currency is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in an underlying security transaction for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars "locks in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. Forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency may also be used to protect a fund in anticipation of future purchases or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected.
A fund may also use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in a foreign currency. For example, if a fund owned securities denominated in pounds sterling, it could enter into a forward contract to sell pounds sterling in return for U.S. dollars to hedge against possible declines in the pound's value. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a "position hedge," would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. A fund could also attempt to hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the pound sterling. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.
A fund may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another. This may include shifting exposure from U.S. dollars to a foreign currency, or from one foreign currency to another foreign currency. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-hedge," will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, much as if a fund had sold a security denominated in one currency and purchased an equivalent security denominated in another. A fund may cross-hedge its U.S. dollar exposure in order to achieve a representative weighted mix of the major currencies in its benchmark index and/or to cover an underweight country or region exposure in its portfolio. Cross-hedges protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency, but will cause a fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.
Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on an adviser's skill in analyzing currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change a fund's investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to a fund if currencies do not perform as an adviser anticipates. For example, if a currency's value rose at a time when a fund had hedged its position by selling that currency in exchange for dollars, the fund would not participate in the currency's appreciation. If a fund hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the fund could realize currency losses from both the hedge and the security position if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if a fund increases its exposure to a foreign currency and that currency's value declines, the fund will realize a loss. Foreign currency transactions involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that a fund's hedging strategies will be ineffective. Moreover, it is impossible to precisely forecast the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, a fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expenses of such transaction), if an adviser's predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate.
A fund may be required to limit its hedging transactions in foreign currency forwards, futures, and options in order to maintain its classification as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code (Code). Hedging transactions could result in the application of the mark-to-market provisions of the Code, which may cause an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by a fund and could affect whether dividends paid by a fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income. A fund will cover its exposure to foreign currency transactions with liquid assets in compliance with applicable requirements. There is no assurance that an adviser's use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to a fund or that it will employ currency management strategies at appropriate times.
Options and Futures Relating to Foreign Currencies. Currency futures contracts are similar to forward currency exchange contracts, except that they are traded on exchanges (and have margin requirements) and are standardized as to contract size and delivery date. Most currency futures contracts call for payment or delivery in U.S. dollars. The underlying instrument of a currency option may be a foreign currency, which generally is purchased or delivered in exchange for U.S. dollars, or may be a futures contract. The purchaser of a currency call obtains the right to purchase the underlying currency, and the purchaser of a currency put obtains the right to sell the underlying currency.
The uses and risks of currency options and futures are similar to options and futures relating to securities or indexes, as discussed below. A fund may purchase and sell currency futures and may purchase and write currency options to increase or decrease its exposure to different foreign currencies. Currency options may also be purchased or written in conjunction with each other or with currency futures or forward contracts. Currency futures and options values can be expected to correlate with exchange rates, but may not reflect other factors that affect the value of a fund's investments. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a Yen-denominated security from a decline in the Yen, but will not protect a fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer's creditworthiness. Because the value of a fund's foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the fund's investments exactly over time.
Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of the fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options.
Funds of Funds and Other Large Shareholders. Certain Fidelity® funds and accounts (including funds of funds) invest in other funds ("underlying funds") and, as a result, may at times have substantial investments in one or more underlying funds.
An underlying fund may experience large redemptions or investments due to transactions in its shares by funds of funds, other large shareholders, or similarly managed accounts. While it is impossible to predict the overall effect of these transactions over time, there could be an adverse impact on an underlying fund's performance. In the event of such redemptions or investments, an underlying fund could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it may not otherwise desire to do so. Such transactions may increase an underlying fund's brokerage and/or other transaction costs and affect the liquidity of a fund's portfolio. In addition, when funds of funds or other investors own a substantial portion of an underlying fund's shares, a large redemption by such an investor could cause actual expenses to increase, or could result in the underlying fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the underlying fund's expense ratio. Redemptions of underlying fund shares could also accelerate the realization of taxable capital gains in the fund if sales of securities result in capital gains. The impact of these transactions is likely to be greater when a fund of funds or other significant investor purchases, redeems, or owns a substantial portion of the underlying fund's shares.
When possible, Fidelity will consider how to minimize these potential adverse effects, and may take such actions as it deems appropriate to address potential adverse effects, including redemption of shares in-kind rather than in cash or carrying out the transactions over a period of time, although there can be no assurance that such actions will be successful. A high volume of redemption requests can impact an underlying fund the same way as the transactions of a single shareholder with substantial investments. As an additional safeguard, Fidelity® fund of funds may manage the placement of their redemption requests in a manner designed to minimize the impact of such requests on the day-to-day operations of the underlying funds in which they invest. This may involve, for example, redeeming its shares of an underlying fund gradually over time.
Fund's Rights as an Investor. Fidelity® funds do not intend to direct or administer the day-to-day operations of any company. A fund may, however, exercise its rights as a shareholder or lender and may communicate its views on important matters of policy to a company's management, board of directors, and shareholders, and holders of a company's other securities when such matters could have a significant effect on the value of the fund's investment in the company. The activities in which a fund may engage, either individually or in conjunction with others, may include, among others, supporting or opposing proposed changes in a company's corporate structure or business activities; seeking changes in a company's directors or management; seeking changes in a company's direction or policies; seeking the sale or reorganization of the company or a portion of its assets; supporting or opposing third-party takeover efforts; supporting the filing of a bankruptcy petition; or foreclosing on collateral securing a security. This area of corporate activity is increasingly prone to litigation and it is possible that a fund could be involved in lawsuits related to such activities. Such activities will be monitored with a view to mitigating, to the extent possible, the risk of litigation against a fund and the risk of actual liability if a fund is involved in litigation. No guarantee can be made, however, that litigation against a fund will not be undertaken or liabilities incurred. A fund's proxy voting guidelines are included in its SAI.
Futures, Options, and Swaps. The success of any strategy involving futures, options, and swaps depends on an adviser's analysis of many economic and mathematical factors and a fund's return may be higher if it never invested in such instruments. Additionally, some of the contracts discussed below are new instruments without a trading history and there can be no assurance that a market for the instruments will continue to exist. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of such instruments and could limit a fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies. If a fund invests a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, its investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own.
The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which a fund may enter into futures, options on futures, and forward contracts.
Futures Contracts. In purchasing a futures contract, the buyer agrees to purchase a specified underlying instrument at a specified future date. In selling a futures contract, the seller agrees to sell a specified underlying instrument at a specified date. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts and the price at which the purchase and sale will take place is fixed when the buyer and seller enter into the contract. Some currently available futures contracts are based on specific securities or baskets of securities, some are based on commodities or commodities indexes (for funds that seek commodities exposure), and some are based on indexes of securities prices (including foreign indexes for funds that seek foreign exposure). In addition, some currently available futures contracts are based on Eurodollars. Positions in Eurodollar futures reflect market expectations of forward levels of three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rates. Futures on indexes and futures not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying instrument. Futures can be held until their delivery dates, or can be closed out by offsetting purchases or sales of futures contracts before then if a liquid market is available. A fund may realize a gain or loss by closing out its futures contracts.
The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of its underlying instrument. Therefore, purchasing futures contracts will tend to increase a fund's exposure to positive and negative price fluctuations in the underlying instrument, much as if it had purchased the underlying instrument directly. When a fund sells a futures contract, by contrast, the value of its futures position will tend to move in a direction contrary to the market for the underlying instrument. Selling futures contracts, therefore, will tend to offset both positive and negative market price changes, much as if the underlying instrument had been sold.
The purchaser or seller of a futures contract or an option for a futures contract is not required to deliver or pay for the underlying instrument or the final cash settlement price, as applicable, unless the contract is held until the delivery date. However, both the purchaser and seller are required to deposit "initial margin" with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant (FCM), when the contract is entered into. If the value of either party's position declines, that party will be required to make additional "variation margin" payments to settle the change in value on a daily basis. This process of "marking to market" will be reflected in the daily calculation of open positions computed in a fund's NAV. The party that has a gain is entitled to receive all or a portion of this amount. Initial and variation margin payments do not constitute purchasing securities on margin for purposes of a fund's investment limitations. Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a fund, but is instead a settlement between a fund and the FCM of the amount one would owe the other if the fund's contract expired. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of a fund, the fund may be entitled to return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM's other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the fund. A fund is also required to segregate liquid assets equivalent to the fund's outstanding obligations under the contract in excess of the initial margin and variation margin, if any.
Although futures exchanges generally operate similarly in the United States and abroad, foreign futures exchanges may follow trading, settlement, and margin procedures that are different from those for U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts traded outside the United States may not involve a clearing mechanism or related guarantees and may involve greater risk of loss than U.S.-traded contracts, including potentially greater risk of losses due to insolvency of a futures broker, exchange member, or other party that may owe initial or variation margin to a fund. Because initial and variation margin payments may be measured in foreign currency, a futures contract traded outside the United States may also involve the risk of foreign currency fluctuation.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time. Exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for futures contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or other market conditions, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its futures positions could also be impaired. These risks may be heightened for commodity futures contracts, which have historically been subject to greater price volatility than exists for instruments such as stocks and bonds.
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded futures contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the futures position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Futures prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's futures positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments. In addition, the price of a commodity futures contract can reflect the storage costs associated with the purchase of the physical commodity.
Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to the manner in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that a fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of these futures contracts will not vary in direct proportion to the value of the fund's holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.
Options. By purchasing a put option, the purchaser obtains the right (but not the obligation) to sell the option's underlying instrument at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the purchaser pays the current market price for the option (known as the option premium). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific assets or securities, baskets of assets or securities, indexes of securities or commodities prices, and futures contracts (including commodity futures contracts). Options may be traded on an exchange or OTC. The purchaser may terminate its position in a put option by allowing it to expire or by exercising the option. If the option is allowed to expire, the purchaser will lose the entire premium. If the option is exercised, the purchaser completes the sale of the underlying instrument at the strike price. Depending on the terms of the contract, upon exercise, an option may require physical delivery of the underlying instrument or may be settled through cash payments. A purchaser may also terminate a put option position by closing it out in the secondary market at its current price, if a liquid secondary market exists.
The buyer of a typical put option can expect to realize a gain if the underlying instrument's price falls substantially. However, if the underlying instrument's price does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer can expect to suffer a loss (limited to the amount of the premium, plus related transaction costs).
The features of call options are essentially the same as those of put options, except that the purchaser of a call option obtains the right (but not the obligation) to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option's strike price. A call buyer typically attempts to participate in potential price increases of the underlying instrument with risk limited to the cost of the option if the underlying instrument's price falls. At the same time, the buyer can expect to suffer a loss if the underlying instrument's price does not rise sufficiently to offset the cost of the option.
The writer of a put or call option takes the opposite side of the transaction from the option's purchaser. In return for receipt of the premium, the writer assumes the obligation to pay or receive the strike price for the option's underlying instrument if the other party to the option chooses to exercise it. The writer may seek to terminate a position in a put option before exercise by closing out the option in the secondary market at its current price. If the secondary market is not liquid for a put option, however, the writer must continue to be prepared to pay the strike price while the option is outstanding, regardless of price changes. When writing an option on a futures contract, a fund will be required to make margin payments to an FCM as described above for futures contracts.
If the underlying instrument's price rises, a put writer would generally expect to profit, although its gain would be limited to the amount of the premium it received. If the underlying instrument's price remains the same over time, it is likely that the writer will also profit, because it should be able to close out the option at a lower price. If the underlying instrument's price falls, the put writer would expect to suffer a loss. This loss should be less than the loss from purchasing the underlying instrument directly, however, because the premium received for writing the option should mitigate the effects of the decline.
Writing a call option obligates the writer to sell or deliver the option's underlying instrument or make a net cash settlement payment, as applicable, in return for the strike price, upon exercise of the option. The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that writing calls generally is a profitable strategy if prices remain the same or fall. Through receipt of the option premium, a call writer should mitigate the effects of a price increase. At the same time, because a call writer must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument or make a net cash settlement payment, as applicable, in return for the strike price, even if its current value is greater, a call writer gives up some ability to participate in price increases and, if a call writer does not hold the underlying instrument, a call writer's loss is theoretically unlimited.
Where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price to close out the put or call option on the secondary market may move more or less than the price of the related security.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular options contract at any particular time. Options may have relatively low trading volume and liquidity if their strike prices are not close to the underlying instrument's current price. In addition, exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for exchange-traded options contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or otherwise, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its options positions could also be impaired.
Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size, and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows the purchaser or writer greater flexibility to tailor an option to its needs, OTC options generally are less liquid and involve greater credit risk than exchange-traded options, which are backed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
Combined positions involve purchasing and writing options in combination with each other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts, to adjust the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, purchasing a put option and writing a call option on the same underlying instrument would construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
A fund may also buy and sell options on swaps (swaptions), which are generally options on interest rate swaps. An option on a swap gives a party the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to extend, shorten, cancel or modify an existing contract at a specific date in the future in exchange for a premium. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, a fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes (sells) an option on a swap than it will incur when it purchases an option on a swap. When a fund purchases an option on a swap, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when a fund writes an option on a swap, upon exercise of the option the fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement. A fund that writes an option on a swap receives the premium and bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the preset rate on the underlying interest rate swap. Whether a fund's use of options on swaps will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the adviser's ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Options on swaps may involve risks similar to those discussed below in "Swap Agreements."
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded options contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in options contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the options position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Options prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Options prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell options contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's options positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments.
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. Cleared swaps are transacted through FCMs that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange one or more payments based, for example, on the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments (such as securities, commodities, indexes, or other financial or economic interests). The gross payments to be exchanged between the parties are calculated with respect to a notional amount, which is the predetermined dollar principal of the trade representing the hypothetical underlying quantity upon which payment obligations are computed.
Swap agreements can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names, including interest rate swaps (where the parties exchange a floating rate for a fixed rate), asset swaps (e.g., where parties combine the purchase or sale of a bond with an interest rate swap), total return swaps, and credit default swaps. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a fund's investments and its share price and, if applicable, its yield. Swap agreements are subject to liquidity risk, meaning that a fund may be unable to sell a swap contract to a third party at a favorable price. Certain standardized swap transactions are currently subject to mandatory central clearing or may be eligible for voluntary central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to uncleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participant's swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition depending on the size of a fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a fund to support its obligations under a similar uncleared swap. It is expected, however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.
A total return swap is a contract whereby one party agrees to make a series of payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying such contract (which can include a security or other instrument, commodity, index or baskets thereof) during the specified period. In exchange, the other party to the contract agrees to make a series of payments calculated by reference to an interest rate and/or some other agreed-upon amount (including the change in market value of other underlying assets). A fund may use total return swaps to gain exposure to an asset without owning it or taking physical custody of it. For example, a fund investing in total return commodity swaps will receive the price appreciation of a commodity, commodity index or portion thereof in exchange for payment of an agreed-upon fee.
In a credit default swap, the credit default protection buyer makes periodic payments, known as premiums, to the credit default protection seller. In return the credit default protection seller will make a payment to the credit default protection buyer upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. A credit default swap can refer to a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets, each known as the reference entity or underlying asset. A fund may act as either the buyer or the seller of a credit default swap. A fund may buy or sell credit default protection on a basket of issuers or assets, even if a number of the underlying assets referenced in the basket are lower-quality debt securities. In an unhedged credit default swap, a fund buys credit default protection on a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets without owning the underlying asset or debt issued by the reference entity. Credit default swaps involve greater and different risks than investing directly in the referenced asset, because, in addition to market risk, credit default swaps include liquidity, counterparty and operational risk.
Credit default swaps allow a fund to acquire or reduce credit exposure to a particular issuer, asset or basket of assets. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a fund, the fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. If a fund is the credit default protection seller, the fund will experience a loss if a credit event occurs and the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has deteriorated. If a fund is the credit default protection buyer, the fund will be required to pay premiums to the credit default protection seller. In the case of a physically settled credit default swap in which a fund is the protection seller, the fund must be prepared to pay par for and take possession of debt of a defaulted issuer delivered to the fund by the credit default protection buyer. Any loss would be offset by the premium payments the fund receives as the seller of credit default protection. This risk for cleared swaps is generally lower than for uncleared swaps since the counterparty is a clearinghouse, but there can be no assurance that a clearinghouse or its members will satisfy its obligations.
If the creditworthiness of a fund's swap counterparty declines, the risk that the counterparty may not perform could increase, potentially resulting in a loss to the fund. To limit the counterparty risk involved in swap agreements, a Fidelity® fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Although there can be no assurance that a fund will be able to do so, a fund may be able to reduce or eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or another creditworthy party. A fund may have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a credit default swap if the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has declined.
A fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. In order to cover its outstanding obligations to a swap counterparty, a fund would generally be required to provide margin or collateral for the benefit of that counterparty. If a counterparty to a swap transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited temporarily or permanently in exercising its right to the return of related fund assets designated as margin or collateral in an action against the counterparty.
Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a fund's interest. A fund bears the risk that an adviser will not accurately forecast market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors in establishing swap positions for a fund. If an adviser attempts to use a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, a fund may be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment, which could cause substantial losses for a fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other fund investments. Swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.
Hybrid and Preferred Securities. A hybrid security may be a debt security, warrant, convertible security, certificate of deposit or other evidence of indebtedness on which the value of the interest on or principal of which is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument or financial strength of a reference entity (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, index, or business entity such as a financial institution). Another example is contingent convertible securities, which are fixed income securities that, under certain circumstances, either convert into common stock of the issuer or undergo a principal write-down by a predetermined percentage if the issuer's capital ratio falls below a predetermined trigger level. The liquidation value of such a security may be reduced upon a regulatory action and without the need for a bankruptcy proceeding. Preferred securities may take the form of preferred stock and represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock.
The risks of investing in hybrid and preferred securities reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. An investment in a hybrid or preferred security may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt or equity security. The risks of a particular hybrid or preferred security will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include the possibility of significant changes in the value of any applicable reference instrument. Such risks may depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the hybrid or preferred security. Hybrid and preferred securities are potentially more volatile and carry greater market and liquidity risks than traditional debt or equity securities. Also, the price of the hybrid or preferred security and any applicable reference instrument may not move in the same direction or at the same time. In addition, because hybrid and preferred securities may be traded over-the-counter or in bilateral transactions with the issuer of the security, hybrid and preferred securities may be subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the security and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates. In addition, uncertainty regarding the tax and regulatory treatment of hybrid and preferred securities may reduce demand for such securities and tax and regulatory considerations may limit the extent of a fund's investments in certain hybrid and preferred securities.
Illiquid Investments means any investment that cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Difficulty in selling or disposing of illiquid investments may result in a loss or may be costly to a fund. Illiquid securities may include (1) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days without demand/redemption features, (2) OTC options and certain other derivatives, (3) private placements, (4) securities traded on markets and exchanges with structural constraints, and (5) loan participations.
Under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, a Fidelity® fund's adviser classifies the liquidity of the fund's investments and monitors the extent of funds’ illiquid investments.
Various market, trading and investment-specific factors may be considered in determining the liquidity of a fund's investments including, but not limited to (1) the existence of an active trading market, (2) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades, (3) the number, diversity, and quality of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace, (4) the frequency, volume, and volatility of trade and price quotations, (5) bid-ask spreads, (6) dates of issuance and maturity, (7) demand, put or tender features, and (8) restrictions on trading or transferring the investment.
Fidelity classifies certain investments as illiquid based upon these criteria. Fidelity also monitors for certain market, trading and investment-specific events that may cause Fidelity to re-evaluate an investment’s liquidity status and may lead to an investment being classified as illiquid. In addition, Fidelity uses a third-party to assist with the liquidity classifications of the fund’s investments, which includes calculating the time to sell and settle a specified size position in a particular investment without the sale significantly changing the market value of the investment.
Increasing Government Debt. The total public debt of the United States and other countries around the globe as a percent of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008 financial downturn. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented.
A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may drive debt cost higher and cause a country to sell additional debt, thereby increasing refinancing risk. A high national debt also raises concerns that a government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. In the worst case, unsustainable debt levels can decline the valuation of currencies, and can prevent a government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy in economic downturns.
On August 5, 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States one level to "AA+" from "AAA." While Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed the United States' short-term sovereign credit rating as "A-1+," there is no guarantee that Standard & Poor's Ratings Services will not decide to lower this rating in the future. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services stated that its decision was prompted by its view on the rising public debt burden and its perception of greater policymaking uncertainty. The market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government may be adversely affected by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services decisions to downgrade the long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States.
Indexed Securities are instruments whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indexes, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose values at maturity or coupon rates are determined by reference to a specific instrument, statistic, or measure.
Indexed securities also include commercial paper, certificates of deposit, and other fixed-income securities whose values at maturity or coupon interest rates are determined by reference to the returns of particular stock indexes. Indexed securities can be affected by stock prices as well as changes in interest rates and the creditworthiness of their issuers and may not track the indexes as accurately as direct investments in the indexes.
Mortgage-indexed securities, for example, could be structured to replicate the performance of mortgage securities and the characteristics of direct ownership.
Currency-indexed securities typically are short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more specified foreign currencies, and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar-denominated securities. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the values of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the instrument or measure to which they are indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments or measures. Indexed securities are also subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. Government agencies.
Insolvency of Issuers, Counterparties, and Intermediaries. Issuers of fund portfolio securities or counterparties to fund transactions that become insolvent or declare bankruptcy can pose special investment risks. In each circumstance, risk of loss, valuation uncertainty, increased illiquidity, and other unpredictable occurrences may negatively impact an investment. Each of these risks may be amplified in foreign markets, where security trading, settlement, and custodial practices can be less developed than those in the U.S. markets, and bankruptcy laws differ from those of the U.S.
As a general matter, if the issuer of a fund portfolio security is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock have priority over the claims of common stock owners. These events can negatively impact the value of the issuer's securities and the results of related proceedings can be unpredictable.
If a counterparty to a fund transaction, such as a swap transaction, a short sale, a borrowing, or other complex transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise rights to obtain the return of related fund assets or in exercising other rights against the counterparty. In addition, insolvency and liquidation proceedings take time to resolve, which can limit or preclude a fund's ability to terminate a transaction or obtain related assets or collateral in a timely fashion. Uncertainty may also arise upon the insolvency of a securities or commodities intermediary such as a broker-dealer or futures commission merchant with which a fund has pending transactions. If an intermediary becomes insolvent, while securities positions and other holdings may be protected by U.S. or foreign laws, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether these protections are available to specific trades based on the circumstances. Receiving the benefit of these protections can also take time to resolve, which may result in illiquid positions.
Interfund Borrowing and Lending Program. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, a Fidelity® fund may lend money to, and borrow money from, other funds advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) or its affiliates. A Fidelity® fund will borrow through the program only when the costs are equal to or lower than the costs of bank loans. A Fidelity® fund will lend through the program only when the returns are higher than those available from an investment in repurchase agreements. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one day's notice. A Fidelity® fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is called or not renewed. Any delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional borrowing costs.
Investment-Grade Debt Securities. Investment-grade debt securities include all types of debt instruments that are of medium and high-quality. Investment-grade debt securities include repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities as well as repurchase agreements collateralized by equity securities, non-investment-grade debt, and all other instruments in which a fund can perfect a security interest, provided the repurchase agreement counterparty has an investment-grade rating. Some investment-grade debt securities may possess speculative characteristics and may be more sensitive to economic changes and to changes in the financial conditions of issuers. An investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by a credit rating agency registered as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) with the SEC (for example, Moody's Investors Service, Inc.), or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by a fund's adviser. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of an investment-grade debt security, an adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
Loans and Other Direct Debt Instruments. Direct debt instruments are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to lenders or lending syndicates (loans and loan participations), to suppliers of goods or services (trade claims or other receivables), or to other parties. Direct debt instruments involve a risk of loss in case of default or insolvency of the borrower and may offer less legal protection to the purchaser in the event of fraud or misrepresentation, or there may be a requirement that a fund supply additional cash to a borrower on demand. A fund may acquire loans by buying an assignment of all or a portion of the loan from a lender or by purchasing a loan participation from a lender or other purchaser of a participation.
Lenders and purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, the value of the instrument may be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured provide more protections than an unsecured loan in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the borrower's obligation, or that the collateral could be liquidated. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Direct indebtedness of foreign countries also involves a risk that the governmental entities responsible for the repayment of the debt may be unable, or unwilling, to pay interest and repay principal when due.
Direct lending and investments in loans through direct assignment of a financial institution's interests with respect to a loan may involve additional risks. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the lender/purchaser could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, a purchaser could be held liable as a co-lender. Direct debt instruments may also involve a risk of insolvency of the lending bank or other intermediary.
A loan is often administered by a bank or other financial institution that acts as agent for all holders. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the purchaser has direct recourse against the borrower, the purchaser may have to rely on the agent to apply appropriate credit remedies against a borrower. If assets held by the agent for the benefit of a purchaser were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent's general creditors, the purchaser might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on the loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal or interest.
Direct indebtedness may include letters of credit, revolving credit facilities, or other standby financing commitments that obligate lenders/purchasers to make additional cash payments on demand. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a lender/purchaser to increase its investment in a borrower at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrower's condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.
For a Fidelity® fund that limits the amount of total assets that it will invest in any one issuer or in issuers within the same industry, the fund generally will treat the borrower as the "issuer" of indebtedness held by the fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as financial intermediary between a fund and the borrower, if the participation does not shift to the fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower, SEC interpretations require a fund, in appropriate circumstances, to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as "issuers" for these purposes. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict a fund's ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or a group of intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.
A fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities. Lower-quality debt securities include all types of debt instruments that have poor protection with respect to the payment of interest and repayment of principal, or may be in default. These securities are often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of loss or price changes due to changes in the issuer's capacity to pay. The market prices of lower-quality debt securities may fluctuate more than those of higher-quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty, which may follow periods of rising interest rates.
The market for lower-quality debt securities may be thinner and less active than that for higher-quality debt securities, which can adversely affect the prices at which the former are sold. Adverse publicity and changing investor perceptions may affect the liquidity of lower-quality debt securities and the ability of outside pricing services to value lower-quality debt securities.
Because the risk of default is higher for lower-quality debt securities, research and credit analysis are an especially important part of managing securities of this type. Such analysis may focus on relative values based on factors such as interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage, earnings prospects, and the experience and managerial strength of the issuer, in an attempt to identify those issuers of high-yielding securities whose financial condition is adequate to meet future obligations, has improved, or is expected to improve in the future.
A fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.
Mortgage Securities are issued by government and non-government entities such as banks, mortgage lenders, or other institutions. A mortgage security is an obligation of the issuer backed by a mortgage or pool of mortgages or a direct interest in an underlying pool of mortgages. Some mortgage securities, such as collateralized mortgage obligations (or "CMOs"), make payments of both principal and interest at a range of specified intervals; others make semi-annual interest payments at a predetermined rate and repay principal at maturity (like a typical bond). Mortgage securities are based on different types of mortgages, including those on commercial real estate or residential properties. Stripped mortgage securities are created when the interest and principal components of a mortgage security are separated and sold as individual securities. In the case of a stripped mortgage security, the holder of the "principal-only" security (PO) receives the principal payments made by the underlying mortgage, while the holder of the "interest-only" security (IO) receives interest payments from the same underlying mortgage.
Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs are pass-through securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, respectively. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which guarantee payment of interest and repayment of principal on Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs, respectively, are federally chartered corporations supervised by the U.S. Government that act as governmental instrumentalities under authority granted by Congress. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to meet their obligations. Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
On June 3, 2019, under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative”, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will start issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities (UMBS). UMBS will be eligible for delivery into the To-Be-Announced (TBA) market. Each UMBS will have a 55-day remittance cycle and can be used as collateral in either a Fannie Mae® or Freddie Mac® security or held for investment. Freddie Mac’s legacy TBA-eligible securities have a 45-day remittance cycle and will not be directly eligible for delivery in settlement of a UMBS trade. Freddie Mac will offer investors the opportunity to exchange outstanding legacy mortgage-backed securities for mirror UMBS with a 55-day remittance period. The exchange offer includes compensation for the 10-day delay in receipt of payments. A fund’s ability to invest in UMBS to the same degree that the fund currently invests in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities is uncertain.
While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken steps for a smooth transition to the issuance of UMBS, the effects of the issuance of UMBS on the mortgage-backed securities and TBA markets are uncertain and there may be factors that affect the timing of the transition to UMBS or the ability of market participants, including a fund, to adapt to the issuance of UMBS. A fund may need to consider the tax and accounting issues raised by investments in UMBS and/or the exchange of legacy Freddie Mac securities for UMBS. Additionally, there could be divergence in prepayment rates of UMBS issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could lead to differences in the prices of Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-issued UMBS if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fail to align programs, policies and practices that affect prepayments.
The value of mortgage securities may change due to shifts in the market's perception of issuers and changes in interest rates. In addition, regulatory or tax changes may adversely affect the mortgage securities market as a whole. Non-government mortgage securities may offer higher yields than those issued by government entities, but also may be subject to greater price changes than government issues. Mortgage securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that early principal payments made on the underlying mortgages, usually in response to a reduction in interest rates, will result in the return of principal to the investor, causing it to be invested subsequently at a lower current interest rate. Alternatively, in a rising interest rate environment, mortgage security values may be adversely affected when prepayments on underlying mortgages do not occur as anticipated, resulting in the extension of the security's effective maturity and the related increase in interest rate sensitivity of a longer-term instrument. The prices of stripped mortgage securities tend to be more volatile in response to changes in interest rates than those of non-stripped mortgage securities.
A fund may seek to earn additional income by using a trading strategy (commonly known as "mortgage dollar rolls" or "reverse mortgage dollar rolls") that involves selling (or buying) mortgage securities, realizing a gain or loss, and simultaneously agreeing to purchase (or sell) mortgage securities on a later date at a set price. During the period between the sale and repurchase in a mortgage dollar roll transaction, a fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold but will invest the proceeds of the sale in other securities that are permissible investments for the fund. During the period between the purchase and subsequent sale in a reverse mortgage dollar roll transaction, a fund is entitled to interest and principal payments on the securities purchased. Losses may arise due to changes in the value of the securities or if the counterparty does not perform under the terms of the agreement. If the counterparty files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a fund's right to repurchase or sell securities may be limited. This trading strategy may increase interest rate exposure and result in an increased portfolio turnover rate which increases costs and may increase taxable gains.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs issue debt securities to fund the purchase and/or development of commercial properties. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, the creditworthiness of the trusts, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements. REITs are dependent upon management skill and the cash flow generated by the properties owned by the trusts. REITs are at the risk of the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free status of income under the Internal Revenue Code and failing to maintain exemption from the 1940 Act.
Reforms and Government Intervention in the Financial Markets. Economic downturns can trigger various economic, legal, budgetary, tax, and regulatory reforms across the globe. Instability in the financial markets in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn led the U.S. Government and other governments to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Reforms are ongoing and their effects are uncertain. Federal, state, local, foreign, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which a fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Reforms may also change the way in which a fund is regulated and could limit or preclude a fund's ability to achieve its investment objective or engage in certain strategies. Also, while reforms generally are intended to strengthen markets, systems, and public finances, they could affect fund expenses and the value of fund investments.
The value of a fund's holdings is also generally subject to the risk of future local, national, or global economic disturbances based on unknown weaknesses in the markets in which a fund invests. In the event of such a disturbance, the issuers of securities held by a fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations, or may receive government assistance accompanied by increased restrictions on their business operations or other government intervention. In addition, it is not certain that the U.S. Government or foreign governments will intervene in response to a future market disturbance and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted.
Repurchase Agreements involve an agreement to purchase a security and to sell that security back to the original seller at an agreed-upon price. The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed-upon incremental amount which is unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased security. As protection against the risk that the original seller will not fulfill its obligation, the securities are held in a separate account at a bank, marked-to-market daily, and maintained at a value at least equal to the sale price plus the accrued incremental amount. The value of the security purchased may be more or less than the price at which the counterparty has agreed to purchase the security. In addition, delays or losses could result if the other party to the agreement defaults or becomes insolvent. A fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its right to liquidate assets related to a repurchase agreement with an insolvent counterparty. A Fidelity® fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser.
Restricted Securities (including Private Placements) are subject to legal restrictions on their sale. Difficulty in selling securities may result in a loss or be costly to a fund. Restricted securities, including private placements of private and public companies, generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act), or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the holder of a registered security may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time it may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a fund sells a security to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash and agrees to repurchase that security at an agreed-upon price and time. A Fidelity® fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser. Such transactions may increase fluctuations in the market value of a fund's assets and, if applicable, a fund's yield, and may be viewed as a form of leverage.
Securities Lending. A Fidelity® fund may lend securities to parties such as broker-dealers or other institutions, including an affiliate, National Financial Services LLC (NFS). Securities lending allows a fund to retain ownership of the securities loaned and, at the same time, earn additional income. The borrower provides the fund with collateral in an amount at least equal to the value of the securities loaned. The fund seeks to maintain the ability to obtain the right to vote or consent on proxy proposals involving material events affecting securities loaned. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, a fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned or in gaining access to the collateral. These delays and costs could be greater for foreign securities. If a fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. The value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased. For a Fidelity® fund, loans will be made only to parties deemed by the fund's adviser to be in good standing and when, in the adviser's judgment, the income earned would justify the risks.
The Fidelity® funds have retained agents, including NFS, an affiliate of the funds, to act as securities lending agent. If NFS acts as securities lending agent for a fund, it is subject to the overall supervision of the fund’s adviser, and NFS will administer the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the fund’s Trustees.
Cash received as collateral through loan transactions may be invested in other eligible securities, including shares of a money market fund. Investing this cash subjects that investment, as well as the securities loaned, to market appreciation or depreciation.
Securities of Other Investment Companies, including shares of closed-end investment companies (which include business development companies (BDCs)), unit investment trusts, and open-end investment companies, represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in any type of instrument. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve additional expenses at the underlying investment company-level, such as portfolio management fees and operating expenses. Fees and expenses incurred indirectly by a fund as a result of its investment in shares of one or more other investment companies generally are referred to as "acquired fund fees and expenses" and may appear as a separate line item in a fund's prospectus fee table. For certain investment companies, such as BDCs, these expenses may be significant. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or over-the-counter at a premium or a discount to their NAV. Others are continuously offered at NAV, but may also be traded in the secondary market.
The securities of closed-end funds may be leveraged. As a result, a fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of closed-end funds that use leverage may expose a fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the fund's long-term returns on such securities will be diminished.
A fund's ability to invest in securities of other investment companies may be limited by federal securities laws. To the extent a fund acquires securities issued by unaffiliated investment companies, the Adviser's access to information regarding such underlying fund's portfolio may be limited and subject to such fund's policies regarding disclosure of fund holdings.
Sources of Liquidity or Credit Support. Issuers may employ various forms of credit and liquidity enhancements, including letters of credit, guarantees, swaps, puts, and demand features, and insurance provided by domestic or foreign entities such as banks and other financial institutions. An adviser and its affiliates may rely on their evaluation of the credit of the issuer or the credit of the liquidity or credit enhancement provider in determining whether to purchase or hold a security supported by such enhancement. In evaluating the credit of a foreign bank or other foreign entities, factors considered may include whether adequate public information about the entity is available and whether the entity may be subject to unfavorable political or economic developments, currency controls, or other government restrictions that might affect its ability to honor its commitment. Changes in the credit quality of the issuer and/or entity providing the enhancement could affect the value of the security or a fund's share price.
Stripped Securities are the separate income or principal components of a debt security. The risks associated with stripped securities are similar to those of other debt securities, although stripped securities may be more volatile, and the value of certain types of stripped securities may move in the same direction as interest rates. U.S. Treasury securities that have been stripped by a Federal Reserve Bank are obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Privately stripped government securities are created when a dealer deposits a U.S. Treasury security or other U.S. Government security with a custodian for safekeeping. The custodian issues separate receipts for the coupon payments and the principal payment, which the dealer then sells.
Structured Securities (also called "structured notes") are derivative debt securities, the interest rate on or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. The value of the interest rate on and/or the principal of structured securities is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, or index) or the relative change in two or more reference instruments. A structured security may be positively, negatively, or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured security may be calculated as a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s); therefore, the value of such structured security may be very volatile. Structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured securities may also be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities. In addition, because structured securities generally are traded over-the-counter, structured securities are subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the structured security, and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates.
Temporary Defensive Policies. Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF reserves the right to invest without limitation in investment-grade money market or short-term debt instruments for temporary, defensive purposes.
Transfer Agent Bank Accounts. Proceeds from shareholder purchases of a Fidelity® fund may pass through a series of demand deposit bank accounts before being held at the fund's custodian. Redemption proceeds may pass from the custodian to the shareholder through a similar series of bank accounts.
If a bank account is registered to the transfer agent or an affiliate, who acts as an agent for the fund when opening, closing, and conducting business in the bank account, the transfer agent or an affiliate may invest overnight balances in the account in repurchase agreements. Any balances that are not invested in repurchase agreements remain in the bank account overnight. Any risks associated with such an account are investment risks of the fund. The fund faces the risk of loss of these balances if the bank becomes insolvent.
Variable and Floating Rate Securities provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate paid on the security. Variable rate securities provide for a specified periodic adjustment in the interest rate, while floating rate securities have interest rates that change whenever there is a change in a designated benchmark rate or the issuer's credit quality, sometimes subject to a cap or floor on such rate. Some variable or floating rate securities are structured with put features that permit holders to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of a variable or floating rate security, a fund's adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
In addition to other interbank offered rates (IBORs), the most common benchmark rate for floating rate securities is LIBOR, which is the rate of interest offered on short-term interbank deposits, as determined by trading between major international banks. After the global financial crisis, regulators globally determined that existing interest rate benchmarks should be reformed based on concerns that LIBOR and other IBORs were susceptible to manipulation. Replacement rates that have been identified include the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR, which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR and measures the cost of overnight borrowings through repurchase agreement transactions collateralized with U.S. Treasury securities) and the Sterling Overnight Index Average rate (SONIA, which is intended to replace pound sterling LIBOR and measures the overnight interest rate paid by banks for unsecured transactions in the sterling market). In 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. While various regulators and industry bodies are working globally on transitioning to alternative rates, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of the IBORs and the transition to, and the nature of, replacement rates. As such, the effect of a transition away from the IBORs on a fund and the financial instruments in which it invests cannot yet be determined. Such transition may result in a reduction in the value of IBOR-based instruments held by a fund, a reduction in the effectiveness of certain hedging transactions and increased illiquidity and volatility in markets that currently rely on an IBOR to determine interest rates, any of which could adversely impact the fund’s performance.
When-Issued and Forward Purchase or Sale Transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. Typically, no interest accrues to the purchaser until the security is delivered.
When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated. Because payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with a fund's investments. If a fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when a purchase is outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage. When a fund has sold a security pursuant to one of these transactions, the fund does not participate in further gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a delayed-delivery transaction fails to deliver or pay for the securities, a fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity or suffer a loss.
A fund may renegotiate a when-issued or forward transaction and may sell the underlying securities before delivery, which may result in capital gains or losses for the fund.
Under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative” intended to maximize liquidity for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities in the TBA market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to start issuing UMBS in place of their current separate offerings of TBA-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The effects of the issuance of UMBS on the TBA market are uncertain.
Zero Coupon Bonds do not make interest payments; instead, they are sold at a discount from their face value and are redeemed at face value when they mature. Because zero coupon bonds do not pay current income, their prices can be more volatile than other types of fixed-income securities when interest rates change. In calculating a fund's dividend, a portion of the difference between a zero coupon bond's purchase price and its face value is considered income.
In addition to the investment policies and limitations discussed above, a fund is subject to the additional operational risk discussed below.
Considerations Regarding Cybersecurity. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, a fund’s service providers are susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events and may arise from external or internal sources. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information; corrupting data, equipment or systems; or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting a fund’s manager, any sub-adviser and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of fund shareholders to transact business, destruction to equipment and systems, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which a fund invests, counterparties with which a fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for fund shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.
While a fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, a fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a fund or its shareholders. A fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
EXCHANGE TRADED FUND RISKS
Continuous Offering. The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), the fund's distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters," but are effecting transactions in shares of the fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the 1933 Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus-delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available from the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Listing and Trading. Shares of the fund have been approved for listing and trading on an exchange. The fund's shares trade on an exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from their NAV. The listing exchange may remove the fund's shares from listing if, among other things (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the fund's shares for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the indicative optimized portfolio value of the fund is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the listing exchange, makes further dealings on the exchange inadvisable. The listing exchange will remove the fund's shares from listing and trading upon termination of the trust. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund's shares will continue to be met.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that such a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the fund's shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities are placed on behalf of the fund by FIMM pursuant to authority contained in the management contract. To the extent that FIMM grants investment management authority to a sub-adviser (see the section entitled "Management Contract"), that sub-adviser is authorized to provide the services described in the respective sub-advisory agreement, and in accordance with the policies described in this section. Furthermore, the sub-adviser's trading and associated policies, which may differ from FIMM's policies, may apply to that fund, subject to applicable law.
FIMM or a sub-adviser may be responsible for the placement of portfolio securities transactions for other investment companies and investment accounts for which it has or its affiliates have investment discretion.
The fund will not incur any commissions or sales charges when it invests in shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds), but it may incur such costs when it invests directly in other types of securities.
Purchases and sales of equity securities on a securities exchange or OTC are effected through brokers who receive compensation for their services. Generally, compensation relating to securities traded on foreign exchanges will be higher than compensation relating to securities traded on U.S. exchanges and may not be subject to negotiation. Compensation may also be paid in connection with principal transactions (in both OTC securities and securities listed on an exchange) and agency OTC transactions executed with an electronic communications network (ECN) or an alternative trading system. Equity securities may be purchased from underwriters at prices that include underwriting fees.
Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities are generally made with an issuer or a primary market-maker acting as principal. Although there is no stated brokerage commission paid by the fund for any fixed-income security, the price paid by the fund to an underwriter includes the disclosed underwriting fee and prices in secondary trades usually include an undisclosed dealer commission or markup reflecting the spread between the bid and ask prices of the fixed-income security. New issues of equity and fixed-income securities may also be purchased in underwritten fixed price offerings.
The Trustees of the fund periodically review FIMM's performance of its responsibilities in connection with the placement of portfolio securities transactions on behalf of the fund. The Trustees also review the compensation paid by the fund over representative periods of time to determine if it was reasonable in relation to the benefits to the fund.
The Selection of Securities Brokers and Dealers
FIMM or its affiliates generally have authority to select securities brokers (whether acting as a broker or a dealer) to place or execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions. In selecting securities brokers, including affiliates of FIMM, to execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates consider the factors they deem relevant in the context of a particular trade and in regard to FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities with respect to the fund and other investment accounts, including any instructions from the fund's portfolio manager. Based on the factors considered, FIMM or its affiliates may choose to execute an order by using an electronic trading platform or by calling one or more dealers. Other possibly relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, the following: price; the size and type of the securities transaction; the reasonableness of compensation to be paid, including spreads and commission rates; the speed and certainty of trade executions, including broker willingness to commit capital; the nature and characteristics of the markets for the security to be purchased or sold, including the degree of specialization of the broker in such markets or securities; the availability of liquidity in the security, including the liquidity provided by individual brokers; the reliability of a broker; the broker's overall trading relationship with FIMM or its affiliates; the trader's assessment of whether and how closely the broker likely will follow the trader's instructions to the broker; the degree of anonymity that a particular broker can provide; the potential for avoiding or lessening market impact; the execution services rendered on a continuing basis; the execution efficiency, settlement capability, and financial condition of the broker or dealer; arrangements for payment of fund expenses, if applicable; and the provision of additional brokerage and research products and services, if applicable.
The trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities.
The Acquisition of Brokerage and Research Products and Services
Brokers (who are not affiliates of FIMM) that execute transactions for the fund may receive higher compensation from the fund than other brokers might have charged the fund, in recognition of the value of the brokerage or research products and services they provide to FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Products and Services. These products and services may include, when permissible under applicable law: economic, industry, company, municipal, sovereign (U.S. and non-U.S.), legal, or political research reports; market color; company meeting facilitation; compilation of securities prices, earnings, dividends and similar data; quotation services, data, information and other services; analytical computer software and services; and investment recommendations. In addition to receiving brokerage and research products and services via written reports and computer-delivered services, such reports may also be provided by telephone and in-person meetings with securities analysts, corporate and industry spokespersons, economists, academicians and government representatives and others with relevant professional expertise. FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service. Some of these brokerage and research products and services supplement FIMM's or its affiliates' own research activities in providing investment advice to the fund.Execution Services. In addition, when permissible under applicable law, brokerage and research products and services may include, those that assist in the execution, clearing, and settlement of securities transactions, as well as other incidental functions (including, but not limited to, communication services related to trade execution, order routing and algorithmic trading, post-trade matching, exchange of messages among brokers or dealers, custodians and institutions, and the use of electronic confirmation and affirmation of institutional trades).
Mixed-Use Products and Services. Although FIMM or its affiliates do not use fund commissions to pay for products or services that do not qualify as brokerage and research products and services, they may use commission dollars to obtain certain products or services that are not used exclusively in FIMM's or its affiliates' investment decision-making process (mixed-use products or services). In those circumstances, FIMM or its affiliates will make a good faith judgment to evaluate the various benefits and uses to which they intend to put the mixed-use product or service, and will pay for that portion of the mixed-use product or service that does not qualify as brokerage and research products and services with their own resources (referred to as "hard dollars").
Benefit to FIMM. FIMM's or its affiliates' expenses likely would be increased if they attempted to generate these additional brokerage and research products and services through their own efforts, or if they paid for these brokerage and research products or services with their own resources. To minimize the potential for conflicts of interest, the trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities. Furthermore, certain of the brokerage and research products and services FIMM or its affiliates receive are furnished by brokers on their own initiative, either in connection with a particular transaction or as part of their overall services. Some of these brokerage and research products or services may be provided at no additional cost to FIMM or its affiliates or have no explicit cost associated with them. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service, certain of which third-party products or services may be provided by a broker that is not a party to a particular transaction and is not connected with the transacting broker's overall services.
FIMM's Decision-Making Process. In connection with the allocation of fund brokerage, FIMM or its affiliates make a good faith determination that the compensation paid to brokers and dealers is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research products and services provided to FIMM or its affiliates, viewed in terms of the particular transaction for the fund or FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities to that fund or other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion; however, each brokerage and research product or service received in connection with the fund's brokerage may not benefit the fund. While FIMM or its affiliates may take into account the brokerage and/or research products and services provided by a broker or dealer in determining whether compensation paid is reasonable, neither FIMM, its affiliates, nor the fund incur an obligation to any broker, dealer, or third party to pay for any brokerage and research product or service (or portion thereof) by generating a specific amount of compensation or otherwise. Typically, these brokerage and research products and services assist FIMM or its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to the fund or any other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion. Certain funds or investment accounts may use brokerage commissions to acquire brokerage and research products and services that may also benefit other funds or accounts managed by FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Contracts. FIMM or its affiliates have arrangements with certain third-party research providers and brokers through whom FIMM or its affiliates effect fund trades, whereby FIMM or its affiliates may pay with fund commissions or hard dollars for all or a portion of the cost of research products and services purchased from such research providers or brokers. If hard dollar payments are used, FIMM or its affiliates may still cause the fund to pay more for execution than the lowest commission rate available from the broker providing research products and services to FIMM or its affiliates, or that may be available from another broker. FIMM or its affiliates view hard dollar payments for research products and services as likely to reduce the fund's total commission costs. FIMM's or its affiliates' determination to pay for research products and services separately is wholly voluntary on FIMM's or its affiliates' part and may be extended to additional brokers or discontinued with any broker participating in this arrangement.
Affiliated Transactions
FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with certain brokers, including NFS and Luminex Trading & Analytics LLC (Luminex), with whom they are under common control or affiliated, provided FIMM or its affiliates determine that these affiliates' trade-execution abilities and costs are comparable to those of non-affiliated, qualified brokerage firms, and that such transactions be executed in accordance with applicable rules under the 1940 Act and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the fund and subject to other applicable law. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with brokers that use NFS or Fidelity Clearing Canada ULC (FCC) as a clearing agent.
The Trustees of the fund have approved procedures whereby a fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the adviser or certain other affiliates participate. In addition, for underwritings where such an affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the fund could purchase in the underwritings.
Non-U.S. Securities Transactions
To facilitate trade settlement and related activities in non-United States securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates may effect spot foreign currency transactions with foreign currency dealers. In certain circumstances, due to local law and regulation, logistical or operational challenges, or the process for settling securities transactions in certain markets (e.g., short settlement periods), spot currency transactions may be effected on behalf of funds by parties other than FIMM or its affiliates, including funds' custodian banks (working through sub-custodians or agents in the relevant non-U.S. jurisdiction) or broker-dealers that executed the related securities transaction.
Trade Allocation
Although the Trustees and officers of the fund are substantially the same as those of certain other Fidelity® funds, investment decisions for the fund are made independently from those of other Fidelity® funds or investment accounts (including proprietary accounts). The same security is often held in the portfolio of more than one of these funds or investment accounts. Simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several funds and investment accounts are managed by the same investment adviser, or an affiliate thereof, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objective of more than one fund or investment account.
When two or more funds or investment accounts are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or instrument, the prices and amounts are allocated in accordance with procedures believed by FIMM to be appropriate and equitable to each fund or investment account. In some cases this could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security or instrument as far as the fund is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability of the fund to participate in volume transactions will produce better executions and prices for the fund.
Commissions Paid
A fund may pay compensation including both commissions and spreads in connection with the placement of portfolio transactions. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by a fund may change from year to year because of, among other things, changing asset levels, shareholder activity, and/or portfolio turnover.
The following table shows the fund's portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal periods ended August 31, 2019 and 2018. Variations in turnover rate may be due to a fluctuating volume of shareholder purchase and redemption orders, market conditions, and/or changes in FIMM's investment outlook, as well as changes in mortgage dollar roll transaction volume.
| Turnover Rates | 2019 | 2018 |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | 40% | 81% |
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund held securities issued by one or more of its regular brokers or dealers or a parent company of its regular brokers or dealers. The following table shows the aggregate value of the securities of the regular broker or dealer or parent company held by the fund as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019.
| Fund | Regular Broker or Dealer |
Aggregate Value of
Securities Held |
| Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF | Bank of America Corp. | $ 2,734,296 |
| Barclays Capital, Inc. | $ 1,045,060 | |
| Citigroup, Inc. | $ 2,728,573 | |
| Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. | $ 392,989 | |
| Fidelity Cash Central Fund | $ 9,240,480 | |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $ 516,754 | |
| Morgan Stanley | $ 2,427,144 | |
| The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | $ 1,570,257 |
For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the fund paid no brokerage commissions.
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund paid no brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
During the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2019, the fund did not allocate brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
VALUATION
The NAV is the value of a single share. NAV is computed by adding the value of a fund's investments, cash, and other assets, subtracting its liabilities, and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding.
The value of fund shares bought and sold in the secondary market is driven by market price. The price of these shares, like the price of all traded securities, is subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the portfolio securities held by a fund. Secondary market shares, available for purchase or sale on an intraday basis, do not have a fixed relationship either to the previous day's NAV nor the current day's NAV. Prices in the secondary market, therefore, may be below, at, or above the most recently calculated NAV of such shares.
In order to provide investors with a basis to gauge whether the market price of the shares on the listing exchange is approximately consistent with the current value of the assets of the fund on a per share basis, an updated value of the fund’s shares is disseminated intraday (“IIV” and also known as the Indicative Optimized Portfolio Value) through the facilities of ICE Data Indices, LLC. IIVs are disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day. The fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no warranty as to their accuracy.
The IIV has a securities component and a cash component reflecting cash and other assets that may be held by the fund. The securities values included in the IIV are the values of the Deposit Securities (as defined below under the heading “Buying and Selling Information-Portfolio Deposit”) for the fund. While the IIV reflects the approximate current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the fund’s IIV disseminated during the listing exchange's trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day. The IIV is generally determined by using current market quotations or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the fund.
The cash component included in the IIV could consist of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses.
The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for pricing, but has delegated day-to-day valuation responsibilities to FIMM. FIMM may rely on information and recommendations provided by the FMR Fair Value Committee (the Committee) to fulfill these responsibilities.
Shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds) held by a fund are valued at their respective NAVs. If an underlying fund's NAV is unavailable, shares of that underlying fund will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies.
Generally, other portfolio securities and assets held by a fund, as well as portfolio securities and assets held by an underlying central fund, are valued as follows:
Most equity securities are valued at the official closing price or the last reported sale price or, if no sale has occurred, at the last quoted bid price on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded.
Debt securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available may be valued at market values in the principal market in which they normally are traded, as furnished by recognized dealers in such securities or assets. Or, debt securities and convertible securities may be valued on the basis of information furnished by a pricing service that uses a valuation matrix which incorporates both dealer-supplied valuations and electronic data processing techniques.
Short-term securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less for which market quotations and information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available may be valued at amortized cost, which approximates current value.
Futures contracts are valued at the settlement or closing price. Options are valued at their market quotations, if available. Swaps are valued daily using quotations received from independent pricing services or recognized dealers.
Prices described above are obtained from pricing services that have been approved by the Board of Trustees. A number of pricing services are available and the funds may use more than one of these services. The funds may also discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time. FIMM engages in oversight activities with respect to the fund's pricing services, which includes, among other things, testing the prices provided by pricing services prior to calculation of a fund's NAV, conducting periodic due diligence meetings, and periodically reviewing the methodologies and inputs used by these services.
Foreign securities and instruments are valued in their local currency following the methodologies described above. Foreign securities, instruments and currencies are translated to U.S. dollars, based on foreign currency exchange rate quotations supplied by a pricing service as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which uses a proprietary model to determine the exchange rate. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at an interpolated rate based on days to maturity between the closest preceding and subsequent settlement period reported by the third party pricing service.
Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available or, in the opinion of the Committee, are deemed unreliable will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. For example, if, in the opinion of the Committee, a security's value has been materially affected by events occurring before a fund's pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. In fair valuing a security, the Committee may consider factors including price movements in futures contracts and ADRs, market and trading trends, the bid/ask quotes of brokers, and off-exchange institutional trading.
In determining the fair value of a private placement security for which market quotations are not available, the Committee generally applies one or more valuation methods including the market approach, income approach and cost approach. The market approach considers factors including the price of recent investments in the same or a similar security or financial metrics of comparable securities. The income approach considers factors including expected future cash flows, security specific risks and corresponding discount rates. The cost approach considers factors including the value of the security’s underlying assets and liabilities.
The fund's adviser reports to the Board on the Committee’s activities and fair value determinations. The Board monitors the appropriateness of the procedures used in valuing the fund’s investments and ratifies the fair value determinations of the Committee.
BUYING AND SELLING INFORMATION
Book-Entry Only System. The Depository Trust Company (DTC) acts as securities depository for the shares. Shares of the fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Certificates will not be issued for shares.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among DTC participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers, and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC participant, either directly or indirectly.
Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC participants and persons holding interests through DTC participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of beneficial interests are referred to herein as Beneficial Owners) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC participants) and on the records of DTC participants (with respect to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through a DTC participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the trust a listing of the shares of the fund held by each DTC participant. The trust shall inquire of each such DTC participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding fund shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC participant. The trust shall provide each such DTC participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the trust shall pay to each such DTC participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC participants to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC participants.
The trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC participants or the relationship between such DTC participants and the indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares, unless the trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the listing exchange.
Creation Units. The trust issues and redeems shares of the fund only in Creation Unit aggregations on a continuous basis through FDC, without a sales load, at its NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. An Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. Each Creation Unit consists of a block of 50,000 shares.
A "Business Day" with respect to the fund is any day on which the listing exchange or the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of the prospectus, the listing exchange and the NYSE observe the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President's Day (Washington's Birthday) (U.S.), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (U.S.), Labor Day (U.S.), Thanksgiving Day (U.S.), and Christmas Day.
To be eligible to place orders to purchase a Creation Unit of the fund, an entity must be an "Authorized Participant" which is either (i) a "Participating Party," i.e., broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC (the Clearing Process); or (ii) a DTC participant, and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with FDC, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (Participant Agreement). All shares of the fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC participant.
The fund reserves the right to adjust the prices of fund shares and the number of shares in a Creation Unit in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the fund.
Portfolio Deposit. The fund generally expects to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a specified all-cash payment (Cash Deposit). Alternatively, the fund may issue Creation Units in exchange for consideration that consists of an in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (Deposit Securities) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (Cash Component) computed as described herein. The Cash Deposit, or alternatively, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component together, constitute the "Portfolio Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit. In the event the fund requires Deposit Securities and a Cash Component in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Component is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.
FIMM, or its agent, makes available through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) on each Business Day, prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the amount of the Cash Deposit and/or the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit composition is made available.
The amount of the Cash Deposit (or identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities and the amount of the Cash Component) required for a Portfolio Deposit for the fund changes as corporate action events, such as dividends, splits, and rights issues, are reflected from time to time by FIMM with a view to the investment objective of the fund. In the event that the fund issues Creation Units in exchange for consideration that includes Deposit Securities and a Cash Component, the fund reserves the right to permit the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a cash in lieu amount) to replace any Deposit Security which may, among other reasons, not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC, the Federal Reserve System or the Clearing Process, not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the trust as a result of an in-kind purchase order pursuant to local law or market convention, restricted under the securities laws or which may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting. In such cases where the fund purchases portfolio securities with cash, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities were purchased by the fund and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at FIMM's discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees and taxes. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the fund's acquisition of Deposit Securities will be at the expense of the fund and will affect the value of all shares of the fund; but FIMM may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the Deposit Securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Component to protect ongoing shareholders. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to FIMM on the date of the announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the fund's holdings or resulting from certain corporate actions.
Procedures for Creation Unit Purchases. All purchase orders must be placed for one or more Creation Units. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be received by FDC or its agent no later than the closing time of regular trading hours on the listing exchange or the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) (the Closing Time), or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in the case of nonconforming orders, in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. A nonconforming order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the fund permits the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to FDC pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communications failure may impede the ability to reach FDC or an Authorized Participant.
All orders to purchase Creation Units shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, including payments of cash to pay the Cash Deposit (or Cash Component, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement.
Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to FDC prior to the applicable deadlines on the Transmittal Date. Authorized participants may ascertain the deadlines applicable to the Federal Reserve Bank wire system and DTC by contacting the operations department of the depository institution or broker effecting such transfer of the Cash Deposit (or Deposit Securities and Cash Component).
Portfolio Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and government securities) and through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) by an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Portfolio Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the fund by no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern time of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will purchase and redeem Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the fund, whose determination shall be final and binding. For purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the fund's custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the fund's custodian no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on the next Business Day immediately following such Transmittal Date. An order to purchase Creation Units is deemed received by FDC on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by FDC or its agent not later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the fund's custodian does not receive, with respect to purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the Cash Component by 10:00 a.m., or the required Deposit Securities together with the associated Cash Component by 1:00 p.m. on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be deemed not in proper form and canceled. Upon written notice to FDC, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Portfolio Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the next calculated NAV of the fund. The delivery of Creation Units so purchased will occur not later than the second (2nd) Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by FDC.
FDC or its agent will inform the transfer agent, FIMM and the fund's custodian upon receipt of a purchase order. The custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate subcustodian. The custodian will cause the subcustodian to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or "cash in lieu" amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the purchase transaction fee described below.
Once the trust has accepted a purchase order, the trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. FDC or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.
Creation Units will not be issued until the payment of the Cash Deposit (or the transfer of good title to the trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component) has been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian, FDC and FIMM will be notified of such delivery and the trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.
Creation Units may be created in advance of receipt by the fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component (including any Transaction Fees), plus (ii) 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (Additional Cash Deposit). The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such date and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the fund's custodian by 10:00 a.m. Eastern time the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 3:00 p.m. or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 10:00 a.m. the next Business Day, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the fund, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the fund in an amount at least equal to 115% of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. In the sole discretion of the fund following the Business Day on which the order was received the fund may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants will be liable to the fund for the costs incurred by the fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by FDC plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing any missing Deposit Securities and the value of the collateral. The fund will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by FDC or purchased by the fund and deposited into the fund.
Acceptance of Purchase Orders. The fund reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by FDC if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the fund; (iii) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; (iv) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of the fund, be unlawful; (v) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the fund or FIMM, have an adverse effect on the fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vi) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the fund, make it impossible to process creation orders for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include, without limitation, acts of God; public service or utility problems such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme weather conditions, and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy, and computer failures; wars; civil or military disturbances, including acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the fund, FMR, FIMM, FDC, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, or any other participant in the purchase process, and similar extraordinary events. The fund and FDC have the right to require information to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of (ii) above should it so choose or to rely on a certification from a broker-dealer who is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. as to the cost basis of Deposit Securities. If creations are on an in-kind basis, the fund further reserves the absolute right to reject or suspend an order transmitted to it by FDC and/or the transfer agent in respect of the fund if: (i) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; or (ii) for any other reasons as specified herein. FDC or the fund shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on the purchaser's behalf, of its rejection of the purchaser's order. The fund, the transfer agent, and FDC are under no duty, however, to verify or give notification of any defects or irregularities in any written order or in the delivery of a Portfolio Deposit, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the fund through the transfer agent and only on a Business Day through an Authorized Participant that has entered into a Participant Agreement. The fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit-size aggregations. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
FIMM, through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) makes available immediately prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of the basket of securities (Fund Securities) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit may consist of Fund Securities - as announced by FIMM, or its agent, on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form - plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of the request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (Cash Redemption Amount), less a redemption transaction fee and any variable fee as listed below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to the fund equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the fund will substitute a cash-in-lieu amount to replace any Fund Security that is a non-deliverable instrument. The amount of the cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Fund Security.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the fund (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares or determination of the fund's NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.
Orders to redeem Creation Units must be delivered through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem Creation Units is deemed received by the fund on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received in proper form by the transfer agent not later than the Closing Time (or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) for nonconforming orders) on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the fund's custodian no later than 1:00 p.m., for the shares, and 3:00 p.m., for the Cash Redemption Amount, Eastern time on the next Business Day following such Transmittal Date (the DTC Cut-Off-Time); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred by the second (2nd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received, which will generally be no more than seven (7) days after such request for redemption but may be up to fifteen days for funds that invest in foreign securities. In certain cases, Authorized Participants will redeem and purchase Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
If the fund determines, based on information available to the fund when a redemption request is submitted by an Authorized Participant, that: (i) the short interest of the fund in the marketplace is greater than or equal to 100%; and (ii) the orders in the aggregate from all Authorized Participants redeeming shares on a Business Day represent 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the fund, such Authorized Participant will be required to verify to the fund the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption. If, after receiving notice of the verification requirement, the Authorized Participant does not verify the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption in accordance with this requirement, its redemption request will be considered not to have been received in proper form.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement, in the event the Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Units to be redeemed to FDC, on behalf of the fund, at or prior to the closing time of regular trading on the listing exchange (or the NYSE if the listing exchange is not open that) on the date such redemption request is submitted, FDC will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing fund shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 115% of the value of the missing fund shares. The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately-available funds and shall be held by the fund and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the fund and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance, and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Participant Agreement will permit the fund to purchase the missing fund shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Balancing Amount underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Balancing Amount and the value of the collateral.
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by Fidelity Service Company, Inc. (FSC) according to the procedures set forth in the section entitled "Valuation" computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the transfer agent. Therefore, if a conforming redemption order in proper form is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the fund are delivered to the fund's custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by FSC on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a conforming redemption order is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than the Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time as described above on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed as of the Closing Time on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the transfer agent, i.e., the Business Day on which the shares of the fund are delivered through DTC to FDC by the DTC Cut-Off-Time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
The fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. The fund generally expects to effect redemptions for cash. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper from (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities).
Redemption of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or a Beneficial Owner for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.
In connection with taking delivery of shares for Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdictions, the trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.
The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as "informal holidays" (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
Creation/Redemption Transaction Fees. The fund may impose a "Transaction Fee" on investors purchasing or redeeming Creation Units. The Transaction Fee will be limited to amounts that have been determined by FIMM to be appropriate. The purpose of the Transaction Fee is to protect the existing shareholders of the fund from the dilutive costs associated with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. For cash creations (or redemptions) or cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Securities, the purchaser (or redeemer) may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the transaction cost to the fund of buying (or selling) those particular Deposit Securities. To the extent a purchase/redemption transaction consists of cash and/or in-kind securities, the standard fee applies to in-kind purchases and redemptions of creation units and an additional transaction fee (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) may also be imposed on cash transactions. The fund reserves the right to not impose the additional transaction fee or to vary the amount of the additional transaction fee, up to the maximum listed below, depending on the materiality of the fund's actual transaction costs incurred or where FDC believes that not imposing or varying the additional transaction fee would be in the fund's interest. Transaction fees associated with the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of shares redeemed. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day an order is received or the nature of the securities. Investors bear the costs of transferring Fund Securities to/from the fund to/from their account or on their order. Every purchaser of a Creation Unit will receive a prospectus that contains disclosure about the Transaction Fees, including the maximum amount of the additional transaction fee charged by the fund.
The following table shows, as of August 31, 2019, the approximate value of one Creation Unit of the fund and sets forth the standard transaction fees and maximum additional transaction fees for creations and redemptions.
| Name of Fund | Approximate Value of One Creation Unit | Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee | Maximum Additional Creation Transaction Fee* | Maximum Additional Redemption Transaction Fee* |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | $2,500,000 | $500 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
* As a percentage of the cash amount invested or redeemed.
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Dividends. Because the fund's income is primarily derived from interest, dividends from the fund generally will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders or the long-term capital gains tax rates available to individuals. Short-term capital gains are taxable at ordinary income tax rates. A portion of the fund's dividends may be exempt from state and local taxation to the extent that they are derived from certain U.S. Government securities and meet certain requirements. Distributions by the fund to tax-advantaged retirement plan accounts are not taxable currently.
Capital Gain Distributions. Unless your shares of the fund are held in a tax-advantaged retirement plan, the fund's long-term capital gain distributions are federally taxable to shareholders generally as capital gains.
The following table shows the fund's aggregate capital loss carryforward as of August 31, 2019, which is available to offset future capital gains. A fund's ability to utilize its capital loss carryforwards in a given year or in total may be limited.
| Fund Name | Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF |
| Capital Loss Carryforward (CLC) | $1,400,763 |
Returns of Capital. If the fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold in taxable accounts.
Sales of Listed Shares. Gain or loss that is recognized on the sale of exchange-listed shares generally will be characterized as long-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for one year or less.
Purchase of Creation Units. The purchase of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who transfers securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The transferor will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the Creation Units (which may differ from their NAV) and any Balancing Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the transferor's basis in the transferred securities, transaction fees and any Balancing Amount that is paid. The purchase of Creation Units may trigger application of the wash sale rules for federal tax purposes.
Redemption of Creation Units. The redemption of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who receives securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The recipient will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the securities and any Cash Redemption Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the basis of the Creation Unit shares, transaction fees and any Cash Redemption Amount that is paid. The redemption of Creation Units may be treated as a wash sale for federal tax purposes.
Foreign Tax Credit or Deduction. Foreign governments may impose withholding taxes on dividends and interest earned by the fund with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Foreign governments may also impose taxes on other payments or gains with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Because the fund does not currently anticipate that securities of foreign issuers or underlying regulated investment companies will constitute more than 50% of its total assets at the end of its fiscal year, or fiscal quarter, respectively, shareholders should not expect to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction on their federal income tax returns with respect to foreign taxes withheld.
Tax Status of the Fund. The fund intends to qualify each year as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code so that it will not be liable for federal tax on income and capital gains distributed to shareholders. In order to qualify as a regulated investment company, and avoid being subject to federal income or excise taxes at the fund level, the fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains within each calendar year as well as on a fiscal year basis (if the fiscal year is other than the calendar year), and intends to comply with other tax rules applicable to regulated investment companies.
Other Tax Information. The information above is only a summary of some of the tax consequences generally affecting the fund and its shareholders, and no attempt has been made to discuss individual tax consequences. It is up to you or your tax preparer to determine whether the sale of shares of the fund resulted in a capital gain or loss or other tax consequence to you. In addition to federal income taxes, shareholders may be subject to state and local taxes on fund distributions, and shares may be subject to state and local personal property taxes. Investors should consult their tax advisers to determine whether the fund is suitable to their particular tax situation.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the trust and fund, as applicable, are listed below. The Board of Trustees governs the fund and is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the fund's activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the fund, oversee management of the risks associated with such activities and contractual arrangements, and review the fund's performance. Each of the Trustees oversees 277 funds.
The Trustees hold office without limit in time except that (a) any Trustee may resign; (b) any Trustee may be removed by written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal; (c) any Trustee who requests to be retired or who has become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees; and (d) any Trustee may be removed at any special meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds vote of the outstanding voting securities of the trust. Each Trustee who is not an interested person (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the trust and the fund is referred to herein as an Independent Trustee. Each Independent Trustee shall retire not later than the last day of the calendar year in which his or her 75th birthday occurs. The Independent Trustees may waive this mandatory retirement age policy with respect to individual Trustees. Officers and Advisory Board Members hold office without limit in time, except that any officer or Advisory Board Member may resign or may be removed by a vote of a majority of the Trustees at any regular meeting or any special meeting of the Trustees. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the past five years.
Experience, Skills, Attributes, and Qualifications of the Trustees. The Governance and Nominating Committee has adopted a statement of policy that describes the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that are necessary and desirable for potential Independent Trustee candidates (Statement of Policy). The Board believes that each Trustee satisfied at the time he or she was initially elected or appointed a Trustee, and continues to satisfy, the standards contemplated by the Statement of Policy. The Governance and Nominating Committee also engages professional search firms to help identify potential Independent Trustee candidates who have the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills consistent with the Statement of Policy. From time to time, additional criteria based on the composition and skills of the current Independent Trustees, as well as experience or skills that may be appropriate in light of future changes to board composition, business conditions, and regulatory or other developments, have also been considered by the professional search firms and the Governance and Nominating Committee. In addition, the Board takes into account the Trustees' commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings, as well as their leadership of standing and ad hoc committees throughout their tenure.
In determining that a particular Trustee was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Trustee, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. Information about the specific experience, skills, attributes, and qualifications of each Trustee, which in each case led to the Board's conclusion that the Trustee should serve (or continue to serve) as a trustee of the fund, is provided below.
Board Structure and Oversight Function. Abigail P. Johnson is an interested person and currently serves as Chairman. The Trustees have determined that an interested Chairman is appropriate and benefits shareholders because an interested Chairman has a personal and professional stake in the quality and continuity of services provided to the fund. Independent Trustees exercise their informed business judgment to appoint an individual of their choosing to serve as Chairman, regardless of whether the Trustee happens to be independent or a member of management. The Independent Trustees have determined that they can act independently and effectively without having an Independent Trustee serve as Chairman and that a key structural component for assuring that they are in a position to do so is for the Independent Trustees to constitute a substantial majority for the Board. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet in executive session. Arthur E. Johnson serves as Chairman of the Independent Trustees and as such (i) acts as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management with respect to matters important to the Independent Trustees and (ii) with management prepares agendas for Board meetings.
Fidelity® funds are overseen by different Boards of Trustees. The fund's Board oversees Fidelity's investment-grade bond, money market, asset allocation and certain equity funds, and other Boards oversee Fidelity's high income and other equity funds. The asset allocation funds may invest in Fidelity® funds that are overseen by such other Boards. The use of separate Boards, each with its own committee structure, allows the Trustees of each group of Fidelity® funds to focus on the unique issues of the funds they oversee, including common research, investment, and operational issues. On occasion, the separate Boards establish joint committees to address issues of overlapping consequences for the Fidelity® funds overseen by each Board.
The Trustees operate using a system of committees to facilitate the timely and efficient consideration of all matters of importance to the Trustees, the fund, and fund shareholders and to facilitate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and oversight of the fund's activities and associated risks. The Board, acting through its committees, has charged FMR and its affiliates with (i) identifying events or circumstances the occurrence of which could have demonstrably adverse effects on the fund's business and/or reputation; (ii) implementing processes and controls to lessen the possibility that such events or circumstances occur or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur; and (iii) creating and maintaining a system designed to evaluate continuously business and market conditions in order to facilitate the identification and implementation processes described in (i) and (ii) above. Because the day-to-day operations and activities of the fund are carried out by or through FMR, its affiliates, and other service providers, the fund's exposure to risks is mitigated but not eliminated by the processes overseen by the Trustees. While each of the Board's committees has responsibility for overseeing different aspects of the fund's activities, oversight is exercised primarily through the Operations and Audit Committees. In addition, an ad hoc Board committee of Independent Trustees has worked with FMR to enhance the Board's oversight of investment and financial risks, legal and regulatory risks, technology risks, and operational risks, including the development of additional risk reporting to the Board. Appropriate personnel, including but not limited to the fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), FMR's internal auditor, the independent accountants, the fund's Treasurer and portfolio management personnel, make periodic reports to the Board's committees, as appropriate, including an annual review of Fidelity's risk management program for the Fidelity® funds. The responsibilities of each standing committee, including their oversight responsibilities, are described further under "Standing Committees of the Trustees."Interested Trustees*:
Correspondence intended for a Trustee who is an interested person may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Abigail P. Johnson (1961)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2012
Trustee
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Ms. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. Johnson serves as Chairman (2016-present), Chief Executive Officer (2014-present), and Director (2007-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company), President of Fidelity Financial Services (2012-present) and President of Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services (2005-present). Ms. Johnson is Chairman and Director of FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firm, 2011-present) and Chairman and Director of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2011-present). Previously, Ms. Johnson served as Vice Chairman (2007-2016) and President (2013-2016) of FMR LLC, President and a Director of FMR (2001-2005), a Trustee of other investment companies advised by FMR, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firm), and FMR Co., Inc. (2001-2005), Senior Vice President of the Fidelity® funds (2001-2005), and managed a number of Fidelity® funds. Ms. Abigail P. Johnson and Mr. Arthur E. Johnson are not related.
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe (1959)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Ms. McAuliffe also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. McAuliffe previously served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Head of Fixed Income of Fidelity Investments Limited (now known as FIL Limited (FIL)) (diversified financial services company). Earlier roles at FIL included Director of Research for FIL’s credit and quantitative teams in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Ms. McAuliffe also was the Director of Research for taxable and municipal bonds at Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. Ms. McAuliffe is also a director or trustee of several not-for-profit entities.
* Determined to be an “Interested Trustee” by virtue of, among other things, his or her affiliation with the trust or various entities under common control with FMR.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Independent Trustees:
Correspondence intended for an Independent Trustee may be sent to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 55235, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5235.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Elizabeth S. Acton (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Acton also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement in April 2012, Ms. Acton was Executive Vice President, Finance (2011-2012), Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (2002-2011), and Treasurer (2004-2005) of Comerica Incorporated (financial services). Prior to joining Comerica, Ms. Acton held a variety of positions at Ford Motor Company (1983-2002), including Vice President and Treasurer (2000-2002) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Credit Company (1998-2000). Ms. Acton currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Finance Committees of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (homebuilding, 2012-present). Previously, Ms. Acton served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2016).
Ann E. Dunwoody (1953)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Trustee
General Dunwoody also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. General Dunwoody (United States Army, Retired) was the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general and prior to her retirement in 2012 held a variety of positions within the U.S. Army, including Commanding General, U.S. Army Material Command (2008-2012). She is the President of First to Four LLC (leadership and mentoring services, 2012-present). She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of L3 Technologies, Inc. (communication, electronic, sensor, and aerospace systems, 2013-present), Board of Directors and Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees of Kforce Inc. (professional staffing services, 2016-present) and Board of Directors of Automattic Inc. (software engineering, 2018-present). Previously, General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2018), a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Committees of Republic Services, Inc. (waste collection, disposal and recycling, 2013-2016). Ms. Dunwoody also serves on several boards for non-profit organizations, including as a member of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee and member of the Audit Committee of Logistics Management Institute (consulting non-profit, 2012-present), a member of the Board of Directors of the Army Historical Foundation (2015-present), a member of the Council of Trustees for the Association of the United States Army (advocacy non-profit, 2013-present) and a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida Institute of Technology (2015-present) and ThanksUSA (military family education non-profit, 2014-present).
John Engler (1948)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Trustee
Mr. Engler also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. He serves on the board of directors for Universal Forest Products (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2003-present) and K12 Inc. (technology-based education company, 2012-present). Previously, Mr. Engler served as interim president of Michigan State University (2018-2019), a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2014-2016), president of the Business Roundtable (2011-2017), a trustee of The Munder Funds (2003-2014), president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (2004-2011), member of the Board of Trustees of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2004-2015), and as governor of Michigan (1991-2003). He is a past chairman of the National Governors Association.
Robert F. Gartland (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Mr. Gartland also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Gartland is Chairman and an investor in Gartland & Mellina Group Corp. (consulting, 2009-present). Previously, Mr. Gartland served as a partner and investor of Vietnam Partners LLC (investments and consulting, 2008-2011). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Gartland held a variety of positions at Morgan Stanley (financial services, 1979-2007), including Managing Director (1987-2007), and Chase Manhattan Bank (1975-1978).
Arthur E. Johnson (1947)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Johnson serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Eaton Corporation plc (diversified power management, 2009-present) and Booz Allen Hamilton (management consulting, 2011-present). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Johnson served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Development of Lockheed Martin Corporation (defense contractor, 1999-2009). Mr. Johnson previously served as Vice Chairman (2015-2018) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds and on the Board of Directors of IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (1999-2008), AGL Resources, Inc. (holding company, 2002-2016), and Delta Airlines (2005-2007). Mr. Arthur E. Johnson is not related to Ms. Abigail P. Johnson.
Michael E. Kenneally (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Vice Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Kenneally also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Kenneally served as Chairman and Global Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Asset Management. Before joining Credit Suisse, he was an Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Bank of America Corporation. Earlier roles at Bank of America included Director of Research, Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst, and Mr. Kenneally was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1991.
Marie L. Knowles (1946)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Knowles also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to Ms. Knowles' retirement in June 2000, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) (diversified energy, 1996-2000). From 1993 to 1996, she was a Senior Vice President of ARCO and President of ARCO Transportation Company (pipeline and tanker operations). Ms. Knowles currently serves as a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of McKesson Corporation (healthcare service, since 2002). Ms. Knowles is a member of the Board of the Santa Catalina Island Company (real estate, 2009-present). Ms. Knowles is a Member of the Investment Company Institute Board of Governors and a Member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (2014-present). She also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering of the University of Southern California. Previously, Ms. Knowles served as a Director of Phelps Dodge Corporation (copper mining and manufacturing, 1994-2007), URS Corporation (engineering and construction, 2000-2003) and America West (airline, 1999-2002). Ms. Knowles previously served as Chairman (2015-2018) and Vice Chairman (2012-2015) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds.
Mark A. Murray (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Mr. Murray also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Murray is Vice Chairman (2013-present) of Meijer, Inc. (regional retail chain). Previously, Mr. Murray served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Chief Executive Officer (2013-2016) and President (2006-2013) of Meijer, Inc. Mr. Murray serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nuclear Review and Public Policy and Responsibility Committees of DTE Energy Company (diversified energy company, 2009-present). Mr. Murray also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Spectrum Health (not-for-profit health system, 2015-present). Mr. Murray previously served as President of Grand Valley State University (2001-2006), Treasurer for the State of Michigan (1999-2001), Vice President of Finance and Administration for Michigan State University (1998-1999), and a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2004-2016). Mr. Murray is also a director or trustee of many community and professional organizations.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Advisory Board Members and Officers:
Correspondence intended for an officer may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Officers appear below in alphabetical order.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupation
Elizabeth Paige Baumann (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2017
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Officer
Ms. Baumann also serves as AML Officer of other funds. She is Chief AML Officer (2012-present) and Senior Vice President (2014-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Baumann served as AML Officer of the funds (2012-2016), and Vice President (2007-2014) and Deputy Anti-Money Laundering Officer (2007-2012) of FMR LLC.
Craig S. Brown (1977)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Brown also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Brown is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2013-present).
John J. Burke III (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Burke also serves as Chief Financial Officer of other funds. Mr. Burke serves as Head of Investment Operations for Fidelity Fund and Investment Operations (2018-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (1998-present). Previously Mr. Burke served as head of Asset Management Investment Operations (2012-2018).
Jonathan Davis (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Davis also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Davis serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Davis served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2003-2010).
Adrien E. Deberghes (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Deberghes also serves as an officer of other funds. He serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), Executive Vice President of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm, 2016-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2008-present). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served as President and Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2018). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Deberghes was Senior Vice President of Mutual Fund Administration at State Street Corporation (2007-2008), Senior Director of Mutual Fund Administration at Investors Bank & Trust (2005-2007), and Director of Finance for Dunkin' Brands (2000-2005). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served in other fund officer roles.
Laura M. Del Prato (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
President and Treasurer
Ms. Del Prato also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Del Prato is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2017-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Del Prato served as a Managing Director and Treasurer of the JPMorgan Mutual Funds (2014-2017). Prior to JPMorgan, Ms. Del Prato served as a partner at Cohen Fund Audit Services (accounting firm, 2012-2013) and KPMG LLP (accounting firm, 2004-2012).
Colm A. Hogan (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Hogan also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Hogan serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2005-present). Previously, Mr. Hogan served as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2016-2018).
Cynthia Lo Bessette (1969)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer (CLO)
Ms. Lo Bessette also serves as Secretary and CLO of other funds. Ms. Lo Bessette serves as CLO, Secretary, and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Management & Research Company and FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); Secretary of Fidelity SelectCo, LLC and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); and CLO of Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited, and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (investment adviser firms, 2019-present). She is a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2019-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Lo Bessette served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel (2016-2019) and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel (2015-2016) of OppenheimerFunds (investment management company) and Deputy Chief Legal Officer (2013-2015) of Jennison Associates LLC (investment adviser firm).
Chris Maher (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Maher serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Maher is Vice President of Valuation Oversight, serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Maher served as Vice President of Asset Management Compliance (2013), Vice President of the Program Management Group of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2010-2013), and Vice President of Valuation Oversight (2008-2010).
John B. McGinty, Jr. (1962)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Chief Compliance Officer
Mr. McGinty also serves as Chief Compliance Officer of other funds. Mr. McGinty is Senior Vice President of Asset Management Compliance for Fidelity Investments and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Mr. McGinty previously served as Vice President, Senior Attorney at Eaton Vance Management (investment management firm, 2015-2016), and prior to Eaton Vance as global CCO for all firm operations and registered investment companies at GMO LLC (investment management firm, 2009-2015). Before joining GMO LLC, Mr. McGinty served as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Fidelity Investments (2007-2009).
Jason P. Pogorelec (1975)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2015
Assistant Secretary
Mr. Pogorelec also serves as Assistant Secretary of other funds. Mr. Pogorelec serves as Vice President, Associate General Counsel (2010-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2006-present).
Nancy D. Prior (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Vice President
Ms. Prior also serves as Vice President of other funds. Ms. Prior serves as President of Fixed Income (2014-present), President (2016-present) and Director (2014-present) of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2002-present). Previously, Ms. Prior served as Vice President of Global Asset Allocation Funds (2017-2019); Vice Chairman of FIAM LLC (investment adviser firm, 2014-2018), a Director of FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (investment adviser firm, 2015-2018), President Multi-Asset Class Strategies of FMR's Global Asset Allocation Division (2017-2018), Vice President of Fidelity's Money Market Funds (2012-2014), and President, Money Market and Short Duration Bond Group of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) (investment adviser firm, 2013-2014).
Stacie M. Smith (1974)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Smith also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Smith serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2009-present), and has served in other fund officer roles. Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Smith served as Senior Audit Manager of Ernst & Young LLP (accounting firm, 1996-2009). Previously, Ms. Smith served as Assistant Treasurer (2013-2018) and Deputy Treasurer (2013-2016) of certain Fidelity® funds.
Marc L. Spector (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Deputy Treasurer
Mr. Spector also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Spector serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Spector served as Director at the Siegfried Group (accounting firm, 2013-2016), and prior to Siegfried Group as audit senior manager at Deloitte & Touche (accounting firm, 2005-2013).
Jim Wegmann (1979)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Wegmann also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Wegmann is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2011-present).
Standing Committees of the Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established various committees to support the Independent Trustees in acting independently in pursuing the best interests of the funds and their shareholders. Currently, the Board of Trustees has four standing committees. The members of each committee are Independent Trustees.
The Operations Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Johnson currently serving as Chair. The committee normally meets at least six times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair, and serves as a forum for consideration of issues of importance to, or calling for particular determinations by, the Independent Trustees. The committee considers matters involving potential conflicts of interest between the funds and FMR and its affiliates and reviews proposed contracts and the proposed continuation of contracts between the funds and FMR and its affiliates, and annually reviews and makes recommendations regarding contracts with third parties unaffiliated with FMR, including insurance coverage and custody agreements. The committee has oversight of compliance issues not specifically within the scope of any other committee. These matters include, but are not limited to, significant non-conformance with contract requirements and other significant regulatory matters and recommending to the Board of Trustees the designation of a person to serve as the funds' Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The committee (i) serves as the primary point of contact for the CCO with regard to Board-related functions; (ii) oversees the annual performance review of the CCO; (iii) makes recommendations concerning the CCO's compensation; and (iv) makes recommendations as needed in respect of the removal of the CCO. The committee is also responsible for definitive action on all compliance matters involving the potential for significant reimbursement by FMR. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held 12 meetings.
The Audit Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Ms. Acton currently serving as Chair. At least one committee member will be an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the SEC. The committee normally meets four times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair or a majority of committee members. The committee meets separately, at least annually, with the funds' Treasurer, with the funds' Chief Financial Officer, with personnel responsible for the internal audit function of FMR LLC, with the funds' outside auditors, and with the funds' CCO. The committee has direct responsibility for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the outside auditors employed by the funds. The committee assists the Trustees in overseeing and monitoring: (i) the systems of internal accounting and financial controls of the funds and the funds' service providers (to the extent such controls impact the funds' financial statements); (ii) the funds' auditors and the annual audits of the funds' financial statements; (iii) the financial reporting processes of the funds; (iv) whistleblower reports; and (v) the accounting policies and disclosures of the funds. The committee considers and acts upon (i) the provision by any outside auditor of any non-audit services for any fund, and (ii) the provision by any outside auditor of certain non-audit services to fund service providers and their affiliates to the extent that such approval (in the case of this clause (ii)) is required under applicable regulations of the SEC. It is responsible for approving all audit engagement fees and terms for the funds and for resolving disagreements between a fund and any outside auditor regarding any fund's financial reporting. Auditors of the funds report directly to the committee. The committee will obtain assurance of independence and objectivity from the outside auditors, including a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the auditor and the funds and any service providers consistent with the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. It oversees and receives reports on the funds' service providers' internal controls and reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the service providers' accounting and financial controls, including: (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably likely to adversely affect the funds' ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; (ii) any change in the fund's internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the fund's internal control over financial reporting; and (iii) any fraud, whether material or not, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the funds' or service providers internal controls over financial reporting. The committee will also review any correspondence with regulators or governmental agencies or published reports that raise material issues regarding the funds' financial statements or accounting policies. These matters may also be reviewed by the Operations Committee. The committee reviews at least annually a report from each outside auditor describing any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control, peer review, or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board examination of the auditing firm and any material issues raised by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities of the auditing firm and in each case any steps taken to deal with such issues. The committee will oversee and receive reports on the funds' financial reporting process from the funds' Treasurer and outside auditors and will oversee the resolution of any disagreements concerning financial reporting among applicable parties. The committee will discuss with FMR, the funds' Treasurer, outside auditors and, if appropriate, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC their qualitative judgments about the appropriateness and acceptability of accounting principles and financial disclosure practices used or proposed for adoption by the funds. The committee will review with FMR, the funds' outside auditor, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC and legal counsel, as appropriate, matters related to the audits of the funds' financial statements. The committee will discuss regularly and oversee the review of the internal controls of the funds and their service providers with respect to accounting, financial matters and risk management programs related to the funds. The committee will review periodically the funds' major internal controls exposures and the steps that have been taken to monitor and control such exposures. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held five meetings.
The Fair Valuation Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Murray currently serving as Chair. The Committee normally meets quarterly, or more frequently as called by the Chair. The Fair Valuation Committee reviews and approves annually Fair Value Committee Policies recommended by the FMR Fair Value Committee and oversees particular valuations or fair valuation methodologies employed by the FMR Fair Value Committee as circumstances may require. The Committee also reviews actions taken by the FMR Fair Value Committee. The Committee does not oversee the day-to-day operational aspects of the valuation and calculation of the net asset value of the funds, which have been delegated to the FMR Fair Value Committee and FSC. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held four meetings.
The Governance and Nominating Committee is composed of Messrs. Johnson (Chair), Kenneally (Vice Chair) and Gartland. The committee meets as called by the Chair. With respect to fund governance and board administration matters, the committee periodically reviews procedures of the Board of Trustees and its committees (including committee charters) and periodically reviews compensation of Independent Trustees. The committee monitors corporate governance matters and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the frequency and structure of the Board of Trustee meetings and on any other aspect of Board procedures. It acts as the administrative committee under the retirement plan for Independent Trustees who retired prior to December 30, 1996 and under the fee deferral plan for Independent Trustees. It reviews the performance of legal counsel employed by the funds and the Independent Trustees. On behalf of the Independent Trustees, the committee will make such findings and determinations as to the independence of counsel for the Independent Trustees as may be necessary or appropriate under applicable regulations or otherwise. The committee is also responsible for Board administrative matters applicable to Independent Trustees, such as expense reimbursement policies and compensation for attendance at meetings, conferences and other events. The committee monitors compliance with, acts as the administrator of, and makes determinations in respect of, the provisions of the code of ethics and any supplemental policies regarding personal securities transactions applicable to the Independent Trustees. The committee monitors the functioning of each Board committee and makes recommendations for any changes, including the creation or elimination of standing or ad hoc Board committees. The committee monitors regulatory and other developments to determine whether to recommend modifications to the committee's responsibilities or other Trustee policies and procedures in light of rule changes, reports concerning "best practices" in corporate governance and other developments in mutual fund governance. The committee meets with Independent Trustees at least once a year to discuss matters relating to fund governance. The committee recommends that the Board establish such special or ad hoc Board committees as may be desirable or necessary from time to time in order to address ethical, legal, or other matters that may arise. The committee also oversees the annual self-evaluation of the Board of Trustees and establishes procedures to allow it to exercise this oversight function. In conducting this oversight, the committee shall address all matters that it considers relevant to the performance of the Board of Trustees and shall report the results of its evaluation to the Board of Trustees, including any recommended amendments to the principles of governance, and any recommended changes to the funds' or the Board of Trustees' policies, procedures, and structures. The committee reviews periodically the size and composition of the Board of Trustees as a whole and recommends, if necessary, measures to be taken so that the Board of Trustees reflects the appropriate balance of knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, and diversity required for the Board as a whole and contains at least the minimum number of Independent Trustees required by law. The committee makes nominations for the election or appointment of Independent Trustees and non-management Members of any Advisory Board, and for membership on committees. The committee has the authority to retain and terminate any third-party advisers, including authority to approve fees and other retention terms. Such advisers may include search firms to identify Independent Trustee candidates and board compensation consultants. The committee may conduct or authorize investigations into or studies of matters within the committee's scope of responsibilities, and may retain, at the funds' expense, such independent counsel or other advisers as it deems necessary. The committee will consider nominees to the Board of Trustees recommended by shareholders based upon the criteria applied to candidates presented to the committee by a search firm or other source. Recommendations, along with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as an Independent Trustee of the funds, should be submitted to the Chair of the committee at the address maintained for communications with Independent Trustees. If the committee retains a search firm, the Chair will generally forward all such submissions to the search firm for evaluation. With respect to the criteria for selecting Independent Trustees, it is expected that all candidates will possess the following minimum qualifications: (i) unquestioned personal integrity; (ii) not an interested person of the funds within the meaning of the 1940 Act; (iii) does not have a material relationship (e.g., commercial, banking, consulting, legal, or accounting) with the adviser, any sub-adviser or their affiliates that could create an appearance of lack of independence in respect of the funds; (iv) has the disposition to act independently in respect of FMR and its affiliates and others in order to protect the interests of the funds and all shareholders; (v) ability to attend regularly scheduled Board meetings during the year; (vi) demonstrates sound business judgment gained through broad experience in significant positions where the candidate has dealt with management, technical, financial, or regulatory issues; (vii) sufficient financial or accounting knowledge to add value in the complex financial environment of the funds; (viii) experience on corporate or other institutional oversight bodies having similar responsibilities, but which board memberships or other relationships could not result in business or regulatory conflicts with the funds; and (ix) capacity for the hard work and attention to detail that is required to be an effective Independent Trustee in light of the funds' complex regulatory, operational, and marketing setting. The Governance and Nominating Committee may determine that a candidate who does not have the type of previous experience or knowledge referred to above should nevertheless be considered as a nominee if the Governance and Nominating Committee finds that the candidate has additional qualifications such that his or her qualifications, taken as a whole, demonstrate the same level of fitness to serve as an Independent Trustee. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held six meetings.
The following table sets forth information describing the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the fund and in all funds in the aggregate within the same fund family overseen by the Trustee for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018.
| Interested Trustees | ||
|
DOLLAR RANGE OF
FUND SHARES |
Abigail P.Johnson | JenniferToolin McAuliffe |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | none | none |
|
AGGREGATE DOLLAR RANGE OF
FUND SHARES IN ALL FUNDS OVERSEEN WITHIN FUND FAMILY |
over $100,000 | over $100,000 |
The following table sets forth information describing the compensation of each Trustee and Member of the Advisory Board (if any) for his or her services for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, or calendar year ended December 31, 2018, as applicable.
(1) Abigail P. Johnson and Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe are interested persons and are compensated by Fidelity.
(2) General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust from July 17, 2018 through December 30, 2018. General Dunwoody serves as a Trustee of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust effective December 31, 2018.
(3) Reflects compensation received for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018 for 261 funds of 31 trusts (including Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios II LLC). Compensation figures include cash and may include amounts elected to be deferred. Certain individuals elected voluntarily to defer a portion of their compensation as follows: Elizabeth S. Acton, $72,000; Ann E. Dunwoody, $103,344; John Engler, $234,985; Robert F. Gartland, $180,000; Marie L. Knowles, $150,000; and Mark A. Murray, $234,985.
As of November 27, 2019, the Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the fund owned, in the aggregate, less than 1% of each class's total outstanding shares, with respect to the fund.
As of November 27, 2019, the following owned of record and/or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares:
| Fund Name | Owner Name | City | State | Ownership % |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | NEW YORK | NY | 82.86% |
CONTROL OF INVESTMENT ADVISERS
FMR LLC, as successor by merger to FMR Corp., is the ultimate parent company of FIMM, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (FMR UK), Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.), and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan). The voting common shares of FMR LLC are divided into two series. Series B is held predominantly by members of the Johnson family, including Abigail P. Johnson, directly or through trusts, and is entitled to 49% of the vote on any matter acted upon by the voting common shares. Series A is held predominantly by non-Johnson family member employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates and is entitled to 51% of the vote on any such matter. The Johnson family group and all other Series B shareholders have entered into a shareholders' voting agreement under which all Series B shares will be voted in accordance with the majority vote of Series B shares. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act), control of a company is presumed where one individual or group of individuals owns more than 25% of the voting securities of that company. Therefore, through their ownership of voting common shares and the execution of the shareholders' voting agreement, members of the Johnson family may be deemed, under the 1940 Act, to form a controlling group with respect to FMR LLC.
At present, the primary business activities of FMR LLC and its subsidiaries are: (i) the provision of investment advisory, management, shareholder, investment information and assistance and certain fiduciary services for individual and institutional investors; (ii) the provision of securities brokerage services; (iii) the management and development of real estate; and (iv) the investment in and operation of a number of emerging businesses.
FIMM, FMR UK, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, FDC, and the fund have adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act that sets forth employees' fiduciary responsibilities regarding the fund, establishes procedures for personal investing, and restricts certain transactions. Employees subject to the code of ethics, including Fidelity investment personnel, may invest in securities for their own investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by the fund.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
The fund has entered into a management contract with FIMM, pursuant to which FIMM furnishes investment advisory and other services.
Management Services. Under the terms of its management contract with the fund, FIMM acts as investment adviser and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, has overall responsibility for directing the investments of the fund in accordance with its investment objective, policies and limitations. FIMM also provides the fund with all necessary office facilities and personnel for servicing the fund's investments, compensates all officers of the fund and all Trustees who are interested persons of the trust or of FIMM, and compensates all personnel of the fund or FIMM performing services relating to research, statistical and investment activities.
In addition, FIMM or its affiliates, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, provide the management and administrative services necessary for the operation of the fund. These services include providing facilities for maintaining the fund's organization; supervising relations with custodians, transfer and pricing agents, accountants, underwriters and other persons dealing with the fund; preparing all general shareholder communications and conducting shareholder relations; maintaining the fund's records and the registration of the fund's shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws; developing management and shareholder services for the fund; and furnishing reports, evaluations and analyses on a variety of subjects to the Trustees.
Management-Related Expenses. Under the terms of the fund's management contract, FIMM, either itself or through an affiliate, is responsible for payment of all operating expenses of the fund with limited exceptions. Specific expenses payable by FIMM include expenses for typesetting, printing, and mailing proxy materials to shareholders, legal expenses, fees of the custodian, auditor, and interested Trustees, the fund's proportionate share of insurance premiums and Investment Company Institute dues, and the costs of registering shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws. The fund's management contract further provides that FIMM will pay for typesetting, printing, and mailing prospectuses, statements of additional information, notices, and reports to shareholders. FIMM also pays all fees associated with the transfer agency services and pricing and bookkeeping services agreements.
FIMM pays all other expenses of the fund with the following exceptions: fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees, interest, taxes, and such non-recurring expenses as may arise, including costs of any litigation to which the fund may be a party, and any obligation it may have to indemnify its officers and Trustees with respect to litigation. The fund shall pay its non-operating expenses, including brokerage commissions and fees and expenses associated with the fund’s securities lending program, if applicable.
Management Fee.
For the services of FIMM under the management contract, the fund pays FIMM a monthly management fee at the annual rate of 0.36% of the fund's average net assets throughout the month. The management fee paid to FIMM by the fund is reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the fund to the Independent Trustees.
The following table shows the amount of management fees paid by the fund to FIMM for the past three fiscal years and the amount of credits reducing management fees.
| Fund |
Fiscal Years
Ended August 31 |
Amount of
Credits Reducing Management Fees |
Management
Fees Paid to Investment Adviser |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF | 2019 | $162 | $254,934 |
| 2018(1) | $337 | $300,020 | |
| 2017 | $201 | $217,760 |
(1) On April 1, 2018, FIMM reduced the management fee rate paid by the fund from 0.45% to 0.36%.
FIMM may, from time to time, voluntarily reimburse all or a portion of a fund's or, in the case of a multiple class fund, a class's operating expenses. FIMM retains the ability to be repaid for these expense reimbursements in the amount that expenses fall below the limit prior to the end of the fiscal year.
Expense reimbursements will increase returns and yield, and repayment of the reimbursement will decrease returns and yield.
Sub-Advisers - FMR UK, FMR H.K., and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into sub-advisory agreements with FMR H.K. and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with FMR UK. Pursuant to the sub-advisory agreements, FIMM may receive from the sub-advisers investment research and advice on issuers outside the United States (non-discretionary services) and FIMM may grant the sub-advisers investment management authority and the authority to buy and sell securities if FIMM believes it would be beneficial to the fund (discretionary services). FIMM, and not the fund, pays the sub-advisers.
Matthew Bartlett is co-manager of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. David Prothro is co-manager of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. Effective December 1, 2019, Dr. Ben Tarlow serves as co-manager of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. Information with respect to Dr. Tarlow’s holdings and other accounts managed will be updated in a supplement to this SAI. As of August 31, 2019 (December 31, 2019 for Dr. Tarlow), portfolio manager compensation generally consists of a fixed base salary determined periodically (typically annually), a bonus, in certain cases, participation in several types of equity-based compensation plans, and, if applicable, relocation plan benefits. A portion of each portfolio manager’s compensation may be deferred based on criteria established by FMR or at the election of the portfolio manager.
Each portfolio manager’s base salary is determined by level of responsibility and tenure at FMR or its affiliates. The primary components of each portfolio manager’s bonus are based on (i) the pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) measured against a benchmark index assigned to each fund or account, and (ii) the investment performance of other FMR taxable bond funds and accounts. The pre-tax investment performance of each portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) is weighted according to the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) and the average asset size of those fund(s) and account(s) over the portfolio manager’s tenure. Each component is calculated separately over the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) over a measurement period that initially is contemporaneous with the portfolio manager’s tenure, but that eventually encompasses rolling periods of up to three years for the comparison to a benchmark index. A smaller, subjective component of each portfolio manager’s bonus is based on the portfolio manager’s overall contribution to management of FMR. The portion of each portfolio manager’s bonus that is linked to the investment performance of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF is based on the pre-tax investment performance of the fund measured against the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Credit Bond Index. Each portfolio manager also is compensated under equity-based compensation plans linked to increases or decreases in the net asset value of the stock of FMR LLC, FMR’s parent company. FMR LLC is a diverse financial services company engaged in various activities that include fund management, brokerage, retirement and employer administrative services. If requested to relocate their primary residence, portfolio managers also may be eligible to receive benefits, such as home sale assistance and payment of certain moving expenses, under relocation plans for most full-time employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates.
A portfolio manager’s compensation plan may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Although investors in the fund may invest through either tax-deferred accounts or taxable accounts, a portfolio manager’s compensation is linked to the pre-tax performance of the fund, rather than its after-tax performance. A portfolio manager’s base pay tends to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management and a portion of the bonus relates to marketing efforts, which together indirectly link compensation to sales. When a portfolio manager takes over a fund or an account, the time period over which performance is measured may be adjusted to provide a transition period in which to assess the portfolio. The management of multiple funds and accounts (including proprietary accounts) may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as a portfolio manager must allocate time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. In addition, a fund’s trade allocation policies and procedures may give rise to conflicts of interest if the fund’s orders do not get fully executed due to being aggregated with those of other accounts managed by FMR or an affiliate. A portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by a fund. Securities selected for other funds or accounts may outperform the securities selected for the fund. Portfolio managers may be permitted to invest in the funds they manage, even if a fund is closed to new investors. Trading in personal accounts, which may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, is restricted by a fund’s Code of Ethics.
Portfolio managers may receive interests in certain funds or accounts managed by FMR or one of its affiliated advisers (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). A conflict of interest situation is presented where a portfolio manager considers investing a client account in securities of an issuer in which FMR, its affiliates or their (or their fund clients’) respective directors, officers or employees already hold a significant position for their own account, including positions held indirectly through Proprietary Accounts. Because the 1940 Act, as well as other applicable laws and regulations, restricts certain transactions between affiliated entities or between an advisor and its clients, client accounts managed by FMR or its affiliates, including accounts sub-advised by third parties, are, in certain circumstances, prohibited from participating in offerings of such securities (including initial public offerings and other offerings occurring before or after an issuer’s initial public offering) or acquiring such securities in the secondary market. For example, ownership of a company by Proprietary Accounts has, in certain situations, resulted in restrictions on FMR’s and its affiliates’ client accounts’ ability to acquire securities in the company’s initial public offering and subsequent public offerings, private offerings, and in the secondary market, and additional restrictions could arise in the future; to the extent such client accounts acquire the relevant securities after such restrictions are subsequently lifted, the delay could affect the price at which the securities are acquired.
A conflict of interest situation is presented when FMR or its affiliates acquire, on behalf of their client accounts, securities of the same issuers whose securities are already held in Proprietary Accounts, because such investments could have the effect of increasing or supporting the value of the Proprietary Accounts. A conflict of interest situation also arises when FMR investment advisory personnel consider whether client accounts they manage should invest in an investment opportunity that they know is also being considered by an affiliate of FMR for a Proprietary Account, to the extent that not investing on behalf of such client accounts improves the ability of the Proprietary Account to take advantage of the opportunity. FMR has adopted policies and procedures and maintains a compliance program designed to help manage such actual and potential conflicts of interest.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Bartlett as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $2,121 | $3,275 | $3,232 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF ($128 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Bartlett was none.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Prothro as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 5 | 7 | 15 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $4,698 | $3,299 | $4,138 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF ($128 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Prothro was none.
PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES
Fidelity® Funds' Proxy Voting Guidelines
I. Introduction
These guidelines are intended to help Fidelity’s customers and the companies in which Fidelity invests understand how Fidelity votes proxies to further the values that have sustained Fidelity for over 70 years. In particular, these guidelines are animated by two fundamental principles: 1) putting first the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. Fidelity generally adheres to these guidelines in voting proxies. Our evaluation of proxies reflects information from many sources, including management or shareholders of a company presenting a proposal and proxy voting advisory firms. Fidelity maintains the flexibility to vote individual proxies based on our assessment of each situation.
In evaluating proxies, we recognize that companies can conduct themselves in ways that have important environmental and social consequences. While Fidelity always remains focused on maximizing long-term shareholder value, we also consider potential environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.
Fidelity will vote on proposals not specifically addressed by these guidelines based on an evaluation of a proposal's likelihood to enhance the long-term economic returns or profitability of the company or to maximize long-term shareholder value. Fidelity will not be influenced by business relationships or outside perspectives that may conflict with the interests of the funds and their shareholders.
II. Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
Directors of public companies play a critical role in ensuring that a company and its management team serve the interests of its shareholders. Fidelity believes that through proxy voting, it can help ensure accountability of management teams and boards of directors, align management and shareholder interests, and monitor and assess the degree of transparency and disclosure with respect to executive compensation and board actions affecting shareholders’ rights. The following general guidelines are intended to reflect these proxy voting principles.
A. Election of Directors
Fidelity will generally support director nominees in elections where all directors are unopposed (uncontested elections), except where a director clearly appears to have failed to exercise reasonable judgment or otherwise failed to sufficiently protect the interests of shareholders.
Fidelity generally will oppose the election of directors if, by way of example:
1. The director attended fewer than 75% of the total number of meetings of the board and its committees on which the director served during the company's prior fiscal year, absent extenuating circumstances.
2. Inside or affiliated directors serve on boards that are not composed of a majority of independent directors.
3. The company made a commitment to modify a proposal or practice to conform to these guidelines, and failed to act on that commitment.
4. For reasons described below under the sections entitled Compensation and Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections.
B. Contested Director Elections
On occasion, directors are forced to compete for election against outside director nominees (contested elections). Fidelity believes that strong management creates long-term shareholder value. As a result, Fidelity generally will vote in support of management of companies in which the funds’ assets are invested. Fidelity will vote its proxy on a case-by-case basis in a contested election, taking into consideration a number of factors, amongst others:
1. Management’s track record and strategic plan for enhancing shareholder value;
2. The long-term performance of the company compared to its industry peers; and
3. The qualifications of the shareholder’s and management’s nominees.
Fidelity will vote for the outcome it believes has the best prospects for maximizing shareholder value over the long-term.
C. Cumulative Voting Rights
Under cumulative voting, each shareholder may exercise the number of votes equal to the number of shares owned multiplied by the number of directors up for election. Shareholders may cast all of their votes for a single nominee (or multiple nominees in varying amounts). With regular (non-cumulative) voting, by contrast, shareholders cannot allocate more than one vote per share to any one director nominee. Fidelity believes that cumulative voting can be detrimental to the overall strength of a board. Generally, therefore, Fidelity will oppose the introduction of, and support the elimination of, cumulative voting rights.
D. Classified Boards
A classified board is one that elects only a percentage of its members each year (usually one-third of directors are elected to serve a three-year term). This means that at each annual meeting only a subset of directors is up for re-election. Fidelity believes that, in general, classified boards are not as accountable to shareholders as declassified boards. For this and other reasons, Fidelity generally will oppose a board’s adoption of a classified board structure and support declassification of existing boards.
E. Independent Chairperson
In general, Fidelity believes that boards should have a process and criteria for selecting the board chair, and will oppose shareholder proposals calling for, or recommending the appointment of, a non-executive or independent chairperson. If, however, based on particular facts and circumstances, Fidelity believes that appointment of a non-executive or independent chairperson appears likely to further the interests of shareholders and promote effective oversight of management by the board of directors, Fidelity will consider voting to support a proposal for an independent chairperson under such circumstances.
F. Majority Voting in Director Elections
In general, Fidelity supports proposals calling for directors to be elected by a majority of votes cast if the proposal permits election by a plurality in the case of contested elections (where, for example, there are more nominees than board seats). Fidelity may oppose a majority voting shareholder proposal where a company’s board has adopted a policy requiring the resignation of an incumbent director who fails to receive the support of a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election.
G. Proxy Access
Proxy access proposals generally require a company to amend its by-laws to allow a qualifying shareholder or group of shareholders to nominate directors on a company’s proxy ballot. Fidelity believes that certain safeguards as to ownership threshold and duration of ownership are important to assure that proxy access is not misused by those without a significant economic interest in the company or those driven by short term goals. Fidelity will evaluate proxy access proposals on a case-by-case basis, but generally will support proposals that include ownership of at least 3% (5% in the case of small-cap companies) of the company’s shares outstanding for at least three years; limit the number of directors that eligible shareholders may nominate to 20% of the board; and limit to 20 the number of shareholders that may form a nominating group.
H. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
In many instances there are sound reasons to indemnify officers and directors, so that they may perform their duties without the distraction of unwarranted litigation or other legal process. Fidelity generally supports charter and by-law amendments expanding the indemnification of officers or directors, or limiting their liability for breaches of care unless Fidelity is dissatisfied with their performance or the proposal is accompanied by anti-takeover provisions (see Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans below).
III. Compensation
Incentive compensation plans can be complicated and many factors are considered when evaluating such plans. Fidelity evaluates such plans based on protecting shareholder interests and our historical knowledge of the company and its management.
A. Equity Compensation Plans
Fidelity encourages the use of reasonably designed equity compensation plans that align the interest of management with those of shareholders by providing officers and employees with incentives to increase long-term shareholder value. Fidelity considers whether such plans are too dilutive to existing shareholders because dilution reduces the voting power or economic interest of existing shareholders as a result of an increase in shares available for distribution to employees in lieu of cash compensation. Fidelity will generally oppose equity compensation plans or amendments to authorize additional shares under such plans if:
1. The company grants stock options and equity awards in a given year at a rate higher than a benchmark rate (“burn rate”) considered appropriate by Fidelity and there were no circumstances specific to the company or the compensation plans that leads Fidelity to conclude that the rate of awards is otherwise acceptable.
2. The plan includes an evergreen provision, which is a feature that provides for an automatic increase in the shares available for grant under an equity compensation plan on a regular basis.
3. The plan provides for the acceleration of vesting of equity compensation even though an actual change in control may not occur.
As to stock option plans, considerations include the following:
1. Pricing: We believe that options should be priced at 100% of fair market value on the date they are granted. We generally oppose options priced at a discount to the market, although the price may be as low as 85% of fair market value if the discount is expressly granted in lieu of salary or cash bonus.
2. Re-pricing: An “out-of-the-money” (or underwater) option has an exercise price that is higher than the current price of the stock. We generally oppose the re-pricing of underwater options because it is not consistent with a policy of offering options as a form of long-term compensation. Fidelity also generally opposes a stock option plan if the board or compensation committee has re-priced options outstanding in the past two years without shareholder approval.
Fidelity generally will support a management proposal to exchange, re-price or tender for cash, outstanding options if the proposed exchange, re-pricing, or tender offer is consistent with the interests of shareholders, taking into account a variety of factors such as:
1. Whether the proposal excludes senior management and directors;
2. Whether the exchange or re-pricing proposal is value neutral to shareholders based upon an acceptable pricing model;
3. The company's relative performance compared to other companies within the relevant industry or industries;
4. Economic and other conditions affecting the relevant industry or industries in which the company competes; and
5. Any other facts or circumstances relevant to determining whether an exchange or re-pricing proposal is consistent with the interests of shareholders.
B. Employee Stock Purchase Plans
These plans are designed to allow employees to purchase company stock at a discounted price and receive favorable tax treatment when the stock is sold. Fidelity generally will support employee stock purchase plans if the minimum stock purchase price is equal to or greater than 85% (or at least 75% in the case of non-U.S. companies where a lower minimum stock purchase price is equal to the prevailing “best practices” in that market) of the stock's fair market value and the plan constitutes a reasonable effort to encourage broad based participation in the company's stock.
IV. Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) and Frequency of Say on Pay Vote
Current law requires companies to allow shareholders to cast non-binding votes on the compensation for named executive officers, as well as the frequency of such votes. Fidelity generally will support proposals to ratify executive compensation unless the compensation appears misaligned with shareholder interests or is otherwise problematic, taking into account:
- The actions taken by the board or compensation committee in the previous year, including whether the company re-priced or exchanged outstanding stock options without shareholder approval; adopted or extended a golden parachute without shareholder approval; or adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation;
- The alignment of executive compensation and company performance relative to peers; and
- The structure of the compensation program, including factors such as whether incentive plan metrics are appropriate, rigorous and transparent; whether the long-term element of the compensation program is evaluated over at least a three-year period; the sensitivity of pay to below median performance; the amount and nature of non-performance-based compensation; the justification and rationale behind paying discretionary bonuses; the use of stock ownership guidelines and amount of executive stock ownership; and how well elements of compensation are disclosed.
When presented with a frequency of Say on Pay vote, Fidelity generally will support holding an annual advisory vote on Say on Pay.
A. Compensation Committee
Directors serving on the compensation committee of the Board have a special responsibility to ensure that management is appropriately compensated and that compensation, among other things, fairly reflects the performance of the company. Fidelity believes that compensation should align with company performance as measured by key business metrics. Compensation policies should align the interests of executives with those of shareholders. Further, the compensation program should be disclosed in a transparent and timely manner.
Fidelity will oppose the election of directors on the compensation committees if:
1. The company has not adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation.
2. Within the last year, and without shareholder approval, a company's board of directors or compensation committee has either:
a) Re-priced outstanding options, exchanged outstanding options for equity, or tendered cash for outstanding options; or
b) Adopted or extended a golden parachute.
B. Executive Severance Agreements
Executive severance compensation and benefit arrangements resulting from a termination following a change in control are known as “golden parachutes.” Fidelity generally will oppose proposals to ratify golden parachutes where the arrangement includes an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
V. Environmental and Social Issues
In these guidelines, we outline our views about corporate governance and how we evaluate and express our views about the governance of a company in ways that are intended to maximize long-term shareholder value. In addition, environmental and social issues are generally incorporated into our evaluation of a company.
Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with management’s recommendation on shareholder proposals concerning environmental or social issues, as it generally believes that management and the board are in the best position to determine how to address these matters. In certain cases, however, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals that request additional disclosures from companies regarding environmental or social issues, where it believes that the proposed disclosures could provide meaningful information to the investment management process without unduly burdening the company. For example, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals calling for reports on sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental impact issues. Fidelity also may support proposals on issues such as equal employment, and board and workforce diversity.
VI. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans
Fidelity generally will oppose a proposal to adopt an anti-takeover provision.
Anti-takeover provisions include:
- classified boards;
- “blank check” preferred stock (whose terms and conditions may be expressly determined by the company’s board, for example, with differential voting rights);
- golden parachutes;
- supermajority provisions (that require a large majority (generally between 67-90%) of shareholders to approve corporate changes as compared to a majority provision that simply requires more than 50% of shareholders to approve those changes);
- poison pills;
- restricting the right to call special meetings;
- provisions restricting the right of shareholders to set board size; and
- any other provision that eliminates or limits shareholder rights.
A. Shareholders Rights Plans (“poison pills”)
Poison pills allow shareholders opposed to a takeover offer to purchase stock at discounted prices under certain circumstances and effectively give boards veto power over any takeover offer. While there are advantages and disadvantages to poison pills, they can be detrimental to the creation of shareholder value and can help entrench management by deterring acquisition offers not favored by the board, but that may, in fact, be beneficial to shareholders.
Fidelity generally will support a proposal to adopt or extend a poison pill if the proposal:
1. Includes a condition in the charter or plan that specifies an expiration date (sunset provision) of no greater than five years;
2. Is integral to a business strategy that is expected to result in greater value for the shareholders;
3. Requires shareholder approval to be reinstated upon expiration or if amended;
4. Contains a mechanism to allow shareholders to consider a bona fide takeover offer for all outstanding shares without triggering the poison pill; and
5. Allows the Fidelity funds to hold an aggregate position of up to 20% of a company's total voting securities, where permissible.
Fidelity generally also will support a proposal that is crafted only for the purpose of protecting a specific tax benefit if it also believes the proposal is likely to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
B. Shareholder Ability to Call a Special Meeting
Fidelity generally will support shareholder proposals regarding shareholders' right to call special meetings if the threshold required to call the special meeting is no less than 25% of the outstanding stock.
C. Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding shareholders' right to act by written consent if the proposals include appropriate mechanisms for implementation. This means that proposals must include record date requests from at least 25% of the outstanding stockholders and consents must be solicited from all shareholders.
D. Supermajority Shareholder Vote Requirement
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding supermajority provisions if Fidelity believes that the provisions protect minority shareholder interests in companies where there is a substantial or dominant shareholder.
VII. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections
Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors or directors on responsible committees if the board adopted or extended an anti-takeover provision without shareholder approval.
Fidelity will consider supporting the election of directors with respect to poison pills if:
- All of the poison pill’s features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights section above are met when a poison pill is adopted or extended.
- A board is willing to consider seeking shareholder ratification of, or adding the features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans section above to, an existing poison pill. If, however, the company does not take appropriate action prior to the next annual shareholder meeting, Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors at that meeting.
- It determines that the poison pill was narrowly tailored to protect a specific tax benefit, and subject to an evaluation of its likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
VIII. Capital Structure and Incorporation
These guidelines are designed to protect shareholders’ value in the companies in which the Fidelity funds invest. To the extent a company’s management is committed and incentivized to maximize shareholder value, Fidelity generally votes in favor of management proposals; Fidelity may vote contrary to management where a proposal is overly dilutive to shareholders and/or compromises shareholder value or other interests. The guidelines that follow are meant to protect shareholders in these respects.
A. Increases in Common Stock
Fidelity may support reasonable increases in authorized shares for a specific purpose (a stock split or re-capitalization, for example). Fidelity generally will oppose a provision to increase a company's authorized common stock if such increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than three times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares, including stock options.
In the case of REITs, however, Fidelity will oppose a provision to increase the REIT’s authorized common stock if the increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than five times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares.
B. Multi-Class Share Structures
Fidelity generally will support proposals to recapitalize multi-class share structures into structures that provide equal voting rights for all shareholders, and generally will oppose proposals to introduce or increase classes of stock with differential voting rights. However, Fidelity will evaluate all such proposals in the context of their likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
C. Incorporation or Reincorporation in another State or Country
Fidelity generally will support management proposals calling for, or recommending that, a company reincorporate in another state or country if, on balance, the economic and corporate governance factors in the proposed jurisdiction appear reasonably likely to be better aligned with shareholder interests, taking into account the corporate laws of the current and proposed jurisdictions and any changes to the company's current and proposed governing documents. Fidelity will consider supporting these shareholder proposals in limited cases if, based upon particular facts and circumstances, remaining incorporated in the current jurisdiction appears misaligned with shareholder interests.
IX. Shares of Fidelity Funds, ETFs, or other non-Fidelity Mutual Funds and ETFs
When a Fidelity fund invests in an underlying Fidelity fund with public shareholders, an exchange traded fund (ETF), or fund that is not affiliated, Fidelity will vote in the same proportion as all other voting shareholders of the underlying fund (this is known as “echo voting”). Fidelity may choose not to vote if "echo voting" is not operationally practical. For Fidelity fund investments in a Fidelity Series Fund, Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with the recommendation of the Fidelity Series Fund's Board of Trustees on all proposals.
X. Foreign Markets
Many Fidelity funds invest in voting securities issued by companies that are domiciled outside the United States and are not listed on a U.S. securities exchange. Corporate governance standards, legal or regulatory requirements and disclosure practices in foreign countries can differ from those in the United States. When voting proxies relating to non-U.S. securities, Fidelity generally will evaluate proposals under these guidelines and where applicable and feasible, take into consideration differing laws, regulations and practices in the relevant foreign market in determining how to vote shares.
In certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, shareholders voting shares of a company may be restricted from trading the shares for a period of time around the shareholder meeting date. Because these trading restrictions can hinder portfolio management and could result in a loss of liquidity for a fund, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in circumstances where such restrictions apply. In addition, certain non-U.S. jurisdictions require voting shareholders to disclose current share ownership on a fund-by-fund basis. When such disclosure requirements apply, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in order to safeguard fund holdings information.
XI. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
Voting of shares is conducted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fidelity funds. In other words, securities of a company generally will be voted in a manner consistent with these guidelines and without regard to any other Fidelity companies' business relationships.
Fidelity takes its responsibility to vote shares in the best interests of the funds seriously and has implemented policies and procedures to address actual and potential conflicts of interest.
XII. Conclusion
Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Fidelity has been driven by two fundamental values: 1) putting the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders first; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. With these fundamental principles as guideposts, the funds are managed to provide the greatest possible return to shareholders consistent with governing laws and the investment guidelines and objectives of each fund.
Fidelity believes that there is a strong correlation between sound corporate governance and enhancing shareholder value. Fidelity, through the implementation of these guidelines, puts this belief into action through consistent engagement with portfolio companies on matters contained in these guidelines, and, ultimately, through the exercise of voting rights by the funds.
Glossary
• Burn rate means the total number of stock option and full value equity awards granted as compensation in a given year divided by the weighted average common stock outstanding for that same year.
- For a large-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 1.5%.
- For a small-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 2.5%.
- For a micro-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 3.5%.
• Golden parachute means employment contracts, agreements, or policies that include an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
• Large-capitalization company means a company included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index.
• Micro-capitalization company means a company with market capitalization under US $300 million.
• Poison pill refers to a strategy employed by a potential takeover / target company to make its stock less attractive to an acquirer. Poison pills are generally designed to dilute the acquirer's ownership and value in the event of a takeover.
• Small-capitalization company means a company not included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index that is not a Micro-Capitalization Company.
To view a fund's proxy voting record for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, if applicable, visit www.fidelity.com/proxyvotingresults or visit the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.
DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
The fund has entered into a distribution agreement with FDC, an affiliate of FIMM and FMR. The principal business address of FDC is 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, Rhode Island 02917. FDC is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The distribution agreement calls for FDC to use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its other business, to secure purchasers for shares of the fund, which are continuously offered at NAV. Promotional and administrative expenses in connection with the offer and sale of shares are paid by FIMM or FMR.
The Trustees have approved a Distribution and Service Plan with respect to shares of the fund (the Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the Rule). The Rule provides in substance that a fund may not engage directly or indirectly in financing any activity that is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund except pursuant to a plan approved on behalf of the fund under the Rule. The Plan, as approved by the Trustees, allows shares of the fund, FIMM, and/or FMR to incur certain expenses that might be considered to constitute indirect payment by the fund of distribution expenses.
The Plan adopted for the fund is described in the prospectus.
Under the Plan, if the payment of management fees by the fund to FIMM is deemed to be indirect financing by the fund of the distribution of its shares, such payment is authorized by the Plan. The Plan specifically recognizes that FIMM or FMR may use its management fee revenue, including management fees paid to FIMM by the fund or fees paid to FMR by FIMM out of such management fees, as well as its past profits or its other resources, to pay FDC for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund and/or shareholder support services. In addition, the Plan provides that FIMM or FMR, directly or through FDC, may pay significant amounts to intermediaries that provide those services.
Prior to approving the Plan, the Trustees carefully considered all pertinent factors relating to the implementation of the Plan, and determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trustees noted that the Plan does not authorize payments by shares of the fund other than those made to FIMM under its management contract with the fund. To the extent that the Plan gives FIMM, FMR, and FDC greater flexibility in connection with the distribution of shares, additional sales of shares or stabilization of cash flows may result. Furthermore, certain shareholder support services may be provided more effectively under the Plan by local entities with whom shareholders have other relationships.
FDC or an affiliate may compensate, or upon direction make payments for certain retirement plan expenses to intermediaries. A number of factors are considered in determining whether to pay these additional amounts. Such factors may include, without limitation, the level or type of services provided by the intermediary, the level or expected level of assets or sales of shares, and other factors. In addition to such payments, FDC or an affiliate may offer other incentives such as sponsorship of educational or client seminars relating to current products and issues, payments or reimbursements for travel and related expenses associated with due diligence trips that an intermediary may undertake in order to explore possible business relationships with affiliates of FDC, and/or payments of costs and expenses associated with attendance at seminars, including travel, lodging, entertainment, and meals. Certain of the payments described above may be significant to an intermediary. As permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules and other applicable laws and regulations, FDC or an affiliate may pay or allow other incentives or payments to intermediaries.
FDC or an affiliate may also make payments to banks, broker-dealers and other service-providers (who may be affiliated with FDC) for distribution-related activities and/or shareholder services. If you have purchased shares of the fund through an investment professional, please speak with your investment professional to learn more about any payments his or her firm may receive from FIMM, FMR, FDC, and/or their affiliates, as well as fees and/or commissions the investment professional charges. You should also consult disclosures made by your investment professional at the time of purchase.
Any of the payments described in this section may represent a premium over payments made by other fund families. Investment professionals may have an added incentive to sell or recommend a fund over others offered by competing fund families, or retirement plan sponsors may take these payments into account when deciding whether to include a fund as a plan investment option.
FDC may also enter into agreements with securities dealers who will solicit purchases of Creation Units. Such securities dealers may also be Authorized Participants, DTC Participants, and or investor services organizations.
TRANSFER AND SERVICE AGENT AGREEMENTS
The fund has entered into a transfer agency and service agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street), which is located at One Heritage Drive, Floor 1, North Quincy, Massachusetts, 02171. Under the terms of the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) acts as transfer agent and dividend and disbursing agent.
The fund has entered into a service agent agreement with FSC, an affiliate of FIMM (or an agent, including an affiliate), which is located at 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210. Under the terms of the agreement, FSC (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides certain pricing and bookkeeping services for the fund and administers the fund's securities lending program. FSC has entered into a sub-administration agreement with State Street. Under the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides various fund accounting and fund administration services, including preparation of financial information for shareholder reports and tax services, for the fund.
FIMM bears the cost of services under these agreements under the terms of its management contract with the fund.
SECURITIES LENDING
During the fiscal year, the securities lending agent, or the investment adviser (where the fund does not use a securities lending agent) monitors loan opportunities for the fund, negotiates the terms of the loans with borrowers, monitors the value of securities on loan and the value of the corresponding collateral, communicates with borrowers and the fund's custodian regarding marking to market the collateral, selects securities to be loaned and allocates those loan opportunities among lenders, and arranges for the return of the loaned securities upon the termination of the loan. Income and fees from securities lending activities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, are shown in the following table:
| Security Lending Activities | Fund(s) |
| Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF(1) | |
| Gross income from securities lending activities | $0 |
| Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split | $0 |
| Administrative fees | $0 |
| Rebate (paid to borrower) | $0 |
| Other fees not included in the revenue split (lending agent fees to NFS) | $0 |
| Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities | $0 |
| Net income from securities lending activities | $0 |
(1) The fund did not lend securities during the year
A fund does not pay cash collateral management fees, separate indemnification fees, or other fees not reflected above.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
Trust Organization. Fidelity® Corporate Bond ETF is a fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust, an open-end management investment company created under an initial declaration of trust dated November 15, 2012. The Trustees are permitted to create additional funds in the trust and to create additional classes of the fund.
The assets of the trust received for the issue or sale of shares of each of its funds and all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, subject to the rights of creditors, are allocated to such fund, and constitute the underlying assets of such fund. The underlying assets of each fund in the trust shall be charged with the liabilities and expenses attributable to such fund. Any general expenses of the trust shall be allocated between or among any one or more of the funds.
Shareholder Liability. The trust is an entity commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the trust.
The Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations, and expenses of the trust or fund. The Declaration of Trust provides that the trust shall not have any claim against shareholders except for the payment of the purchase price of shares and requires that each agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by the trust or the Trustees relating to the trust or to a fund shall include a provision limiting the obligations created thereby to the trust or to one or more funds and its or their assets. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders of a fund shall not have a claim on or right to any assets belonging to any other fund.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of a fund's property of any shareholder or former shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the fund solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a fund shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the fund and satisfy any judgment thereon. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which a fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations. FIMM believes that, in view of the above, the risk of personal liability to shareholders is remote.
Voting Rights. Each fund's capital consists of shares of beneficial interest. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each dollar of net asset value they own. The voting rights of shareholders can be changed only by a shareholder vote. Shares may be voted in the aggregate, by fund, and by class.
The shares have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares are fully paid and nonassessable, except as set forth under the heading "Shareholder Liability" above.
The trust or a fund or a class may be terminated upon the sale of its assets to, or merger with, another open-end management investment company, series, or class thereof, or upon liquidation and distribution of its assets. The Trustees may reorganize, terminate, merge, or sell all or a portion of the assets of the trust or a fund or a class without prior shareholder approval. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the trust, shareholders of each of its funds are entitled to receive the underlying assets of such fund available for distribution. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of a fund or a class, shareholders of that fund or that class are entitled to receive the underlying assets of the fund or class available for distribution.
Custodians. State Street Bank and Trust Company, 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian of the assets of the fund. The custodian is responsible for the safekeeping of the fund's assets and the appointment of any subcustodian banks and clearing agencies. The Bank of New York Mellon and JPMorgan Chase Bank, each headquartered in New York, also may serve as special purpose custodians of certain assets in connection with repurchase agreement transactions. From time to time, subject to approval by a fund's Treasurer, a Fidelity® fund may enter into escrow arrangements with other banks if necessary to participate in certain investment offerings.
FMR, its officers and directors, its affiliated companies, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and Members of the Board of Trustees may, from time to time, conduct transactions with various banks, including banks serving as custodians for certain funds advised by FMR or an affiliate. Transactions that have occurred to date include mortgages and personal and general business loans. In the judgment of the fund's adviser, the terms and conditions of those transactions were not influenced by existing or potential custodial or other fund relationships.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts, independent registered public accounting firm, audits financial statements for the fund and provides other audit, tax, and related services.
FUND HOLDINGS INFORMATION
The fund views holdings information as sensitive and limits its dissemination. The Board authorized FMR to establish and administer guidelines for the dissemination of fund holdings information, which may be amended at any time without prior notice. FMR's Disclosure Policy Committee (comprising executive officers of FMR) evaluates disclosure policy with the goal of serving the fund's best interests by striking an appropriate balance between providing information about the fund's portfolio and protecting the fund from potentially harmful disclosure. The Board reviews the administration and modification of these guidelines and receives reports from the fund's chief compliance officer periodically.
On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in shares on the listing exchange, the fund will disclose on its website the identities and quantities of the fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
Daily portfolio composition files (PCFs) that identify a basket of specified securities that may overlap with the actual or expected portfolio holdings of the fund will be provided as frequently as daily to the fund's service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the fund and to certain other entities in connection with the dissemination of information necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Each business day prior to the opening of the listing exchange, a PCF containing a list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security for the fund will be provided for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC; through other fee-based services to NSCC members; subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants; and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading fund shares in the secondary market. In addition to making PCFs available to the NSCC, the fund will disclose the PCF or portions thereof as frequently as daily on www.fidelity.com.
The fund may also from time to time provide or make available to the Board or third parties upon request specific fund level performance attribution information and statistics. Third parties may include fund shareholders or prospective fund shareholders, members of the press, consultants, and ratings and ranking organizations. Nonexclusive examples of performance attribution information and statistics may include (i) the allocation of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions among various asset classes, sectors, industries, and countries, (ii) the characteristics of the stock and bond components of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions, (iii) the attribution of fund returns by asset class, sector, industry, and country and (iv) the volatility characteristics of the fund.
FMR’s Disclosure Policy Committee may approve a request for fund level performance attribution and statistics as long as (i) such disclosure does not enable the receiving party to recreate the complete or partial portfolio holdings of any Fidelity fund prior to such fund’s public disclosure of its portfolio holdings and (ii) Fidelity has made a good faith determination that the requested information is not material given the particular facts and circumstances. Fidelity may deny any request for performance attribution information and other statistical information about a fund made by any person, and may do so for any reason or for no reason.
Disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information for a Fidelity fund’s portfolio may only be provided pursuant to the guidelines below.
The Use of Holdings In Connection With Fund Operations. Material non-public holdings information may be provided as part of the activities associated with managing Fidelity® funds to: entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed; other parties if legally required; or persons FMR believes will not misuse the disclosed information. These entities, parties, and persons include, but are not limited to: the fund's trustees; the fund's manager, its sub-advisers, if any, and their affiliates whose access persons are subject to a code of ethics (including portfolio managers of affiliated funds of funds); contractors who are subject to a confidentiality agreement; the fund's auditors; the fund's custodians; proxy voting service providers; financial printers; pricing service vendors; broker-dealers in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities; securities lending agents; counsel to the fund or its Independent Trustees; regulatory authorities; stock exchanges and other listing organizations; parties to litigation; third parties in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding relating to a fund holding; and third parties who have submitted a standing request to a money market fund for daily holdings information. Non-public holdings information may also be provided to an issuer regarding the number or percentage of its shares that are owned by the fund and in connection with redemptions in kind.
Other Uses Of Holdings Information. In addition, the fund may provide material non-public holdings information to (i) third parties that calculate information derived from holdings for use by FMR, a sub-adviser, or their affiliates, (ii) ratings and rankings organizations, and (iii) an investment adviser, trustee, or their agents to whom holdings are disclosed for due diligence purposes or in anticipation of a merger involving the fund. Each individual request is reviewed by the Disclosure Policy Committee which must find, in its sole discretion that, based on the specific facts and circumstances, the disclosure appears unlikely to be harmful to the fund. Entities receiving this information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that, (a) the holdings information will be kept confidential, (b) no employee shall use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit, and (c) the nature and type of information that they, in turn, may disclose to third parties is limited. FMR relies primarily on the existence of non-disclosure agreements and/or control mechanisms when determining that disclosure is not likely to be harmful to the fund.
At this time, the entities receiving information described in the preceding paragraph are: Factset Research Systems Inc. (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (full holdings weekly (generally as of the previous Friday), generally 5 business days thereafter); MSCI Inc. and certain affiliates (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); and Bloomberg, L.P. (full holdings daily, on the next business day).
FMR, its affiliates, or the fund will not enter into any arrangements with third parties from which they derive consideration for the disclosure of material non-public holdings information. If, in the future, such an arrangement is desired, prior Board approval would be sought and any such arrangements would be disclosed in the fund's SAI.
There can be no assurance that the fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of fund portfolio holdings will prevent the misuse of such information by individuals and firms that receive such information.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The fund's financial statements and financial highlights for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, and report of the independent registered public accounting firm, are included in the fund's annual report and are incorporated herein by reference. Total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table may differ from the ratios of expenses to average net assets in the financial highlights because total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table include any acquired fund fees and expenses, whereas the ratios of expenses in the financial highlights do not, except to the extent any acquired fund fees and expenses relate to an entity, such as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with which a fund's financial statements are consolidated. Acquired funds include other investment companies (such as central funds or other underlying funds) in which the fund has invested, if and to the extent it is permitted to do so. Total annual operating expenses in the prospectus fee table and the financial highlights do not include any expenses associated with investments in certain structured or synthetic products that may rely on the exception from the definition of "investment company" provided by section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act.
APPENDIX
Fidelity and Fidelity Investments & Pyramid Design are registered service marks of FMR LLC. © 2019 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Any third-party marks that may appear above are the marks of their respective owners.
| Fund | Ticker |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | FLTB |
Fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
December 30, 2019
This statement of additional information (SAI) is not a prospectus. Portions of the fund's annual report are incorporated herein. The annual report is supplied with this SAI.
To obtain a free additional copy of the prospectus or SAI, dated December 30, 2019, or an annual report, please call Fidelity at 1-800-FIDELITY or visit Fidelity’s web site at www.fidelity.com.
T13-PTB-1219
1.9860545.105
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND(S)
Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF (the fund) is a diversified actively-managed exchange-traded fund that seeks a high rate of income. The fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at net asset value per share (NAV) in aggregations of a specified number of shares called "Creation Units." Creation Units generally are issued in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. Shares are listed and traded on an exchange. Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from the shares' NAV. Shares are not individually redeemable, but are redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. A Creation Unit of the fund consists of a block of 50,000 shares. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants (as defined herein), therefore, will not be able to purchase or redeem shares directly with or from the fund. Instead, most shareholders who are not Authorized Participants will buy and sell shares in the secondary market through a broker.
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS
The following policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the fund's assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the fund's acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the fund's investment policies and limitations.
The fund's fundamental investment policies and limitations cannot be changed without approval by a "majority of the outstanding voting securities" (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act)) of the fund. However, except for the fundamental investment limitations listed below, the investment policies and limitations described in this SAI are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The following are the fund's fundamental investment limitations set forth in their entirety.
Diversification
The fund may not with respect to 75% of the fund's total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, (a) more than 5% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (b) the fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Senior Securities
The fund may not issue senior securities, except in connection with the insurance program established by the fund pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission or as otherwise permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Borrowing
The fund may not borrow money, except that the fund may borrow money for temporary or emergency purposes (not for leveraging or investment) in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount will be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33 1/3% limitation.
Underwriting
The fund may not underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in the disposition of restricted securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies.
Concentration
The fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) looks through to the U.S. Government securities.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in Fidelity® Money Market Central Fund and/or any non-money market central fund, FIMM looks through to the holdings of the central fund.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, FIMM may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and security and assign an industry or sector classification consistent with those characteristics in the event that the third-party classification provider used by FIMM does not assign a classification.
Real Estate
The fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).
Commodities
The fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
Loans
The fund may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, but this limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.
The following investment limitations are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
Short Sales
The fund does not currently intend to sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short, except for sales of to be announced (TBA) securities, and provided that transactions in futures contracts, options, and swaps are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.
Margin Purchases
The fund does not currently intend to purchase securities on margin, except that the fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions, and provided that margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.
Borrowing
The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements are treated as borrowings for purposes of the fundamental borrowing investment limitation).
Illiquid Securities
The fund does not currently intend to purchase any security if, as a result, more than 10% of its net assets would be invested in securities that are deemed to be illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business at approximately the prices at which they are valued.
For purposes of the fund's illiquid securities limitation discussed above, if through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, the fund were in a position where more than 10% of its net assets were invested in illiquid securities, it would consider appropriate steps to protect liquidity.
Loans
The fund does not currently intend to lend assets other than securities to other parties, except by (a) lending money (up to 15% of the fund's net assets) to a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) assuming any unfunded commitments in connection with the acquisition of loans, loan participations, or other forms of debt instruments. (This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities, to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.)
In addition to the fund's fundamental and non-fundamental investment limitations discussed above:
In order to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the fund currently intends to comply with certain diversification limits imposed by Subchapter M.
The following pages contain more detailed information about types of instruments in which the fund may invest, techniques the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may employ in pursuit of the fund's investment objective, and a summary of related risks. The fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may not buy all of these instruments or use all of these techniques unless it believes that doing so will help the fund achieve its goal. However, the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) is not required to buy any particular instrument or use any particular technique even if to do so might benefit the fund.
On the following pages in this section titled "Investment Policies and Limitations," and except as otherwise indicated, references to "an adviser" or "the adviser" may relate to the fund's adviser or a sub-adviser, as applicable.
Affiliated Bank Transactions. A Fidelity® fund may engage in transactions with financial institutions that are, or may be considered to be, "affiliated persons" of the fund under the 1940 Act. These transactions may involve repurchase agreements with custodian banks; short-term obligations of, and repurchase agreements with, the 50 largest U.S. banks (measured by deposits); municipal securities; U.S. Government securities with affiliated financial institutions that are primary dealers in these securities; short-term currency transactions; and short-term borrowings. In accordance with exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Board of Trustees has established and periodically reviews procedures applicable to transactions involving affiliated financial institutions.
Asset-Backed Securities represent interests in pools of mortgages, loans, receivables, or other assets. Payment of interest and repayment of principal may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities and, in certain cases, supported by letters of credit, surety bonds, or other credit enhancements. Asset-backed security values may also be affected by other factors including changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the loans or receivables, or the entities providing the credit enhancement. In addition, these securities may be subject to prepayment risk. Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) are a type of asset-backed security. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CLOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses. For CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class. Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CLOs may be characterized by a fund as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions.
Borrowing. If a fund borrows money, its share price may be subject to greater fluctuation until the borrowing is paid off. If a fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage.
Cash Management. A fund may hold uninvested cash or may invest it in cash equivalents such as money market securities, repurchase agreements, or shares of short-term bond or money market funds, including (for Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients only) shares of Fidelity® central funds. Generally, these securities offer less potential for gains than other types of securities.
Central Funds are special types of investment vehicles created by Fidelity for use by the Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients. Central funds are used to invest in particular security types or investment disciplines, or for cash management. Central funds incur certain costs related to their investment activity (such as custodial fees and expenses), but do not pay additional management fees. The investment results of the portions of a Fidelity® fund's assets invested in the central funds will be based upon the investment results of those funds.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Notice of Exclusion. The trust, on behalf of the Fidelity® fund to which this SAI relates, has filed with the National Futures Association a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and the rules of the CFTC promulgated thereunder, with respect to the fund's operation. Accordingly, neither a fund nor its adviser is subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool or a CPO. However, the CFTC has adopted certain rule amendments that significantly affect the continued availability of this exclusion, and may subject advisers to funds to regulation by the CFTC. As of the date of this SAI, the adviser does not expect to register as a CPO of the fund. However, there is no certainty that a fund or its adviser will be able to rely on an exclusion in the future as the fund's investments change over time. A fund may determine not to use investment strategies that trigger additional CFTC regulation or may determine to operate subject to CFTC regulation, if applicable. If a fund or its adviser operates subject to CFTC regulation, it may incur additional expenses.
Dollar-Weighted Average Maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each security by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a fund's portfolio. An obligation's maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule.
Under certain circumstances, a fund may invest in nominally long-term securities that have maturity shortening features of shorter-term securities, and the maturities of these securities may be deemed to be earlier than their ultimate maturity dates by virtue of an existing demand feature or an adjustable interest rate. Under other circumstances, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. The maturities of mortgage securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and some asset-backed securities are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For a mortgage security, this average time is calculated by estimating the timing of principal payments, including unscheduled prepayments, during the life of the mortgage. The weighted average life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity.
Duration is a measure of a bond's price sensitivity to a change in its yield. For example, if a bond has a 5-year duration and its yield rises 1%, the bond's value is likely to fall about 5%. Similarly, if a bond fund has a 5-year average duration and the yield on each of the bonds held by the fund rises 1%, the fund's value is likely to fall about 5%. For funds with exposure to foreign markets, there are many reasons why all of the bond holdings do not experience the same yield changes. These reasons include: the bonds are spread off of different yield curves around the world and these yield curves do not move in tandem; the shapes of these yield curves change; and sector and issuer yield spreads change. Other factors can influence a bond fund's performance and share price. Accordingly, a bond fund's actual performance will likely differ from the example.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are shares of other investment companies, commodity pools, or other entities that are traded on an exchange. Typically, assets underlying the ETF shares are stocks, though they may also be commodities or other instruments. An ETF may seek to replicate the performance of a specific index or may be actively managed.
Typically, shares of an ETF that tracks an index are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark increases. However, in the case of inverse ETFs (also called "short ETFs" or "bear ETFs"), ETF shares are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark decreases. Inverse ETFs seek to deliver the opposite of the performance of the benchmark they track and are often marketed as a way for investors to profit from, or at least hedge their exposure to, downward moving markets. Investments in inverse ETFs are similar to holding short positions in the underlying benchmark.
ETF shares are redeemable only in large blocks of shares often called "creation units" by persons other than a fund, and are redeemed principally in-kind at each day's next calculated net asset value per share (NAV). ETFs typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by a fund. A fund's purchase of ETFs results in the layering of expenses, such that the fund would indirectly bear a proportionate share of any ETF's operating expenses. Further, while traditional investment companies are continuously offered at NAV, ETFs are traded in the secondary market (e.g., on a stock exchange) on an intra-day basis at prices that may be above or below the value of their underlying portfolios.
Some of the risks of investing in an ETF that tracks an index are similar to those of investing in an indexed mutual fund, including tracking error risk (the risk of errors in matching the ETF's underlying assets to the index or other benchmark); and the risk that because an ETF that tracks an index is not actively managed, it cannot sell stocks or other assets as long as they are represented in the index or other benchmark. Other ETF risks include the risk that ETFs may trade in the secondary market at a discount from their NAV and the risk that the ETFs may not be liquid. ETFs also may be leveraged. Leveraged ETFs seek to deliver multiples of the performance of the index or other benchmark they track and use derivatives in an effort to amplify the returns (or decline, in the case of inverse ETFs) of the underlying index or benchmark. While leveraged ETFs may offer the potential for greater return, the potential for loss and the speed at which losses can be realized also are greater. Most leveraged and inverse ETFs "reset" daily, meaning they are designed to achieve their stated objectives on a daily basis. Leveraged and inverse ETFs can deviate substantially from the performance of their underlying benchmark over longer periods of time, particularly in volatile periods.
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) are a type of senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt security issued by financial institutions that combines aspects of both bonds and ETFs. An ETN's returns are based on the performance of a market index or other reference asset minus fees and expenses. Similar to ETFs, ETNs are listed on an exchange and traded in the secondary market. However, unlike an ETF, an ETN can be held until the ETN's maturity, at which time the issuer will pay a return linked to the performance of the market index or other reference asset to which the ETN is linked minus certain fees. Unlike regular bonds, ETNs typically do not make periodic interest payments and principal typically is not protected.
ETNs also incur certain expenses not incurred by their applicable index. The market value of an ETN is determined by supply and demand, the current performance of the index or other reference asset, and the credit rating of the ETN issuer. The market value of ETN shares may differ from their intraday indicative value. The value of an ETN may also change due to a change in the issuer's credit rating. As a result, there may be times when an ETN's share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV. Some ETNs that use leverage in an effort to amplify the returns of an underlying index or other reference asset can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs may offer the potential for greater return, but the potential for loss and speed at which losses can be realized also are greater.
Exposure to Foreign and Emerging Markets. Foreign securities, foreign currencies, and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.
Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political, economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments, and may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors. Such actions may include expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or convert currency into U.S. dollars, or other government intervention. From time to time, a fund's adviser and/or its affiliates may determine that, as a result of regulatory requirements that may apply to the adviser and/or its affiliates due to investments in a particular country, investments in the securities of issuers domiciled or listed on trading markets in that country above certain thresholds (which may apply at the account level or in the aggregate across all accounts managed by the adviser and its affiliates) may be impractical or undesirable. In such instances, the adviser may limit or exclude investment in a particular issuer, and investment flexibility may be restricted. Additionally, governmental issuers of foreign debt securities may be unwilling to pay interest and repay principal when due and may require that the conditions for payment be renegotiated. There is no assurance that a fund's adviser will be able to anticipate these potential events or counter their effects. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies and of dividends and interest paid with respect to such securities will fluctuate based on the relative strength of the U.S. dollar.
It is anticipated that in most cases the best available market for foreign securities will be on an exchange or in over-the-counter (OTC) markets located outside of the United States. Foreign stock markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as those in the United States, and securities of some foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign security trading, settlement and custodial practices (including those involving securities settlement where fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment) are often less developed than those in U.S. markets, and may result in increased investment or valuation risk or substantial delays in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of, or breach of duty by, a foreign broker-dealer, securities depository, or foreign subcustodian. In addition, the costs associated with foreign investments, including withholding taxes, brokerage commissions, and custodial costs, are generally higher than with U.S. investments.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S. markets. Foreign issuers are generally not bound by uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available, and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding corporate actions on a timely basis. In general, there is less overall governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers, and listed companies than in the United States. OTC markets tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain countries, may be totally unregulated. Regulatory enforcement may be influenced by economic or political concerns, and investors may have difficulty enforcing their legal rights in foreign countries.
Some foreign securities impose restrictions on transfer within the United States or to U.S. persons. Although securities subject to such transfer restrictions may be marketable abroad, they may be less liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject to such restrictions.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) as well as other "hybrid" forms of ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include foreign exchange risk as well as the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer's country.
The risks of foreign investing may be magnified for investments in emerging markets. Security prices in emerging markets can be significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets, reflecting the greater uncertainties of investing in less established markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times.
Foreign Currency Transactions. A fund may conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) or forward basis (i.e., by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies). Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for such conversions, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the counterparty desire to resell that currency to the dealer. Forward contracts are customized transactions that require a specific amount of a currency to be delivered at a specific exchange rate on a specific date or range of dates in the future. Forward contracts are generally traded in an interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The parties to a forward contract may agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity, or may hold the contract to maturity and complete the contemplated currency exchange.
The following discussion summarizes the principal currency management strategies involving forward contracts that could be used by a fund. A fund may also use swap agreements, indexed securities, and options and futures contracts relating to foreign currencies for the same purposes. Forward contracts not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying currency. All of these instruments and transactions are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default.
A "settlement hedge" or "transaction hedge" is designed to protect a fund against an adverse change in foreign currency values between the date a security denominated in a foreign currency is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in an underlying security transaction for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars "locks in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. Forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency may also be used to protect a fund in anticipation of future purchases or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected.
A fund may also use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in a foreign currency. For example, if a fund owned securities denominated in pounds sterling, it could enter into a forward contract to sell pounds sterling in return for U.S. dollars to hedge against possible declines in the pound's value. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a "position hedge," would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. A fund could also attempt to hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the pound sterling. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.
A fund may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another. This may include shifting exposure from U.S. dollars to a foreign currency, or from one foreign currency to another foreign currency. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-hedge," will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, much as if a fund had sold a security denominated in one currency and purchased an equivalent security denominated in another. A fund may cross-hedge its U.S. dollar exposure in order to achieve a representative weighted mix of the major currencies in its benchmark index and/or to cover an underweight country or region exposure in its portfolio. Cross-hedges protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency, but will cause a fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.
Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on an adviser's skill in analyzing currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change a fund's investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to a fund if currencies do not perform as an adviser anticipates. For example, if a currency's value rose at a time when a fund had hedged its position by selling that currency in exchange for dollars, the fund would not participate in the currency's appreciation. If a fund hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the fund could realize currency losses from both the hedge and the security position if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if a fund increases its exposure to a foreign currency and that currency's value declines, the fund will realize a loss. Foreign currency transactions involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that a fund's hedging strategies will be ineffective. Moreover, it is impossible to precisely forecast the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, a fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expenses of such transaction), if an adviser's predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate.
A fund may be required to limit its hedging transactions in foreign currency forwards, futures, and options in order to maintain its classification as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code (Code). Hedging transactions could result in the application of the mark-to-market provisions of the Code, which may cause an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by a fund and could affect whether dividends paid by a fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income. A fund will cover its exposure to foreign currency transactions with liquid assets in compliance with applicable requirements. There is no assurance that an adviser's use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to a fund or that it will employ currency management strategies at appropriate times.
Options and Futures Relating to Foreign Currencies. Currency futures contracts are similar to forward currency exchange contracts, except that they are traded on exchanges (and have margin requirements) and are standardized as to contract size and delivery date. Most currency futures contracts call for payment or delivery in U.S. dollars. The underlying instrument of a currency option may be a foreign currency, which generally is purchased or delivered in exchange for U.S. dollars, or may be a futures contract. The purchaser of a currency call obtains the right to purchase the underlying currency, and the purchaser of a currency put obtains the right to sell the underlying currency.
The uses and risks of currency options and futures are similar to options and futures relating to securities or indexes, as discussed below. A fund may purchase and sell currency futures and may purchase and write currency options to increase or decrease its exposure to different foreign currencies. Currency options may also be purchased or written in conjunction with each other or with currency futures or forward contracts. Currency futures and options values can be expected to correlate with exchange rates, but may not reflect other factors that affect the value of a fund's investments. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a Yen-denominated security from a decline in the Yen, but will not protect a fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer's creditworthiness. Because the value of a fund's foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the fund's investments exactly over time.
Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of the fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options.
Funds of Funds and Other Large Shareholders. Certain Fidelity® funds and accounts (including funds of funds) invest in other funds ("underlying funds") and, as a result, may at times have substantial investments in one or more underlying funds.
An underlying fund may experience large redemptions or investments due to transactions in its shares by funds of funds, other large shareholders, or similarly managed accounts. While it is impossible to predict the overall effect of these transactions over time, there could be an adverse impact on an underlying fund's performance. In the event of such redemptions or investments, an underlying fund could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it may not otherwise desire to do so. Such transactions may increase an underlying fund's brokerage and/or other transaction costs and affect the liquidity of a fund's portfolio. In addition, when funds of funds or other investors own a substantial portion of an underlying fund's shares, a large redemption by such an investor could cause actual expenses to increase, or could result in the underlying fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the underlying fund's expense ratio. Redemptions of underlying fund shares could also accelerate the realization of taxable capital gains in the fund if sales of securities result in capital gains. The impact of these transactions is likely to be greater when a fund of funds or other significant investor purchases, redeems, or owns a substantial portion of the underlying fund's shares.
When possible, Fidelity will consider how to minimize these potential adverse effects, and may take such actions as it deems appropriate to address potential adverse effects, including redemption of shares in-kind rather than in cash or carrying out the transactions over a period of time, although there can be no assurance that such actions will be successful. A high volume of redemption requests can impact an underlying fund the same way as the transactions of a single shareholder with substantial investments. As an additional safeguard, Fidelity® fund of funds may manage the placement of their redemption requests in a manner designed to minimize the impact of such requests on the day-to-day operations of the underlying funds in which they invest. This may involve, for example, redeeming its shares of an underlying fund gradually over time.
Fund's Rights as an Investor. Fidelity® funds do not intend to direct or administer the day-to-day operations of any company. A fund may, however, exercise its rights as a shareholder or lender and may communicate its views on important matters of policy to a company's management, board of directors, and shareholders, and holders of a company's other securities when such matters could have a significant effect on the value of the fund's investment in the company. The activities in which a fund may engage, either individually or in conjunction with others, may include, among others, supporting or opposing proposed changes in a company's corporate structure or business activities; seeking changes in a company's directors or management; seeking changes in a company's direction or policies; seeking the sale or reorganization of the company or a portion of its assets; supporting or opposing third-party takeover efforts; supporting the filing of a bankruptcy petition; or foreclosing on collateral securing a security. This area of corporate activity is increasingly prone to litigation and it is possible that a fund could be involved in lawsuits related to such activities. Such activities will be monitored with a view to mitigating, to the extent possible, the risk of litigation against a fund and the risk of actual liability if a fund is involved in litigation. No guarantee can be made, however, that litigation against a fund will not be undertaken or liabilities incurred. A fund's proxy voting guidelines are included in its SAI.
Futures, Options, and Swaps. The success of any strategy involving futures, options, and swaps depends on an adviser's analysis of many economic and mathematical factors and a fund's return may be higher if it never invested in such instruments. Additionally, some of the contracts discussed below are new instruments without a trading history and there can be no assurance that a market for the instruments will continue to exist. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of such instruments and could limit a fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies. If a fund invests a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, its investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own.
The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which a fund may enter into futures, options on futures, and forward contracts.
Futures Contracts. In purchasing a futures contract, the buyer agrees to purchase a specified underlying instrument at a specified future date. In selling a futures contract, the seller agrees to sell a specified underlying instrument at a specified date. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts and the price at which the purchase and sale will take place is fixed when the buyer and seller enter into the contract. Some currently available futures contracts are based on specific securities or baskets of securities, some are based on commodities or commodities indexes (for funds that seek commodities exposure), and some are based on indexes of securities prices (including foreign indexes for funds that seek foreign exposure). In addition, some currently available futures contracts are based on Eurodollars. Positions in Eurodollar futures reflect market expectations of forward levels of three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rates. Futures on indexes and futures not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying instrument. Futures can be held until their delivery dates, or can be closed out by offsetting purchases or sales of futures contracts before then if a liquid market is available. A fund may realize a gain or loss by closing out its futures contracts.
The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of its underlying instrument. Therefore, purchasing futures contracts will tend to increase a fund's exposure to positive and negative price fluctuations in the underlying instrument, much as if it had purchased the underlying instrument directly. When a fund sells a futures contract, by contrast, the value of its futures position will tend to move in a direction contrary to the market for the underlying instrument. Selling futures contracts, therefore, will tend to offset both positive and negative market price changes, much as if the underlying instrument had been sold.
The purchaser or seller of a futures contract or an option for a futures contract is not required to deliver or pay for the underlying instrument or the final cash settlement price, as applicable, unless the contract is held until the delivery date. However, both the purchaser and seller are required to deposit "initial margin" with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant (FCM), when the contract is entered into. If the value of either party's position declines, that party will be required to make additional "variation margin" payments to settle the change in value on a daily basis. This process of "marking to market" will be reflected in the daily calculation of open positions computed in a fund's NAV. The party that has a gain is entitled to receive all or a portion of this amount. Initial and variation margin payments do not constitute purchasing securities on margin for purposes of a fund's investment limitations. Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a fund, but is instead a settlement between a fund and the FCM of the amount one would owe the other if the fund's contract expired. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of a fund, the fund may be entitled to return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM's other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the fund. A fund is also required to segregate liquid assets equivalent to the fund's outstanding obligations under the contract in excess of the initial margin and variation margin, if any.
Although futures exchanges generally operate similarly in the United States and abroad, foreign futures exchanges may follow trading, settlement, and margin procedures that are different from those for U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts traded outside the United States may not involve a clearing mechanism or related guarantees and may involve greater risk of loss than U.S.-traded contracts, including potentially greater risk of losses due to insolvency of a futures broker, exchange member, or other party that may owe initial or variation margin to a fund. Because initial and variation margin payments may be measured in foreign currency, a futures contract traded outside the United States may also involve the risk of foreign currency fluctuation.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time. Exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for futures contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or other market conditions, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its futures positions could also be impaired. These risks may be heightened for commodity futures contracts, which have historically been subject to greater price volatility than exists for instruments such as stocks and bonds.
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded futures contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the futures position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Futures prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's futures positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments. In addition, the price of a commodity futures contract can reflect the storage costs associated with the purchase of the physical commodity.
Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to the manner in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that a fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of these futures contracts will not vary in direct proportion to the value of the fund's holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.
Options. By purchasing a put option, the purchaser obtains the right (but not the obligation) to sell the option's underlying instrument at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the purchaser pays the current market price for the option (known as the option premium). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific assets or securities, baskets of assets or securities, indexes of securities or commodities prices, and futures contracts (including commodity futures contracts). Options may be traded on an exchange or OTC. The purchaser may terminate its position in a put option by allowing it to expire or by exercising the option. If the option is allowed to expire, the purchaser will lose the entire premium. If the option is exercised, the purchaser completes the sale of the underlying instrument at the strike price. Depending on the terms of the contract, upon exercise, an option may require physical delivery of the underlying instrument or may be settled through cash payments. A purchaser may also terminate a put option position by closing it out in the secondary market at its current price, if a liquid secondary market exists.
The buyer of a typical put option can expect to realize a gain if the underlying instrument's price falls substantially. However, if the underlying instrument's price does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer can expect to suffer a loss (limited to the amount of the premium, plus related transaction costs).
The features of call options are essentially the same as those of put options, except that the purchaser of a call option obtains the right (but not the obligation) to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option's strike price. A call buyer typically attempts to participate in potential price increases of the underlying instrument with risk limited to the cost of the option if the underlying instrument's price falls. At the same time, the buyer can expect to suffer a loss if the underlying instrument's price does not rise sufficiently to offset the cost of the option.
The writer of a put or call option takes the opposite side of the transaction from the option's purchaser. In return for receipt of the premium, the writer assumes the obligation to pay or receive the strike price for the option's underlying instrument if the other party to the option chooses to exercise it. The writer may seek to terminate a position in a put option before exercise by closing out the option in the secondary market at its current price. If the secondary market is not liquid for a put option, however, the writer must continue to be prepared to pay the strike price while the option is outstanding, regardless of price changes. When writing an option on a futures contract, a fund will be required to make margin payments to an FCM as described above for futures contracts.
If the underlying instrument's price rises, a put writer would generally expect to profit, although its gain would be limited to the amount of the premium it received. If the underlying instrument's price remains the same over time, it is likely that the writer will also profit, because it should be able to close out the option at a lower price. If the underlying instrument's price falls, the put writer would expect to suffer a loss. This loss should be less than the loss from purchasing the underlying instrument directly, however, because the premium received for writing the option should mitigate the effects of the decline.
Writing a call option obligates the writer to sell or deliver the option's underlying instrument or make a net cash settlement payment, as applicable, in return for the strike price, upon exercise of the option. The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that writing calls generally is a profitable strategy if prices remain the same or fall. Through receipt of the option premium, a call writer should mitigate the effects of a price increase. At the same time, because a call writer must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument or make a net cash settlement payment, as applicable, in return for the strike price, even if its current value is greater, a call writer gives up some ability to participate in price increases and, if a call writer does not hold the underlying instrument, a call writer's loss is theoretically unlimited.
Where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price to close out the put or call option on the secondary market may move more or less than the price of the related security.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular options contract at any particular time. Options may have relatively low trading volume and liquidity if their strike prices are not close to the underlying instrument's current price. In addition, exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for exchange-traded options contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or otherwise, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its options positions could also be impaired.
Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size, and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows the purchaser or writer greater flexibility to tailor an option to its needs, OTC options generally are less liquid and involve greater credit risk than exchange-traded options, which are backed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
Combined positions involve purchasing and writing options in combination with each other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts, to adjust the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, purchasing a put option and writing a call option on the same underlying instrument would construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
A fund may also buy and sell options on swaps (swaptions), which are generally options on interest rate swaps. An option on a swap gives a party the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to extend, shorten, cancel or modify an existing contract at a specific date in the future in exchange for a premium. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, a fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes (sells) an option on a swap than it will incur when it purchases an option on a swap. When a fund purchases an option on a swap, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when a fund writes an option on a swap, upon exercise of the option the fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement. A fund that writes an option on a swap receives the premium and bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the preset rate on the underlying interest rate swap. Whether a fund's use of options on swaps will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the adviser's ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Options on swaps may involve risks similar to those discussed below in "Swap Agreements."
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded options contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in options contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the options position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Options prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Options prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell options contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's options positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments.
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. Cleared swaps are transacted through FCMs that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange one or more payments based, for example, on the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments (such as securities, commodities, indexes, or other financial or economic interests). The gross payments to be exchanged between the parties are calculated with respect to a notional amount, which is the predetermined dollar principal of the trade representing the hypothetical underlying quantity upon which payment obligations are computed.
Swap agreements can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names, including interest rate swaps (where the parties exchange a floating rate for a fixed rate), asset swaps (e.g., where parties combine the purchase or sale of a bond with an interest rate swap), total return swaps, and credit default swaps. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a fund's investments and its share price and, if applicable, its yield. Swap agreements are subject to liquidity risk, meaning that a fund may be unable to sell a swap contract to a third party at a favorable price. Certain standardized swap transactions are currently subject to mandatory central clearing or may be eligible for voluntary central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to uncleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participant's swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition depending on the size of a fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a fund to support its obligations under a similar uncleared swap. It is expected, however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.
A total return swap is a contract whereby one party agrees to make a series of payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying such contract (which can include a security or other instrument, commodity, index or baskets thereof) during the specified period. In exchange, the other party to the contract agrees to make a series of payments calculated by reference to an interest rate and/or some other agreed-upon amount (including the change in market value of other underlying assets). A fund may use total return swaps to gain exposure to an asset without owning it or taking physical custody of it. For example, a fund investing in total return commodity swaps will receive the price appreciation of a commodity, commodity index or portion thereof in exchange for payment of an agreed-upon fee.
In a credit default swap, the credit default protection buyer makes periodic payments, known as premiums, to the credit default protection seller. In return the credit default protection seller will make a payment to the credit default protection buyer upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. A credit default swap can refer to a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets, each known as the reference entity or underlying asset. A fund may act as either the buyer or the seller of a credit default swap. A fund may buy or sell credit default protection on a basket of issuers or assets, even if a number of the underlying assets referenced in the basket are lower-quality debt securities. In an unhedged credit default swap, a fund buys credit default protection on a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets without owning the underlying asset or debt issued by the reference entity. Credit default swaps involve greater and different risks than investing directly in the referenced asset, because, in addition to market risk, credit default swaps include liquidity, counterparty and operational risk.
Credit default swaps allow a fund to acquire or reduce credit exposure to a particular issuer, asset or basket of assets. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a fund, the fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. If a fund is the credit default protection seller, the fund will experience a loss if a credit event occurs and the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has deteriorated. If a fund is the credit default protection buyer, the fund will be required to pay premiums to the credit default protection seller. In the case of a physically settled credit default swap in which a fund is the protection seller, the fund must be prepared to pay par for and take possession of debt of a defaulted issuer delivered to the fund by the credit default protection buyer. Any loss would be offset by the premium payments the fund receives as the seller of credit default protection. This risk for cleared swaps is generally lower than for uncleared swaps since the counterparty is a clearinghouse, but there can be no assurance that a clearinghouse or its members will satisfy its obligations.
If the creditworthiness of a fund's swap counterparty declines, the risk that the counterparty may not perform could increase, potentially resulting in a loss to the fund. To limit the counterparty risk involved in swap agreements, a Fidelity® fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Although there can be no assurance that a fund will be able to do so, a fund may be able to reduce or eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or another creditworthy party. A fund may have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a credit default swap if the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has declined.
A fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. In order to cover its outstanding obligations to a swap counterparty, a fund would generally be required to provide margin or collateral for the benefit of that counterparty. If a counterparty to a swap transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited temporarily or permanently in exercising its right to the return of related fund assets designated as margin or collateral in an action against the counterparty.
Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a fund's interest. A fund bears the risk that an adviser will not accurately forecast market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors in establishing swap positions for a fund. If an adviser attempts to use a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, a fund may be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment, which could cause substantial losses for a fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other fund investments. Swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.
Hybrid and Preferred Securities and Other Securities with Debt-Like Characteristics. The fund may invest in other securities believed to have debt-like characteristics, including hybrids and synthetic securities. A hybrid security may be a debt security, warrant, convertible security, certificate of deposit or other evidence of indebtedness on which the value of the interest on or principal of which is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument or financial strength of a reference entity (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, index, or business entity such as a financial institution). Another example is contingent convertible securities, which are fixed income securities that, under certain circumstances, either convert into common stock of the issuer or undergo a principal write-down by a predetermined percentage if the issuer's capital ratio falls below a predetermined trigger level. The liquidation value of such a security may be reduced upon a regulatory action and without the need for a bankruptcy proceeding. Preferred securities may take the form of preferred stock and represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock.
The risks of investing in hybrid and preferred securities reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. An investment in a hybrid or preferred security may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt or equity security. The risks of a particular hybrid or preferred security will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include the possibility of significant changes in the value of any applicable reference instrument. Such risks may depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the hybrid or preferred security. Hybrid and preferred securities are potentially more volatile and carry greater market and liquidity risks than traditional debt or equity securities. Also, the price of the hybrid or preferred security and any applicable reference instrument may not move in the same direction or at the same time. In addition, because hybrid and preferred securities may be traded over-the-counter or in bilateral transactions with the issuer of the security, hybrid and preferred securities may be subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the security and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates. In addition, uncertainty regarding the tax and regulatory treatment of hybrid and preferred securities may reduce demand for such securities and tax and regulatory considerations may limit the extent of a fund's investments in certain hybrid and preferred securities.
Illiquid Investments means any investment that cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Difficulty in selling or disposing of illiquid investments may result in a loss or may be costly to a fund. Illiquid securities may include (1) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days without demand/redemption features, (2) OTC options and certain other derivatives, (3) private placements, (4) securities traded on markets and exchanges with structural constraints, and (5) loan participations.
Under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, a Fidelity® fund's adviser classifies the liquidity of the fund's investments and monitors the extent of funds’ illiquid investments.
Various market, trading and investment-specific factors may be considered in determining the liquidity of a fund's investments including, but not limited to (1) the existence of an active trading market, (2) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades, (3) the number, diversity, and quality of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace, (4) the frequency, volume, and volatility of trade and price quotations, (5) bid-ask spreads, (6) dates of issuance and maturity, (7) demand, put or tender features, and (8) restrictions on trading or transferring the investment.
Fidelity classifies certain investments as illiquid based upon these criteria. Fidelity also monitors for certain market, trading and investment-specific events that may cause Fidelity to re-evaluate an investment’s liquidity status and may lead to an investment being classified as illiquid. In addition, Fidelity uses a third-party to assist with the liquidity classifications of the fund’s investments, which includes calculating the time to sell and settle a specified size position in a particular investment without the sale significantly changing the market value of the investment.
Increasing Government Debt. The total public debt of the United States and other countries around the globe as a percent of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008 financial downturn. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented.
A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may drive debt cost higher and cause a country to sell additional debt, thereby increasing refinancing risk. A high national debt also raises concerns that a government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. In the worst case, unsustainable debt levels can decline the valuation of currencies, and can prevent a government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy in economic downturns.
On August 5, 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States one level to "AA+" from "AAA." While Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed the United States' short-term sovereign credit rating as "A-1+," there is no guarantee that Standard & Poor's Ratings Services will not decide to lower this rating in the future. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services stated that its decision was prompted by its view on the rising public debt burden and its perception of greater policymaking uncertainty. The market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government may be adversely affected by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services decisions to downgrade the long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States.
Indexed Securities are instruments whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indexes, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose values at maturity or coupon rates are determined by reference to a specific instrument, statistic, or measure.
Indexed securities also include commercial paper, certificates of deposit, and other fixed-income securities whose values at maturity or coupon interest rates are determined by reference to the returns of particular stock indexes. Indexed securities can be affected by stock prices as well as changes in interest rates and the creditworthiness of their issuers and may not track the indexes as accurately as direct investments in the indexes.
Mortgage-indexed securities, for example, could be structured to replicate the performance of mortgage securities and the characteristics of direct ownership.
Currency-indexed securities typically are short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more specified foreign currencies, and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar-denominated securities. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the values of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the instrument or measure to which they are indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments or measures. Indexed securities are also subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. Government agencies.
Insolvency of Issuers, Counterparties, and Intermediaries. Issuers of fund portfolio securities or counterparties to fund transactions that become insolvent or declare bankruptcy can pose special investment risks. In each circumstance, risk of loss, valuation uncertainty, increased illiquidity, and other unpredictable occurrences may negatively impact an investment. Each of these risks may be amplified in foreign markets, where security trading, settlement, and custodial practices can be less developed than those in the U.S. markets, and bankruptcy laws differ from those of the U.S.
As a general matter, if the issuer of a fund portfolio security is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock have priority over the claims of common stock owners. These events can negatively impact the value of the issuer's securities and the results of related proceedings can be unpredictable.
If a counterparty to a fund transaction, such as a swap transaction, a short sale, a borrowing, or other complex transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise rights to obtain the return of related fund assets or in exercising other rights against the counterparty. In addition, insolvency and liquidation proceedings take time to resolve, which can limit or preclude a fund's ability to terminate a transaction or obtain related assets or collateral in a timely fashion. Uncertainty may also arise upon the insolvency of a securities or commodities intermediary such as a broker-dealer or futures commission merchant with which a fund has pending transactions. If an intermediary becomes insolvent, while securities positions and other holdings may be protected by U.S. or foreign laws, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether these protections are available to specific trades based on the circumstances. Receiving the benefit of these protections can also take time to resolve, which may result in illiquid positions.
Interfund Borrowing and Lending Program. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, a Fidelity® fund may lend money to, and borrow money from, other funds advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) or its affiliates. A Fidelity® fund will borrow through the program only when the costs are equal to or lower than the costs of bank loans. A Fidelity® fund will lend through the program only when the returns are higher than those available from an investment in repurchase agreements. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one day's notice. A Fidelity® fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is called or not renewed. Any delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional borrowing costs.
Investment-Grade Debt Securities. Investment-grade debt securities include all types of debt instruments that are of medium and high-quality. Investment-grade debt securities include repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities as well as repurchase agreements collateralized by equity securities, non-investment-grade debt, and all other instruments in which a fund can perfect a security interest, provided the repurchase agreement counterparty has an investment-grade rating. Some investment-grade debt securities may possess speculative characteristics and may be more sensitive to economic changes and to changes in the financial conditions of issuers. An investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by a credit rating agency registered as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) with the SEC (for example, Moody's Investors Service, Inc.), or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by a fund's adviser. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of an investment-grade debt security, an adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
Loans and Other Direct Debt Instruments. Direct debt instruments are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to lenders or lending syndicates (loans and loan participations), to suppliers of goods or services (trade claims or other receivables), or to other parties. Direct debt instruments involve a risk of loss in case of default or insolvency of the borrower and may offer less legal protection to the purchaser in the event of fraud or misrepresentation, or there may be a requirement that a fund supply additional cash to a borrower on demand. A fund may acquire loans by buying an assignment of all or a portion of the loan from a lender or by purchasing a loan participation from a lender or other purchaser of a participation.
Lenders and purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, the value of the instrument may be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured provide more protections than an unsecured loan in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the borrower's obligation, or that the collateral could be liquidated. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Direct indebtedness of foreign countries also involves a risk that the governmental entities responsible for the repayment of the debt may be unable, or unwilling, to pay interest and repay principal when due.
Direct lending and investments in loans through direct assignment of a financial institution's interests with respect to a loan may involve additional risks. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the lender/purchaser could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, a purchaser could be held liable as a co-lender. Direct debt instruments may also involve a risk of insolvency of the lending bank or other intermediary.
A loan is often administered by a bank or other financial institution that acts as agent for all holders. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the purchaser has direct recourse against the borrower, the purchaser may have to rely on the agent to apply appropriate credit remedies against a borrower. If assets held by the agent for the benefit of a purchaser were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent's general creditors, the purchaser might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on the loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal or interest.
Direct indebtedness may include letters of credit, revolving credit facilities, or other standby financing commitments that obligate lenders/purchasers to make additional cash payments on demand. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a lender/purchaser to increase its investment in a borrower at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrower's condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.
For a Fidelity® fund that limits the amount of total assets that it will invest in any one issuer or in issuers within the same industry, the fund generally will treat the borrower as the "issuer" of indebtedness held by the fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as financial intermediary between a fund and the borrower, if the participation does not shift to the fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower, SEC interpretations require a fund, in appropriate circumstances, to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as "issuers" for these purposes. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict a fund's ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or a group of intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.
A fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities. Lower-quality debt securities include all types of debt instruments that have poor protection with respect to the payment of interest and repayment of principal, or may be in default. These securities are often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of loss or price changes due to changes in the issuer's capacity to pay. The market prices of lower-quality debt securities may fluctuate more than those of higher-quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty, which may follow periods of rising interest rates.
The market for lower-quality debt securities may be thinner and less active than that for higher-quality debt securities, which can adversely affect the prices at which the former are sold. Adverse publicity and changing investor perceptions may affect the liquidity of lower-quality debt securities and the ability of outside pricing services to value lower-quality debt securities.
Because the risk of default is higher for lower-quality debt securities, research and credit analysis are an especially important part of managing securities of this type. Such analysis may focus on relative values based on factors such as interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage, earnings prospects, and the experience and managerial strength of the issuer, in an attempt to identify those issuers of high-yielding securities whose financial condition is adequate to meet future obligations, has improved, or is expected to improve in the future.
A fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.
Mortgage Securities are issued by government and non-government entities such as banks, mortgage lenders, or other institutions. A mortgage security is an obligation of the issuer backed by a mortgage or pool of mortgages or a direct interest in an underlying pool of mortgages. Some mortgage securities, such as collateralized mortgage obligations (or "CMOs"), make payments of both principal and interest at a range of specified intervals; others make semi-annual interest payments at a predetermined rate and repay principal at maturity (like a typical bond). Mortgage securities are based on different types of mortgages, including those on commercial real estate or residential properties. Stripped mortgage securities are created when the interest and principal components of a mortgage security are separated and sold as individual securities. In the case of a stripped mortgage security, the holder of the "principal-only" security (PO) receives the principal payments made by the underlying mortgage, while the holder of the "interest-only" security (IO) receives interest payments from the same underlying mortgage.
Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs are pass-through securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, respectively. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which guarantee payment of interest and repayment of principal on Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs, respectively, are federally chartered corporations supervised by the U.S. Government that act as governmental instrumentalities under authority granted by Congress. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to meet their obligations. Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
On June 3, 2019, under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative”, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will start issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities (UMBS). UMBS will be eligible for delivery into the To-Be-Announced (TBA) market. Each UMBS will have a 55-day remittance cycle and can be used as collateral in either a Fannie Mae® or Freddie Mac® security or held for investment. Freddie Mac’s legacy TBA-eligible securities have a 45-day remittance cycle and will not be directly eligible for delivery in settlement of a UMBS trade. Freddie Mac will offer investors the opportunity to exchange outstanding legacy mortgage-backed securities for mirror UMBS with a 55-day remittance period. The exchange offer includes compensation for the 10-day delay in receipt of payments. A fund’s ability to invest in UMBS to the same degree that the fund currently invests in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities is uncertain.
While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken steps for a smooth transition to the issuance of UMBS, the effects of the issuance of UMBS on the mortgage-backed securities and TBA markets are uncertain and there may be factors that affect the timing of the transition to UMBS or the ability of market participants, including a fund, to adapt to the issuance of UMBS. A fund may need to consider the tax and accounting issues raised by investments in UMBS and/or the exchange of legacy Freddie Mac securities for UMBS. Additionally, there could be divergence in prepayment rates of UMBS issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could lead to differences in the prices of Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-issued UMBS if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fail to align programs, policies and practices that affect prepayments.
The value of mortgage securities may change due to shifts in the market's perception of issuers and changes in interest rates. In addition, regulatory or tax changes may adversely affect the mortgage securities market as a whole. Non-government mortgage securities may offer higher yields than those issued by government entities, but also may be subject to greater price changes than government issues. Mortgage securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that early principal payments made on the underlying mortgages, usually in response to a reduction in interest rates, will result in the return of principal to the investor, causing it to be invested subsequently at a lower current interest rate. Alternatively, in a rising interest rate environment, mortgage security values may be adversely affected when prepayments on underlying mortgages do not occur as anticipated, resulting in the extension of the security's effective maturity and the related increase in interest rate sensitivity of a longer-term instrument. The prices of stripped mortgage securities tend to be more volatile in response to changes in interest rates than those of non-stripped mortgage securities.
A fund may seek to earn additional income by using a trading strategy (commonly known as "mortgage dollar rolls" or "reverse mortgage dollar rolls") that involves selling (or buying) mortgage securities, realizing a gain or loss, and simultaneously agreeing to purchase (or sell) mortgage securities on a later date at a set price. During the period between the sale and repurchase in a mortgage dollar roll transaction, a fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold but will invest the proceeds of the sale in other securities that are permissible investments for the fund. During the period between the purchase and subsequent sale in a reverse mortgage dollar roll transaction, a fund is entitled to interest and principal payments on the securities purchased. Losses may arise due to changes in the value of the securities or if the counterparty does not perform under the terms of the agreement. If the counterparty files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a fund's right to repurchase or sell securities may be limited. This trading strategy may increase interest rate exposure and result in an increased portfolio turnover rate which increases costs and may increase taxable gains.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs issue debt securities to fund the purchase and/or development of commercial properties. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, the creditworthiness of the trusts, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements. REITs are dependent upon management skill and the cash flow generated by the properties owned by the trusts. REITs are at the risk of the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free status of income under the Internal Revenue Code and failing to maintain exemption from the 1940 Act.
Reforms and Government Intervention in the Financial Markets. Economic downturns can trigger various economic, legal, budgetary, tax, and regulatory reforms across the globe. Instability in the financial markets in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn led the U.S. Government and other governments to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Reforms are ongoing and their effects are uncertain. Federal, state, local, foreign, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which a fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Reforms may also change the way in which a fund is regulated and could limit or preclude a fund's ability to achieve its investment objective or engage in certain strategies. Also, while reforms generally are intended to strengthen markets, systems, and public finances, they could affect fund expenses and the value of fund investments.
The value of a fund's holdings is also generally subject to the risk of future local, national, or global economic disturbances based on unknown weaknesses in the markets in which a fund invests. In the event of such a disturbance, the issuers of securities held by a fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations, or may receive government assistance accompanied by increased restrictions on their business operations or other government intervention. In addition, it is not certain that the U.S. Government or foreign governments will intervene in response to a future market disturbance and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted.
Repurchase Agreements involve an agreement to purchase a security and to sell that security back to the original seller at an agreed-upon price. The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed-upon incremental amount which is unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased security. As protection against the risk that the original seller will not fulfill its obligation, the securities are held in a separate account at a bank, marked-to-market daily, and maintained at a value at least equal to the sale price plus the accrued incremental amount. The value of the security purchased may be more or less than the price at which the counterparty has agreed to purchase the security. In addition, delays or losses could result if the other party to the agreement defaults or becomes insolvent. A fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its right to liquidate assets related to a repurchase agreement with an insolvent counterparty. A Fidelity® fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser.
Restricted Securities (including Private Placements) are subject to legal restrictions on their sale. Difficulty in selling securities may result in a loss or be costly to a fund. Restricted securities, including private placements of private and public companies, generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act), or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the holder of a registered security may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time it may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a fund sells a security to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash and agrees to repurchase that security at an agreed-upon price and time. A Fidelity® fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser. Such transactions may increase fluctuations in the market value of a fund's assets and, if applicable, a fund's yield, and may be viewed as a form of leverage.
Securities Lending. A Fidelity® fund may lend securities to parties such as broker-dealers or other institutions, including an affiliate, National Financial Services LLC (NFS). Securities lending allows a fund to retain ownership of the securities loaned and, at the same time, earn additional income. The borrower provides the fund with collateral in an amount at least equal to the value of the securities loaned. The fund seeks to maintain the ability to obtain the right to vote or consent on proxy proposals involving material events affecting securities loaned. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, a fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned or in gaining access to the collateral. These delays and costs could be greater for foreign securities. If a fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. The value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased. For a Fidelity® fund, loans will be made only to parties deemed by the fund's adviser to be in good standing and when, in the adviser's judgment, the income earned would justify the risks.
The Fidelity® funds have retained agents, including NFS, an affiliate of the funds, to act as securities lending agent. If NFS acts as securities lending agent for a fund, it is subject to the overall supervision of the fund’s adviser, and NFS will administer the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the fund’s Trustees.
Cash received as collateral through loan transactions may be invested in other eligible securities, including shares of a money market fund. Investing this cash subjects that investment, as well as the securities loaned, to market appreciation or depreciation.
Securities of Other Investment Companies, including shares of closed-end investment companies (which include business development companies (BDCs)), unit investment trusts, and open-end investment companies, represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in any type of instrument. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve additional expenses at the underlying investment company-level, such as portfolio management fees and operating expenses. Fees and expenses incurred indirectly by a fund as a result of its investment in shares of one or more other investment companies generally are referred to as "acquired fund fees and expenses" and may appear as a separate line item in a fund's prospectus fee table. For certain investment companies, such as BDCs, these expenses may be significant. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or over-the-counter at a premium or a discount to their NAV. Others are continuously offered at NAV, but may also be traded in the secondary market.
The securities of closed-end funds may be leveraged. As a result, a fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of closed-end funds that use leverage may expose a fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the fund's long-term returns on such securities will be diminished.
A fund's ability to invest in securities of other investment companies may be limited by federal securities laws. To the extent a fund acquires securities issued by unaffiliated investment companies, the Adviser's access to information regarding such underlying fund's portfolio may be limited and subject to such fund's policies regarding disclosure of fund holdings.
Sources of Liquidity or Credit Support. Issuers may employ various forms of credit and liquidity enhancements, including letters of credit, guarantees, swaps, puts, and demand features, and insurance provided by domestic or foreign entities such as banks and other financial institutions. An adviser and its affiliates may rely on their evaluation of the credit of the issuer or the credit of the liquidity or credit enhancement provider in determining whether to purchase or hold a security supported by such enhancement. In evaluating the credit of a foreign bank or other foreign entities, factors considered may include whether adequate public information about the entity is available and whether the entity may be subject to unfavorable political or economic developments, currency controls, or other government restrictions that might affect its ability to honor its commitment. Changes in the credit quality of the issuer and/or entity providing the enhancement could affect the value of the security or a fund's share price.
Stripped Securities are the separate income or principal components of a debt security. The risks associated with stripped securities are similar to those of other debt securities, although stripped securities may be more volatile, and the value of certain types of stripped securities may move in the same direction as interest rates. U.S. Treasury securities that have been stripped by a Federal Reserve Bank are obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Privately stripped government securities are created when a dealer deposits a U.S. Treasury security or other U.S. Government security with a custodian for safekeeping. The custodian issues separate receipts for the coupon payments and the principal payment, which the dealer then sells.
Structured Securities (also called "structured notes") are derivative debt securities, the interest rate on or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. The value of the interest rate on and/or the principal of structured securities is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, or index) or the relative change in two or more reference instruments. A structured security may be positively, negatively, or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured security may be calculated as a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s); therefore, the value of such structured security may be very volatile. Structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured securities may also be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities. In addition, because structured securities generally are traded over-the-counter, structured securities are subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the structured security, and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates.
Temporary Defensive Policies. Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF reserves the right to invest without limitation in investment-grade money market or short-term debt instruments for temporary, defensive purposes.
Transfer Agent Bank Accounts. Proceeds from shareholder purchases of a Fidelity® fund may pass through a series of demand deposit bank accounts before being held at the fund's custodian. Redemption proceeds may pass from the custodian to the shareholder through a similar series of bank accounts.
If a bank account is registered to the transfer agent or an affiliate, who acts as an agent for the fund when opening, closing, and conducting business in the bank account, the transfer agent or an affiliate may invest overnight balances in the account in repurchase agreements. Any balances that are not invested in repurchase agreements remain in the bank account overnight. Any risks associated with such an account are investment risks of the fund. The fund faces the risk of loss of these balances if the bank becomes insolvent.
Variable and Floating Rate Securities provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate paid on the security. Variable rate securities provide for a specified periodic adjustment in the interest rate, while floating rate securities have interest rates that change whenever there is a change in a designated benchmark rate or the issuer's credit quality, sometimes subject to a cap or floor on such rate. Some variable or floating rate securities are structured with put features that permit holders to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of a variable or floating rate security, a fund's adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
In addition to other interbank offered rates (IBORs), the most common benchmark rate for floating rate securities is LIBOR, which is the rate of interest offered on short-term interbank deposits, as determined by trading between major international banks. After the global financial crisis, regulators globally determined that existing interest rate benchmarks should be reformed based on concerns that LIBOR and other IBORs were susceptible to manipulation. Replacement rates that have been identified include the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR, which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR and measures the cost of overnight borrowings through repurchase agreement transactions collateralized with U.S. Treasury securities) and the Sterling Overnight Index Average rate (SONIA, which is intended to replace pound sterling LIBOR and measures the overnight interest rate paid by banks for unsecured transactions in the sterling market). In 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. While various regulators and industry bodies are working globally on transitioning to alternative rates, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of the IBORs and the transition to, and the nature of, replacement rates. As such, the effect of a transition away from the IBORs on a fund and the financial instruments in which it invests cannot yet be determined. Such transition may result in a reduction in the value of IBOR-based instruments held by a fund, a reduction in the effectiveness of certain hedging transactions and increased illiquidity and volatility in markets that currently rely on an IBOR to determine interest rates, any of which could adversely impact the fund’s performance.
When-Issued and Forward Purchase or Sale Transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. Typically, no interest accrues to the purchaser until the security is delivered.
When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated. Because payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with a fund's investments. If a fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when a purchase is outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage. When a fund has sold a security pursuant to one of these transactions, the fund does not participate in further gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a delayed-delivery transaction fails to deliver or pay for the securities, a fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity or suffer a loss.
A fund may renegotiate a when-issued or forward transaction and may sell the underlying securities before delivery, which may result in capital gains or losses for the fund.
A fund may also engage in purchases or sales of "to be announced" or "TBA" securities, which usually are transactions in which a fund buys or sells mortgage-backed securities on a forward commitment basis. A TBA transaction typically does not designate the actual security to be delivered and only includes an approximate principal amount. TBA trades can be used by a fund for investment purposes in order to gain exposure to certain securities, or for hedging purposes to adjust the risk exposure of a fund portfolio without having to restructure a portfolio. Purchases and sales of TBA securities involve risks similar to those discussed above for other when-issued and forward purchase and sale transactions. In addition, when a fund sells TBA securities, it incurs risks similar to those incurred in short sales. For example, when a fund sells TBA securities without owning or having the right to obtain the deliverable securities, it incurs a risk of loss because it could have to purchase the securities at a price that is higher than the price at which it sold them. Also, a fund may be unable to purchase the deliverable securities if the corresponding market is illiquid. In such transactions, the fund will set aside liquid assets in an amount sufficient to offset its exposure as long as the fund's obligations are outstanding.
Under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative” intended to maximize liquidity for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities in the TBA market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to start issuing UMBS in place of their current separate offerings of TBA-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The effects of the issuance of UMBS on the TBA market are uncertain.
Zero Coupon Bonds do not make interest payments; instead, they are sold at a discount from their face value and are redeemed at face value when they mature. Because zero coupon bonds do not pay current income, their prices can be more volatile than other types of fixed-income securities when interest rates change. In calculating a fund's dividend, a portion of the difference between a zero coupon bond's purchase price and its face value is considered income.
In addition to the investment policies and limitations discussed above, a fund is subject to the additional operational risk discussed below.
Considerations Regarding Cybersecurity. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, a fund’s service providers are susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events and may arise from external or internal sources. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information; corrupting data, equipment or systems; or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting a fund’s manager, any sub-adviser and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of fund shareholders to transact business, destruction to equipment and systems, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which a fund invests, counterparties with which a fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for fund shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.
While a fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, a fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a fund or its shareholders. A fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
EXCHANGE TRADED FUND RISKS
Continuous Offering. The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), the fund's distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters," but are effecting transactions in shares of the fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the 1933 Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus-delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available from the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Listing and Trading. Shares of the fund have been approved for listing and trading on an exchange. The fund's shares trade on an exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from their NAV. The listing exchange may remove the fund's shares from listing if, among other things (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the fund's shares for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the indicative optimized portfolio value of the fund is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the listing exchange, makes further dealings on the exchange inadvisable. The listing exchange will remove the fund's shares from listing and trading upon termination of the trust. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund's shares will continue to be met.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that such a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the fund's shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities are placed on behalf of the fund by FIMM pursuant to authority contained in the management contract. To the extent that FIMM grants investment management authority to a sub-adviser (see the section entitled "Management Contract"), that sub-adviser is authorized to provide the services described in the respective sub-advisory agreement, and in accordance with the policies described in this section. Furthermore, the sub-adviser's trading and associated policies, which may differ from FIMM's policies, may apply to that fund, subject to applicable law.
FIMM or a sub-adviser may be responsible for the placement of portfolio securities transactions for other investment companies and investment accounts for which it has or its affiliates have investment discretion.
The fund will not incur any commissions or sales charges when it invests in shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds), but it may incur such costs when it invests directly in other types of securities.
Purchases and sales of equity securities on a securities exchange or OTC are effected through brokers who receive compensation for their services. Generally, compensation relating to securities traded on foreign exchanges will be higher than compensation relating to securities traded on U.S. exchanges and may not be subject to negotiation. Compensation may also be paid in connection with principal transactions (in both OTC securities and securities listed on an exchange) and agency OTC transactions executed with an electronic communications network (ECN) or an alternative trading system. Equity securities may be purchased from underwriters at prices that include underwriting fees.
Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities are generally made with an issuer or a primary market-maker acting as principal. Although there is no stated brokerage commission paid by the fund for any fixed-income security, the price paid by the fund to an underwriter includes the disclosed underwriting fee and prices in secondary trades usually include an undisclosed dealer commission or markup reflecting the spread between the bid and ask prices of the fixed-income security. New issues of equity and fixed-income securities may also be purchased in underwritten fixed price offerings.
The Trustees of the fund periodically review FIMM's performance of its responsibilities in connection with the placement of portfolio securities transactions on behalf of the fund. The Trustees also review the compensation paid by the fund over representative periods of time to determine if it was reasonable in relation to the benefits to the fund.
The Selection of Securities Brokers and Dealers
FIMM or its affiliates generally have authority to select securities brokers (whether acting as a broker or a dealer) to place or execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions. In selecting securities brokers, including affiliates of FIMM, to execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates consider the factors they deem relevant in the context of a particular trade and in regard to FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities with respect to the fund and other investment accounts, including any instructions from the fund's portfolio manager. Based on the factors considered, FIMM or its affiliates may choose to execute an order by using an electronic trading platform or by calling one or more dealers. Other possibly relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, the following: price; the size and type of the securities transaction; the reasonableness of compensation to be paid, including spreads and commission rates; the speed and certainty of trade executions, including broker willingness to commit capital; the nature and characteristics of the markets for the security to be purchased or sold, including the degree of specialization of the broker in such markets or securities; the availability of liquidity in the security, including the liquidity provided by individual brokers; the reliability of a broker; the broker's overall trading relationship with FIMM or its affiliates; the trader's assessment of whether and how closely the broker likely will follow the trader's instructions to the broker; the degree of anonymity that a particular broker can provide; the potential for avoiding or lessening market impact; the execution services rendered on a continuing basis; the execution efficiency, settlement capability, and financial condition of the broker or dealer; arrangements for payment of fund expenses, if applicable; and the provision of additional brokerage and research products and services, if applicable.
The trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities.
The Acquisition of Brokerage and Research Products and Services
Brokers (who are not affiliates of FIMM) that execute transactions for the fund may receive higher compensation from the fund than other brokers might have charged the fund, in recognition of the value of the brokerage or research products and services they provide to FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Products and Services. These products and services may include, when permissible under applicable law: economic, industry, company, municipal, sovereign (U.S. and non-U.S.), legal, or political research reports; market color; company meeting facilitation; compilation of securities prices, earnings, dividends and similar data; quotation services, data, information and other services; analytical computer software and services; and investment recommendations. In addition to receiving brokerage and research products and services via written reports and computer-delivered services, such reports may also be provided by telephone and in-person meetings with securities analysts, corporate and industry spokespersons, economists, academicians and government representatives and others with relevant professional expertise. FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service. Some of these brokerage and research products and services supplement FIMM's or its affiliates' own research activities in providing investment advice to the fund.Execution Services. In addition, when permissible under applicable law, brokerage and research products and services may include, those that assist in the execution, clearing, and settlement of securities transactions, as well as other incidental functions (including, but not limited to, communication services related to trade execution, order routing and algorithmic trading, post-trade matching, exchange of messages among brokers or dealers, custodians and institutions, and the use of electronic confirmation and affirmation of institutional trades).
Mixed-Use Products and Services. Although FIMM or its affiliates do not use fund commissions to pay for products or services that do not qualify as brokerage and research products and services, they may use commission dollars to obtain certain products or services that are not used exclusively in FIMM's or its affiliates' investment decision-making process (mixed-use products or services). In those circumstances, FIMM or its affiliates will make a good faith judgment to evaluate the various benefits and uses to which they intend to put the mixed-use product or service, and will pay for that portion of the mixed-use product or service that does not qualify as brokerage and research products and services with their own resources (referred to as "hard dollars").
Benefit to FIMM. FIMM's or its affiliates' expenses likely would be increased if they attempted to generate these additional brokerage and research products and services through their own efforts, or if they paid for these brokerage and research products or services with their own resources. To minimize the potential for conflicts of interest, the trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities. Furthermore, certain of the brokerage and research products and services FIMM or its affiliates receive are furnished by brokers on their own initiative, either in connection with a particular transaction or as part of their overall services. Some of these brokerage and research products or services may be provided at no additional cost to FIMM or its affiliates or have no explicit cost associated with them. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service, certain of which third-party products or services may be provided by a broker that is not a party to a particular transaction and is not connected with the transacting broker's overall services.
FIMM's Decision-Making Process. In connection with the allocation of fund brokerage, FIMM or its affiliates make a good faith determination that the compensation paid to brokers and dealers is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research products and services provided to FIMM or its affiliates, viewed in terms of the particular transaction for the fund or FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities to that fund or other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion; however, each brokerage and research product or service received in connection with the fund's brokerage may not benefit the fund. While FIMM or its affiliates may take into account the brokerage and/or research products and services provided by a broker or dealer in determining whether compensation paid is reasonable, neither FIMM, its affiliates, nor the fund incur an obligation to any broker, dealer, or third party to pay for any brokerage and research product or service (or portion thereof) by generating a specific amount of compensation or otherwise. Typically, these brokerage and research products and services assist FIMM or its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to the fund or any other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion. Certain funds or investment accounts may use brokerage commissions to acquire brokerage and research products and services that may also benefit other funds or accounts managed by FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Contracts. FIMM or its affiliates have arrangements with certain third-party research providers and brokers through whom FIMM or its affiliates effect fund trades, whereby FIMM or its affiliates may pay with fund commissions or hard dollars for all or a portion of the cost of research products and services purchased from such research providers or brokers. If hard dollar payments are used, FIMM or its affiliates may still cause the fund to pay more for execution than the lowest commission rate available from the broker providing research products and services to FIMM or its affiliates, or that may be available from another broker. FIMM or its affiliates view hard dollar payments for research products and services as likely to reduce the fund's total commission costs. FIMM's or its affiliates' determination to pay for research products and services separately is wholly voluntary on FIMM's or its affiliates' part and may be extended to additional brokers or discontinued with any broker participating in this arrangement.
Affiliated Transactions
FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with certain brokers, including NFS and Luminex Trading & Analytics LLC (Luminex), with whom they are under common control or affiliated, provided FIMM or its affiliates determine that these affiliates' trade-execution abilities and costs are comparable to those of non-affiliated, qualified brokerage firms, and that such transactions be executed in accordance with applicable rules under the 1940 Act and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the fund and subject to other applicable law. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with brokers that use NFS or Fidelity Clearing Canada ULC (FCC) as a clearing agent.
The Trustees of the fund have approved procedures whereby a fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the adviser or certain other affiliates participate. In addition, for underwritings where such an affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the fund could purchase in the underwritings.
Non-U.S. Securities Transactions
To facilitate trade settlement and related activities in non-United States securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates may effect spot foreign currency transactions with foreign currency dealers. In certain circumstances, due to local law and regulation, logistical or operational challenges, or the process for settling securities transactions in certain markets (e.g., short settlement periods), spot currency transactions may be effected on behalf of funds by parties other than FIMM or its affiliates, including funds' custodian banks (working through sub-custodians or agents in the relevant non-U.S. jurisdiction) or broker-dealers that executed the related securities transaction.
Trade Allocation
Although the Trustees and officers of the fund are substantially the same as those of certain other Fidelity® funds, investment decisions for the fund are made independently from those of other Fidelity® funds or investment accounts (including proprietary accounts). The same security is often held in the portfolio of more than one of these funds or investment accounts. Simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several funds and investment accounts are managed by the same investment adviser, or an affiliate thereof, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objective of more than one fund or investment account.
When two or more funds or investment accounts are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or instrument, the prices and amounts are allocated in accordance with procedures believed by FIMM to be appropriate and equitable to each fund or investment account. In some cases this could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security or instrument as far as the fund is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability of the fund to participate in volume transactions will produce better executions and prices for the fund.
Commissions Paid
A fund may pay compensation including both commissions and spreads in connection with the placement of portfolio transactions. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by a fund may change from year to year because of, among other things, changing asset levels, shareholder activity, and/or portfolio turnover.
The following table shows the fund's portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal periods ended August 31, 2019 and 2018. Variations in turnover rate may be due to a fluctuating volume of shareholder purchase and redemption orders, market conditions, and/or changes in FIMM's investment outlook, as well as changes in mortgage dollar roll transaction volume.
| Turnover Rates | 2019 | 2018 |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | 32% | 113% |
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund held securities issued by one or more of its regular brokers or dealers or a parent company of its regular brokers or dealers. The following table shows the aggregate value of the securities of the regular broker or dealer or parent company held by the fund as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019.
| Fund | Regular Broker or Dealer |
Aggregate Value of
Securities Held |
| Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF | Bank of America Corp. | $ 2,610,771 |
| Barclays Capital, Inc. | $ 1,767,077 | |
| Citigroup, Inc. | $ 2,051,101 | |
| Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. | $ 1,366,990 | |
| Fidelity Cash Central Fund | $ 407,620 | |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $ 3,293,884 | |
| Morgan Stanley | $ 1,926,613 | |
| The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | $ 2,782,243 |
For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the fund paid no brokerage commissions.
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund paid no brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
During the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2019, the fund did not allocate brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
VALUATION
The NAV is the value of a single share. NAV is computed by adding the value of a fund's investments, cash, and other assets, subtracting its liabilities, and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding.
The value of fund shares bought and sold in the secondary market is driven by market price. The price of these shares, like the price of all traded securities, is subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the portfolio securities held by a fund. Secondary market shares, available for purchase or sale on an intraday basis, do not have a fixed relationship either to the previous day's NAV nor the current day's NAV. Prices in the secondary market, therefore, may be below, at, or above the most recently calculated NAV of such shares.
In order to provide investors with a basis to gauge whether the market price of the shares on the listing exchange is approximately consistent with the current value of the assets of the fund on a per share basis, an updated value of the fund’s shares is disseminated intraday (“IIV” and also known as the Indicative Optimized Portfolio Value) through the facilities of ICE Data Indices, LLC. IIVs are disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day. The fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no warranty as to their accuracy.
The IIV has a securities component and a cash component reflecting cash and other assets that may be held by the fund. The securities values included in the IIV are the values of the Deposit Securities (as defined below under the heading "Buying and Selling Information-Portfolio Deposit") for the fund. While the IIV reflects the approximate current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the fund's IIV disseminated during the listing exchange's trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the fund's NAV, which is calculated only once a day. The IIV is generally determined by using current market quotations or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the fund. The quotations of certain fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States and thus may not reflect the current fair value of those securities.
The cash component included in the IIV could consist of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, the IIV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for pricing, but has delegated day-to-day valuation responsibilities to FIMM. FIMM may rely on information and recommendations provided by the FMR Fair Value Committee (the Committee) to fulfill these responsibilities.
Shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds) held by a fund are valued at their respective NAVs. If an underlying fund's NAV is unavailable, shares of that underlying fund will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies.
Generally, other portfolio securities and assets held by a fund, as well as portfolio securities and assets held by an underlying central fund, are valued as follows:
Most equity securities are valued at the official closing price or the last reported sale price or, if no sale has occurred, at the last quoted bid price on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded.
Debt securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available may be valued at market values in the principal market in which they normally are traded, as furnished by recognized dealers in such securities or assets. Or, debt securities and convertible securities may be valued on the basis of information furnished by a pricing service that uses a valuation matrix which incorporates both dealer-supplied valuations and electronic data processing techniques.
Short-term securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less for which market quotations and information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available may be valued at amortized cost, which approximates current value.
Futures contracts are valued at the settlement or closing price. Options are valued at their market quotations, if available. Swaps are valued daily using quotations received from independent pricing services or recognized dealers.
Prices described above are obtained from pricing services that have been approved by the Board of Trustees. A number of pricing services are available and the funds may use more than one of these services. The funds may also discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time. FIMM engages in oversight activities with respect to the fund's pricing services, which includes, among other things, testing the prices provided by pricing services prior to calculation of a fund's NAV, conducting periodic due diligence meetings, and periodically reviewing the methodologies and inputs used by these services.
Foreign securities and instruments are valued in their local currency following the methodologies described above. Foreign securities, instruments and currencies are translated to U.S. dollars, based on foreign currency exchange rate quotations supplied by a pricing service as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which uses a proprietary model to determine the exchange rate. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at an interpolated rate based on days to maturity between the closest preceding and subsequent settlement period reported by the third party pricing service.
Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available or, in the opinion of the Committee, are deemed unreliable will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. For example, if, in the opinion of the Committee, a security's value has been materially affected by events occurring before a fund's pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. In fair valuing a security, the Committee may consider factors including price movements in futures contracts and ADRs, market and trading trends, the bid/ask quotes of brokers, and off-exchange institutional trading.
In determining the fair value of a private placement security for which market quotations are not available, the Committee generally applies one or more valuation methods including the market approach, income approach and cost approach. The market approach considers factors including the price of recent investments in the same or a similar security or financial metrics of comparable securities. The income approach considers factors including expected future cash flows, security specific risks and corresponding discount rates. The cost approach considers factors including the value of the security’s underlying assets and liabilities.
The fund's adviser reports to the Board on the Committee’s activities and fair value determinations. The Board monitors the appropriateness of the procedures used in valuing the fund’s investments and ratifies the fair value determinations of the Committee.
BUYING AND SELLING INFORMATION
Book-Entry Only System. The Depository Trust Company (DTC) acts as securities depository for the shares. Shares of the fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Certificates will not be issued for shares.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among DTC participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers, and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC participant, either directly or indirectly.
Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC participants and persons holding interests through DTC participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of beneficial interests are referred to herein as Beneficial Owners) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC participants) and on the records of DTC participants (with respect to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through a DTC participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the trust a listing of the shares of the fund held by each DTC participant. The trust shall inquire of each such DTC participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding fund shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC participant. The trust shall provide each such DTC participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the trust shall pay to each such DTC participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC participants to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC participants.
The trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC participants or the relationship between such DTC participants and the indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares, unless the trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the listing exchange.
Creation Units. The trust issues and redeems shares of the fund only in Creation Unit aggregations on a continuous basis through FDC, without a sales load, at its NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. An Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. Each Creation Unit consists of a block of 50,000 shares.
A "Business Day" with respect to the fund is any day on which the listing exchange or the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of the prospectus, the listing exchange and the NYSE observe the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President's Day (Washington's Birthday) (U.S.), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (U.S.), Labor Day (U.S.), Thanksgiving Day (U.S.), and Christmas Day.
To be eligible to place orders to purchase a Creation Unit of the fund, an entity must be an "Authorized Participant" which is either (i) a "Participating Party," i.e., broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC (the Clearing Process); or (ii) a DTC participant, and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with FDC, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (Participant Agreement). All shares of the fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC participant.
The fund reserves the right to adjust the prices of fund shares and the number of shares in a Creation Unit in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the fund.
Portfolio Deposit. The fund generally expects to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a specified all-cash payment (Cash Deposit). Alternatively, the fund may issue Creation Units in exchange for consideration that consists of an in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (Deposit Securities) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (Cash Component) computed as described herein. The Cash Deposit, or alternatively, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component together, constitute the "Portfolio Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit. In the event the fund requires Deposit Securities and a Cash Component in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Component is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.
FIMM, or its agent, makes available through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) on each Business Day, prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the amount of the Cash Deposit and/or the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit composition is made available.
The amount of the Cash Deposit (or identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities and the amount of the Cash Component) required for a Portfolio Deposit for the fund changes as corporate action events, such as dividends, splits, and rights issues, are reflected from time to time by FIMM with a view to the investment objective of the fund. In the event that the fund issues Creation Units in exchange for consideration that includes Deposit Securities and a Cash Component, the fund reserves the right to permit the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a cash in lieu amount) to replace any Deposit Security which may, among other reasons, not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC, the Federal Reserve System or the Clearing Process, not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the trust as a result of an in-kind purchase order pursuant to local law or market convention, restricted under the securities laws or which may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting. In such cases where the fund purchases portfolio securities with cash, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities were purchased by the fund and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at FIMM's discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees and taxes. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the fund's acquisition of Deposit Securities will be at the expense of the fund and will affect the value of all shares of the fund; but FIMM may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the Deposit Securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Component to protect ongoing shareholders. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to FIMM on the date of the announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the fund's holdings or resulting from certain corporate actions.
Procedures for Creation Unit Purchases. All purchase orders must be placed for one or more Creation Units. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be received by FDC or its agent no later than the closing time of regular trading hours on the listing exchange or the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) (the Closing Time), or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in the case of nonconforming orders, in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. A nonconforming order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the fund permits the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to FDC pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communications failure may impede the ability to reach FDC or an Authorized Participant.
All orders to purchase Creation Units shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, including payments of cash to pay the Cash Deposit (or Cash Component, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement.
Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to FDC prior to the applicable deadlines on the Transmittal Date. Authorized participants may ascertain the deadlines applicable to the Federal Reserve Bank wire system and DTC by contacting the operations department of the depository institution or broker effecting such transfer of the Cash Deposit (or Deposit Securities and Cash Component).
Portfolio Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and government securities) and through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) by an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Portfolio Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the fund by no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern time of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will purchase and redeem Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the fund, whose determination shall be final and binding. For purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the fund's custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the fund's custodian no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on the next Business Day immediately following such Transmittal Date. An order to purchase Creation Units is deemed received by FDC on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by FDC or its agent not later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the fund's custodian does not receive, with respect to purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the Cash Component by 10:00 a.m., or the required Deposit Securities together with the associated Cash Component by 1:00 p.m. on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be deemed not in proper form and canceled. Upon written notice to FDC, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Portfolio Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the next calculated NAV of the fund. The delivery of Creation Units so purchased will occur not later than the second (2nd) Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by FDC.
FDC or its agent will inform the transfer agent, FIMM and the fund's custodian upon receipt of a purchase order. The custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate subcustodian. The custodian will cause the subcustodian to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or "cash in lieu" amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the purchase transaction fee described below.
Once the trust has accepted a purchase order, the trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. FDC or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.
Creation Units will not be issued until the payment of the Cash Deposit (or the transfer of good title to the trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component) has been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian, FDC and FIMM will be notified of such delivery and the trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.
Creation Units may be created in advance of receipt by the fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component (including any Transaction Fees), plus (ii) 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (Additional Cash Deposit). The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such date and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the fund's custodian by 10:00 a.m. Eastern time the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 3:00 p.m. or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 10:00 a.m. the next Business Day, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the fund, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the fund in an amount at least equal to 115% of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. In the sole discretion of the fund following the Business Day on which the order was received the fund may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants will be liable to the fund for the costs incurred by the fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by FDC plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing any missing Deposit Securities and the value of the collateral. The fund will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by FDC or purchased by the fund and deposited into the fund.
Acceptance of Purchase Orders. The fund reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by FDC if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the fund; (iii) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; (iv) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of the fund, be unlawful; (v) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the fund or FIMM, have an adverse effect on the fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vi) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the fund, make it impossible to process creation orders for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include, without limitation, acts of God; public service or utility problems such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme weather conditions, and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy, and computer failures; wars; civil or military disturbances, including acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the fund, FMR, FIMM, FDC, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, or any other participant in the purchase process, and similar extraordinary events. The fund and FDC have the right to require information to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of (ii) above should it so choose or to rely on a certification from a broker-dealer who is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. as to the cost basis of Deposit Securities. If creations are on an in-kind basis, the fund further reserves the absolute right to reject or suspend an order transmitted to it by FDC and/or the transfer agent in respect of the fund if: (i) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; or (ii) for any other reasons as specified herein. FDC or the fund shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on the purchaser's behalf, of its rejection of the purchaser's order. The fund, the transfer agent, and FDC are under no duty, however, to verify or give notification of any defects or irregularities in any written order or in the delivery of a Portfolio Deposit, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the fund through the transfer agent and only on a Business Day through an Authorized Participant that has entered into a Participant Agreement. The fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit-size aggregations. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
FIMM, through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) makes available immediately prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of the basket of securities (Fund Securities) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit may consist of Fund Securities - as announced by FIMM, or its agent, on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form - plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of the request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (Cash Redemption Amount), less a redemption transaction fee and any variable fee as listed below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to the fund equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the fund will substitute a cash-in-lieu amount to replace any Fund Security that is a non-deliverable instrument. The amount of the cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Fund Security.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the fund (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares or determination of the fund's NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.
Orders to redeem Creation Units must be delivered through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem Creation Units is deemed received by the fund on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received in proper form by the transfer agent not later than the Closing Time (or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) for nonconforming orders) on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the fund's custodian no later than 1:00 p.m., for the shares, and 3:00 p.m., for the Cash Redemption Amount, Eastern time on the next Business Day following such Transmittal Date (the DTC Cut-Off-Time); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred by the second (2nd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received, which will generally be no more than seven (7) days after such request for redemption but may be up to fifteen days for funds that invest in foreign securities. In certain cases, Authorized Participants will redeem and purchase Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
If the fund determines, based on information available to the fund when a redemption request is submitted by an Authorized Participant, that: (i) the short interest of the fund in the marketplace is greater than or equal to 100%; and (ii) the orders in the aggregate from all Authorized Participants redeeming shares on a Business Day represent 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the fund, such Authorized Participant will be required to verify to the fund the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption. If, after receiving notice of the verification requirement, the Authorized Participant does not verify the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption in accordance with this requirement, its redemption request will be considered not to have been received in proper form.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement, in the event the Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Units to be redeemed to FDC, on behalf of the fund, at or prior to the closing time of regular trading on the listing exchange (or the NYSE if the listing exchange is not open that) on the date such redemption request is submitted, FDC will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing fund shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 115% of the value of the missing fund shares. The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately-available funds and shall be held by the fund and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the fund and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance, and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Participant Agreement will permit the fund to purchase the missing fund shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Balancing Amount underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Balancing Amount and the value of the collateral.
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by Fidelity Service Company, Inc. (FSC) according to the procedures set forth in the section entitled "Valuation" computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the transfer agent. Therefore, if a conforming redemption order in proper form is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the fund are delivered to the fund's custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by FSC on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a conforming redemption order is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than the Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time as described above on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed as of the Closing Time on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the transfer agent, i.e., the Business Day on which the shares of the fund are delivered through DTC to FDC by the DTC Cut-Off-Time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
The fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. The fund generally expects to effect redemptions for cash. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper from (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities).
Redemption of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or a Beneficial Owner for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.
In connection with taking delivery of shares for Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdictions, the trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.
The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as "informal holidays" (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future. For the period December 30, 2019 through December 31, 2020, the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets in which the fund invest are as follows (the following holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the securities market):
The longest redemption cycle for foreign funds is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the funds. For the period December 30, 2019 through December 31, 2020, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case (longest) redemption cycle* for foreign funds as follows:
SETTLEMENT PERIODS GREATER THAN SEVEN DAYS FOR PERIOD DECEMBER 30, 2019 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
| Beginning of Settlement Period | End of Settlement Period | Number of Days in Settlement Period | |
| Australia | 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/09/2020 | 04/17/2020 | 8 | |
| 12/21/2020 | 12/29/2020 | 8 | |
| 12/24/2020 | 01/02/2021 | 11 | |
| Denmark | 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| Japan | 04/28/2020 | 05/07/2020 | 9 |
| 04/30/2020 | 05/08/2020 | 8 | |
| 05/01/2020 | 05/11/2020 | 10 | |
| Mexico | 04/03/2020 | 04/13/2020 | 10 |
| 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| Spain | 01/02/2020 | 01/14/2020 | 13 |
| 01/03/2020 | 01/15/2020 | 12 | |
| 01/03/2020 | 01/16/2020 | 13 | |
| 04/23/2020 | 05/05/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/24/2020 | 05/06/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/27/2020 | 05/07/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/28/2020 | 05/08/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/29/2020 | 05/11/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/30/2020 | 05/12/2020 | 11 | |
| 12/24/2020 | 01/06/2021 | 12 |
* These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible.
Creation/Redemption Transaction Fees. The fund may impose a "Transaction Fee" on investors purchasing or redeeming Creation Units. The Transaction Fee will be limited to amounts that have been determined by FIMM to be appropriate. The purpose of the Transaction Fee is to protect the existing shareholders of the fund from the dilutive costs associated with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. For cash creations (or redemptions) or cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Securities, the purchaser (or redeemer) may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the transaction cost to the fund of buying (or selling) those particular Deposit Securities. To the extent a purchase/redemption transaction consists of cash and/or in-kind securities, the standard fee applies to in-kind purchases and redemptions of creation units and an additional transaction fee (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) may also be imposed on cash transactions. The fund reserves the right to not impose the additional transaction fee or to vary the amount of the additional transaction fee, up to the maximum listed below, depending on the materiality of the fund's actual transaction costs incurred or where FDC believes that not imposing or varying the additional transaction fee would be in the fund's interest. Transaction fees associated with the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of shares redeemed. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day an order is received or the nature of the securities. Investors bear the costs of transferring Fund Securities to/from the fund to/from their account or on their order. Every purchaser of a Creation Unit will receive a prospectus that contains disclosure about the Transaction Fees, including the maximum amount of the additional transaction fee charged by the fund.
The following table shows, as of August 31, 2019, the approximate value of one Creation Unit of the fund and sets forth the standard transaction fees and maximum additional transaction fees for creations and redemptions.
| Name of Fund | Approximate Value of One Creation Unit | Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee | Maximum Additional Creation Transaction Fee* | Maximum Additional Redemption Transaction Fee* |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | $2,500,000 | $500 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
* As a percentage of the cash amount invested or redeemed.
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Dividends. Because the fund's income is primarily derived from interest, dividends from the fund generally will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders or the long-term capital gains tax rates available to individuals. Short-term capital gains are taxable at ordinary income tax rates. A portion of the fund's dividends may be exempt from state and local taxation to the extent that they are derived from certain U.S. Government securities and meet certain requirements. Distributions by the fund to tax-advantaged retirement plan accounts are not taxable currently.
Capital Gain Distributions. Unless your shares of the fund are held in a tax-advantaged retirement plan, the fund's long-term capital gain distributions are federally taxable to shareholders generally as capital gains.
The following table shows the fund's aggregate capital loss carryforward as of August 31, 2019, which is available to offset future capital gains. A fund's ability to utilize its capital loss carryforwards in a given year or in total may be limited.
| Fund Name | Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF |
| Capital Loss Carryforward (CLC) | $1,416,298 |
Returns of Capital. If the fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold in taxable accounts.
Sales of Listed Shares. Gain or loss that is recognized on the sale of exchange-listed shares generally will be characterized as long-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for one year or less.
Purchase of Creation Units. The purchase of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who transfers securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The transferor will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the Creation Units (which may differ from their NAV) and any Balancing Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the transferor's basis in the transferred securities, transaction fees and any Balancing Amount that is paid. The purchase of Creation Units may trigger application of the wash sale rules for federal tax purposes.
Redemption of Creation Units. The redemption of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who receives securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The recipient will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the securities and any Cash Redemption Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the basis of the Creation Unit shares, transaction fees and any Cash Redemption Amount that is paid. The redemption of Creation Units may be treated as a wash sale for federal tax purposes.
Foreign Tax Credit or Deduction. Foreign governments may impose withholding taxes on dividends and interest earned by the fund with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Foreign governments may also impose taxes on other payments or gains with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Because the fund does not currently anticipate that securities of foreign issuers or underlying regulated investment companies will constitute more than 50% of its total assets at the end of its fiscal year, or fiscal quarter, respectively, shareholders should not expect to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction on their federal income tax returns with respect to foreign taxes withheld.
Tax Status of the Fund. The fund intends to qualify each year as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code so that it will not be liable for federal tax on income and capital gains distributed to shareholders. In order to qualify as a regulated investment company, and avoid being subject to federal income or excise taxes at the fund level, the fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains within each calendar year as well as on a fiscal year basis (if the fiscal year is other than the calendar year), and intends to comply with other tax rules applicable to regulated investment companies.
Other Tax Information. The information above is only a summary of some of the tax consequences generally affecting the fund and its shareholders, and no attempt has been made to discuss individual tax consequences. It is up to you or your tax preparer to determine whether the sale of shares of the fund resulted in a capital gain or loss or other tax consequence to you. In addition to federal income taxes, shareholders may be subject to state and local taxes on fund distributions, and shares may be subject to state and local personal property taxes. Investors should consult their tax advisers to determine whether the fund is suitable to their particular tax situation.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the trust and fund, as applicable, are listed below. The Board of Trustees governs the fund and is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the fund's activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the fund, oversee management of the risks associated with such activities and contractual arrangements, and review the fund's performance. Each of the Trustees oversees 277 funds.
The Trustees hold office without limit in time except that (a) any Trustee may resign; (b) any Trustee may be removed by written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal; (c) any Trustee who requests to be retired or who has become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees; and (d) any Trustee may be removed at any special meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds vote of the outstanding voting securities of the trust. Each Trustee who is not an interested person (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the trust and the fund is referred to herein as an Independent Trustee. Each Independent Trustee shall retire not later than the last day of the calendar year in which his or her 75th birthday occurs. The Independent Trustees may waive this mandatory retirement age policy with respect to individual Trustees. Officers and Advisory Board Members hold office without limit in time, except that any officer or Advisory Board Member may resign or may be removed by a vote of a majority of the Trustees at any regular meeting or any special meeting of the Trustees. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the past five years.
Experience, Skills, Attributes, and Qualifications of the Trustees. The Governance and Nominating Committee has adopted a statement of policy that describes the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that are necessary and desirable for potential Independent Trustee candidates (Statement of Policy). The Board believes that each Trustee satisfied at the time he or she was initially elected or appointed a Trustee, and continues to satisfy, the standards contemplated by the Statement of Policy. The Governance and Nominating Committee also engages professional search firms to help identify potential Independent Trustee candidates who have the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills consistent with the Statement of Policy. From time to time, additional criteria based on the composition and skills of the current Independent Trustees, as well as experience or skills that may be appropriate in light of future changes to board composition, business conditions, and regulatory or other developments, have also been considered by the professional search firms and the Governance and Nominating Committee. In addition, the Board takes into account the Trustees' commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings, as well as their leadership of standing and ad hoc committees throughout their tenure.
In determining that a particular Trustee was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Trustee, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. Information about the specific experience, skills, attributes, and qualifications of each Trustee, which in each case led to the Board's conclusion that the Trustee should serve (or continue to serve) as a trustee of the fund, is provided below.
Board Structure and Oversight Function. Abigail P. Johnson is an interested person and currently serves as Chairman. The Trustees have determined that an interested Chairman is appropriate and benefits shareholders because an interested Chairman has a personal and professional stake in the quality and continuity of services provided to the fund. Independent Trustees exercise their informed business judgment to appoint an individual of their choosing to serve as Chairman, regardless of whether the Trustee happens to be independent or a member of management. The Independent Trustees have determined that they can act independently and effectively without having an Independent Trustee serve as Chairman and that a key structural component for assuring that they are in a position to do so is for the Independent Trustees to constitute a substantial majority for the Board. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet in executive session. Arthur E. Johnson serves as Chairman of the Independent Trustees and as such (i) acts as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management with respect to matters important to the Independent Trustees and (ii) with management prepares agendas for Board meetings.
Fidelity® funds are overseen by different Boards of Trustees. The fund's Board oversees Fidelity's investment-grade bond, money market, asset allocation and certain equity funds, and other Boards oversee Fidelity's high income and other equity funds. The asset allocation funds may invest in Fidelity® funds that are overseen by such other Boards. The use of separate Boards, each with its own committee structure, allows the Trustees of each group of Fidelity® funds to focus on the unique issues of the funds they oversee, including common research, investment, and operational issues. On occasion, the separate Boards establish joint committees to address issues of overlapping consequences for the Fidelity® funds overseen by each Board.
The Trustees operate using a system of committees to facilitate the timely and efficient consideration of all matters of importance to the Trustees, the fund, and fund shareholders and to facilitate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and oversight of the fund's activities and associated risks. The Board, acting through its committees, has charged FMR and its affiliates with (i) identifying events or circumstances the occurrence of which could have demonstrably adverse effects on the fund's business and/or reputation; (ii) implementing processes and controls to lessen the possibility that such events or circumstances occur or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur; and (iii) creating and maintaining a system designed to evaluate continuously business and market conditions in order to facilitate the identification and implementation processes described in (i) and (ii) above. Because the day-to-day operations and activities of the fund are carried out by or through FMR, its affiliates, and other service providers, the fund's exposure to risks is mitigated but not eliminated by the processes overseen by the Trustees. While each of the Board's committees has responsibility for overseeing different aspects of the fund's activities, oversight is exercised primarily through the Operations and Audit Committees. In addition, an ad hoc Board committee of Independent Trustees has worked with FMR to enhance the Board's oversight of investment and financial risks, legal and regulatory risks, technology risks, and operational risks, including the development of additional risk reporting to the Board. Appropriate personnel, including but not limited to the fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), FMR's internal auditor, the independent accountants, the fund's Treasurer and portfolio management personnel, make periodic reports to the Board's committees, as appropriate, including an annual review of Fidelity's risk management program for the Fidelity® funds. The responsibilities of each standing committee, including their oversight responsibilities, are described further under "Standing Committees of the Trustees."Interested Trustees*:
Correspondence intended for a Trustee who is an interested person may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Abigail P. Johnson (1961)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2012
Trustee
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Ms. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. Johnson serves as Chairman (2016-present), Chief Executive Officer (2014-present), and Director (2007-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company), President of Fidelity Financial Services (2012-present) and President of Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services (2005-present). Ms. Johnson is Chairman and Director of FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firm, 2011-present) and Chairman and Director of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2011-present). Previously, Ms. Johnson served as Vice Chairman (2007-2016) and President (2013-2016) of FMR LLC, President and a Director of FMR (2001-2005), a Trustee of other investment companies advised by FMR, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firm), and FMR Co., Inc. (2001-2005), Senior Vice President of the Fidelity® funds (2001-2005), and managed a number of Fidelity® funds. Ms. Abigail P. Johnson and Mr. Arthur E. Johnson are not related.
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe (1959)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Ms. McAuliffe also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. McAuliffe previously served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Head of Fixed Income of Fidelity Investments Limited (now known as FIL Limited (FIL)) (diversified financial services company). Earlier roles at FIL included Director of Research for FIL’s credit and quantitative teams in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Ms. McAuliffe also was the Director of Research for taxable and municipal bonds at Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. Ms. McAuliffe is also a director or trustee of several not-for-profit entities.
* Determined to be an “Interested Trustee” by virtue of, among other things, his or her affiliation with the trust or various entities under common control with FMR.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Independent Trustees:
Correspondence intended for an Independent Trustee may be sent to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 55235, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5235.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Elizabeth S. Acton (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Acton also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement in April 2012, Ms. Acton was Executive Vice President, Finance (2011-2012), Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (2002-2011), and Treasurer (2004-2005) of Comerica Incorporated (financial services). Prior to joining Comerica, Ms. Acton held a variety of positions at Ford Motor Company (1983-2002), including Vice President and Treasurer (2000-2002) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Credit Company (1998-2000). Ms. Acton currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Finance Committees of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (homebuilding, 2012-present). Previously, Ms. Acton served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2016).
Ann E. Dunwoody (1953)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Trustee
General Dunwoody also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. General Dunwoody (United States Army, Retired) was the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general and prior to her retirement in 2012 held a variety of positions within the U.S. Army, including Commanding General, U.S. Army Material Command (2008-2012). She is the President of First to Four LLC (leadership and mentoring services, 2012-present). She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of L3 Technologies, Inc. (communication, electronic, sensor, and aerospace systems, 2013-present), Board of Directors and Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees of Kforce Inc. (professional staffing services, 2016-present) and Board of Directors of Automattic Inc. (software engineering, 2018-present). Previously, General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2018), a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Committees of Republic Services, Inc. (waste collection, disposal and recycling, 2013-2016). Ms. Dunwoody also serves on several boards for non-profit organizations, including as a member of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee and member of the Audit Committee of Logistics Management Institute (consulting non-profit, 2012-present), a member of the Board of Directors of the Army Historical Foundation (2015-present), a member of the Council of Trustees for the Association of the United States Army (advocacy non-profit, 2013-present) and a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida Institute of Technology (2015-present) and ThanksUSA (military family education non-profit, 2014-present).
John Engler (1948)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Trustee
Mr. Engler also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. He serves on the board of directors for Universal Forest Products (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2003-present) and K12 Inc. (technology-based education company, 2012-present). Previously, Mr. Engler served as interim president of Michigan State University (2018-2019), a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2014-2016), president of the Business Roundtable (2011-2017), a trustee of The Munder Funds (2003-2014), president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (2004-2011), member of the Board of Trustees of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2004-2015), and as governor of Michigan (1991-2003). He is a past chairman of the National Governors Association.
Robert F. Gartland (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Mr. Gartland also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Gartland is Chairman and an investor in Gartland & Mellina Group Corp. (consulting, 2009-present). Previously, Mr. Gartland served as a partner and investor of Vietnam Partners LLC (investments and consulting, 2008-2011). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Gartland held a variety of positions at Morgan Stanley (financial services, 1979-2007), including Managing Director (1987-2007), and Chase Manhattan Bank (1975-1978).
Arthur E. Johnson (1947)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Johnson serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Eaton Corporation plc (diversified power management, 2009-present) and Booz Allen Hamilton (management consulting, 2011-present). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Johnson served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Development of Lockheed Martin Corporation (defense contractor, 1999-2009). Mr. Johnson previously served as Vice Chairman (2015-2018) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds and on the Board of Directors of IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (1999-2008), AGL Resources, Inc. (holding company, 2002-2016), and Delta Airlines (2005-2007). Mr. Arthur E. Johnson is not related to Ms. Abigail P. Johnson.
Michael E. Kenneally (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Vice Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Kenneally also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Kenneally served as Chairman and Global Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Asset Management. Before joining Credit Suisse, he was an Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Bank of America Corporation. Earlier roles at Bank of America included Director of Research, Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst, and Mr. Kenneally was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1991.
Marie L. Knowles (1946)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Knowles also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to Ms. Knowles' retirement in June 2000, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) (diversified energy, 1996-2000). From 1993 to 1996, she was a Senior Vice President of ARCO and President of ARCO Transportation Company (pipeline and tanker operations). Ms. Knowles currently serves as a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of McKesson Corporation (healthcare service, since 2002). Ms. Knowles is a member of the Board of the Santa Catalina Island Company (real estate, 2009-present). Ms. Knowles is a Member of the Investment Company Institute Board of Governors and a Member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (2014-present). She also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering of the University of Southern California. Previously, Ms. Knowles served as a Director of Phelps Dodge Corporation (copper mining and manufacturing, 1994-2007), URS Corporation (engineering and construction, 2000-2003) and America West (airline, 1999-2002). Ms. Knowles previously served as Chairman (2015-2018) and Vice Chairman (2012-2015) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds.
Mark A. Murray (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Mr. Murray also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Murray is Vice Chairman (2013-present) of Meijer, Inc. (regional retail chain). Previously, Mr. Murray served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Chief Executive Officer (2013-2016) and President (2006-2013) of Meijer, Inc. Mr. Murray serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nuclear Review and Public Policy and Responsibility Committees of DTE Energy Company (diversified energy company, 2009-present). Mr. Murray also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Spectrum Health (not-for-profit health system, 2015-present). Mr. Murray previously served as President of Grand Valley State University (2001-2006), Treasurer for the State of Michigan (1999-2001), Vice President of Finance and Administration for Michigan State University (1998-1999), and a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2004-2016). Mr. Murray is also a director or trustee of many community and professional organizations.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Advisory Board Members and Officers:
Correspondence intended for an officer may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Officers appear below in alphabetical order.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupation
Elizabeth Paige Baumann (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2017
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Officer
Ms. Baumann also serves as AML Officer of other funds. She is Chief AML Officer (2012-present) and Senior Vice President (2014-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Baumann served as AML Officer of the funds (2012-2016), and Vice President (2007-2014) and Deputy Anti-Money Laundering Officer (2007-2012) of FMR LLC.
Craig S. Brown (1977)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Brown also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Brown is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2013-present).
John J. Burke III (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Burke also serves as Chief Financial Officer of other funds. Mr. Burke serves as Head of Investment Operations for Fidelity Fund and Investment Operations (2018-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (1998-present). Previously Mr. Burke served as head of Asset Management Investment Operations (2012-2018).
Jonathan Davis (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Davis also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Davis serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Davis served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2003-2010).
Adrien E. Deberghes (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Deberghes also serves as an officer of other funds. He serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), Executive Vice President of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm, 2016-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2008-present). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served as President and Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2018). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Deberghes was Senior Vice President of Mutual Fund Administration at State Street Corporation (2007-2008), Senior Director of Mutual Fund Administration at Investors Bank & Trust (2005-2007), and Director of Finance for Dunkin' Brands (2000-2005). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served in other fund officer roles.
Laura M. Del Prato (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
President and Treasurer
Ms. Del Prato also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Del Prato is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2017-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Del Prato served as a Managing Director and Treasurer of the JPMorgan Mutual Funds (2014-2017). Prior to JPMorgan, Ms. Del Prato served as a partner at Cohen Fund Audit Services (accounting firm, 2012-2013) and KPMG LLP (accounting firm, 2004-2012).
Colm A. Hogan (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Hogan also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Hogan serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2005-present). Previously, Mr. Hogan served as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2016-2018).
Cynthia Lo Bessette (1969)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer (CLO)
Ms. Lo Bessette also serves as Secretary and CLO of other funds. Ms. Lo Bessette serves as CLO, Secretary, and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Management & Research Company and FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); Secretary of Fidelity SelectCo, LLC and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); and CLO of Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited, and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (investment adviser firms, 2019-present). She is a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2019-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Lo Bessette served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel (2016-2019) and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel (2015-2016) of OppenheimerFunds (investment management company) and Deputy Chief Legal Officer (2013-2015) of Jennison Associates LLC (investment adviser firm).
Chris Maher (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Maher serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Maher is Vice President of Valuation Oversight, serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Maher served as Vice President of Asset Management Compliance (2013), Vice President of the Program Management Group of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2010-2013), and Vice President of Valuation Oversight (2008-2010).
John B. McGinty, Jr. (1962)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Chief Compliance Officer
Mr. McGinty also serves as Chief Compliance Officer of other funds. Mr. McGinty is Senior Vice President of Asset Management Compliance for Fidelity Investments and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Mr. McGinty previously served as Vice President, Senior Attorney at Eaton Vance Management (investment management firm, 2015-2016), and prior to Eaton Vance as global CCO for all firm operations and registered investment companies at GMO LLC (investment management firm, 2009-2015). Before joining GMO LLC, Mr. McGinty served as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Fidelity Investments (2007-2009).
Jason P. Pogorelec (1975)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2015
Assistant Secretary
Mr. Pogorelec also serves as Assistant Secretary of other funds. Mr. Pogorelec serves as Vice President, Associate General Counsel (2010-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2006-present).
Nancy D. Prior (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Vice President
Ms. Prior also serves as Vice President of other funds. Ms. Prior serves as President of Fixed Income (2014-present), President (2016-present) and Director (2014-present) of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2002-present). Previously, Ms. Prior served as Vice President of Global Asset Allocation Funds (2017-2019); Vice Chairman of FIAM LLC (investment adviser firm, 2014-2018), a Director of FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (investment adviser firm, 2015-2018), President Multi-Asset Class Strategies of FMR's Global Asset Allocation Division (2017-2018), Vice President of Fidelity's Money Market Funds (2012-2014), and President, Money Market and Short Duration Bond Group of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) (investment adviser firm, 2013-2014).
Stacie M. Smith (1974)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Smith also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Smith serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2009-present), and has served in other fund officer roles. Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Smith served as Senior Audit Manager of Ernst & Young LLP (accounting firm, 1996-2009). Previously, Ms. Smith served as Assistant Treasurer (2013-2018) and Deputy Treasurer (2013-2016) of certain Fidelity® funds.
Marc L. Spector (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Deputy Treasurer
Mr. Spector also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Spector serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Spector served as Director at the Siegfried Group (accounting firm, 2013-2016), and prior to Siegfried Group as audit senior manager at Deloitte & Touche (accounting firm, 2005-2013).
Jim Wegmann (1979)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Wegmann also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Wegmann is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2011-present).
Standing Committees of the Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established various committees to support the Independent Trustees in acting independently in pursuing the best interests of the funds and their shareholders. Currently, the Board of Trustees has four standing committees. The members of each committee are Independent Trustees.
The Operations Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Johnson currently serving as Chair. The committee normally meets at least six times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair, and serves as a forum for consideration of issues of importance to, or calling for particular determinations by, the Independent Trustees. The committee considers matters involving potential conflicts of interest between the funds and FMR and its affiliates and reviews proposed contracts and the proposed continuation of contracts between the funds and FMR and its affiliates, and annually reviews and makes recommendations regarding contracts with third parties unaffiliated with FMR, including insurance coverage and custody agreements. The committee has oversight of compliance issues not specifically within the scope of any other committee. These matters include, but are not limited to, significant non-conformance with contract requirements and other significant regulatory matters and recommending to the Board of Trustees the designation of a person to serve as the funds' Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The committee (i) serves as the primary point of contact for the CCO with regard to Board-related functions; (ii) oversees the annual performance review of the CCO; (iii) makes recommendations concerning the CCO's compensation; and (iv) makes recommendations as needed in respect of the removal of the CCO. The committee is also responsible for definitive action on all compliance matters involving the potential for significant reimbursement by FMR. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held 12 meetings.
The Audit Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Ms. Acton currently serving as Chair. At least one committee member will be an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the SEC. The committee normally meets four times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair or a majority of committee members. The committee meets separately, at least annually, with the funds' Treasurer, with the funds' Chief Financial Officer, with personnel responsible for the internal audit function of FMR LLC, with the funds' outside auditors, and with the funds' CCO. The committee has direct responsibility for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the outside auditors employed by the funds. The committee assists the Trustees in overseeing and monitoring: (i) the systems of internal accounting and financial controls of the funds and the funds' service providers (to the extent such controls impact the funds' financial statements); (ii) the funds' auditors and the annual audits of the funds' financial statements; (iii) the financial reporting processes of the funds; (iv) whistleblower reports; and (v) the accounting policies and disclosures of the funds. The committee considers and acts upon (i) the provision by any outside auditor of any non-audit services for any fund, and (ii) the provision by any outside auditor of certain non-audit services to fund service providers and their affiliates to the extent that such approval (in the case of this clause (ii)) is required under applicable regulations of the SEC. It is responsible for approving all audit engagement fees and terms for the funds and for resolving disagreements between a fund and any outside auditor regarding any fund's financial reporting. Auditors of the funds report directly to the committee. The committee will obtain assurance of independence and objectivity from the outside auditors, including a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the auditor and the funds and any service providers consistent with the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. It oversees and receives reports on the funds' service providers' internal controls and reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the service providers' accounting and financial controls, including: (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably likely to adversely affect the funds' ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; (ii) any change in the fund's internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the fund's internal control over financial reporting; and (iii) any fraud, whether material or not, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the funds' or service providers internal controls over financial reporting. The committee will also review any correspondence with regulators or governmental agencies or published reports that raise material issues regarding the funds' financial statements or accounting policies. These matters may also be reviewed by the Operations Committee. The committee reviews at least annually a report from each outside auditor describing any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control, peer review, or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board examination of the auditing firm and any material issues raised by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities of the auditing firm and in each case any steps taken to deal with such issues. The committee will oversee and receive reports on the funds' financial reporting process from the funds' Treasurer and outside auditors and will oversee the resolution of any disagreements concerning financial reporting among applicable parties. The committee will discuss with FMR, the funds' Treasurer, outside auditors and, if appropriate, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC their qualitative judgments about the appropriateness and acceptability of accounting principles and financial disclosure practices used or proposed for adoption by the funds. The committee will review with FMR, the funds' outside auditor, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC and legal counsel, as appropriate, matters related to the audits of the funds' financial statements. The committee will discuss regularly and oversee the review of the internal controls of the funds and their service providers with respect to accounting, financial matters and risk management programs related to the funds. The committee will review periodically the funds' major internal controls exposures and the steps that have been taken to monitor and control such exposures. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held five meetings.
The Fair Valuation Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Murray currently serving as Chair. The Committee normally meets quarterly, or more frequently as called by the Chair. The Fair Valuation Committee reviews and approves annually Fair Value Committee Policies recommended by the FMR Fair Value Committee and oversees particular valuations or fair valuation methodologies employed by the FMR Fair Value Committee as circumstances may require. The Committee also reviews actions taken by the FMR Fair Value Committee. The Committee does not oversee the day-to-day operational aspects of the valuation and calculation of the net asset value of the funds, which have been delegated to the FMR Fair Value Committee and FSC. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held four meetings.
The Governance and Nominating Committee is composed of Messrs. Johnson (Chair), Kenneally (Vice Chair) and Gartland. The committee meets as called by the Chair. With respect to fund governance and board administration matters, the committee periodically reviews procedures of the Board of Trustees and its committees (including committee charters) and periodically reviews compensation of Independent Trustees. The committee monitors corporate governance matters and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the frequency and structure of the Board of Trustee meetings and on any other aspect of Board procedures. It acts as the administrative committee under the retirement plan for Independent Trustees who retired prior to December 30, 1996 and under the fee deferral plan for Independent Trustees. It reviews the performance of legal counsel employed by the funds and the Independent Trustees. On behalf of the Independent Trustees, the committee will make such findings and determinations as to the independence of counsel for the Independent Trustees as may be necessary or appropriate under applicable regulations or otherwise. The committee is also responsible for Board administrative matters applicable to Independent Trustees, such as expense reimbursement policies and compensation for attendance at meetings, conferences and other events. The committee monitors compliance with, acts as the administrator of, and makes determinations in respect of, the provisions of the code of ethics and any supplemental policies regarding personal securities transactions applicable to the Independent Trustees. The committee monitors the functioning of each Board committee and makes recommendations for any changes, including the creation or elimination of standing or ad hoc Board committees. The committee monitors regulatory and other developments to determine whether to recommend modifications to the committee's responsibilities or other Trustee policies and procedures in light of rule changes, reports concerning "best practices" in corporate governance and other developments in mutual fund governance. The committee meets with Independent Trustees at least once a year to discuss matters relating to fund governance. The committee recommends that the Board establish such special or ad hoc Board committees as may be desirable or necessary from time to time in order to address ethical, legal, or other matters that may arise. The committee also oversees the annual self-evaluation of the Board of Trustees and establishes procedures to allow it to exercise this oversight function. In conducting this oversight, the committee shall address all matters that it considers relevant to the performance of the Board of Trustees and shall report the results of its evaluation to the Board of Trustees, including any recommended amendments to the principles of governance, and any recommended changes to the funds' or the Board of Trustees' policies, procedures, and structures. The committee reviews periodically the size and composition of the Board of Trustees as a whole and recommends, if necessary, measures to be taken so that the Board of Trustees reflects the appropriate balance of knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, and diversity required for the Board as a whole and contains at least the minimum number of Independent Trustees required by law. The committee makes nominations for the election or appointment of Independent Trustees and non-management Members of any Advisory Board, and for membership on committees. The committee has the authority to retain and terminate any third-party advisers, including authority to approve fees and other retention terms. Such advisers may include search firms to identify Independent Trustee candidates and board compensation consultants. The committee may conduct or authorize investigations into or studies of matters within the committee's scope of responsibilities, and may retain, at the funds' expense, such independent counsel or other advisers as it deems necessary. The committee will consider nominees to the Board of Trustees recommended by shareholders based upon the criteria applied to candidates presented to the committee by a search firm or other source. Recommendations, along with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as an Independent Trustee of the funds, should be submitted to the Chair of the committee at the address maintained for communications with Independent Trustees. If the committee retains a search firm, the Chair will generally forward all such submissions to the search firm for evaluation. With respect to the criteria for selecting Independent Trustees, it is expected that all candidates will possess the following minimum qualifications: (i) unquestioned personal integrity; (ii) not an interested person of the funds within the meaning of the 1940 Act; (iii) does not have a material relationship (e.g., commercial, banking, consulting, legal, or accounting) with the adviser, any sub-adviser or their affiliates that could create an appearance of lack of independence in respect of the funds; (iv) has the disposition to act independently in respect of FMR and its affiliates and others in order to protect the interests of the funds and all shareholders; (v) ability to attend regularly scheduled Board meetings during the year; (vi) demonstrates sound business judgment gained through broad experience in significant positions where the candidate has dealt with management, technical, financial, or regulatory issues; (vii) sufficient financial or accounting knowledge to add value in the complex financial environment of the funds; (viii) experience on corporate or other institutional oversight bodies having similar responsibilities, but which board memberships or other relationships could not result in business or regulatory conflicts with the funds; and (ix) capacity for the hard work and attention to detail that is required to be an effective Independent Trustee in light of the funds' complex regulatory, operational, and marketing setting. The Governance and Nominating Committee may determine that a candidate who does not have the type of previous experience or knowledge referred to above should nevertheless be considered as a nominee if the Governance and Nominating Committee finds that the candidate has additional qualifications such that his or her qualifications, taken as a whole, demonstrate the same level of fitness to serve as an Independent Trustee. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held six meetings.
The following table sets forth information describing the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the fund and in all funds in the aggregate within the same fund family overseen by the Trustee for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018.
| Interested Trustees | ||
|
DOLLAR RANGE OF
FUND SHARES |
Abigail P.Johnson | JenniferToolin McAuliffe |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | none | none |
|
AGGREGATE DOLLAR RANGE OF
FUND SHARES IN ALL FUNDS OVERSEEN WITHIN FUND FAMILY |
over $100,000 | over $100,000 |
The following table sets forth information describing the compensation of each Trustee and Member of the Advisory Board (if any) for his or her services for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, or calendar year ended December 31, 2018, as applicable.
(1) Abigail P. Johnson and Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe are interested persons and are compensated by Fidelity.
(2) General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust from July 17, 2018 through December 30, 2018. General Dunwoody serves as a Trustee of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust effective December 31, 2018.
(3) Reflects compensation received for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018 for 261 funds of 31 trusts (including Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios II LLC). Compensation figures include cash and may include amounts elected to be deferred. Certain individuals elected voluntarily to defer a portion of their compensation as follows: Elizabeth S. Acton, $72,000; Ann E. Dunwoody, $103,344; John Engler, $234,985; Robert F. Gartland, $180,000; Marie L. Knowles, $150,000; and Mark A. Murray, $234,985.
As of November 27, 2019, the Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the fund owned, in the aggregate, less than 1% of each class's total outstanding shares, with respect to the fund.
As of November 27, 2019, the following owned of record and/or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares:
| Fund Name | Owner Name | City | State | Ownership % |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | NEW YORK | NY | 51.63% |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | ASSETMARK TRUST COMPANY | CONCORD | CA | 36.93% |
CONTROL OF INVESTMENT ADVISERS
FMR LLC, as successor by merger to FMR Corp., is the ultimate parent company of FIMM, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (FMR UK), Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.), and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan). The voting common shares of FMR LLC are divided into two series. Series B is held predominantly by members of the Johnson family, including Abigail P. Johnson, directly or through trusts, and is entitled to 49% of the vote on any matter acted upon by the voting common shares. Series A is held predominantly by non-Johnson family member employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates and is entitled to 51% of the vote on any such matter. The Johnson family group and all other Series B shareholders have entered into a shareholders' voting agreement under which all Series B shares will be voted in accordance with the majority vote of Series B shares. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act), control of a company is presumed where one individual or group of individuals owns more than 25% of the voting securities of that company. Therefore, through their ownership of voting common shares and the execution of the shareholders' voting agreement, members of the Johnson family may be deemed, under the 1940 Act, to form a controlling group with respect to FMR LLC.
At present, the primary business activities of FMR LLC and its subsidiaries are: (i) the provision of investment advisory, management, shareholder, investment information and assistance and certain fiduciary services for individual and institutional investors; (ii) the provision of securities brokerage services; (iii) the management and development of real estate; and (iv) the investment in and operation of a number of emerging businesses.
FIMM, FMR UK, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, FDC, and the fund have adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act that sets forth employees' fiduciary responsibilities regarding the fund, establishes procedures for personal investing, and restricts certain transactions. Employees subject to the code of ethics, including Fidelity investment personnel, may invest in securities for their own investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by the fund.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
The fund has entered into a management contract with FIMM, pursuant to which FIMM furnishes investment advisory and other services.
Management Services. Under the terms of its management contract with the fund, FIMM acts as investment adviser and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, has overall responsibility for directing the investments of the fund in accordance with its investment objective, policies and limitations. FIMM also provides the fund with all necessary office facilities and personnel for servicing the fund's investments, compensates all officers of the fund and all Trustees who are interested persons of the trust or of FIMM, and compensates all personnel of the fund or FIMM performing services relating to research, statistical and investment activities.
In addition, FIMM or its affiliates, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, provide the management and administrative services necessary for the operation of the fund. These services include providing facilities for maintaining the fund's organization; supervising relations with custodians, transfer and pricing agents, accountants, underwriters and other persons dealing with the fund; preparing all general shareholder communications and conducting shareholder relations; maintaining the fund's records and the registration of the fund's shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws; developing management and shareholder services for the fund; and furnishing reports, evaluations and analyses on a variety of subjects to the Trustees.
Management-Related Expenses. Under the terms of the fund's management contract, FIMM, either itself or through an affiliate, is responsible for payment of all operating expenses of the fund with limited exceptions. Specific expenses payable by FIMM include expenses for typesetting, printing, and mailing proxy materials to shareholders, legal expenses, fees of the custodian, auditor, and interested Trustees, the fund's proportionate share of insurance premiums and Investment Company Institute dues, and the costs of registering shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws. The fund's management contract further provides that FIMM will pay for typesetting, printing, and mailing prospectuses, statements of additional information, notices, and reports to shareholders. FIMM also pays all fees associated with the transfer agency services and pricing and bookkeeping services agreements.
FIMM pays all other expenses of the fund with the following exceptions: fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees, interest, taxes, and such non-recurring expenses as may arise, including costs of any litigation to which the fund may be a party, and any obligation it may have to indemnify its officers and Trustees with respect to litigation. The fund shall pay its non-operating expenses, including brokerage commissions and fees and expenses associated with the fund’s securities lending program, if applicable.
Management Fee.
For the services of FIMM under the management contract, the fund pays FIMM a monthly management fee at the annual rate of 0.36% of the fund's average net assets throughout the month. The management fee paid to FIMM by the fund is reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the fund to the Independent Trustees.
The following table shows the amount of management fees paid by the fund to FIMM for the past three fiscal years and the amount of credits reducing management fees.
| Fund |
Fiscal Years
Ended August 31 |
Amount of
Credits Reducing Management Fees |
Management
Fees Paid to Investment Adviser |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF | 2019 | $156 | $493,041 |
| 2018(1) | $304 | $517,931 | |
| 2017 | $694 | $676,313 |
(1) On April 1, 2018, FIMM reduced the management fee rate paid by the fund from 0.45% to 0.36%.
FIMM may, from time to time, voluntarily reimburse all or a portion of a fund's or, in the case of a multiple class fund, a class's operating expenses. FIMM retains the ability to be repaid for these expense reimbursements in the amount that expenses fall below the limit prior to the end of the fiscal year.
Expense reimbursements will increase returns and yield, and repayment of the reimbursement will decrease returns and yield.
Sub-Advisers - FMR UK, FMR H.K., and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into sub-advisory agreements with FMR H.K. and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with FMR UK. Pursuant to the sub-advisory agreements, FIMM may receive from the sub-advisers investment research and advice on issuers outside the United States (non-discretionary services) and FIMM may grant the sub-advisers investment management authority and the authority to buy and sell securities if FIMM believes it would be beneficial to the fund (discretionary services). FIMM, and not the fund, pays the sub-advisers.
David DeBiase is co-manager of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. Robert Galusza is co-manager of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. David Prothro is co-manager of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. As of August 31, 2019, portfolio manager compensation generally consists of a fixed base salary determined periodically (typically annually), a bonus, in certain cases, participation in several types of equity-based compensation plans, and, if applicable, relocation plan benefits. A portion of each portfolio manager’s compensation may be deferred based on criteria established by FMR or at the election of the portfolio manager.
Each portfolio manager’s base salary is determined by level of responsibility and tenure at FMR or its affiliates. The primary components of each portfolio manager’s bonus are based on (i) the pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) measured against a benchmark index assigned to each fund or account, and (ii) the investment performance of other FMR taxable bond funds and accounts. The pre-tax investment performance of each portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) is weighted according to the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) and the average asset size of those fund(s) and account(s) over the portfolio manager’s tenure. Each component is calculated separately over the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) over a measurement period that initially is contemporaneous with the portfolio manager’s tenure, but that eventually encompasses rolling periods of up to three years for the comparison to a benchmark index. A smaller, subjective component of each portfolio manager’s bonus is based on the portfolio manager’s overall contribution to management of FMR. The portion of each portfolio manager’s bonus that is linked to the investment performance of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF is based on the pre-tax investment performance of the fund measured against a composite index, the components of which are 80% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Credit Bond Index and 20% Bloomberg Barclays U.S. 1-5 Year Government Bond Index. Each portfolio manager also is compensated under equity-based compensation plans linked to increases or decreases in the net asset value of the stock of FMR LLC, FMR’s parent company. FMR LLC is a diverse financial services company engaged in various activities that include fund management, brokerage, retirement and employer administrative services. If requested to relocate their primary residence, portfolio managers also may be eligible to receive benefits, such as home sale assistance and payment of certain moving expenses, under relocation plans for most full-time employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates.
A portfolio manager’s compensation plan may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Although investors in the fund may invest through either tax-deferred accounts or taxable accounts, a portfolio manager’s compensation is linked to the pre-tax performance of the fund, rather than its after-tax performance. A portfolio manager’s base pay tends to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management and a portion of the bonus relates to marketing efforts, which together indirectly link compensation to sales. When a portfolio manager takes over a fund or an account, the time period over which performance is measured may be adjusted to provide a transition period in which to assess the portfolio. The management of multiple funds and accounts (including proprietary accounts) may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as a portfolio manager must allocate time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. In addition, a fund’s trade allocation policies and procedures may give rise to conflicts of interest if the fund’s orders do not get fully executed due to being aggregated with those of other accounts managed by FMR or an affiliate. A portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by a fund. Securities selected for other funds or accounts may outperform the securities selected for the fund. Portfolio managers may be permitted to invest in the funds they manage, even if a fund is closed to new investors. Trading in personal accounts, which may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, is restricted by a fund’s Code of Ethics.
Portfolio managers may receive interests in certain funds or accounts managed by FMR or one of its affiliated advisers (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). A conflict of interest situation is presented where a portfolio manager considers investing a client account in securities of an issuer in which FMR, its affiliates or their (or their fund clients’) respective directors, officers or employees already hold a significant position for their own account, including positions held indirectly through Proprietary Accounts. Because the 1940 Act, as well as other applicable laws and regulations, restricts certain transactions between affiliated entities or between an advisor and its clients, client accounts managed by FMR or its affiliates, including accounts sub-advised by third parties, are, in certain circumstances, prohibited from participating in offerings of such securities (including initial public offerings and other offerings occurring before or after an issuer’s initial public offering) or acquiring such securities in the secondary market. For example, ownership of a company by Proprietary Accounts has, in certain situations, resulted in restrictions on FMR’s and its affiliates’ client accounts’ ability to acquire securities in the company’s initial public offering and subsequent public offerings, private offerings, and in the secondary market, and additional restrictions could arise in the future; to the extent such client accounts acquire the relevant securities after such restrictions are subsequently lifted, the delay could affect the price at which the securities are acquired.
A conflict of interest situation is presented when FMR or its affiliates acquire, on behalf of their client accounts, securities of the same issuers whose securities are already held in Proprietary Accounts, because such investments could have the effect of increasing or supporting the value of the Proprietary Accounts. A conflict of interest situation also arises when FMR investment advisory personnel consider whether client accounts they manage should invest in an investment opportunity that they know is also being considered by an affiliate of FMR for a Proprietary Account, to the extent that not investing on behalf of such client accounts improves the ability of the Proprietary Account to take advantage of the opportunity. FMR has adopted policies and procedures and maintains a compliance program designed to help manage such actual and potential conflicts of interest.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. DeBiase as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 3 | 6 | 34 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $5,476 | $28,172 | $13,012 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF ($128 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. DeBiase was none.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Galusza as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 9 | 11 | 44 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $27,472 | $29,219 | $16,815 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF ($128 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Galusza was none.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Prothro as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 5 | 7 | 15 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $4,698 | $3,299 | $4,138 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF ($128 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Prothro was none.
PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES
Fidelity® Funds' Proxy Voting Guidelines
I. Introduction
These guidelines are intended to help Fidelity’s customers and the companies in which Fidelity invests understand how Fidelity votes proxies to further the values that have sustained Fidelity for over 70 years. In particular, these guidelines are animated by two fundamental principles: 1) putting first the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. Fidelity generally adheres to these guidelines in voting proxies. Our evaluation of proxies reflects information from many sources, including management or shareholders of a company presenting a proposal and proxy voting advisory firms. Fidelity maintains the flexibility to vote individual proxies based on our assessment of each situation.
In evaluating proxies, we recognize that companies can conduct themselves in ways that have important environmental and social consequences. While Fidelity always remains focused on maximizing long-term shareholder value, we also consider potential environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.
Fidelity will vote on proposals not specifically addressed by these guidelines based on an evaluation of a proposal's likelihood to enhance the long-term economic returns or profitability of the company or to maximize long-term shareholder value. Fidelity will not be influenced by business relationships or outside perspectives that may conflict with the interests of the funds and their shareholders.
II. Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
Directors of public companies play a critical role in ensuring that a company and its management team serve the interests of its shareholders. Fidelity believes that through proxy voting, it can help ensure accountability of management teams and boards of directors, align management and shareholder interests, and monitor and assess the degree of transparency and disclosure with respect to executive compensation and board actions affecting shareholders’ rights. The following general guidelines are intended to reflect these proxy voting principles.
A. Election of Directors
Fidelity will generally support director nominees in elections where all directors are unopposed (uncontested elections), except where a director clearly appears to have failed to exercise reasonable judgment or otherwise failed to sufficiently protect the interests of shareholders.
Fidelity generally will oppose the election of directors if, by way of example:
1. The director attended fewer than 75% of the total number of meetings of the board and its committees on which the director served during the company's prior fiscal year, absent extenuating circumstances.
2. Inside or affiliated directors serve on boards that are not composed of a majority of independent directors.
3. The company made a commitment to modify a proposal or practice to conform to these guidelines, and failed to act on that commitment.
4. For reasons described below under the sections entitled Compensation and Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections.
B. Contested Director Elections
On occasion, directors are forced to compete for election against outside director nominees (contested elections). Fidelity believes that strong management creates long-term shareholder value. As a result, Fidelity generally will vote in support of management of companies in which the funds’ assets are invested. Fidelity will vote its proxy on a case-by-case basis in a contested election, taking into consideration a number of factors, amongst others:
1. Management’s track record and strategic plan for enhancing shareholder value;
2. The long-term performance of the company compared to its industry peers; and
3. The qualifications of the shareholder’s and management’s nominees.
Fidelity will vote for the outcome it believes has the best prospects for maximizing shareholder value over the long-term.
C. Cumulative Voting Rights
Under cumulative voting, each shareholder may exercise the number of votes equal to the number of shares owned multiplied by the number of directors up for election. Shareholders may cast all of their votes for a single nominee (or multiple nominees in varying amounts). With regular (non-cumulative) voting, by contrast, shareholders cannot allocate more than one vote per share to any one director nominee. Fidelity believes that cumulative voting can be detrimental to the overall strength of a board. Generally, therefore, Fidelity will oppose the introduction of, and support the elimination of, cumulative voting rights.
D. Classified Boards
A classified board is one that elects only a percentage of its members each year (usually one-third of directors are elected to serve a three-year term). This means that at each annual meeting only a subset of directors is up for re-election. Fidelity believes that, in general, classified boards are not as accountable to shareholders as declassified boards. For this and other reasons, Fidelity generally will oppose a board’s adoption of a classified board structure and support declassification of existing boards.
E. Independent Chairperson
In general, Fidelity believes that boards should have a process and criteria for selecting the board chair, and will oppose shareholder proposals calling for, or recommending the appointment of, a non-executive or independent chairperson. If, however, based on particular facts and circumstances, Fidelity believes that appointment of a non-executive or independent chairperson appears likely to further the interests of shareholders and promote effective oversight of management by the board of directors, Fidelity will consider voting to support a proposal for an independent chairperson under such circumstances.
F. Majority Voting in Director Elections
In general, Fidelity supports proposals calling for directors to be elected by a majority of votes cast if the proposal permits election by a plurality in the case of contested elections (where, for example, there are more nominees than board seats). Fidelity may oppose a majority voting shareholder proposal where a company’s board has adopted a policy requiring the resignation of an incumbent director who fails to receive the support of a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election.
G. Proxy Access
Proxy access proposals generally require a company to amend its by-laws to allow a qualifying shareholder or group of shareholders to nominate directors on a company’s proxy ballot. Fidelity believes that certain safeguards as to ownership threshold and duration of ownership are important to assure that proxy access is not misused by those without a significant economic interest in the company or those driven by short term goals. Fidelity will evaluate proxy access proposals on a case-by-case basis, but generally will support proposals that include ownership of at least 3% (5% in the case of small-cap companies) of the company’s shares outstanding for at least three years; limit the number of directors that eligible shareholders may nominate to 20% of the board; and limit to 20 the number of shareholders that may form a nominating group.
H. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
In many instances there are sound reasons to indemnify officers and directors, so that they may perform their duties without the distraction of unwarranted litigation or other legal process. Fidelity generally supports charter and by-law amendments expanding the indemnification of officers or directors, or limiting their liability for breaches of care unless Fidelity is dissatisfied with their performance or the proposal is accompanied by anti-takeover provisions (see Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans below).
III. Compensation
Incentive compensation plans can be complicated and many factors are considered when evaluating such plans. Fidelity evaluates such plans based on protecting shareholder interests and our historical knowledge of the company and its management.
A. Equity Compensation Plans
Fidelity encourages the use of reasonably designed equity compensation plans that align the interest of management with those of shareholders by providing officers and employees with incentives to increase long-term shareholder value. Fidelity considers whether such plans are too dilutive to existing shareholders because dilution reduces the voting power or economic interest of existing shareholders as a result of an increase in shares available for distribution to employees in lieu of cash compensation. Fidelity will generally oppose equity compensation plans or amendments to authorize additional shares under such plans if:
1. The company grants stock options and equity awards in a given year at a rate higher than a benchmark rate (“burn rate”) considered appropriate by Fidelity and there were no circumstances specific to the company or the compensation plans that leads Fidelity to conclude that the rate of awards is otherwise acceptable.
2. The plan includes an evergreen provision, which is a feature that provides for an automatic increase in the shares available for grant under an equity compensation plan on a regular basis.
3. The plan provides for the acceleration of vesting of equity compensation even though an actual change in control may not occur.
As to stock option plans, considerations include the following:
1. Pricing: We believe that options should be priced at 100% of fair market value on the date they are granted. We generally oppose options priced at a discount to the market, although the price may be as low as 85% of fair market value if the discount is expressly granted in lieu of salary or cash bonus.
2. Re-pricing: An “out-of-the-money” (or underwater) option has an exercise price that is higher than the current price of the stock. We generally oppose the re-pricing of underwater options because it is not consistent with a policy of offering options as a form of long-term compensation. Fidelity also generally opposes a stock option plan if the board or compensation committee has re-priced options outstanding in the past two years without shareholder approval.
Fidelity generally will support a management proposal to exchange, re-price or tender for cash, outstanding options if the proposed exchange, re-pricing, or tender offer is consistent with the interests of shareholders, taking into account a variety of factors such as:
1. Whether the proposal excludes senior management and directors;
2. Whether the exchange or re-pricing proposal is value neutral to shareholders based upon an acceptable pricing model;
3. The company's relative performance compared to other companies within the relevant industry or industries;
4. Economic and other conditions affecting the relevant industry or industries in which the company competes; and
5. Any other facts or circumstances relevant to determining whether an exchange or re-pricing proposal is consistent with the interests of shareholders.
B. Employee Stock Purchase Plans
These plans are designed to allow employees to purchase company stock at a discounted price and receive favorable tax treatment when the stock is sold. Fidelity generally will support employee stock purchase plans if the minimum stock purchase price is equal to or greater than 85% (or at least 75% in the case of non-U.S. companies where a lower minimum stock purchase price is equal to the prevailing “best practices” in that market) of the stock's fair market value and the plan constitutes a reasonable effort to encourage broad based participation in the company's stock.
IV. Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) and Frequency of Say on Pay Vote
Current law requires companies to allow shareholders to cast non-binding votes on the compensation for named executive officers, as well as the frequency of such votes. Fidelity generally will support proposals to ratify executive compensation unless the compensation appears misaligned with shareholder interests or is otherwise problematic, taking into account:
- The actions taken by the board or compensation committee in the previous year, including whether the company re-priced or exchanged outstanding stock options without shareholder approval; adopted or extended a golden parachute without shareholder approval; or adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation;
- The alignment of executive compensation and company performance relative to peers; and
- The structure of the compensation program, including factors such as whether incentive plan metrics are appropriate, rigorous and transparent; whether the long-term element of the compensation program is evaluated over at least a three-year period; the sensitivity of pay to below median performance; the amount and nature of non-performance-based compensation; the justification and rationale behind paying discretionary bonuses; the use of stock ownership guidelines and amount of executive stock ownership; and how well elements of compensation are disclosed.
When presented with a frequency of Say on Pay vote, Fidelity generally will support holding an annual advisory vote on Say on Pay.
A. Compensation Committee
Directors serving on the compensation committee of the Board have a special responsibility to ensure that management is appropriately compensated and that compensation, among other things, fairly reflects the performance of the company. Fidelity believes that compensation should align with company performance as measured by key business metrics. Compensation policies should align the interests of executives with those of shareholders. Further, the compensation program should be disclosed in a transparent and timely manner.
Fidelity will oppose the election of directors on the compensation committees if:
1. The company has not adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation.
2. Within the last year, and without shareholder approval, a company's board of directors or compensation committee has either:
a) Re-priced outstanding options, exchanged outstanding options for equity, or tendered cash for outstanding options; or
b) Adopted or extended a golden parachute.
B. Executive Severance Agreements
Executive severance compensation and benefit arrangements resulting from a termination following a change in control are known as “golden parachutes.” Fidelity generally will oppose proposals to ratify golden parachutes where the arrangement includes an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
V. Environmental and Social Issues
In these guidelines, we outline our views about corporate governance and how we evaluate and express our views about the governance of a company in ways that are intended to maximize long-term shareholder value. In addition, environmental and social issues are generally incorporated into our evaluation of a company.
Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with management’s recommendation on shareholder proposals concerning environmental or social issues, as it generally believes that management and the board are in the best position to determine how to address these matters. In certain cases, however, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals that request additional disclosures from companies regarding environmental or social issues, where it believes that the proposed disclosures could provide meaningful information to the investment management process without unduly burdening the company. For example, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals calling for reports on sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental impact issues. Fidelity also may support proposals on issues such as equal employment, and board and workforce diversity.
VI. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans
Fidelity generally will oppose a proposal to adopt an anti-takeover provision.
Anti-takeover provisions include:
- classified boards;
- “blank check” preferred stock (whose terms and conditions may be expressly determined by the company’s board, for example, with differential voting rights);
- golden parachutes;
- supermajority provisions (that require a large majority (generally between 67-90%) of shareholders to approve corporate changes as compared to a majority provision that simply requires more than 50% of shareholders to approve those changes);
- poison pills;
- restricting the right to call special meetings;
- provisions restricting the right of shareholders to set board size; and
- any other provision that eliminates or limits shareholder rights.
A. Shareholders Rights Plans (“poison pills”)
Poison pills allow shareholders opposed to a takeover offer to purchase stock at discounted prices under certain circumstances and effectively give boards veto power over any takeover offer. While there are advantages and disadvantages to poison pills, they can be detrimental to the creation of shareholder value and can help entrench management by deterring acquisition offers not favored by the board, but that may, in fact, be beneficial to shareholders.
Fidelity generally will support a proposal to adopt or extend a poison pill if the proposal:
1. Includes a condition in the charter or plan that specifies an expiration date (sunset provision) of no greater than five years;
2. Is integral to a business strategy that is expected to result in greater value for the shareholders;
3. Requires shareholder approval to be reinstated upon expiration or if amended;
4. Contains a mechanism to allow shareholders to consider a bona fide takeover offer for all outstanding shares without triggering the poison pill; and
5. Allows the Fidelity funds to hold an aggregate position of up to 20% of a company's total voting securities, where permissible.
Fidelity generally also will support a proposal that is crafted only for the purpose of protecting a specific tax benefit if it also believes the proposal is likely to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
B. Shareholder Ability to Call a Special Meeting
Fidelity generally will support shareholder proposals regarding shareholders' right to call special meetings if the threshold required to call the special meeting is no less than 25% of the outstanding stock.
C. Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding shareholders' right to act by written consent if the proposals include appropriate mechanisms for implementation. This means that proposals must include record date requests from at least 25% of the outstanding stockholders and consents must be solicited from all shareholders.
D. Supermajority Shareholder Vote Requirement
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding supermajority provisions if Fidelity believes that the provisions protect minority shareholder interests in companies where there is a substantial or dominant shareholder.
VII. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections
Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors or directors on responsible committees if the board adopted or extended an anti-takeover provision without shareholder approval.
Fidelity will consider supporting the election of directors with respect to poison pills if:
- All of the poison pill’s features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights section above are met when a poison pill is adopted or extended.
- A board is willing to consider seeking shareholder ratification of, or adding the features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans section above to, an existing poison pill. If, however, the company does not take appropriate action prior to the next annual shareholder meeting, Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors at that meeting.
- It determines that the poison pill was narrowly tailored to protect a specific tax benefit, and subject to an evaluation of its likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
VIII. Capital Structure and Incorporation
These guidelines are designed to protect shareholders’ value in the companies in which the Fidelity funds invest. To the extent a company’s management is committed and incentivized to maximize shareholder value, Fidelity generally votes in favor of management proposals; Fidelity may vote contrary to management where a proposal is overly dilutive to shareholders and/or compromises shareholder value or other interests. The guidelines that follow are meant to protect shareholders in these respects.
A. Increases in Common Stock
Fidelity may support reasonable increases in authorized shares for a specific purpose (a stock split or re-capitalization, for example). Fidelity generally will oppose a provision to increase a company's authorized common stock if such increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than three times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares, including stock options.
In the case of REITs, however, Fidelity will oppose a provision to increase the REIT’s authorized common stock if the increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than five times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares.
B. Multi-Class Share Structures
Fidelity generally will support proposals to recapitalize multi-class share structures into structures that provide equal voting rights for all shareholders, and generally will oppose proposals to introduce or increase classes of stock with differential voting rights. However, Fidelity will evaluate all such proposals in the context of their likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
C. Incorporation or Reincorporation in another State or Country
Fidelity generally will support management proposals calling for, or recommending that, a company reincorporate in another state or country if, on balance, the economic and corporate governance factors in the proposed jurisdiction appear reasonably likely to be better aligned with shareholder interests, taking into account the corporate laws of the current and proposed jurisdictions and any changes to the company's current and proposed governing documents. Fidelity will consider supporting these shareholder proposals in limited cases if, based upon particular facts and circumstances, remaining incorporated in the current jurisdiction appears misaligned with shareholder interests.
IX. Shares of Fidelity Funds, ETFs, or other non-Fidelity Mutual Funds and ETFs
When a Fidelity fund invests in an underlying Fidelity fund with public shareholders, an exchange traded fund (ETF), or fund that is not affiliated, Fidelity will vote in the same proportion as all other voting shareholders of the underlying fund (this is known as “echo voting”). Fidelity may choose not to vote if "echo voting" is not operationally practical. For Fidelity fund investments in a Fidelity Series Fund, Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with the recommendation of the Fidelity Series Fund's Board of Trustees on all proposals.
X. Foreign Markets
Many Fidelity funds invest in voting securities issued by companies that are domiciled outside the United States and are not listed on a U.S. securities exchange. Corporate governance standards, legal or regulatory requirements and disclosure practices in foreign countries can differ from those in the United States. When voting proxies relating to non-U.S. securities, Fidelity generally will evaluate proposals under these guidelines and where applicable and feasible, take into consideration differing laws, regulations and practices in the relevant foreign market in determining how to vote shares.
In certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, shareholders voting shares of a company may be restricted from trading the shares for a period of time around the shareholder meeting date. Because these trading restrictions can hinder portfolio management and could result in a loss of liquidity for a fund, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in circumstances where such restrictions apply. In addition, certain non-U.S. jurisdictions require voting shareholders to disclose current share ownership on a fund-by-fund basis. When such disclosure requirements apply, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in order to safeguard fund holdings information.
XI. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
Voting of shares is conducted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fidelity funds. In other words, securities of a company generally will be voted in a manner consistent with these guidelines and without regard to any other Fidelity companies' business relationships.
Fidelity takes its responsibility to vote shares in the best interests of the funds seriously and has implemented policies and procedures to address actual and potential conflicts of interest.
XII. Conclusion
Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Fidelity has been driven by two fundamental values: 1) putting the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders first; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. With these fundamental principles as guideposts, the funds are managed to provide the greatest possible return to shareholders consistent with governing laws and the investment guidelines and objectives of each fund.
Fidelity believes that there is a strong correlation between sound corporate governance and enhancing shareholder value. Fidelity, through the implementation of these guidelines, puts this belief into action through consistent engagement with portfolio companies on matters contained in these guidelines, and, ultimately, through the exercise of voting rights by the funds.
Glossary
• Burn rate means the total number of stock option and full value equity awards granted as compensation in a given year divided by the weighted average common stock outstanding for that same year.
- For a large-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 1.5%.
- For a small-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 2.5%.
- For a micro-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 3.5%.
• Golden parachute means employment contracts, agreements, or policies that include an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
• Large-capitalization company means a company included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index.
• Micro-capitalization company means a company with market capitalization under US $300 million.
• Poison pill refers to a strategy employed by a potential takeover / target company to make its stock less attractive to an acquirer. Poison pills are generally designed to dilute the acquirer's ownership and value in the event of a takeover.
• Small-capitalization company means a company not included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index that is not a Micro-Capitalization Company.
To view a fund's proxy voting record for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, if applicable, visit www.fidelity.com/proxyvotingresults or visit the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.
DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
The fund has entered into a distribution agreement with FDC, an affiliate of FIMM and FMR. The principal business address of FDC is 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, Rhode Island 02917. FDC is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The distribution agreement calls for FDC to use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its other business, to secure purchasers for shares of the fund, which are continuously offered at NAV. Promotional and administrative expenses in connection with the offer and sale of shares are paid by FIMM or FMR.
The Trustees have approved a Distribution and Service Plan with respect to shares of the fund (the Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the Rule). The Rule provides in substance that a fund may not engage directly or indirectly in financing any activity that is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund except pursuant to a plan approved on behalf of the fund under the Rule. The Plan, as approved by the Trustees, allows shares of the fund, FIMM, and/or FMR to incur certain expenses that might be considered to constitute indirect payment by the fund of distribution expenses.
The Plan adopted for the fund is described in the prospectus.
Under the Plan, if the payment of management fees by the fund to FIMM is deemed to be indirect financing by the fund of the distribution of its shares, such payment is authorized by the Plan. The Plan specifically recognizes that FIMM or FMR may use its management fee revenue, including management fees paid to FIMM by the fund or fees paid to FMR by FIMM out of such management fees, as well as its past profits or its other resources, to pay FDC for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund and/or shareholder support services. In addition, the Plan provides that FIMM or FMR, directly or through FDC, may pay significant amounts to intermediaries that provide those services.
Prior to approving the Plan, the Trustees carefully considered all pertinent factors relating to the implementation of the Plan, and determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trustees noted that the Plan does not authorize payments by shares of the fund other than those made to FIMM under its management contract with the fund. To the extent that the Plan gives FIMM, FMR, and FDC greater flexibility in connection with the distribution of shares, additional sales of shares or stabilization of cash flows may result. Furthermore, certain shareholder support services may be provided more effectively under the Plan by local entities with whom shareholders have other relationships.
FDC or an affiliate may compensate, or upon direction make payments for certain retirement plan expenses to intermediaries. A number of factors are considered in determining whether to pay these additional amounts. Such factors may include, without limitation, the level or type of services provided by the intermediary, the level or expected level of assets or sales of shares, and other factors. In addition to such payments, FDC or an affiliate may offer other incentives such as sponsorship of educational or client seminars relating to current products and issues, payments or reimbursements for travel and related expenses associated with due diligence trips that an intermediary may undertake in order to explore possible business relationships with affiliates of FDC, and/or payments of costs and expenses associated with attendance at seminars, including travel, lodging, entertainment, and meals. Certain of the payments described above may be significant to an intermediary. As permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules and other applicable laws and regulations, FDC or an affiliate may pay or allow other incentives or payments to intermediaries.
FDC or an affiliate may also make payments to banks, broker-dealers and other service-providers (who may be affiliated with FDC) for distribution-related activities and/or shareholder services. If you have purchased shares of the fund through an investment professional, please speak with your investment professional to learn more about any payments his or her firm may receive from FIMM, FMR, FDC, and/or their affiliates, as well as fees and/or commissions the investment professional charges. You should also consult disclosures made by your investment professional at the time of purchase.
Any of the payments described in this section may represent a premium over payments made by other fund families. Investment professionals may have an added incentive to sell or recommend a fund over others offered by competing fund families, or retirement plan sponsors may take these payments into account when deciding whether to include a fund as a plan investment option.
FDC may also enter into agreements with securities dealers who will solicit purchases of Creation Units. Such securities dealers may also be Authorized Participants, DTC Participants, and or investor services organizations.
TRANSFER AND SERVICE AGENT AGREEMENTS
The fund has entered into a transfer agency and service agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street), which is located at One Heritage Drive, Floor 1, North Quincy, Massachusetts, 02171. Under the terms of the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) acts as transfer agent and dividend and disbursing agent.
The fund has entered into a service agent agreement with FSC, an affiliate of FIMM (or an agent, including an affiliate), which is located at 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210. Under the terms of the agreement, FSC (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides certain pricing and bookkeeping services for the fund and administers the fund's securities lending program. FSC has entered into a sub-administration agreement with State Street. Under the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides various fund accounting and fund administration services, including preparation of financial information for shareholder reports and tax services, for the fund.
FIMM bears the cost of services under these agreements under the terms of its management contract with the fund.
SECURITIES LENDING
During the fiscal year, the securities lending agent, or the investment adviser (where the fund does not use a securities lending agent) monitors loan opportunities for the fund, negotiates the terms of the loans with borrowers, monitors the value of securities on loan and the value of the corresponding collateral, communicates with borrowers and the fund's custodian regarding marking to market the collateral, selects securities to be loaned and allocates those loan opportunities among lenders, and arranges for the return of the loaned securities upon the termination of the loan. Income and fees from securities lending activities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, are shown in the following table:
| Security Lending Activities | Fund(s) |
| Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF(1) | |
| Gross income from securities lending activities | $0 |
| Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split | $0 |
| Administrative fees | $0 |
| Rebate (paid to borrower) | $0 |
| Other fees not included in the revenue split (lending agent fees to NFS) | $0 |
| Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities | $0 |
| Net income from securities lending activities | $0 |
(1) The fund did not lend securities during the year.
A fund does not pay cash collateral management fees, separate indemnification fees, or other fees not reflected above.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
Trust Organization. Fidelity® Limited Term Bond ETF is a fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust, an open-end management investment company created under an initial declaration of trust dated November 15, 2012. The Trustees are permitted to create additional funds in the trust and to create additional classes of the fund.
The assets of the trust received for the issue or sale of shares of each of its funds and all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, subject to the rights of creditors, are allocated to such fund, and constitute the underlying assets of such fund. The underlying assets of each fund in the trust shall be charged with the liabilities and expenses attributable to such fund. Any general expenses of the trust shall be allocated between or among any one or more of the funds.
Shareholder Liability. The trust is an entity commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the trust.
The Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations, and expenses of the trust or fund. The Declaration of Trust provides that the trust shall not have any claim against shareholders except for the payment of the purchase price of shares and requires that each agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by the trust or the Trustees relating to the trust or to a fund shall include a provision limiting the obligations created thereby to the trust or to one or more funds and its or their assets. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders of a fund shall not have a claim on or right to any assets belonging to any other fund.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of a fund's property of any shareholder or former shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the fund solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a fund shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the fund and satisfy any judgment thereon. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which a fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations. FIMM believes that, in view of the above, the risk of personal liability to shareholders is remote.
Voting Rights. Each fund's capital consists of shares of beneficial interest. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each dollar of net asset value they own. The voting rights of shareholders can be changed only by a shareholder vote. Shares may be voted in the aggregate, by fund, and by class.
The shares have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares are fully paid and nonassessable, except as set forth under the heading "Shareholder Liability" above.
The trust or a fund or a class may be terminated upon the sale of its assets to, or merger with, another open-end management investment company, series, or class thereof, or upon liquidation and distribution of its assets. The Trustees may reorganize, terminate, merge, or sell all or a portion of the assets of the trust or a fund or a class without prior shareholder approval. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the trust, shareholders of each of its funds are entitled to receive the underlying assets of such fund available for distribution. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of a fund or a class, shareholders of that fund or that class are entitled to receive the underlying assets of the fund or class available for distribution.
Custodians. State Street Bank and Trust Company, 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian of the assets of the fund. The custodian is responsible for the safekeeping of the fund's assets and the appointment of any subcustodian banks and clearing agencies. The Bank of New York Mellon and JPMorgan Chase Bank, each headquartered in New York, also may serve as special purpose custodians of certain assets in connection with repurchase agreement transactions. From time to time, subject to approval by a fund's Treasurer, a Fidelity® fund may enter into escrow arrangements with other banks if necessary to participate in certain investment offerings.
FMR, its officers and directors, its affiliated companies, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and Members of the Board of Trustees may, from time to time, conduct transactions with various banks, including banks serving as custodians for certain funds advised by FMR or an affiliate. Transactions that have occurred to date include mortgages and personal and general business loans. In the judgment of the fund's adviser, the terms and conditions of those transactions were not influenced by existing or potential custodial or other fund relationships.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts, independent registered public accounting firm, audits financial statements for the fund and provides other audit, tax, and related services.
FUND HOLDINGS INFORMATION
The fund views holdings information as sensitive and limits its dissemination. The Board authorized FMR to establish and administer guidelines for the dissemination of fund holdings information, which may be amended at any time without prior notice. FMR's Disclosure Policy Committee (comprising executive officers of FMR) evaluates disclosure policy with the goal of serving the fund's best interests by striking an appropriate balance between providing information about the fund's portfolio and protecting the fund from potentially harmful disclosure. The Board reviews the administration and modification of these guidelines and receives reports from the fund's chief compliance officer periodically.
On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in shares on the listing exchange, the fund will disclose on its website the identities and quantities of the fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
Daily portfolio composition files (PCFs) that identify a basket of specified securities that may overlap with the actual or expected portfolio holdings of the fund will be provided as frequently as daily to the fund's service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the fund and to certain other entities in connection with the dissemination of information necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Each business day prior to the opening of the listing exchange, a PCF containing a list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security for the fund will be provided for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC; through other fee-based services to NSCC members; subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants; and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading fund shares in the secondary market. In addition to making PCFs available to the NSCC, the fund will disclose the PCF or portions thereof as frequently as daily on www.fidelity.com.
The fund may also from time to time provide or make available to the Board or third parties upon request specific fund level performance attribution information and statistics. Third parties may include fund shareholders or prospective fund shareholders, members of the press, consultants, and ratings and ranking organizations. Nonexclusive examples of performance attribution information and statistics may include (i) the allocation of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions among various asset classes, sectors, industries, and countries, (ii) the characteristics of the stock and bond components of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions, (iii) the attribution of fund returns by asset class, sector, industry, and country and (iv) the volatility characteristics of the fund.
FMR’s Disclosure Policy Committee may approve a request for fund level performance attribution and statistics as long as (i) such disclosure does not enable the receiving party to recreate the complete or partial portfolio holdings of any Fidelity fund prior to such fund’s public disclosure of its portfolio holdings and (ii) Fidelity has made a good faith determination that the requested information is not material given the particular facts and circumstances. Fidelity may deny any request for performance attribution information and other statistical information about a fund made by any person, and may do so for any reason or for no reason.
Disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information for a Fidelity fund’s portfolio may only be provided pursuant to the guidelines below.
The Use of Holdings In Connection With Fund Operations. Material non-public holdings information may be provided as part of the activities associated with managing Fidelity® funds to: entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed; other parties if legally required; or persons FMR believes will not misuse the disclosed information. These entities, parties, and persons include, but are not limited to: the fund's trustees; the fund's manager, its sub-advisers, if any, and their affiliates whose access persons are subject to a code of ethics (including portfolio managers of affiliated funds of funds); contractors who are subject to a confidentiality agreement; the fund's auditors; the fund's custodians; proxy voting service providers; financial printers; pricing service vendors; broker-dealers in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities; securities lending agents; counsel to the fund or its Independent Trustees; regulatory authorities; stock exchanges and other listing organizations; parties to litigation; third parties in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding relating to a fund holding; and third parties who have submitted a standing request to a money market fund for daily holdings information. Non-public holdings information may also be provided to an issuer regarding the number or percentage of its shares that are owned by the fund and in connection with redemptions in kind.
Other Uses Of Holdings Information. In addition, the fund may provide material non-public holdings information to (i) third parties that calculate information derived from holdings for use by FMR, a sub-adviser, or their affiliates, (ii) ratings and rankings organizations, and (iii) an investment adviser, trustee, or their agents to whom holdings are disclosed for due diligence purposes or in anticipation of a merger involving the fund. Each individual request is reviewed by the Disclosure Policy Committee which must find, in its sole discretion that, based on the specific facts and circumstances, the disclosure appears unlikely to be harmful to the fund. Entities receiving this information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that, (a) the holdings information will be kept confidential, (b) no employee shall use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit, and (c) the nature and type of information that they, in turn, may disclose to third parties is limited. FMR relies primarily on the existence of non-disclosure agreements and/or control mechanisms when determining that disclosure is not likely to be harmful to the fund.
At this time, the entities receiving information described in the preceding paragraph are: Factset Research Systems Inc. (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (full holdings weekly (generally as of the previous Friday), generally 5 business days thereafter); MSCI Inc. and certain affiliates (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); and Bloomberg, L.P. (full holdings daily, on the next business day).
FMR, its affiliates, or the fund will not enter into any arrangements with third parties from which they derive consideration for the disclosure of material non-public holdings information. If, in the future, such an arrangement is desired, prior Board approval would be sought and any such arrangements would be disclosed in the fund's SAI.
There can be no assurance that the fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of fund portfolio holdings will prevent the misuse of such information by individuals and firms that receive such information.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The fund's financial statements and financial highlights for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, and report of the independent registered public accounting firm, are included in the fund's annual report and are incorporated herein by reference. Total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table may differ from the ratios of expenses to average net assets in the financial highlights because total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table include any acquired fund fees and expenses, whereas the ratios of expenses in the financial highlights do not, except to the extent any acquired fund fees and expenses relate to an entity, such as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with which a fund's financial statements are consolidated. Acquired funds include other investment companies (such as central funds or other underlying funds) in which the fund has invested, if and to the extent it is permitted to do so. Total annual operating expenses in the prospectus fee table and the financial highlights do not include any expenses associated with investments in certain structured or synthetic products that may rely on the exception from the definition of "investment company" provided by section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act.
APPENDIX
Fidelity and Fidelity Investments & Pyramid Design are registered service marks of FMR LLC. © 2019 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Any third-party marks that may appear above are the marks of their respective owners.
| Fund | Ticker |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | FBND |
Fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.
December 30, 2019
This statement of additional information (SAI) is not a prospectus. Portions of the fund's annual report are incorporated herein. The annual report is supplied with this SAI.
To obtain a free additional copy of the prospectus or SAI, dated December 30, 2019, or an annual report, please call Fidelity at 1-800-FIDELITY or visit Fidelity’s web site at www.fidelity.com.
T14-PTB-1219
1.9860548.105
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND(S)
Fidelity® Total Bond ETF (the fund) is a diversified actively-managed exchange-traded fund that seeks a high level of current income. The fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at net asset value per share (NAV) in aggregations of a specified number of shares called "Creation Units." Creation Units generally are issued in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. Shares are listed and traded on an exchange. Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from the shares' NAV. Shares are not individually redeemable, but are redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. A Creation Unit of the fund consists of a block of 50,000 shares. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants (as defined herein), therefore, will not be able to purchase or redeem shares directly with or from the fund. Instead, most shareholders who are not Authorized Participants will buy and sell shares in the secondary market through a broker.
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS
The following policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the fund's assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the fund's acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the fund's investment policies and limitations.
The fund's fundamental investment policies and limitations cannot be changed without approval by a "majority of the outstanding voting securities" (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act)) of the fund. However, except for the fundamental investment limitations listed below, the investment policies and limitations described in this SAI are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The following are the fund's fundamental investment limitations set forth in their entirety.
Diversification
The fund may not with respect to 75% of the fund's total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, (a) more than 5% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (b) the fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Senior Securities
The fund may not issue senior securities, except in connection with the insurance program established by the fund pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission or as otherwise permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Borrowing
The fund may not borrow money, except that the fund may borrow money for temporary or emergency purposes (not for leveraging or investment) in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount will be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33 1/3% limitation.
Underwriting
The fund may not underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in the disposition of restricted securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies.
Concentration
The fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of companies whose principal business activities are in the same industry.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) looks through to the U.S. Government securities.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in Fidelity® Money Market Central Fund and/or any non-money market central fund, FIMM looks through to the holdings of the central fund.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, FIMM may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and security and assign an industry or sector classification consistent with those characteristics in the event that the third-party classification provider used by FIMM does not assign a classification.
Real Estate
The fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).
Commodities
The fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
Loans
The fund may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, but this limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.
The following investment limitations are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
Short Sales
The fund does not currently intend to sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short, except for sales of to be announced (TBA) securities, and provided that transactions in futures contracts, options, and swaps are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.
Margin Purchases
The fund does not currently intend to purchase securities on margin, except that the fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions, and provided that margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.
Borrowing
The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements are treated as borrowings for purposes of the fundamental borrowing investment limitation).
Illiquid Securities
The fund does not currently intend to purchase any security if, as a result, more than 10% of its net assets would be invested in securities that are deemed to be illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business at approximately the prices at which they are valued.
For purposes of the fund's illiquid securities limitation discussed above, if through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, the fund were in a position where more than 10% of its net assets were invested in illiquid securities, it would consider appropriate steps to protect liquidity.
Loans
The fund does not currently intend to lend assets other than securities to other parties, except by (a) making direct loans to companies in which the fund has a pre-existing investment (b) lending money (up to 15% of the fund's net assets) to a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (c) assuming any unfunded commitments in connection with the acquisition of loans, loan participations, or other forms of debt instruments. (This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities, to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.)
In addition to the fund's fundamental and non-fundamental investment limitations discussed above:
In order to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the fund currently intends to comply with certain diversification limits imposed by Subchapter M.
The following pages contain more detailed information about types of instruments in which the fund may invest, techniques the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may employ in pursuit of the fund's investment objective, and a summary of related risks. The fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may not buy all of these instruments or use all of these techniques unless it believes that doing so will help the fund achieve its goal. However, the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) is not required to buy any particular instrument or use any particular technique even if to do so might benefit the fund.
On the following pages in this section titled "Investment Policies and Limitations," and except as otherwise indicated, references to "an adviser" or "the adviser" may relate to the fund's adviser or a sub-adviser, as applicable.
Affiliated Bank Transactions. A Fidelity® fund may engage in transactions with financial institutions that are, or may be considered to be, "affiliated persons" of the fund under the 1940 Act. These transactions may involve repurchase agreements with custodian banks; short-term obligations of, and repurchase agreements with, the 50 largest U.S. banks (measured by deposits); municipal securities; U.S. Government securities with affiliated financial institutions that are primary dealers in these securities; short-term currency transactions; and short-term borrowings. In accordance with exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Board of Trustees has established and periodically reviews procedures applicable to transactions involving affiliated financial institutions.
Asset-Backed Securities represent interests in pools of mortgages, loans, receivables, or other assets. Payment of interest and repayment of principal may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities and, in certain cases, supported by letters of credit, surety bonds, or other credit enhancements. Asset-backed security values may also be affected by other factors including changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the loans or receivables, or the entities providing the credit enhancement. In addition, these securities may be subject to prepayment risk. Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) are a type of asset-backed security. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CLOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses. For CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class. Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CLOs may be characterized by a fund as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions.
Borrowing. If a fund borrows money, its share price may be subject to greater fluctuation until the borrowing is paid off. If a fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage.
Cash Management. A fund may hold uninvested cash or may invest it in cash equivalents such as money market securities, repurchase agreements, or shares of short-term bond or money market funds, including (for Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients only) shares of Fidelity® central funds. Generally, these securities offer less potential for gains than other types of securities.
Central Funds are special types of investment vehicles created by Fidelity for use by the Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients. Central funds are used to invest in particular security types or investment disciplines, or for cash management. Central funds incur certain costs related to their investment activity (such as custodial fees and expenses), but do not pay additional management fees. The investment results of the portions of a Fidelity® fund's assets invested in the central funds will be based upon the investment results of those funds.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Notice of Exclusion. The trust, on behalf of the Fidelity® fund to which this SAI relates, has filed with the National Futures Association a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and the rules of the CFTC promulgated thereunder, with respect to the fund's operation. Accordingly, neither a fund nor its adviser is subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool or a CPO. However, the CFTC has adopted certain rule amendments that significantly affect the continued availability of this exclusion, and may subject advisers to funds to regulation by the CFTC. As of the date of this SAI, the adviser does not expect to register as a CPO of the fund. However, there is no certainty that a fund or its adviser will be able to rely on an exclusion in the future as the fund's investments change over time. A fund may determine not to use investment strategies that trigger additional CFTC regulation or may determine to operate subject to CFTC regulation, if applicable. If a fund or its adviser operates subject to CFTC regulation, it may incur additional expenses.
Dollar-Weighted Average Maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each security by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a fund's portfolio. An obligation's maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule.
Under certain circumstances, a fund may invest in nominally long-term securities that have maturity shortening features of shorter-term securities, and the maturities of these securities may be deemed to be earlier than their ultimate maturity dates by virtue of an existing demand feature or an adjustable interest rate. Under other circumstances, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. The maturities of mortgage securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and some asset-backed securities are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For a mortgage security, this average time is calculated by estimating the timing of principal payments, including unscheduled prepayments, during the life of the mortgage. The weighted average life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity.
Duration is a measure of a bond's price sensitivity to a change in its yield. For example, if a bond has a 5-year duration and its yield rises 1%, the bond's value is likely to fall about 5%. Similarly, if a bond fund has a 5-year average duration and the yield on each of the bonds held by the fund rises 1%, the fund's value is likely to fall about 5%. For funds with exposure to foreign markets, there are many reasons why all of the bond holdings do not experience the same yield changes. These reasons include: the bonds are spread off of different yield curves around the world and these yield curves do not move in tandem; the shapes of these yield curves change; and sector and issuer yield spreads change. Other factors can influence a bond fund's performance and share price. Accordingly, a bond fund's actual performance will likely differ from the example.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are shares of other investment companies, commodity pools, or other entities that are traded on an exchange. Typically, assets underlying the ETF shares are stocks, though they may also be commodities or other instruments. An ETF may seek to replicate the performance of a specific index or may be actively managed.
Typically, shares of an ETF that tracks an index are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark increases. However, in the case of inverse ETFs (also called "short ETFs" or "bear ETFs"), ETF shares are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark decreases. Inverse ETFs seek to deliver the opposite of the performance of the benchmark they track and are often marketed as a way for investors to profit from, or at least hedge their exposure to, downward moving markets. Investments in inverse ETFs are similar to holding short positions in the underlying benchmark.
ETF shares are redeemable only in large blocks of shares often called "creation units" by persons other than a fund, and are redeemed principally in-kind at each day's next calculated net asset value per share (NAV). ETFs typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by a fund. A fund's purchase of ETFs results in the layering of expenses, such that the fund would indirectly bear a proportionate share of any ETF's operating expenses. Further, while traditional investment companies are continuously offered at NAV, ETFs are traded in the secondary market (e.g., on a stock exchange) on an intra-day basis at prices that may be above or below the value of their underlying portfolios.
Some of the risks of investing in an ETF that tracks an index are similar to those of investing in an indexed mutual fund, including tracking error risk (the risk of errors in matching the ETF's underlying assets to the index or other benchmark); and the risk that because an ETF that tracks an index is not actively managed, it cannot sell stocks or other assets as long as they are represented in the index or other benchmark. Other ETF risks include the risk that ETFs may trade in the secondary market at a discount from their NAV and the risk that the ETFs may not be liquid. ETFs also may be leveraged. Leveraged ETFs seek to deliver multiples of the performance of the index or other benchmark they track and use derivatives in an effort to amplify the returns (or decline, in the case of inverse ETFs) of the underlying index or benchmark. While leveraged ETFs may offer the potential for greater return, the potential for loss and the speed at which losses can be realized also are greater. Most leveraged and inverse ETFs "reset" daily, meaning they are designed to achieve their stated objectives on a daily basis. Leveraged and inverse ETFs can deviate substantially from the performance of their underlying benchmark over longer periods of time, particularly in volatile periods.
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) are a type of senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt security issued by financial institutions that combines aspects of both bonds and ETFs. An ETN's returns are based on the performance of a market index or other reference asset minus fees and expenses. Similar to ETFs, ETNs are listed on an exchange and traded in the secondary market. However, unlike an ETF, an ETN can be held until the ETN's maturity, at which time the issuer will pay a return linked to the performance of the market index or other reference asset to which the ETN is linked minus certain fees. Unlike regular bonds, ETNs typically do not make periodic interest payments and principal typically is not protected.
ETNs also incur certain expenses not incurred by their applicable index. The market value of an ETN is determined by supply and demand, the current performance of the index or other reference asset, and the credit rating of the ETN issuer. The market value of ETN shares may differ from their intraday indicative value. The value of an ETN may also change due to a change in the issuer's credit rating. As a result, there may be times when an ETN's share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV. Some ETNs that use leverage in an effort to amplify the returns of an underlying index or other reference asset can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs may offer the potential for greater return, but the potential for loss and speed at which losses can be realized also are greater.
Exposure to Foreign and Emerging Markets. Foreign securities, foreign currencies, and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.
Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political, economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments, and may be affected by actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S. investors. Such actions may include expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or on the ability to repatriate assets or convert currency into U.S. dollars, or other government intervention. From time to time, a fund's adviser and/or its affiliates may determine that, as a result of regulatory requirements that may apply to the adviser and/or its affiliates due to investments in a particular country, investments in the securities of issuers domiciled or listed on trading markets in that country above certain thresholds (which may apply at the account level or in the aggregate across all accounts managed by the adviser and its affiliates) may be impractical or undesirable. In such instances, the adviser may limit or exclude investment in a particular issuer, and investment flexibility may be restricted. Additionally, governmental issuers of foreign debt securities may be unwilling to pay interest and repay principal when due and may require that the conditions for payment be renegotiated. There is no assurance that a fund's adviser will be able to anticipate these potential events or counter their effects. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies and of dividends and interest paid with respect to such securities will fluctuate based on the relative strength of the U.S. dollar.
It is anticipated that in most cases the best available market for foreign securities will be on an exchange or in over-the-counter (OTC) markets located outside of the United States. Foreign stock markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as those in the United States, and securities of some foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign security trading, settlement and custodial practices (including those involving securities settlement where fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment) are often less developed than those in U.S. markets, and may result in increased investment or valuation risk or substantial delays in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of, or breach of duty by, a foreign broker-dealer, securities depository, or foreign subcustodian. In addition, the costs associated with foreign investments, including withholding taxes, brokerage commissions, and custodial costs, are generally higher than with U.S. investments.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S. markets. Foreign issuers are generally not bound by uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available, and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding corporate actions on a timely basis. In general, there is less overall governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers, and listed companies than in the United States. OTC markets tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain countries, may be totally unregulated. Regulatory enforcement may be influenced by economic or political concerns, and investors may have difficulty enforcing their legal rights in foreign countries.
Some foreign securities impose restrictions on transfer within the United States or to U.S. persons. Although securities subject to such transfer restrictions may be marketable abroad, they may be less liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject to such restrictions.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) as well as other "hybrid" forms of ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However, ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include foreign exchange risk as well as the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer's country.
The risks of foreign investing may be magnified for investments in emerging markets. Security prices in emerging markets can be significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets, reflecting the greater uncertainties of investing in less established markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times.
Foreign Currency Transactions. A fund may conduct foreign currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) or forward basis (i.e., by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies). Although foreign exchange dealers generally do not charge a fee for such conversions, they do realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the counterparty desire to resell that currency to the dealer. Forward contracts are customized transactions that require a specific amount of a currency to be delivered at a specific exchange rate on a specific date or range of dates in the future. Forward contracts are generally traded in an interbank market directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The parties to a forward contract may agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity, or may hold the contract to maturity and complete the contemplated currency exchange.
The following discussion summarizes the principal currency management strategies involving forward contracts that could be used by a fund. A fund may also use swap agreements, indexed securities, and options and futures contracts relating to foreign currencies for the same purposes. Forward contracts not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying currency. All of these instruments and transactions are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default.
A "settlement hedge" or "transaction hedge" is designed to protect a fund against an adverse change in foreign currency values between the date a security denominated in a foreign currency is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in an underlying security transaction for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars "locks in" the U.S. dollar price of the security. Forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency may also be used to protect a fund in anticipation of future purchases or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected.
A fund may also use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in a foreign currency. For example, if a fund owned securities denominated in pounds sterling, it could enter into a forward contract to sell pounds sterling in return for U.S. dollars to hedge against possible declines in the pound's value. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a "position hedge," would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. A fund could also attempt to hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the pound sterling. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a "proxy hedge," could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a direct hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.
A fund may enter into forward contracts to shift its investment exposure from one currency into another. This may include shifting exposure from U.S. dollars to a foreign currency, or from one foreign currency to another foreign currency. This type of strategy, sometimes known as a "cross-hedge," will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, much as if a fund had sold a security denominated in one currency and purchased an equivalent security denominated in another. A fund may cross-hedge its U.S. dollar exposure in order to achieve a representative weighted mix of the major currencies in its benchmark index and/or to cover an underweight country or region exposure in its portfolio. Cross-hedges protect against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency, but will cause a fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.
Successful use of currency management strategies will depend on an adviser's skill in analyzing currency values. Currency management strategies may substantially change a fund's investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates and could result in losses to a fund if currencies do not perform as an adviser anticipates. For example, if a currency's value rose at a time when a fund had hedged its position by selling that currency in exchange for dollars, the fund would not participate in the currency's appreciation. If a fund hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the fund could realize currency losses from both the hedge and the security position if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if a fund increases its exposure to a foreign currency and that currency's value declines, the fund will realize a loss. Foreign currency transactions involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that a fund's hedging strategies will be ineffective. Moreover, it is impossible to precisely forecast the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, a fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expenses of such transaction), if an adviser's predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate.
A fund may be required to limit its hedging transactions in foreign currency forwards, futures, and options in order to maintain its classification as a "regulated investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code (Code). Hedging transactions could result in the application of the mark-to-market provisions of the Code, which may cause an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by a fund and could affect whether dividends paid by a fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income. A fund will cover its exposure to foreign currency transactions with liquid assets in compliance with applicable requirements. There is no assurance that an adviser's use of currency management strategies will be advantageous to a fund or that it will employ currency management strategies at appropriate times.
Options and Futures Relating to Foreign Currencies. Currency futures contracts are similar to forward currency exchange contracts, except that they are traded on exchanges (and have margin requirements) and are standardized as to contract size and delivery date. Most currency futures contracts call for payment or delivery in U.S. dollars. The underlying instrument of a currency option may be a foreign currency, which generally is purchased or delivered in exchange for U.S. dollars, or may be a futures contract. The purchaser of a currency call obtains the right to purchase the underlying currency, and the purchaser of a currency put obtains the right to sell the underlying currency.
The uses and risks of currency options and futures are similar to options and futures relating to securities or indexes, as discussed below. A fund may purchase and sell currency futures and may purchase and write currency options to increase or decrease its exposure to different foreign currencies. Currency options may also be purchased or written in conjunction with each other or with currency futures or forward contracts. Currency futures and options values can be expected to correlate with exchange rates, but may not reflect other factors that affect the value of a fund's investments. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a Yen-denominated security from a decline in the Yen, but will not protect a fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer's creditworthiness. Because the value of a fund's foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the fund's investments exactly over time.
Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of the fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options.
Funds of Funds and Other Large Shareholders. Certain Fidelity® funds and accounts (including funds of funds) invest in other funds ("underlying funds") and, as a result, may at times have substantial investments in one or more underlying funds.
An underlying fund may experience large redemptions or investments due to transactions in its shares by funds of funds, other large shareholders, or similarly managed accounts. While it is impossible to predict the overall effect of these transactions over time, there could be an adverse impact on an underlying fund's performance. In the event of such redemptions or investments, an underlying fund could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it may not otherwise desire to do so. Such transactions may increase an underlying fund's brokerage and/or other transaction costs and affect the liquidity of a fund's portfolio. In addition, when funds of funds or other investors own a substantial portion of an underlying fund's shares, a large redemption by such an investor could cause actual expenses to increase, or could result in the underlying fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the underlying fund's expense ratio. Redemptions of underlying fund shares could also accelerate the realization of taxable capital gains in the fund if sales of securities result in capital gains. The impact of these transactions is likely to be greater when a fund of funds or other significant investor purchases, redeems, or owns a substantial portion of the underlying fund's shares.
When possible, Fidelity will consider how to minimize these potential adverse effects, and may take such actions as it deems appropriate to address potential adverse effects, including redemption of shares in-kind rather than in cash or carrying out the transactions over a period of time, although there can be no assurance that such actions will be successful. A high volume of redemption requests can impact an underlying fund the same way as the transactions of a single shareholder with substantial investments. As an additional safeguard, Fidelity® fund of funds may manage the placement of their redemption requests in a manner designed to minimize the impact of such requests on the day-to-day operations of the underlying funds in which they invest. This may involve, for example, redeeming its shares of an underlying fund gradually over time.
Fund's Rights as an Investor. Fidelity® funds do not intend to direct or administer the day-to-day operations of any company. A fund may, however, exercise its rights as a shareholder or lender and may communicate its views on important matters of policy to a company's management, board of directors, and shareholders, and holders of a company's other securities when such matters could have a significant effect on the value of the fund's investment in the company. The activities in which a fund may engage, either individually or in conjunction with others, may include, among others, supporting or opposing proposed changes in a company's corporate structure or business activities; seeking changes in a company's directors or management; seeking changes in a company's direction or policies; seeking the sale or reorganization of the company or a portion of its assets; supporting or opposing third-party takeover efforts; supporting the filing of a bankruptcy petition; or foreclosing on collateral securing a security. This area of corporate activity is increasingly prone to litigation and it is possible that a fund could be involved in lawsuits related to such activities. Such activities will be monitored with a view to mitigating, to the extent possible, the risk of litigation against a fund and the risk of actual liability if a fund is involved in litigation. No guarantee can be made, however, that litigation against a fund will not be undertaken or liabilities incurred. A fund's proxy voting guidelines are included in its SAI.
Futures, Options, and Swaps. The success of any strategy involving futures, options, and swaps depends on an adviser's analysis of many economic and mathematical factors and a fund's return may be higher if it never invested in such instruments. Additionally, some of the contracts discussed below are new instruments without a trading history and there can be no assurance that a market for the instruments will continue to exist. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of such instruments and could limit a fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies. If a fund invests a significant portion of its assets in derivatives, its investment exposure could far exceed the value of its portfolio securities and its investment performance could be primarily dependent upon securities it does not own.
The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which a fund may enter into futures, options on futures, and forward contracts.
Futures Contracts. In purchasing a futures contract, the buyer agrees to purchase a specified underlying instrument at a specified future date. In selling a futures contract, the seller agrees to sell a specified underlying instrument at a specified date. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts and the price at which the purchase and sale will take place is fixed when the buyer and seller enter into the contract. Some currently available futures contracts are based on specific securities or baskets of securities, some are based on commodities or commodities indexes (for funds that seek commodities exposure), and some are based on indexes of securities prices (including foreign indexes for funds that seek foreign exposure). In addition, some currently available futures contracts are based on Eurodollars. Positions in Eurodollar futures reflect market expectations of forward levels of three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rates. Futures on indexes and futures not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying instrument. Futures can be held until their delivery dates, or can be closed out by offsetting purchases or sales of futures contracts before then if a liquid market is available. A fund may realize a gain or loss by closing out its futures contracts.
The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of its underlying instrument. Therefore, purchasing futures contracts will tend to increase a fund's exposure to positive and negative price fluctuations in the underlying instrument, much as if it had purchased the underlying instrument directly. When a fund sells a futures contract, by contrast, the value of its futures position will tend to move in a direction contrary to the market for the underlying instrument. Selling futures contracts, therefore, will tend to offset both positive and negative market price changes, much as if the underlying instrument had been sold.
The purchaser or seller of a futures contract or an option for a futures contract is not required to deliver or pay for the underlying instrument or the final cash settlement price, as applicable, unless the contract is held until the delivery date. However, both the purchaser and seller are required to deposit "initial margin" with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant (FCM), when the contract is entered into. If the value of either party's position declines, that party will be required to make additional "variation margin" payments to settle the change in value on a daily basis. This process of "marking to market" will be reflected in the daily calculation of open positions computed in a fund's NAV. The party that has a gain is entitled to receive all or a portion of this amount. Initial and variation margin payments do not constitute purchasing securities on margin for purposes of a fund's investment limitations. Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a fund, but is instead a settlement between a fund and the FCM of the amount one would owe the other if the fund's contract expired. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of a fund, the fund may be entitled to return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM's other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the fund. A fund is also required to segregate liquid assets equivalent to the fund's outstanding obligations under the contract in excess of the initial margin and variation margin, if any.
Although futures exchanges generally operate similarly in the United States and abroad, foreign futures exchanges may follow trading, settlement, and margin procedures that are different from those for U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts traded outside the United States may not involve a clearing mechanism or related guarantees and may involve greater risk of loss than U.S.-traded contracts, including potentially greater risk of losses due to insolvency of a futures broker, exchange member, or other party that may owe initial or variation margin to a fund. Because initial and variation margin payments may be measured in foreign currency, a futures contract traded outside the United States may also involve the risk of foreign currency fluctuation.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time. Exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for futures contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or other market conditions, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its futures positions could also be impaired. These risks may be heightened for commodity futures contracts, which have historically been subject to greater price volatility than exists for instruments such as stocks and bonds.
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded futures contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the futures position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Futures prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's futures positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments. In addition, the price of a commodity futures contract can reflect the storage costs associated with the purchase of the physical commodity.
Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to the manner in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that a fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of these futures contracts will not vary in direct proportion to the value of the fund's holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.
Options. By purchasing a put option, the purchaser obtains the right (but not the obligation) to sell the option's underlying instrument at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the purchaser pays the current market price for the option (known as the option premium). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific assets or securities, baskets of assets or securities, indexes of securities or commodities prices, and futures contracts (including commodity futures contracts). Options may be traded on an exchange or OTC. The purchaser may terminate its position in a put option by allowing it to expire or by exercising the option. If the option is allowed to expire, the purchaser will lose the entire premium. If the option is exercised, the purchaser completes the sale of the underlying instrument at the strike price. Depending on the terms of the contract, upon exercise, an option may require physical delivery of the underlying instrument or may be settled through cash payments. A purchaser may also terminate a put option position by closing it out in the secondary market at its current price, if a liquid secondary market exists.
The buyer of a typical put option can expect to realize a gain if the underlying instrument's price falls substantially. However, if the underlying instrument's price does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer can expect to suffer a loss (limited to the amount of the premium, plus related transaction costs).
The features of call options are essentially the same as those of put options, except that the purchaser of a call option obtains the right (but not the obligation) to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option's strike price. A call buyer typically attempts to participate in potential price increases of the underlying instrument with risk limited to the cost of the option if the underlying instrument's price falls. At the same time, the buyer can expect to suffer a loss if the underlying instrument's price does not rise sufficiently to offset the cost of the option.
The writer of a put or call option takes the opposite side of the transaction from the option's purchaser. In return for receipt of the premium, the writer assumes the obligation to pay or receive the strike price for the option's underlying instrument if the other party to the option chooses to exercise it. The writer may seek to terminate a position in a put option before exercise by closing out the option in the secondary market at its current price. If the secondary market is not liquid for a put option, however, the writer must continue to be prepared to pay the strike price while the option is outstanding, regardless of price changes. When writing an option on a futures contract, a fund will be required to make margin payments to an FCM as described above for futures contracts.
If the underlying instrument's price rises, a put writer would generally expect to profit, although its gain would be limited to the amount of the premium it received. If the underlying instrument's price remains the same over time, it is likely that the writer will also profit, because it should be able to close out the option at a lower price. If the underlying instrument's price falls, the put writer would expect to suffer a loss. This loss should be less than the loss from purchasing the underlying instrument directly, however, because the premium received for writing the option should mitigate the effects of the decline.
Writing a call option obligates the writer to sell or deliver the option's underlying instrument or make a net cash settlement payment, as applicable, in return for the strike price, upon exercise of the option. The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that writing calls generally is a profitable strategy if prices remain the same or fall. Through receipt of the option premium, a call writer should mitigate the effects of a price increase. At the same time, because a call writer must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument or make a net cash settlement payment, as applicable, in return for the strike price, even if its current value is greater, a call writer gives up some ability to participate in price increases and, if a call writer does not hold the underlying instrument, a call writer's loss is theoretically unlimited.
Where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price to close out the put or call option on the secondary market may move more or less than the price of the related security.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular options contract at any particular time. Options may have relatively low trading volume and liquidity if their strike prices are not close to the underlying instrument's current price. In addition, exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for exchange-traded options contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or otherwise, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its options positions could also be impaired.
Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size, and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows the purchaser or writer greater flexibility to tailor an option to its needs, OTC options generally are less liquid and involve greater credit risk than exchange-traded options, which are backed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.
Combined positions involve purchasing and writing options in combination with each other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts, to adjust the risk and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, purchasing a put option and writing a call option on the same underlying instrument would construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option at a lower price, to reduce the risk of the written call option in the event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more difficult to open and close out.
A fund may also buy and sell options on swaps (swaptions), which are generally options on interest rate swaps. An option on a swap gives a party the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to extend, shorten, cancel or modify an existing contract at a specific date in the future in exchange for a premium. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, a fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes (sells) an option on a swap than it will incur when it purchases an option on a swap. When a fund purchases an option on a swap, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when a fund writes an option on a swap, upon exercise of the option the fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement. A fund that writes an option on a swap receives the premium and bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the preset rate on the underlying interest rate swap. Whether a fund's use of options on swaps will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the adviser's ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Options on swaps may involve risks similar to those discussed below in "Swap Agreements."
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded options contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in options contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the options position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Options prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Options prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options and futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell options contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's options positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments.
Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. Cleared swaps are transacted through FCMs that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange one or more payments based, for example, on the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments (such as securities, commodities, indexes, or other financial or economic interests). The gross payments to be exchanged between the parties are calculated with respect to a notional amount, which is the predetermined dollar principal of the trade representing the hypothetical underlying quantity upon which payment obligations are computed.
Swap agreements can take many different forms and are known by a variety of names, including interest rate swaps (where the parties exchange a floating rate for a fixed rate), asset swaps (e.g., where parties combine the purchase or sale of a bond with an interest rate swap), total return swaps, and credit default swaps. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of a fund's investments and its share price and, if applicable, its yield. Swap agreements are subject to liquidity risk, meaning that a fund may be unable to sell a swap contract to a third party at a favorable price. Certain standardized swap transactions are currently subject to mandatory central clearing or may be eligible for voluntary central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to uncleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participant's swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition depending on the size of a fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a fund to support its obligations under a similar uncleared swap. It is expected, however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.
A total return swap is a contract whereby one party agrees to make a series of payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying such contract (which can include a security or other instrument, commodity, index or baskets thereof) during the specified period. In exchange, the other party to the contract agrees to make a series of payments calculated by reference to an interest rate and/or some other agreed-upon amount (including the change in market value of other underlying assets). A fund may use total return swaps to gain exposure to an asset without owning it or taking physical custody of it. For example, a fund investing in total return commodity swaps will receive the price appreciation of a commodity, commodity index or portion thereof in exchange for payment of an agreed-upon fee.
In a credit default swap, the credit default protection buyer makes periodic payments, known as premiums, to the credit default protection seller. In return the credit default protection seller will make a payment to the credit default protection buyer upon the occurrence of a specified credit event. A credit default swap can refer to a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets, each known as the reference entity or underlying asset. A fund may act as either the buyer or the seller of a credit default swap. A fund may buy or sell credit default protection on a basket of issuers or assets, even if a number of the underlying assets referenced in the basket are lower-quality debt securities. In an unhedged credit default swap, a fund buys credit default protection on a single issuer or asset, a basket of issuers or assets or index of assets without owning the underlying asset or debt issued by the reference entity. Credit default swaps involve greater and different risks than investing directly in the referenced asset, because, in addition to market risk, credit default swaps include liquidity, counterparty and operational risk.
Credit default swaps allow a fund to acquire or reduce credit exposure to a particular issuer, asset or basket of assets. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a fund, the fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. If a fund is the credit default protection seller, the fund will experience a loss if a credit event occurs and the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has deteriorated. If a fund is the credit default protection buyer, the fund will be required to pay premiums to the credit default protection seller. In the case of a physically settled credit default swap in which a fund is the protection seller, the fund must be prepared to pay par for and take possession of debt of a defaulted issuer delivered to the fund by the credit default protection buyer. Any loss would be offset by the premium payments the fund receives as the seller of credit default protection. This risk for cleared swaps is generally lower than for uncleared swaps since the counterparty is a clearinghouse, but there can be no assurance that a clearinghouse or its members will satisfy its obligations.
If the creditworthiness of a fund's swap counterparty declines, the risk that the counterparty may not perform could increase, potentially resulting in a loss to the fund. To limit the counterparty risk involved in swap agreements, a Fidelity® fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Although there can be no assurance that a fund will be able to do so, a fund may be able to reduce or eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or another creditworthy party. A fund may have limited ability to eliminate its exposure under a credit default swap if the credit of the reference entity or underlying asset has declined.
A fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. In order to cover its outstanding obligations to a swap counterparty, a fund would generally be required to provide margin or collateral for the benefit of that counterparty. If a counterparty to a swap transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited temporarily or permanently in exercising its right to the return of related fund assets designated as margin or collateral in an action against the counterparty.
Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to a fund's interest. A fund bears the risk that an adviser will not accurately forecast market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors in establishing swap positions for a fund. If an adviser attempts to use a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, a fund may be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment, which could cause substantial losses for a fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other fund investments. Swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.
Hybrid and Preferred Securities and Other Securities with Debt-Like Characteristics. The fund may invest in other securities believed to have debt-like characteristics, including hybrids and synthetic securities. A hybrid security may be a debt security, warrant, convertible security, certificate of deposit or other evidence of indebtedness on which the value of the interest on or principal of which is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument or financial strength of a reference entity (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, index, or business entity such as a financial institution). Another example is contingent convertible securities, which are fixed income securities that, under certain circumstances, either convert into common stock of the issuer or undergo a principal write-down by a predetermined percentage if the issuer's capital ratio falls below a predetermined trigger level. The liquidation value of such a security may be reduced upon a regulatory action and without the need for a bankruptcy proceeding. Preferred securities may take the form of preferred stock and represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock.
The risks of investing in hybrid and preferred securities reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. An investment in a hybrid or preferred security may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt or equity security. The risks of a particular hybrid or preferred security will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include the possibility of significant changes in the value of any applicable reference instrument. Such risks may depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the hybrid or preferred security. Hybrid and preferred securities are potentially more volatile and carry greater market and liquidity risks than traditional debt or equity securities. Also, the price of the hybrid or preferred security and any applicable reference instrument may not move in the same direction or at the same time. In addition, because hybrid and preferred securities may be traded over-the-counter or in bilateral transactions with the issuer of the security, hybrid and preferred securities may be subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the security and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates. In addition, uncertainty regarding the tax and regulatory treatment of hybrid and preferred securities may reduce demand for such securities and tax and regulatory considerations may limit the extent of a fund's investments in certain hybrid and preferred securities.
Illiquid Investments means any investment that cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Difficulty in selling or disposing of illiquid investments may result in a loss or may be costly to a fund. Illiquid securities may include (1) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days without demand/redemption features, (2) OTC options and certain other derivatives, (3) private placements, (4) securities traded on markets and exchanges with structural constraints, and (5) loan participations.
Under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, a Fidelity® fund's adviser classifies the liquidity of the fund's investments and monitors the extent of funds’ illiquid investments.
Various market, trading and investment-specific factors may be considered in determining the liquidity of a fund's investments including, but not limited to (1) the existence of an active trading market, (2) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades, (3) the number, diversity, and quality of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace, (4) the frequency, volume, and volatility of trade and price quotations, (5) bid-ask spreads, (6) dates of issuance and maturity, (7) demand, put or tender features, and (8) restrictions on trading or transferring the investment.
Fidelity classifies certain investments as illiquid based upon these criteria. Fidelity also monitors for certain market, trading and investment-specific events that may cause Fidelity to re-evaluate an investment’s liquidity status and may lead to an investment being classified as illiquid. In addition, Fidelity uses a third-party to assist with the liquidity classifications of the fund’s investments, which includes calculating the time to sell and settle a specified size position in a particular investment without the sale significantly changing the market value of the investment.
Increasing Government Debt. The total public debt of the United States and other countries around the globe as a percent of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008 financial downturn. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented.
A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may drive debt cost higher and cause a country to sell additional debt, thereby increasing refinancing risk. A high national debt also raises concerns that a government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. In the worst case, unsustainable debt levels can decline the valuation of currencies, and can prevent a government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy in economic downturns.
On August 5, 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States one level to "AA+" from "AAA." While Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed the United States' short-term sovereign credit rating as "A-1+," there is no guarantee that Standard & Poor's Ratings Services will not decide to lower this rating in the future. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services stated that its decision was prompted by its view on the rising public debt burden and its perception of greater policymaking uncertainty. The market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government may be adversely affected by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services decisions to downgrade the long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States.
Indexed Securities are instruments whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indexes, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose values at maturity or coupon rates are determined by reference to a specific instrument, statistic, or measure.
Indexed securities also include commercial paper, certificates of deposit, and other fixed-income securities whose values at maturity or coupon interest rates are determined by reference to the returns of particular stock indexes. Indexed securities can be affected by stock prices as well as changes in interest rates and the creditworthiness of their issuers and may not track the indexes as accurately as direct investments in the indexes.
Mortgage-indexed securities, for example, could be structured to replicate the performance of mortgage securities and the characteristics of direct ownership.
Currency-indexed securities typically are short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more specified foreign currencies, and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar-denominated securities. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the values of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the instrument or measure to which they are indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments or measures. Indexed securities are also subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. Government agencies.
Insolvency of Issuers, Counterparties, and Intermediaries. Issuers of fund portfolio securities or counterparties to fund transactions that become insolvent or declare bankruptcy can pose special investment risks. In each circumstance, risk of loss, valuation uncertainty, increased illiquidity, and other unpredictable occurrences may negatively impact an investment. Each of these risks may be amplified in foreign markets, where security trading, settlement, and custodial practices can be less developed than those in the U.S. markets, and bankruptcy laws differ from those of the U.S.
As a general matter, if the issuer of a fund portfolio security is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock have priority over the claims of common stock owners. These events can negatively impact the value of the issuer's securities and the results of related proceedings can be unpredictable.
If a counterparty to a fund transaction, such as a swap transaction, a short sale, a borrowing, or other complex transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise rights to obtain the return of related fund assets or in exercising other rights against the counterparty. In addition, insolvency and liquidation proceedings take time to resolve, which can limit or preclude a fund's ability to terminate a transaction or obtain related assets or collateral in a timely fashion. Uncertainty may also arise upon the insolvency of a securities or commodities intermediary such as a broker-dealer or futures commission merchant with which a fund has pending transactions. If an intermediary becomes insolvent, while securities positions and other holdings may be protected by U.S. or foreign laws, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether these protections are available to specific trades based on the circumstances. Receiving the benefit of these protections can also take time to resolve, which may result in illiquid positions.
Interfund Borrowing and Lending Program. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, a Fidelity® fund may lend money to, and borrow money from, other funds advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) or its affiliates. A Fidelity® fund will borrow through the program only when the costs are equal to or lower than the costs of bank loans. A Fidelity® fund will lend through the program only when the returns are higher than those available from an investment in repurchase agreements. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one day's notice. A Fidelity® fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is called or not renewed. Any delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional borrowing costs.
Investment-Grade Debt Securities. Investment-grade debt securities include all types of debt instruments that are of medium and high-quality. Investment-grade debt securities include repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities as well as repurchase agreements collateralized by equity securities, non-investment-grade debt, and all other instruments in which a fund can perfect a security interest, provided the repurchase agreement counterparty has an investment-grade rating. Some investment-grade debt securities may possess speculative characteristics and may be more sensitive to economic changes and to changes in the financial conditions of issuers. An investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by a credit rating agency registered as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) with the SEC (for example, Moody's Investors Service, Inc.), or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by a fund's adviser. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of an investment-grade debt security, an adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
Loans and Other Direct Debt Instruments. Direct debt instruments are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental, or other borrower to lenders or lending syndicates (loans and loan participations), to suppliers of goods or services (trade claims or other receivables), or to other parties. Direct debt instruments involve a risk of loss in case of default or insolvency of the borrower and may offer less legal protection to the purchaser in the event of fraud or misrepresentation, or there may be a requirement that a fund supply additional cash to a borrower on demand. A fund may acquire loans by buying an assignment of all or a portion of the loan from a lender or by purchasing a loan participation from a lender or other purchaser of a participation. A fund also may acquire loans directly at the time of the loan's closing.
Lenders and purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, the value of the instrument may be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured provide more protections than an unsecured loan in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the borrower's obligation, or that the collateral could be liquidated. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Direct indebtedness of foreign countries also involves a risk that the governmental entities responsible for the repayment of the debt may be unable, or unwilling, to pay interest and repay principal when due.
Direct lending and investments in loans through direct assignment of a financial institution's interests with respect to a loan may involve additional risks. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the lender/purchaser could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, a purchaser could be held liable as a co-lender. Direct debt instruments may also involve a risk of insolvency of the lending bank or other intermediary.
A loan is often administered by a bank or other financial institution that acts as agent for all holders. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the purchaser has direct recourse against the borrower, the purchaser may have to rely on the agent to apply appropriate credit remedies against a borrower. If assets held by the agent for the benefit of a purchaser were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent's general creditors, the purchaser might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on the loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal or interest.
Direct indebtedness may include letters of credit, revolving credit facilities, or other standby financing commitments that obligate lenders/purchasers to make additional cash payments on demand. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a lender/purchaser to increase its investment in a borrower at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrower's condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.
For a Fidelity® fund that limits the amount of total assets that it will invest in any one issuer or in issuers within the same industry, the fund generally will treat the borrower as the "issuer" of indebtedness held by the fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as financial intermediary between a fund and the borrower, if the participation does not shift to the fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower, SEC interpretations require a fund, in appropriate circumstances, to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as "issuers" for these purposes. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict a fund's ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or a group of intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.
A fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.
Lower-Quality Debt Securities. Lower-quality debt securities include all types of debt instruments that have poor protection with respect to the payment of interest and repayment of principal, or may be in default. These securities are often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of loss or price changes due to changes in the issuer's capacity to pay. The market prices of lower-quality debt securities may fluctuate more than those of higher-quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty, which may follow periods of rising interest rates.
The market for lower-quality debt securities may be thinner and less active than that for higher-quality debt securities, which can adversely affect the prices at which the former are sold. Adverse publicity and changing investor perceptions may affect the liquidity of lower-quality debt securities and the ability of outside pricing services to value lower-quality debt securities.
Because the risk of default is higher for lower-quality debt securities, research and credit analysis are an especially important part of managing securities of this type. Such analysis may focus on relative values based on factors such as interest or dividend coverage, asset coverage, earnings prospects, and the experience and managerial strength of the issuer, in an attempt to identify those issuers of high-yielding securities whose financial condition is adequate to meet future obligations, has improved, or is expected to improve in the future.
A fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the fund's shareholders.
Mortgage Securities are issued by government and non-government entities such as banks, mortgage lenders, or other institutions. A mortgage security is an obligation of the issuer backed by a mortgage or pool of mortgages or a direct interest in an underlying pool of mortgages. Some mortgage securities, such as collateralized mortgage obligations (or "CMOs"), make payments of both principal and interest at a range of specified intervals; others make semi-annual interest payments at a predetermined rate and repay principal at maturity (like a typical bond). Mortgage securities are based on different types of mortgages, including those on commercial real estate or residential properties. Stripped mortgage securities are created when the interest and principal components of a mortgage security are separated and sold as individual securities. In the case of a stripped mortgage security, the holder of the "principal-only" security (PO) receives the principal payments made by the underlying mortgage, while the holder of the "interest-only" security (IO) receives interest payments from the same underlying mortgage.
Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs are pass-through securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, respectively. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which guarantee payment of interest and repayment of principal on Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs, respectively, are federally chartered corporations supervised by the U.S. Government that act as governmental instrumentalities under authority granted by Congress. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are authorized to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to meet their obligations. Fannie Maes and Freddie Macs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
On June 3, 2019, under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative”, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will start issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities (UMBS). UMBS will be eligible for delivery into the To-Be-Announced (TBA) market. Each UMBS will have a 55-day remittance cycle and can be used as collateral in either a Fannie Mae® or Freddie Mac® security or held for investment. Freddie Mac’s legacy TBA-eligible securities have a 45-day remittance cycle and will not be directly eligible for delivery in settlement of a UMBS trade. Freddie Mac will offer investors the opportunity to exchange outstanding legacy mortgage-backed securities for mirror UMBS with a 55-day remittance period. The exchange offer includes compensation for the 10-day delay in receipt of payments. A fund’s ability to invest in UMBS to the same degree that the fund currently invests in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities is uncertain.
While Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have taken steps for a smooth transition to the issuance of UMBS, the effects of the issuance of UMBS on the mortgage-backed securities and TBA markets are uncertain and there may be factors that affect the timing of the transition to UMBS or the ability of market participants, including a fund, to adapt to the issuance of UMBS. A fund may need to consider the tax and accounting issues raised by investments in UMBS and/or the exchange of legacy Freddie Mac securities for UMBS. Additionally, there could be divergence in prepayment rates of UMBS issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could lead to differences in the prices of Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-issued UMBS if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fail to align programs, policies and practices that affect prepayments.
The value of mortgage securities may change due to shifts in the market's perception of issuers and changes in interest rates. In addition, regulatory or tax changes may adversely affect the mortgage securities market as a whole. Non-government mortgage securities may offer higher yields than those issued by government entities, but also may be subject to greater price changes than government issues. Mortgage securities are subject to prepayment risk, which is the risk that early principal payments made on the underlying mortgages, usually in response to a reduction in interest rates, will result in the return of principal to the investor, causing it to be invested subsequently at a lower current interest rate. Alternatively, in a rising interest rate environment, mortgage security values may be adversely affected when prepayments on underlying mortgages do not occur as anticipated, resulting in the extension of the security's effective maturity and the related increase in interest rate sensitivity of a longer-term instrument. The prices of stripped mortgage securities tend to be more volatile in response to changes in interest rates than those of non-stripped mortgage securities.
A fund may seek to earn additional income by using a trading strategy (commonly known as "mortgage dollar rolls" or "reverse mortgage dollar rolls") that involves selling (or buying) mortgage securities, realizing a gain or loss, and simultaneously agreeing to purchase (or sell) mortgage securities on a later date at a set price. During the period between the sale and repurchase in a mortgage dollar roll transaction, a fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold but will invest the proceeds of the sale in other securities that are permissible investments for the fund. During the period between the purchase and subsequent sale in a reverse mortgage dollar roll transaction, a fund is entitled to interest and principal payments on the securities purchased. Losses may arise due to changes in the value of the securities or if the counterparty does not perform under the terms of the agreement. If the counterparty files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, a fund's right to repurchase or sell securities may be limited. This trading strategy may increase interest rate exposure and result in an increased portfolio turnover rate which increases costs and may increase taxable gains.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs issue debt securities to fund the purchase and/or development of commercial properties. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, the creditworthiness of the trusts, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements. REITs are dependent upon management skill and the cash flow generated by the properties owned by the trusts. REITs are at the risk of the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free status of income under the Internal Revenue Code and failing to maintain exemption from the 1940 Act.
Reforms and Government Intervention in the Financial Markets. Economic downturns can trigger various economic, legal, budgetary, tax, and regulatory reforms across the globe. Instability in the financial markets in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn led the U.S. Government and other governments to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Reforms are ongoing and their effects are uncertain. Federal, state, local, foreign, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which a fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Reforms may also change the way in which a fund is regulated and could limit or preclude a fund's ability to achieve its investment objective or engage in certain strategies. Also, while reforms generally are intended to strengthen markets, systems, and public finances, they could affect fund expenses and the value of fund investments.
The value of a fund's holdings is also generally subject to the risk of future local, national, or global economic disturbances based on unknown weaknesses in the markets in which a fund invests. In the event of such a disturbance, the issuers of securities held by a fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations, or may receive government assistance accompanied by increased restrictions on their business operations or other government intervention. In addition, it is not certain that the U.S. Government or foreign governments will intervene in response to a future market disturbance and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted.
Repurchase Agreements involve an agreement to purchase a security and to sell that security back to the original seller at an agreed-upon price. The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed-upon incremental amount which is unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased security. As protection against the risk that the original seller will not fulfill its obligation, the securities are held in a separate account at a bank, marked-to-market daily, and maintained at a value at least equal to the sale price plus the accrued incremental amount. The value of the security purchased may be more or less than the price at which the counterparty has agreed to purchase the security. In addition, delays or losses could result if the other party to the agreement defaults or becomes insolvent. A fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its right to liquidate assets related to a repurchase agreement with an insolvent counterparty. A Fidelity® fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser.
Restricted Securities (including Private Placements) are subject to legal restrictions on their sale. Difficulty in selling securities may result in a loss or be costly to a fund. Restricted securities, including private placements of private and public companies, generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act), or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the holder of a registered security may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time it may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a fund sells a security to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash and agrees to repurchase that security at an agreed-upon price and time. A Fidelity® fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser. Such transactions may increase fluctuations in the market value of a fund's assets and, if applicable, a fund's yield, and may be viewed as a form of leverage.
Securities Lending. A Fidelity® fund may lend securities to parties such as broker-dealers or other institutions, including an affiliate, National Financial Services LLC (NFS). Securities lending allows a fund to retain ownership of the securities loaned and, at the same time, earn additional income. The borrower provides the fund with collateral in an amount at least equal to the value of the securities loaned. The fund seeks to maintain the ability to obtain the right to vote or consent on proxy proposals involving material events affecting securities loaned. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, a fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned or in gaining access to the collateral. These delays and costs could be greater for foreign securities. If a fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. The value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased. For a Fidelity® fund, loans will be made only to parties deemed by the fund's adviser to be in good standing and when, in the adviser's judgment, the income earned would justify the risks.
The Fidelity® funds have retained agents, including NFS, an affiliate of the funds, to act as securities lending agent. If NFS acts as securities lending agent for a fund, it is subject to the overall supervision of the fund’s adviser, and NFS will administer the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the fund’s Trustees.
Cash received as collateral through loan transactions may be invested in other eligible securities, including shares of a money market fund. Investing this cash subjects that investment, as well as the securities loaned, to market appreciation or depreciation.
Securities of Other Investment Companies, including shares of closed-end investment companies (which include business development companies (BDCs)), unit investment trusts, and open-end investment companies, represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in any type of instrument. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve additional expenses at the underlying investment company-level, such as portfolio management fees and operating expenses. Fees and expenses incurred indirectly by a fund as a result of its investment in shares of one or more other investment companies generally are referred to as "acquired fund fees and expenses" and may appear as a separate line item in a fund's prospectus fee table. For certain investment companies, such as BDCs, these expenses may be significant. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or over-the-counter at a premium or a discount to their NAV. Others are continuously offered at NAV, but may also be traded in the secondary market.
The securities of closed-end funds may be leveraged. As a result, a fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of closed-end funds that use leverage may expose a fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the fund's long-term returns on such securities will be diminished.
A fund's ability to invest in securities of other investment companies may be limited by federal securities laws. To the extent a fund acquires securities issued by unaffiliated investment companies, the Adviser's access to information regarding such underlying fund's portfolio may be limited and subject to such fund's policies regarding disclosure of fund holdings.
Sources of Liquidity or Credit Support. Issuers may employ various forms of credit and liquidity enhancements, including letters of credit, guarantees, swaps, puts, and demand features, and insurance provided by domestic or foreign entities such as banks and other financial institutions. An adviser and its affiliates may rely on their evaluation of the credit of the issuer or the credit of the liquidity or credit enhancement provider in determining whether to purchase or hold a security supported by such enhancement. In evaluating the credit of a foreign bank or other foreign entities, factors considered may include whether adequate public information about the entity is available and whether the entity may be subject to unfavorable political or economic developments, currency controls, or other government restrictions that might affect its ability to honor its commitment. Changes in the credit quality of the issuer and/or entity providing the enhancement could affect the value of the security or a fund's share price.
Stripped Securities are the separate income or principal components of a debt security. The risks associated with stripped securities are similar to those of other debt securities, although stripped securities may be more volatile, and the value of certain types of stripped securities may move in the same direction as interest rates. U.S. Treasury securities that have been stripped by a Federal Reserve Bank are obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Privately stripped government securities are created when a dealer deposits a U.S. Treasury security or other U.S. Government security with a custodian for safekeeping. The custodian issues separate receipts for the coupon payments and the principal payment, which the dealer then sells.
Structured Securities (also called "structured notes") are derivative debt securities, the interest rate on or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. The value of the interest rate on and/or the principal of structured securities is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, or index) or the relative change in two or more reference instruments. A structured security may be positively, negatively, or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured security may be calculated as a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s); therefore, the value of such structured security may be very volatile. Structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured securities may also be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities. In addition, because structured securities generally are traded over-the-counter, structured securities are subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the structured security, and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates.
Temporary Defensive Policies. Fidelity® Total Bond ETF reserves the right to invest without limitation in investment-grade money market or short-term debt instruments for temporary, defensive purposes.
Transfer Agent Bank Accounts. Proceeds from shareholder purchases of a Fidelity® fund may pass through a series of demand deposit bank accounts before being held at the fund's custodian. Redemption proceeds may pass from the custodian to the shareholder through a similar series of bank accounts.
If a bank account is registered to the transfer agent or an affiliate, who acts as an agent for the fund when opening, closing, and conducting business in the bank account, the transfer agent or an affiliate may invest overnight balances in the account in repurchase agreements. Any balances that are not invested in repurchase agreements remain in the bank account overnight. Any risks associated with such an account are investment risks of the fund. The fund faces the risk of loss of these balances if the bank becomes insolvent.
Variable and Floating Rate Securities provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate paid on the security. Variable rate securities provide for a specified periodic adjustment in the interest rate, while floating rate securities have interest rates that change whenever there is a change in a designated benchmark rate or the issuer's credit quality, sometimes subject to a cap or floor on such rate. Some variable or floating rate securities are structured with put features that permit holders to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of a variable or floating rate security, a fund's adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
In addition to other interbank offered rates (IBORs), the most common benchmark rate for floating rate securities is LIBOR, which is the rate of interest offered on short-term interbank deposits, as determined by trading between major international banks. After the global financial crisis, regulators globally determined that existing interest rate benchmarks should be reformed based on concerns that LIBOR and other IBORs were susceptible to manipulation. Replacement rates that have been identified include the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR, which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR and measures the cost of overnight borrowings through repurchase agreement transactions collateralized with U.S. Treasury securities) and the Sterling Overnight Index Average rate (SONIA, which is intended to replace pound sterling LIBOR and measures the overnight interest rate paid by banks for unsecured transactions in the sterling market). In 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. While various regulators and industry bodies are working globally on transitioning to alternative rates, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of the IBORs and the transition to, and the nature of, replacement rates. As such, the effect of a transition away from the IBORs on a fund and the financial instruments in which it invests cannot yet be determined. Such transition may result in a reduction in the value of IBOR-based instruments held by a fund, a reduction in the effectiveness of certain hedging transactions and increased illiquidity and volatility in markets that currently rely on an IBOR to determine interest rates, any of which could adversely impact the fund’s performance.
When-Issued and Forward Purchase or Sale Transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. Typically, no interest accrues to the purchaser until the security is delivered.
When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated. Because payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with a fund's investments. If a fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when a purchase is outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage. When a fund has sold a security pursuant to one of these transactions, the fund does not participate in further gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a delayed-delivery transaction fails to deliver or pay for the securities, a fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity or suffer a loss.
A fund may renegotiate a when-issued or forward transaction and may sell the underlying securities before delivery, which may result in capital gains or losses for the fund.
A fund may also engage in purchases or sales of "to be announced" or "TBA" securities, which usually are transactions in which a fund buys or sells mortgage-backed securities on a forward commitment basis. A TBA transaction typically does not designate the actual security to be delivered and only includes an approximate principal amount. TBA trades can be used by a fund for investment purposes in order to gain exposure to certain securities, or for hedging purposes to adjust the risk exposure of a fund portfolio without having to restructure a portfolio. Purchases and sales of TBA securities involve risks similar to those discussed above for other when-issued and forward purchase and sale transactions. In addition, when a fund sells TBA securities, it incurs risks similar to those incurred in short sales. For example, when a fund sells TBA securities without owning or having the right to obtain the deliverable securities, it incurs a risk of loss because it could have to purchase the securities at a price that is higher than the price at which it sold them. Also, a fund may be unable to purchase the deliverable securities if the corresponding market is illiquid. In such transactions, the fund will set aside liquid assets in an amount sufficient to offset its exposure as long as the fund's obligations are outstanding.
Under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative” intended to maximize liquidity for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities in the TBA market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to start issuing UMBS in place of their current separate offerings of TBA-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The effects of the issuance of UMBS on the TBA market are uncertain.
Zero Coupon Bonds do not make interest payments; instead, they are sold at a discount from their face value and are redeemed at face value when they mature. Because zero coupon bonds do not pay current income, their prices can be more volatile than other types of fixed-income securities when interest rates change. In calculating a fund's dividend, a portion of the difference between a zero coupon bond's purchase price and its face value is considered income.
In addition to the investment policies and limitations discussed above, a fund is subject to the additional operational risk discussed below.
Considerations Regarding Cybersecurity. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, a fund’s service providers are susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events and may arise from external or internal sources. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information; corrupting data, equipment or systems; or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting a fund’s manager, any sub-adviser and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of fund shareholders to transact business, destruction to equipment and systems, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which a fund invests, counterparties with which a fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for fund shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.
While a fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, a fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a fund or its shareholders. A fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
EXCHANGE TRADED FUND RISKS
Continuous Offering. The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), the fund's distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters," but are effecting transactions in shares of the fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the 1933 Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus-delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available from the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Listing and Trading. Shares of the fund have been approved for listing and trading on an exchange. The fund's shares trade on an exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from their NAV. The listing exchange may remove the fund's shares from listing if, among other things (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the fund's shares for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the indicative optimized portfolio value of the fund is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the listing exchange, makes further dealings on the exchange inadvisable. The listing exchange will remove the fund's shares from listing and trading upon termination of the trust. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund's shares will continue to be met.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that such a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the fund's shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
SPECIAL GEOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
Emerging Markets. Investments in companies domiciled in emerging market countries may be subject to potentially higher risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less oversight and regulation by local authorities; (iv) local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors, restrict an investor's ability to sell or redeem securities, decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; and/or may limit or entirely restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (v) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vi) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (vii) investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over those of foreign investors; (viii) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (ix) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities; and (x) infrequent financial reporting, substandard disclosure, and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer. In addition, unlike developed countries, many emerging countries' economic growth highly depends on exports and inflows of external capital, making them more vulnerable to the downturns of the world economy. The enduring low growth in the global economy has weakened the global demand for emerging market exports and tightened international credit supplies, highlighting the sensitivity of emerging economies to the performance of their trading partners. As the pace of economic growth in China declines and commodities continue to experience price volatility, emerging markets may face significant economic difficulties as demand for their exports weakens. Developing countries may also face disproportionately large exposure to the negative effects of climate change, due to both geography and a lack of access to technology to adapt to its effects, which could include increased frequency and severity of natural disasters and extreme weather events such as droughts, rising sea levels, decreased crop yields, and increased spread of disease, all of which could harm performance of affected economies. Given the particular vulnerability of emerging market countries to the effects of climate change, disruptions in international efforts to address climate-related issues may have a disproportionate impact on developing countries.
Many emerging market countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret or laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak, not enforced consistently, or non-existent. Sudden changes in governments or the transition of regimes may result in policies that are less favorable to investors such as the imposition of price controls or policies designed to expropriate or nationalize "sovereign" assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.
The United States, other nations, or other governmental entities (including supranational entities) could impose sanctions on a country involved in such conflicts that limit or restrict foreign investment, the movement of assets or other economic activity in that country. In addition, an imposition of sanctions upon certain issuers in a country could have a materially adverse effect on the value of such companies' securities, delay a fund's ability to exercise certain rights as security holder, and/or impair a fund's ability to meet its investment objectives. A fund may be prohibited from investing in securities issued by companies subject to such sanctions and may be required to freeze its existing investments in those companies, prohibiting the fund from selling or otherwise transacting in these investments. Such sanctions, or other intergovernmental actions that may be taken in the future, may result in the devaluation of the country's currency, a downgrade in the country's credit rating, and/or a decline in the value and liquidity of impacted company stocks.
Many emerging market countries in which a fund may invest lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic exhibited by developed countries. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, governmental corruption, social unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation (or taxes on foreign investments); and (v) imposition of trade barriers.
Currencies of emerging market countries are subject to significantly greater risks than currencies of developed countries. Some emerging market currencies may not be internationally traded or may be subject to strict controls by local governments, resulting in undervalued or overvalued currencies. Some emerging market countries have experienced balance of payment deficits and shortages in foreign exchange reserves, which has resulted in some governments restricting currency conversions. Future restrictive exchange controls could prevent or restrict a company's ability to make dividend or interest payments in the original currency of the obligation (usually U.S. dollars). In addition, even though the currencies of some emerging market countries may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the conversion rates may be artificial relative to their actual market values.
Governments of many emerging market countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs that cause huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have become too overwhelming for these governments to meet, as these payments may represent a large percentage of a country's total GDP. Accordingly, these foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate within emerging market countries, which has resulted in internal pressure for such governments to not make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for social programs. As a result of either an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, the governments sought to restructure their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments, or defaulted (in part or full) on their outstanding debt obligations. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by the governments and corporations domiciled in these emerging market countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well. Emerging markets have also benefited from continued monetary policies adopted by the central banks of developed countries. In recent years, interest rates in the U.S. and certain European countries have been at or near historically low levels. After a period of continuously raising interest rates, the U.S. Federal Reserve has begun, and may continue, to lower interest rates. To the extent the Federal Reserve Board raises interest rates, there is a risk that rates across the global financial system may rise.
In addition to their continued reliance on international capital markets, many emerging economies are also highly dependent on international trade and exports, including exports of oil and other commodities. As a result, these economies are particularly vulnerable to downturns of the world economy. In recent years, emerging market economies have been subject to tightened international credit supplies and weakened global demand for their exports and, as a result, certain of these economies faced significant difficulties and some economies face recessionary concerns. Over the last decade, emerging market countries, and companies domiciled in such countries, have acquired significant debt levels. Any increase in U.S. interest rates could restrict the access to relatively inexpensive credit supplies and jeopardize the ability of emerging market countries to pay their respective debt service obligations. Although certain emerging market economies have shown signs of growth and recovery, continued growth is dependent on the uncertain economic outlook of China, Japan, the European Union, and the United States. The reduced demand for exports and lack of available capital for investment resulting from the European debt crisis, a slowdown in China, and persistent low growth in the global economy may inhibit growth for emerging market countries.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities are placed on behalf of the fund by FIMM pursuant to authority contained in the management contract. To the extent that FIMM grants investment management authority to a sub-adviser (see the section entitled "Management Contract"), that sub-adviser is authorized to provide the services described in the respective sub-advisory agreement, and in accordance with the policies described in this section. Furthermore, the sub-adviser's trading and associated policies, which may differ from FIMM's policies, may apply to that fund, subject to applicable law.
FIMM or a sub-adviser may be responsible for the placement of portfolio securities transactions for other investment companies and investment accounts for which it has or its affiliates have investment discretion.
The fund will not incur any commissions or sales charges when it invests in shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds), but it may incur such costs when it invests directly in other types of securities.
Purchases and sales of equity securities on a securities exchange or OTC are effected through brokers who receive compensation for their services. Generally, compensation relating to securities traded on foreign exchanges will be higher than compensation relating to securities traded on U.S. exchanges and may not be subject to negotiation. Compensation may also be paid in connection with principal transactions (in both OTC securities and securities listed on an exchange) and agency OTC transactions executed with an electronic communications network (ECN) or an alternative trading system. Equity securities may be purchased from underwriters at prices that include underwriting fees.
Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities are generally made with an issuer or a primary market-maker acting as principal. Although there is no stated brokerage commission paid by the fund for any fixed-income security, the price paid by the fund to an underwriter includes the disclosed underwriting fee and prices in secondary trades usually include an undisclosed dealer commission or markup reflecting the spread between the bid and ask prices of the fixed-income security. New issues of equity and fixed-income securities may also be purchased in underwritten fixed price offerings.
The Trustees of the fund periodically review FIMM's performance of its responsibilities in connection with the placement of portfolio securities transactions on behalf of the fund. The Trustees also review the compensation paid by the fund over representative periods of time to determine if it was reasonable in relation to the benefits to the fund.
FIMM.
The Selection of Securities Brokers and Dealers
FIMM or its affiliates generally have authority to select securities brokers (whether acting as a broker or a dealer) to place or execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions. In selecting securities brokers, including affiliates of FIMM, to execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates consider the factors they deem relevant in the context of a particular trade and in regard to FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities with respect to the fund and other investment accounts, including any instructions from the fund's portfolio manager. Based on the factors considered, FIMM or its affiliates may choose to execute an order by using an electronic trading platform or by calling one or more dealers. Other possibly relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, the following: price; the size and type of the securities transaction; the reasonableness of compensation to be paid, including spreads and commission rates; the speed and certainty of trade executions, including broker willingness to commit capital; the nature and characteristics of the markets for the security to be purchased or sold, including the degree of specialization of the broker in such markets or securities; the availability of liquidity in the security, including the liquidity provided by individual brokers; the reliability of a broker; the broker's overall trading relationship with FIMM or its affiliates; the trader's assessment of whether and how closely the broker likely will follow the trader's instructions to the broker; the degree of anonymity that a particular broker can provide; the potential for avoiding or lessening market impact; the execution services rendered on a continuing basis; the execution efficiency, settlement capability, and financial condition of the broker or dealer; arrangements for payment of fund expenses, if applicable; and the provision of additional brokerage and research products and services, if applicable.
The trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities.
The Acquisition of Brokerage and Research Products and Services
Brokers (who are not affiliates of FIMM) that execute transactions for the fund may receive higher compensation from the fund than other brokers might have charged the fund, in recognition of the value of the brokerage or research products and services they provide to FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Products and Services. These products and services may include, when permissible under applicable law: economic, industry, company, municipal, sovereign (U.S. and non-U.S.), legal, or political research reports; market color; company meeting facilitation; compilation of securities prices, earnings, dividends and similar data; quotation services, data, information and other services; analytical computer software and services; and investment recommendations. In addition to receiving brokerage and research products and services via written reports and computer-delivered services, such reports may also be provided by telephone and in-person meetings with securities analysts, corporate and industry spokespersons, economists, academicians and government representatives and others with relevant professional expertise. FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service. Some of these brokerage and research products and services supplement FIMM's or its affiliates' own research activities in providing investment advice to the fund.Execution Services. In addition, when permissible under applicable law, brokerage and research products and services may include, those that assist in the execution, clearing, and settlement of securities transactions, as well as other incidental functions (including, but not limited to, communication services related to trade execution, order routing and algorithmic trading, post-trade matching, exchange of messages among brokers or dealers, custodians and institutions, and the use of electronic confirmation and affirmation of institutional trades).
Mixed-Use Products and Services. Although FIMM or its affiliates do not use fund commissions to pay for products or services that do not qualify as brokerage and research products and services, they may use commission dollars to obtain certain products or services that are not used exclusively in FIMM's or its affiliates' investment decision-making process (mixed-use products or services). In those circumstances, FIMM or its affiliates will make a good faith judgment to evaluate the various benefits and uses to which they intend to put the mixed-use product or service, and will pay for that portion of the mixed-use product or service that does not qualify as brokerage and research products and services with their own resources (referred to as "hard dollars").
Benefit to FIMM. FIMM's or its affiliates' expenses likely would be increased if they attempted to generate these additional brokerage and research products and services through their own efforts, or if they paid for these brokerage and research products or services with their own resources. To minimize the potential for conflicts of interest, the trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities. Furthermore, certain of the brokerage and research products and services FIMM or its affiliates receive are furnished by brokers on their own initiative, either in connection with a particular transaction or as part of their overall services. Some of these brokerage and research products or services may be provided at no additional cost to FIMM or its affiliates or have no explicit cost associated with them. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service, certain of which third-party products or services may be provided by a broker that is not a party to a particular transaction and is not connected with the transacting broker's overall services.
FIMM's Decision-Making Process. In connection with the allocation of fund brokerage, FIMM or its affiliates make a good faith determination that the compensation paid to brokers and dealers is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research products and services provided to FIMM or its affiliates, viewed in terms of the particular transaction for the fund or FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities to that fund or other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion; however, each brokerage and research product or service received in connection with the fund's brokerage may not benefit the fund. While FIMM or its affiliates may take into account the brokerage and/or research products and services provided by a broker or dealer in determining whether compensation paid is reasonable, neither FIMM, its affiliates, nor the fund incur an obligation to any broker, dealer, or third party to pay for any brokerage and research product or service (or portion thereof) by generating a specific amount of compensation or otherwise. Typically, these brokerage and research products and services assist FIMM or its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to the fund or any other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion. Certain funds or investment accounts may use brokerage commissions to acquire brokerage and research products and services that may also benefit other funds or accounts managed by FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Contracts. FIMM or its affiliates have arrangements with certain third-party research providers and brokers through whom FIMM or its affiliates effect fund trades, whereby FIMM or its affiliates may pay with fund commissions or hard dollars for all or a portion of the cost of research products and services purchased from such research providers or brokers. If hard dollar payments are used, FIMM or its affiliates may still cause the fund to pay more for execution than the lowest commission rate available from the broker providing research products and services to FIMM or its affiliates, or that may be available from another broker. FIMM or its affiliates view hard dollar payments for research products and services as likely to reduce the fund's total commission costs. FIMM's or its affiliates' determination to pay for research products and services separately is wholly voluntary on FIMM's or its affiliates' part and may be extended to additional brokers or discontinued with any broker participating in this arrangement.
Affiliated Transactions
FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with certain brokers, including NFS and Luminex Trading & Analytics LLC (Luminex), with whom they are under common control or affiliated, provided FIMM or its affiliates determine that these affiliates' trade-execution abilities and costs are comparable to those of non-affiliated, qualified brokerage firms, and that such transactions be executed in accordance with applicable rules under the 1940 Act and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the fund and subject to other applicable law. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with brokers that use NFS or Fidelity Clearing Canada ULC (FCC) as a clearing agent.
The Trustees of the fund have approved procedures whereby a fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the adviser or certain other affiliates participate. In addition, for underwritings where such an affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the fund could purchase in the underwritings.
Non-U.S. Securities Transactions
To facilitate trade settlement and related activities in non-United States securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates may effect spot foreign currency transactions with foreign currency dealers. In certain circumstances, due to local law and regulation, logistical or operational challenges, or the process for settling securities transactions in certain markets (e.g., short settlement periods), spot currency transactions may be effected on behalf of funds by parties other than FIMM or its affiliates, including funds' custodian banks (working through sub-custodians or agents in the relevant non-U.S. jurisdiction) or broker-dealers that executed the related securities transaction.
Trade Allocation
Although the Trustees and officers of the fund are substantially the same as those of certain other Fidelity® funds, investment decisions for the fund are made independently from those of other Fidelity® funds or investment accounts (including proprietary accounts). The same security is often held in the portfolio of more than one of these funds or investment accounts. Simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several funds and investment accounts are managed by the same investment adviser, or an affiliate thereof, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objective of more than one fund or investment account.
When two or more funds or investment accounts are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or instrument, the prices and amounts are allocated in accordance with procedures believed by FIMM to be appropriate and equitable to each fund or investment account. In some cases this could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security or instrument as far as the fund is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability of the fund to participate in volume transactions will produce better executions and prices for the fund.
FMR Co., Inc. (FMRC).
The Selection of Securities Brokers and Dealers
FMRC or its affiliates generally have authority to select securities brokers (whether acting as a broker or a dealer) to place or execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions. In selecting securities brokers, including affiliates of FMRC, to execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions, FMRC or its affiliates consider the factors they deem relevant in the context of a particular trade and in regard to FMRC's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities with respect to the fund and other investment accounts, including any instructions from the fund's portfolio manager, which may emphasize, for example, speed of execution over other factors. Based on the factors considered, FMRC or its affiliates may choose to execute an order using ECNs or venues, including algorithmic trading, crossing networks, direct market access and program trading, or by actively working an order. Other possibly relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, the following: price; the size and type of the securities transaction; the reasonableness of compensation to be paid, including spreads and commission rates; the speed and certainty of trade executions, including broker willingness to commit capital; the nature and characteristics of the markets for the security to be purchased or sold, including the degree of specialization of the broker in such markets or securities; the availability of liquidity in the security, including the liquidity and depth afforded by a market center or market-maker; the reliability of a market center or broker; the broker's overall trading relationship with FMRC or its affiliates; the trader's assessment of whether and how closely the broker likely will follow the trader's instructions to the broker; the degree of anonymity that a particular broker or market can provide; the potential for avoiding or lessening market impact; the execution services rendered on a continuing basis; the execution efficiency, settlement capability, and financial condition of the broker or dealer; arrangements for payment of fund expenses, if applicable; and the provision of additional brokerage and research products and services, if applicable and where allowed by law.
In seeking best qualitative execution for portfolio securities transactions, FMRC or its affiliates may select a broker that uses a trading method, including algorithmic trading, for which the broker may charge a higher commission than its lowest available commission rate. FMRC or its affiliates also may select a broker that charges more than the lowest commission rate available from another broker. FMRC or its affiliates may execute an entire securities transaction with a broker and allocate all or a portion of the transaction and/or related commissions to a second broker where a client does not permit trading with an affiliate of FMRC or in other limited situations. In those situations, the commission rate paid to the second broker may be higher than the commission rate paid to the executing broker. For futures transactions, the selection of an FCM is generally based on the overall quality of execution and other services provided by the FCM. FMRC or its affiliates may choose to execute futures transactions electronically.
The Acquisition of Brokerage and Research Products and Services
Brokers (who are not affiliates of FMRC) that execute transactions for the fund managed outside of the European Union may receive higher compensation from the fund than other brokers might have charged the fund, in recognition of the value of the brokerage or research products and services they provide to FMRC or its affiliates.
Research Products and Services. These products and services may include, when permissible under applicable law, but are not limited to: economic, industry, company, municipal, sovereign (U.S. and non-U.S.), legal, or political research reports; market color; company meeting facilitation; compilation of securities prices, earnings, dividends and similar data; quotation services, data, information and other services; analytical computer software and services; and investment recommendations. In addition to receiving brokerage and research products and services via written reports and computer-delivered services, such reports may also be provided by telephone and in-person meetings with securities analysts, corporate and industry spokespersons, economists, academicians and government representatives and others with relevant professional expertise. FMRC or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service. Some of these brokerage and research products and services supplement FMRC's or its affiliates' own research activities in providing investment advice to the fund.Execution Services. In addition, when permissible under applicable law, brokerage and research products and services may include, those that assist in the execution, clearing, and settlement of securities transactions, as well as other incidental functions (including, but not limited to, communication services related to trade execution, order routing and algorithmic trading, post-trade matching, exchange of messages among brokers or dealers, custodians and institutions, and the use of electronic confirmation and affirmation of institutional trades).
Mixed-Use Products and Services. Although FMRC or its affiliates do not use fund commissions to pay for products or services that do not qualify as brokerage and research products and services or eligible external research under MiFID II and FCA regulations (as defined below), where allowed by applicable law, they may use commission dollars to obtain certain products or services that are not used exclusively in FMRC's or its affiliates' investment decision-making process (mixed-use products or services). In those circumstances, FMRC or its affiliates will make a good faith judgment to evaluate the various benefits and uses to which they intend to put the mixed-use product or service, and will pay for that portion of the mixed-use product or service that does not qualify as brokerage and research products and services or eligible external research with their own resources (referred to as "hard dollars").
Benefit to FMRC. FMRC's or its affiliates' expenses likely would be increased if they attempted to generate these additional brokerage and research products and services through their own efforts, or if they paid for these brokerage and research products or services with their own resources. To minimize the potential for conflicts of interest, the trading desks through which FMRC or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities. Furthermore, certain of the brokerage and research products and services that FMRC or its affiliates receive are furnished by brokers on their own initiative, either in connection with a particular transaction or as part of their overall services. Some of these brokerage and research products or services may be provided at no additional cost to FMRC or its affiliates or have no explicit cost associated with them. In addition, FMRC or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service, certain of which third-party products or services may be provided by a broker that is not a party to a particular transaction and is not connected with the transacting broker's overall services.
FMRC's Decision-Making Process. In connection with the allocation of fund brokerage, FMRC or its affiliates make a good faith determination that the compensation paid to brokers and dealers is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research products and services provided to FMRC or its affiliates, viewed in terms of the particular transaction for the fund or FMRC's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities to that fund or other investment companies and investment accounts for which FMRC or its affiliates have investment discretion; however, each brokerage and research product or service received in connection with the fund's brokerage may not benefit the fund. While FMRC or its affiliates may take into account the brokerage and/or research products and services provided by a broker or dealer in determining whether compensation paid is reasonable, neither FMRC, its affiliates, nor the fund incur an obligation to any broker, dealer, or third party to pay for any brokerage and research product or service (or portion thereof) by generating a specific amount of compensation or otherwise. Typically, these brokerage and research products and services assist FMRC or its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to the fund or any other investment companies and investment accounts for which FMRC or its affiliates have investment discretion. Certain funds or investment accounts may use brokerage commissions to acquire brokerage and research products and services that may also benefit other funds or accounts managed by FMRC or its affiliates.
Research Contracts. FMRC or its affiliates have arrangements with certain third-party research providers and brokers through whom FMRC or its affiliates effect fund trades, whereby FMRC or its affiliates may pay with fund commissions or hard dollars for all or a portion of the cost of research products and services purchased from such research providers or brokers. If hard dollar payments are used, FMRC or its affiliates may still cause the fund to pay more for execution than the lowest commission rate available from the broker providing research products and services to FMRC or its affiliates, or that may be available from another broker. FMRC or its affiliates view hard dollar payments for research products and services as likely to reduce the fund's total commission costs even though it is expected that in such hard dollar arrangements the commissions available for recapture and used to pay fund expenses, as described below, will decrease. FMRC's or its affiliates' determination to pay for research products and services separately is wholly voluntary on FMRC's or its affiliates' part and may be extended to additional brokers or discontinued with any broker participating in this arrangement.
Funds Managed within the European Union. FMRC and its affiliates have established policies and procedures relating to brokerage commission uses in compliance with the revised Markets in Financial Instruments Directive in the European Union, commonly referred to as “MiFID II”, and the implementation of MiFID II within the United Kingdom through the Conduct of Business Sourcebook Rules of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), where applicable.
Funds, or portions thereof, that are managed within the European Union by an FMRC affiliate will use research payment accounts (RPAs) to cover costs associated with high yield and equity external research that is consumed by those accounts in accordance with MiFID II and FCA regulations. With RPAs, funds pay for external research through a separate research charge that is generally assessed and collected alongside the execution commission1. For funds that use an RPA, FMRC or its affiliates will establish a research budget. The budget will be set by first grouping accounts by strategy (e.g., asset allocation, blend, growth, etc.), and then determining what external research is consumed to support the strategies and portfolio management services provided within the European Union. In this regard, research budgets are set by research need and are not otherwise linked to the volume or value of transactions executed on behalf of the account. For funds where portions are managed both within and outside of the European Union, external research may be paid using both soft dollars and an RPA. Determinations as to what is eligible research and how costs are allocated will be made in accordance with FMRC’s and its affiliates’ policies and procedures. Costs for research consumed by funds that use an RPA will be allocated among the accounts within defined strategies pro rata based on the assets under management for each account. While the research charge paid on behalf of any one fund that uses an RPA may vary over time, the overall research charge determined at the fund level on an annual basis will not be exceeded.
If the costs of paying for external research exceed the amount collected from funds in a given strategy, FMRC or its affiliates may continue to charge those accounts beyond the agreed amount in accordance with the requirements of MiFID II, continue to acquire external research for the accounts using its own resources (referred to as “hard dollars”), or cease to purchase external research for those accounts until the next annual research budget. In the event that assets for specific funds remain in the RPA at the end of a period, they may be rolled over to the next period to offset next year’s research charges for those funds or rebated to those funds.
Funds that trade only fixed income securities will not participate in RPAs because fixed income securities trade based on spreads rather than commissions, and thus unbundling the execution commission and research charge is impractical. Therefore, FMRC and its affiliates have established policies and procedures to ensure that external research that is paid for through RPAs is not made available to portfolio managers in the European Union that manage fixed income accounts in any manner inconsistent with MiFID II and FCA regulations.
1The staff of the SEC addressed concerns that reliance on an RPA mechanism to pay for research would not be deemed a “commission” for purposes of Section 28(e) by indicating that they would not recommend enforcement against investment advisers who used an RPA to pay for research and brokerage services so long as certain conditions were met. Therefore, references to “research charges” as part of the RPA mechanism to satisfy MiFID II requirements can be considered commissions for Section 28(e) purposes.
Commission Recapture
FMRC or its affiliates may allocate brokerage transactions to brokers (who are not affiliates of FMRC) who have entered into arrangements with FMRC or its affiliates under which the broker may rebate a portion of the compensation paid by a fund ("commission recapture"). Not all brokers with whom the fund trades have been asked to participate in brokerage commission recapture.
Affiliated Transactions
FMRC or its affiliates may place trades with certain brokers, including NFS and Luminex, with whom they are under common control or affiliated, provided FMRC or its affiliates determine that these affiliates' trade-execution abilities and costs are comparable to those of non-affiliated, qualified brokerage firms, and that such transactions be executed in accordance with applicable rules under the 1940 Act and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the fund and subject to other applicable law. In addition, FMRC or its affiliates may place trades with brokers that use NFS or FCC as a clearing agent.
The Trustees of the fund have approved procedures whereby a fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the adviser or certain other affiliates participate. In addition, for underwritings where such an affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the fund could purchase in the underwritings.
Non-U.S. Securities Transactions
To facilitate trade settlement and related activities in non-United States securities transactions, FMRC or its affiliates may effect spot foreign currency transactions with foreign currency dealers. In certain circumstances, due to local law and regulation, logistical or operational challenges, or the process for settling securities transactions in certain markets (e.g., short settlement periods), spot currency transactions may be effected on behalf of funds by parties other than FMRC or its affiliates, including funds' custodian banks (working through sub-custodians or agents in the relevant non-U.S. jurisdiction) or broker-dealers that executed the related securities transaction.
Trade Allocation
Although the Trustees and officers of the fund are substantially the same as those of certain other Fidelity® funds, investment decisions for the fund are made independently from those of other Fidelity® funds or investment accounts (including proprietary accounts). The same security is often held in the portfolio of more than one of these funds or investment accounts. Simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several funds and investment accounts are managed by the same investment adviser, or an affiliate thereof, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objective of more than one fund or investment account.
When two or more funds or investment accounts are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or instrument, the prices and amounts are allocated in accordance with procedures believed by FMRC to be appropriate and equitable to each fund or investment account. In some cases this could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security or instrument as far as the fund is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability of the fund to participate in volume transactions will produce better executions and prices for the fund.
Commissions Paid
A fund may pay compensation including both commissions and spreads in connection with the placement of portfolio transactions. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by a fund may change from year to year because of, among other things, changing asset levels, shareholder activity, and/or portfolio turnover.
The following table shows the fund's portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal periods ended August 31, 2019 and 2018. Variations in turnover rate may be due to a fluctuating volume of shareholder purchase and redemption orders, market conditions, and/or changes in FIMM's investment outlook, as well as changes in mortgage dollar roll transaction volume.
| Turnover Rates | 2019 | 2018 |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | 150% | 91% |
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund held securities issued by one or more of its regular brokers or dealers or a parent company of its regular brokers or dealers. The following table shows the aggregate value of the securities of the regular broker or dealer or parent company held by the fund as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019.
| Fund | Regular Broker or Dealer |
Aggregate Value of
Securities Held |
| Fidelity Total Bond ETF | Bank of America Corp. | $ 5,585,574 |
| Barclays Capital, Inc. | $ 3,188,911 | |
| Citigroup, Inc. | $ 6,264,404 | |
| Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. | $ 2,319,682 | |
| Fidelity Cash Central Fund | $ 22,928,175 | |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $ 5,944,697 | |
| Morgan Stanley | $ 9,225,725 | |
| The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | $ 6,641,390 |
For the fiscal years ended August 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the fund paid no brokerage commissions.
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2018, the fund paid no brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
During the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2019, the fund did not allocate brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
VALUATION
The NAV is the value of a single share. NAV is computed by adding the value of a fund's investments, cash, and other assets, subtracting its liabilities, and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding.
The value of fund shares bought and sold in the secondary market is driven by market price. The price of these shares, like the price of all traded securities, is subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the portfolio securities held by a fund. Secondary market shares, available for purchase or sale on an intraday basis, do not have a fixed relationship either to the previous day's NAV nor the current day's NAV. Prices in the secondary market, therefore, may be below, at, or above the most recently calculated NAV of such shares.
In order to provide investors with a basis to gauge whether the market price of the shares on the listing exchange is approximately consistent with the current value of the assets of the fund on a per share basis, an updated value of the fund’s shares is disseminated intraday (“IIV” and also known as the Indicative Optimized Portfolio Value) through the facilities of ICE Data Indices, LLC. IIVs are disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day. The fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no warranty as to their accuracy.
The IIV has a securities component and a cash component reflecting cash and other assets that may be held by the fund. The securities values included in the IIV are the values of the Deposit Securities (as defined below under the heading "Buying and Selling Information-Portfolio Deposit") for the fund. While the IIV reflects the approximate current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the fund's IIV disseminated during the listing exchange's trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the fund's NAV, which is calculated only once a day. The IIV is generally determined by using current market quotations or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the fund. The quotations of certain fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the United States and thus may not reflect the current fair value of those securities.
The cash component included in the IIV could consist of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, the IIV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for pricing, but has delegated day-to-day valuation responsibilities to FIMM. FIMM may rely on information and recommendations provided by the FMR Fair Value Committee (the Committee) to fulfill these responsibilities.
Shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds) held by a fund are valued at their respective NAVs. If an underlying fund's NAV is unavailable, shares of that underlying fund will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies.
Generally, other portfolio securities and assets held by a fund, as well as portfolio securities and assets held by an underlying central fund, are valued as follows:
Most equity securities are valued at the official closing price or the last reported sale price or, if no sale has occurred, at the last quoted bid price on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded.
Debt securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available may be valued at market values in the principal market in which they normally are traded, as furnished by recognized dealers in such securities or assets. Or, debt securities and convertible securities may be valued on the basis of information furnished by a pricing service that uses a valuation matrix which incorporates both dealer-supplied valuations and electronic data processing techniques.
Short-term securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less for which market quotations and information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available may be valued at amortized cost, which approximates current value.
Futures contracts are valued at the settlement or closing price. Options are valued at their market quotations, if available. Swaps are valued daily using quotations received from independent pricing services or recognized dealers.
Prices described above are obtained from pricing services that have been approved by the Board of Trustees. A number of pricing services are available and the funds may use more than one of these services. The funds may also discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time. FIMM engages in oversight activities with respect to the fund's pricing services, which includes, among other things, testing the prices provided by pricing services prior to calculation of a fund's NAV, conducting periodic due diligence meetings, and periodically reviewing the methodologies and inputs used by these services.
Foreign securities and instruments are valued in their local currency following the methodologies described above. Foreign securities, instruments and currencies are translated to U.S. dollars, based on foreign currency exchange rate quotations supplied by a pricing service as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which uses a proprietary model to determine the exchange rate. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at an interpolated rate based on days to maturity between the closest preceding and subsequent settlement period reported by the third party pricing service.
Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available or, in the opinion of the Committee, are deemed unreliable will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. For example, if, in the opinion of the Committee, a security's value has been materially affected by events occurring before a fund's pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. In fair valuing a security, the Committee may consider factors including price movements in futures contracts and ADRs, market and trading trends, the bid/ask quotes of brokers, and off-exchange institutional trading.
In determining the fair value of a private placement security for which market quotations are not available, the Committee generally applies one or more valuation methods including the market approach, income approach and cost approach. The market approach considers factors including the price of recent investments in the same or a similar security or financial metrics of comparable securities. The income approach considers factors including expected future cash flows, security specific risks and corresponding discount rates. The cost approach considers factors including the value of the security’s underlying assets and liabilities.
The fund's adviser reports to the Board on the Committee’s activities and fair value determinations. The Board monitors the appropriateness of the procedures used in valuing the fund’s investments and ratifies the fair value determinations of the Committee.
BUYING AND SELLING INFORMATION
Book-Entry Only System. The Depository Trust Company (DTC) acts as securities depository for the shares. Shares of the fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Certificates will not be issued for shares.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among DTC participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers, and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC participant, either directly or indirectly.
Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC participants and persons holding interests through DTC participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of beneficial interests are referred to herein as Beneficial Owners) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC participants) and on the records of DTC participants (with respect to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through a DTC participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the trust a listing of the shares of the fund held by each DTC participant. The trust shall inquire of each such DTC participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding fund shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC participant. The trust shall provide each such DTC participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the trust shall pay to each such DTC participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC participants to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC participants.
The trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC participants or the relationship between such DTC participants and the indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares, unless the trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the listing exchange.
Creation Units. The trust issues and redeems shares of the fund only in Creation Unit aggregations on a continuous basis through FDC, without a sales load, at its NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. An Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. Each Creation Unit consists of a block of 50,000 shares.
A "Business Day" with respect to the fund is any day on which the listing exchange or the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of the prospectus, the listing exchange and the NYSE observe the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President's Day (Washington's Birthday) (U.S.), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (U.S.), Labor Day (U.S.), Thanksgiving Day (U.S.), and Christmas Day.
To be eligible to place orders to purchase a Creation Unit of the fund, an entity must be an "Authorized Participant" which is either (i) a "Participating Party," i.e., broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC (the Clearing Process); or (ii) a DTC participant, and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with FDC, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (Participant Agreement). All shares of the fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC participant.
The fund reserves the right to adjust the prices of fund shares and the number of shares in a Creation Unit in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the fund.
Portfolio Deposit. The fund generally expects to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a specified all-cash payment (Cash Deposit). Alternatively, the fund may issue Creation Units in exchange for consideration that consists of an in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (Deposit Securities) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (Cash Component) computed as described herein. The Cash Deposit, or alternatively, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component together, constitute the "Portfolio Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit. In the event the fund requires Deposit Securities and a Cash Component in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Component is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.
FIMM, or its agent, makes available through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) on each Business Day, prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the amount of the Cash Deposit and/or the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit composition is made available.
The amount of the Cash Deposit (or identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities and the amount of the Cash Component) required for a Portfolio Deposit for the fund changes as corporate action events, such as dividends, splits, and rights issues, are reflected from time to time by FIMM with a view to the investment objective of the fund. In the event that the fund issues Creation Units in exchange for consideration that includes Deposit Securities and a Cash Component, the fund reserves the right to permit the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a cash in lieu amount) to replace any Deposit Security which may, among other reasons, not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC, the Federal Reserve System or the Clearing Process, not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the trust as a result of an in-kind purchase order pursuant to local law or market convention, restricted under the securities laws or which may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting. In such cases where the fund purchases portfolio securities with cash, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities were purchased by the fund and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at FIMM's discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees and taxes. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the fund's acquisition of Deposit Securities will be at the expense of the fund and will affect the value of all shares of the fund; but FIMM may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the Deposit Securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Component to protect ongoing shareholders. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to FIMM on the date of the announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the fund's holdings or resulting from certain corporate actions.
Procedures for Creation Unit Purchases. All purchase orders must be placed for one or more Creation Units. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be received by FDC or its agent no later than the closing time of regular trading hours on the listing exchange or the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) (the Closing Time), or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in the case of nonconforming orders, in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. A nonconforming order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the fund permits the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to FDC pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communications failure may impede the ability to reach FDC or an Authorized Participant.
All orders to purchase Creation Units shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, including payments of cash to pay the Cash Deposit (or Cash Component, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement.
Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to FDC prior to the applicable deadlines on the Transmittal Date. Authorized participants may ascertain the deadlines applicable to the Federal Reserve Bank wire system and DTC by contacting the operations department of the depository institution or broker effecting such transfer of the Cash Deposit (or Deposit Securities and Cash Component).
Portfolio Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and government securities) and through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) by an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Portfolio Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the fund by no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern time of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will purchase and redeem Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the fund, whose determination shall be final and binding. For purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the fund's custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the fund's custodian no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on the next Business Day immediately following such Transmittal Date. An order to purchase Creation Units is deemed received by FDC on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by FDC or its agent not later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the fund's custodian does not receive, with respect to purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the Cash Component by 10:00 a.m., or the required Deposit Securities together with the associated Cash Component by 1:00 p.m. on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be deemed not in proper form and canceled. Upon written notice to FDC, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Portfolio Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the next calculated NAV of the fund. The delivery of Creation Units so purchased will occur not later than the second (2nd) Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by FDC.
FDC or its agent will inform the transfer agent, FIMM and the fund's custodian upon receipt of a purchase order. The custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate subcustodian. The custodian will cause the subcustodian to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or "cash in lieu" amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the purchase transaction fee described below.
Once the trust has accepted a purchase order, the trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. FDC or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.
Creation Units will not be issued until the payment of the Cash Deposit (or the transfer of good title to the trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component) has been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian, FDC and FIMM will be notified of such delivery and the trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.
Creation Units may be created in advance of receipt by the fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component (including any Transaction Fees), plus (ii) 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (Additional Cash Deposit). The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such date and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the fund's custodian by 10:00 a.m. Eastern time the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 3:00 p.m. or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 10:00 a.m. the next Business Day, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the fund, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the fund in an amount at least equal to 115% of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. In the sole discretion of the fund following the Business Day on which the order was received the fund may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants will be liable to the fund for the costs incurred by the fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by FDC plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing any missing Deposit Securities and the value of the collateral. The fund will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by FDC or purchased by the fund and deposited into the fund.
Acceptance of Purchase Orders. The fund reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by FDC if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the fund; (iii) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; (iv) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of the fund, be unlawful; (v) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the fund or FIMM, have an adverse effect on the fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vi) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the fund, make it impossible to process creation orders for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include, without limitation, acts of God; public service or utility problems such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme weather conditions, and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy, and computer failures; wars; civil or military disturbances, including acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the fund, FMR, FIMM, FDC, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, or any other participant in the purchase process, and similar extraordinary events. The fund and FDC have the right to require information to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of (ii) above should it so choose or to rely on a certification from a broker-dealer who is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. as to the cost basis of Deposit Securities. If creations are on an in-kind basis, the fund further reserves the absolute right to reject or suspend an order transmitted to it by FDC and/or the transfer agent in respect of the fund if: (i) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; or (ii) for any other reasons as specified herein. FDC or the fund shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on the purchaser's behalf, of its rejection of the purchaser's order. The fund, the transfer agent, and FDC are under no duty, however, to verify or give notification of any defects or irregularities in any written order or in the delivery of a Portfolio Deposit, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the fund through the transfer agent and only on a Business Day through an Authorized Participant that has entered into a Participant Agreement. The fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit-size aggregations. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
FIMM, through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) makes available immediately prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of the basket of securities (Fund Securities) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit may consist of Fund Securities - as announced by FIMM, or its agent, on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form - plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of the request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (Cash Redemption Amount), less a redemption transaction fee and any variable fee as listed below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to the fund equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the fund will substitute a cash-in-lieu amount to replace any Fund Security that is a non-deliverable instrument. The amount of the cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Fund Security.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the fund (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares or determination of the fund's NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.
Orders to redeem Creation Units must be delivered through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem Creation Units is deemed received by the fund on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received in proper form by the transfer agent not later than the Closing Time (or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) for nonconforming orders) on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the fund's custodian no later than 1:00 p.m., for the shares, and 3:00 p.m., for the Cash Redemption Amount, Eastern time on the next Business Day following such Transmittal Date (the DTC Cut-Off-Time); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred by the second (2nd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received, which will generally be no more than seven (7) days after such request for redemption but may be up to fifteen days for funds that invest in foreign securities. In certain cases, Authorized Participants will redeem and purchase Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
If the fund determines, based on information available to the fund when a redemption request is submitted by an Authorized Participant, that: (i) the short interest of the fund in the marketplace is greater than or equal to 100%; and (ii) the orders in the aggregate from all Authorized Participants redeeming shares on a Business Day represent 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the fund, such Authorized Participant will be required to verify to the fund the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption. If, after receiving notice of the verification requirement, the Authorized Participant does not verify the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption in accordance with this requirement, its redemption request will be considered not to have been received in proper form.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement, in the event the Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Units to be redeemed to FDC, on behalf of the fund, at or prior to the closing time of regular trading on the listing exchange (or the NYSE if the listing exchange is not open that) on the date such redemption request is submitted, FDC will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing fund shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 115% of the value of the missing fund shares. The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately-available funds and shall be held by the fund and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the fund and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance, and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Participant Agreement will permit the fund to purchase the missing fund shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Balancing Amount underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Balancing Amount and the value of the collateral.
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by Fidelity Service Company, Inc. (FSC) according to the procedures set forth in the section entitled "Valuation" computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the transfer agent. Therefore, if a conforming redemption order in proper form is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the fund are delivered to the fund's custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by FSC on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a conforming redemption order is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than the Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time as described above on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed as of the Closing Time on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the transfer agent, i.e., the Business Day on which the shares of the fund are delivered through DTC to FDC by the DTC Cut-Off-Time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
The fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. The fund generally expects to effect redemptions for cash. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper from (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities).
Redemption of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or a Beneficial Owner for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.
In connection with taking delivery of shares for Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdictions, the trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.
The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as "informal holidays" (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future. For the period December 30, 2019 through December 31, 2020, the dates of regular holidays affecting the relevant securities markets in which the fund invest are as follows (the following holiday schedules are subject to potential changes in the securities market):
The longest redemption cycle for foreign funds is a function of the longest redemption cycle among the countries whose securities comprise the funds. For the period December 30, 2019 through December 31, 2020, the dates of regular holidays affecting the following securities markets present the worst-case (longest) redemption cycle* for foreign funds as follows:
SETTLEMENT PERIODS GREATER THAN SEVEN DAYS FOR PERIOD DECEMBER 30, 2019 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
| Beginning of Settlement Period | End of Settlement Period | Number of Days in Settlement Period | |
| Australia | 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/09/2020 | 04/17/2020 | 8 | |
| 12/21/2020 | 12/29/2020 | 8 | |
| 12/24/2020 | 01/02/2021 | 11 | |
| Denmark | 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| Israel | 03/03/2020 | 03/12/2020 | 9 |
| 03/04/2020 | 03/16/2020 | 12 | |
| 03/05/2020 | 03/17/2020 | 12 | |
| 03/09/2020 | 03/18/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/02/2020 | 04/13/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/20/2020 | 13 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/21/2020 | 13 | |
| Japan | 04/28/2020 | 05/07/2020 | 9 |
| 04/30/2020 | 05/08/2020 | 8 | |
| 05/01/2020 | 05/11/2020 | 10 | |
| Mexico | 04/03/2020 | 04/13/2020 | 10 |
| 04/06/2020 | 04/14/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| Norway | 04/07/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 8 |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 8 | |
| Spain | 01/02/2020 | 01/14/2020 | 13 |
| 01/03/2020 | 01/15/2020 | 12 | |
| 01/03/2020 | 01/16/2020 | 13 | |
| 04/23/2020 | 05/05/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/24/2020 | 05/06/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/27/2020 | 05/07/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/28/2020 | 05/08/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/29/2020 | 05/11/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/30/2020 | 05/12/2020 | 11 | |
| 12/24/2020 | 01/06/2021 | 12 | |
| Switzerland | 04/03/2020 | 04/15/2020 | 11 |
| 04/06/2020 | 04/16/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/07/2020 | 04/17/2020 | 9 | |
| 04/08/2020 | 04/20/2020 | 11 | |
| 04/09/2020 | 04/21/2020 | 11 |
* These worst-case redemption cycles are based on information regarding regular holidays, which may be out of date. Based on changes in holidays, longer (worse) redemption cycles are possible.
Creation/Redemption Transaction Fees. The fund may impose a "Transaction Fee" on investors purchasing or redeeming Creation Units. The Transaction Fee will be limited to amounts that have been determined by FIMM to be appropriate. The purpose of the Transaction Fee is to protect the existing shareholders of the fund from the dilutive costs associated with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. For cash creations (or redemptions) or cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Securities, the purchaser (or redeemer) may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the transaction cost to the fund of buying (or selling) those particular Deposit Securities. To the extent a purchase/redemption transaction consists of cash and/or in-kind securities, the standard fee applies to in-kind purchases and redemptions of creation units and an additional transaction fee (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) may also be imposed on cash transactions. The fund reserves the right to not impose the additional transaction fee or to vary the amount of the additional transaction fee, up to the maximum listed below, depending on the materiality of the fund's actual transaction costs incurred or where FDC believes that not imposing or varying the additional transaction fee would be in the fund's interest. Transaction fees associated with the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of shares redeemed. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day an order is received or the nature of the securities. Investors bear the costs of transferring Fund Securities to/from the fund to/from their account or on their order. Every purchaser of a Creation Unit will receive a prospectus that contains disclosure about the Transaction Fees, including the maximum amount of the additional transaction fee charged by the fund.
The following table shows, as of August 31, 2019, the approximate value of one Creation Unit of the fund and sets forth the standard transaction fees and maximum additional transaction fees for creations and redemptions.
| Name of Fund | Approximate Value of One Creation Unit | Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee | Maximum Additional Creation Transaction Fee* | Maximum Additional Redemption Transaction Fee* |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | $2,500,000 | $500 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
* As a percentage of the cash amount invested or redeemed.
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Dividends. Because the fund's income is primarily derived from interest, dividends from the fund generally will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders or the long-term capital gains tax rates available to individuals. Short-term capital gains are taxable at ordinary income tax rates. A portion of the fund's dividends may be exempt from state and local taxation to the extent that they are derived from certain U.S. Government securities and meet certain requirements. Distributions by the fund to tax-advantaged retirement plan accounts are not taxable currently.
Capital Gain Distributions. Unless your shares of the fund are held in a tax-advantaged retirement plan, the fund's long-term capital gain distributions are federally taxable to shareholders generally as capital gains.
The following table shows the fund's aggregate capital loss carryforward as of August 31, 2019, which is available to offset future capital gains. A fund's ability to utilize its capital loss carryforwards in a given year or in total may be limited.
| Fund Name | Fidelity® Total Bond ETF |
| Capital Loss Carryforward (CLC) | $1,138,378 |
Returns of Capital. If the fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold in taxable accounts.
Sales of Listed Shares. Gain or loss that is recognized on the sale of exchange-listed shares generally will be characterized as long-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for one year or less.
Purchase of Creation Units. The purchase of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who transfers securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The transferor will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the Creation Units (which may differ from their NAV) and any Balancing Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the transferor's basis in the transferred securities, transaction fees and any Balancing Amount that is paid. The purchase of Creation Units may trigger application of the wash sale rules for federal tax purposes.
Redemption of Creation Units. The redemption of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who receives securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The recipient will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the securities and any Cash Redemption Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the basis of the Creation Unit shares, transaction fees and any Cash Redemption Amount that is paid. The redemption of Creation Units may be treated as a wash sale for federal tax purposes.
Foreign Tax Credit or Deduction. Foreign governments may impose withholding taxes on dividends and interest earned by the fund with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Foreign governments may also impose taxes on other payments or gains with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Because the fund does not currently anticipate that securities of foreign issuers or underlying regulated investment companies will constitute more than 50% of its total assets at the end of its fiscal year, or fiscal quarter, respectively, shareholders should not expect to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction on their federal income tax returns with respect to foreign taxes withheld.
Tax Status of the Fund. The fund intends to qualify each year as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code so that it will not be liable for federal tax on income and capital gains distributed to shareholders. In order to qualify as a regulated investment company, and avoid being subject to federal income or excise taxes at the fund level, the fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains within each calendar year as well as on a fiscal year basis (if the fiscal year is other than the calendar year), and intends to comply with other tax rules applicable to regulated investment companies.
Other Tax Information. The information above is only a summary of some of the tax consequences generally affecting the fund and its shareholders, and no attempt has been made to discuss individual tax consequences. It is up to you or your tax preparer to determine whether the sale of shares of the fund resulted in a capital gain or loss or other tax consequence to you. In addition to federal income taxes, shareholders may be subject to state and local taxes on fund distributions, and shares may be subject to state and local personal property taxes. Investors should consult their tax advisers to determine whether the fund is suitable to their particular tax situation.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the trust and fund, as applicable, are listed below. The Board of Trustees governs the fund and is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the fund's activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the fund, oversee management of the risks associated with such activities and contractual arrangements, and review the fund's performance. Each of the Trustees oversees 277 funds.
The Trustees hold office without limit in time except that (a) any Trustee may resign; (b) any Trustee may be removed by written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal; (c) any Trustee who requests to be retired or who has become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees; and (d) any Trustee may be removed at any special meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds vote of the outstanding voting securities of the trust. Each Trustee who is not an interested person (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the trust and the fund is referred to herein as an Independent Trustee. Each Independent Trustee shall retire not later than the last day of the calendar year in which his or her 75th birthday occurs. The Independent Trustees may waive this mandatory retirement age policy with respect to individual Trustees. Officers and Advisory Board Members hold office without limit in time, except that any officer or Advisory Board Member may resign or may be removed by a vote of a majority of the Trustees at any regular meeting or any special meeting of the Trustees. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the past five years.
Experience, Skills, Attributes, and Qualifications of the Trustees. The Governance and Nominating Committee has adopted a statement of policy that describes the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that are necessary and desirable for potential Independent Trustee candidates (Statement of Policy). The Board believes that each Trustee satisfied at the time he or she was initially elected or appointed a Trustee, and continues to satisfy, the standards contemplated by the Statement of Policy. The Governance and Nominating Committee also engages professional search firms to help identify potential Independent Trustee candidates who have the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills consistent with the Statement of Policy. From time to time, additional criteria based on the composition and skills of the current Independent Trustees, as well as experience or skills that may be appropriate in light of future changes to board composition, business conditions, and regulatory or other developments, have also been considered by the professional search firms and the Governance and Nominating Committee. In addition, the Board takes into account the Trustees' commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings, as well as their leadership of standing and ad hoc committees throughout their tenure.
In determining that a particular Trustee was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Trustee, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. Information about the specific experience, skills, attributes, and qualifications of each Trustee, which in each case led to the Board's conclusion that the Trustee should serve (or continue to serve) as a trustee of the fund, is provided below.
Board Structure and Oversight Function. Abigail P. Johnson is an interested person and currently serves as Chairman. The Trustees have determined that an interested Chairman is appropriate and benefits shareholders because an interested Chairman has a personal and professional stake in the quality and continuity of services provided to the fund. Independent Trustees exercise their informed business judgment to appoint an individual of their choosing to serve as Chairman, regardless of whether the Trustee happens to be independent or a member of management. The Independent Trustees have determined that they can act independently and effectively without having an Independent Trustee serve as Chairman and that a key structural component for assuring that they are in a position to do so is for the Independent Trustees to constitute a substantial majority for the Board. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet in executive session. Arthur E. Johnson serves as Chairman of the Independent Trustees and as such (i) acts as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management with respect to matters important to the Independent Trustees and (ii) with management prepares agendas for Board meetings.
Fidelity® funds are overseen by different Boards of Trustees. The fund's Board oversees Fidelity's investment-grade bond, money market, asset allocation and certain equity funds, and other Boards oversee Fidelity's high income and other equity funds. The asset allocation funds may invest in Fidelity® funds that are overseen by such other Boards. The use of separate Boards, each with its own committee structure, allows the Trustees of each group of Fidelity® funds to focus on the unique issues of the funds they oversee, including common research, investment, and operational issues. On occasion, the separate Boards establish joint committees to address issues of overlapping consequences for the Fidelity® funds overseen by each Board.
The Trustees operate using a system of committees to facilitate the timely and efficient consideration of all matters of importance to the Trustees, the fund, and fund shareholders and to facilitate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and oversight of the fund's activities and associated risks. The Board, acting through its committees, has charged FMR and its affiliates with (i) identifying events or circumstances the occurrence of which could have demonstrably adverse effects on the fund's business and/or reputation; (ii) implementing processes and controls to lessen the possibility that such events or circumstances occur or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur; and (iii) creating and maintaining a system designed to evaluate continuously business and market conditions in order to facilitate the identification and implementation processes described in (i) and (ii) above. Because the day-to-day operations and activities of the fund are carried out by or through FMR, its affiliates, and other service providers, the fund's exposure to risks is mitigated but not eliminated by the processes overseen by the Trustees. While each of the Board's committees has responsibility for overseeing different aspects of the fund's activities, oversight is exercised primarily through the Operations and Audit Committees. In addition, an ad hoc Board committee of Independent Trustees has worked with FMR to enhance the Board's oversight of investment and financial risks, legal and regulatory risks, technology risks, and operational risks, including the development of additional risk reporting to the Board. Appropriate personnel, including but not limited to the fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), FMR's internal auditor, the independent accountants, the fund's Treasurer and portfolio management personnel, make periodic reports to the Board's committees, as appropriate, including an annual review of Fidelity's risk management program for the Fidelity® funds. The responsibilities of each standing committee, including their oversight responsibilities, are described further under "Standing Committees of the Trustees."Interested Trustees*:
Correspondence intended for a Trustee who is an interested person may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Abigail P. Johnson (1961)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2012
Trustee
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Ms. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. Johnson serves as Chairman (2016-present), Chief Executive Officer (2014-present), and Director (2007-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company), President of Fidelity Financial Services (2012-present) and President of Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services (2005-present). Ms. Johnson is Chairman and Director of FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firm, 2011-present) and Chairman and Director of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2011-present). Previously, Ms. Johnson served as Vice Chairman (2007-2016) and President (2013-2016) of FMR LLC, President and a Director of FMR (2001-2005), a Trustee of other investment companies advised by FMR, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firm), and FMR Co., Inc. (2001-2005), Senior Vice President of the Fidelity® funds (2001-2005), and managed a number of Fidelity® funds. Ms. Abigail P. Johnson and Mr. Arthur E. Johnson are not related.
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe (1959)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Ms. McAuliffe also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. McAuliffe previously served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Head of Fixed Income of Fidelity Investments Limited (now known as FIL Limited (FIL)) (diversified financial services company). Earlier roles at FIL included Director of Research for FIL’s credit and quantitative teams in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Ms. McAuliffe also was the Director of Research for taxable and municipal bonds at Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. Ms. McAuliffe is also a director or trustee of several not-for-profit entities.
* Determined to be an “Interested Trustee” by virtue of, among other things, his or her affiliation with the trust or various entities under common control with FMR.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Independent Trustees:
Correspondence intended for an Independent Trustee may be sent to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 55235, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5235.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Elizabeth S. Acton (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Acton also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement in April 2012, Ms. Acton was Executive Vice President, Finance (2011-2012), Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (2002-2011), and Treasurer (2004-2005) of Comerica Incorporated (financial services). Prior to joining Comerica, Ms. Acton held a variety of positions at Ford Motor Company (1983-2002), including Vice President and Treasurer (2000-2002) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Credit Company (1998-2000). Ms. Acton currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Finance Committees of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (homebuilding, 2012-present). Previously, Ms. Acton served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2016).
Ann E. Dunwoody (1953)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Trustee
General Dunwoody also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. General Dunwoody (United States Army, Retired) was the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general and prior to her retirement in 2012 held a variety of positions within the U.S. Army, including Commanding General, U.S. Army Material Command (2008-2012). She is the President of First to Four LLC (leadership and mentoring services, 2012-present). She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of L3 Technologies, Inc. (communication, electronic, sensor, and aerospace systems, 2013-present), Board of Directors and Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees of Kforce Inc. (professional staffing services, 2016-present) and Board of Directors of Automattic Inc. (software engineering, 2018-present). Previously, General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2018), a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Committees of Republic Services, Inc. (waste collection, disposal and recycling, 2013-2016). Ms. Dunwoody also serves on several boards for non-profit organizations, including as a member of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee and member of the Audit Committee of Logistics Management Institute (consulting non-profit, 2012-present), a member of the Board of Directors of the Army Historical Foundation (2015-present), a member of the Council of Trustees for the Association of the United States Army (advocacy non-profit, 2013-present) and a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida Institute of Technology (2015-present) and ThanksUSA (military family education non-profit, 2014-present).
John Engler (1948)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Trustee
Mr. Engler also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. He serves on the board of directors for Universal Forest Products (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2003-present) and K12 Inc. (technology-based education company, 2012-present). Previously, Mr. Engler served as interim president of Michigan State University (2018-2019), a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2014-2016), president of the Business Roundtable (2011-2017), a trustee of The Munder Funds (2003-2014), president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (2004-2011), member of the Board of Trustees of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2004-2015), and as governor of Michigan (1991-2003). He is a past chairman of the National Governors Association.
Robert F. Gartland (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Mr. Gartland also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Gartland is Chairman and an investor in Gartland & Mellina Group Corp. (consulting, 2009-present). Previously, Mr. Gartland served as a partner and investor of Vietnam Partners LLC (investments and consulting, 2008-2011). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Gartland held a variety of positions at Morgan Stanley (financial services, 1979-2007), including Managing Director (1987-2007), and Chase Manhattan Bank (1975-1978).
Arthur E. Johnson (1947)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Johnson serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Eaton Corporation plc (diversified power management, 2009-present) and Booz Allen Hamilton (management consulting, 2011-present). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Johnson served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Development of Lockheed Martin Corporation (defense contractor, 1999-2009). Mr. Johnson previously served as Vice Chairman (2015-2018) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds and on the Board of Directors of IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (1999-2008), AGL Resources, Inc. (holding company, 2002-2016), and Delta Airlines (2005-2007). Mr. Arthur E. Johnson is not related to Ms. Abigail P. Johnson.
Michael E. Kenneally (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Vice Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Kenneally also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Kenneally served as Chairman and Global Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Asset Management. Before joining Credit Suisse, he was an Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Bank of America Corporation. Earlier roles at Bank of America included Director of Research, Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst, and Mr. Kenneally was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1991.
Marie L. Knowles (1946)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Knowles also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to Ms. Knowles' retirement in June 2000, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) (diversified energy, 1996-2000). From 1993 to 1996, she was a Senior Vice President of ARCO and President of ARCO Transportation Company (pipeline and tanker operations). Ms. Knowles currently serves as a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of McKesson Corporation (healthcare service, since 2002). Ms. Knowles is a member of the Board of the Santa Catalina Island Company (real estate, 2009-present). Ms. Knowles is a Member of the Investment Company Institute Board of Governors and a Member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (2014-present). She also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering of the University of Southern California. Previously, Ms. Knowles served as a Director of Phelps Dodge Corporation (copper mining and manufacturing, 1994-2007), URS Corporation (engineering and construction, 2000-2003) and America West (airline, 1999-2002). Ms. Knowles previously served as Chairman (2015-2018) and Vice Chairman (2012-2015) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds.
Mark A. Murray (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Mr. Murray also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Murray is Vice Chairman (2013-present) of Meijer, Inc. (regional retail chain). Previously, Mr. Murray served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Chief Executive Officer (2013-2016) and President (2006-2013) of Meijer, Inc. Mr. Murray serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nuclear Review and Public Policy and Responsibility Committees of DTE Energy Company (diversified energy company, 2009-present). Mr. Murray also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Spectrum Health (not-for-profit health system, 2015-present). Mr. Murray previously served as President of Grand Valley State University (2001-2006), Treasurer for the State of Michigan (1999-2001), Vice President of Finance and Administration for Michigan State University (1998-1999), and a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2004-2016). Mr. Murray is also a director or trustee of many community and professional organizations.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Advisory Board Members and Officers:
Correspondence intended for an officer may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Officers appear below in alphabetical order.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupation
Elizabeth Paige Baumann (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2017
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Officer
Ms. Baumann also serves as AML Officer of other funds. She is Chief AML Officer (2012-present) and Senior Vice President (2014-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Baumann served as AML Officer of the funds (2012-2016), and Vice President (2007-2014) and Deputy Anti-Money Laundering Officer (2007-2012) of FMR LLC.
Craig S. Brown (1977)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Brown also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Brown is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2013-present).
John J. Burke III (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Burke also serves as Chief Financial Officer of other funds. Mr. Burke serves as Head of Investment Operations for Fidelity Fund and Investment Operations (2018-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (1998-present). Previously Mr. Burke served as head of Asset Management Investment Operations (2012-2018).
Jonathan Davis (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Davis also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Davis serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Davis served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2003-2010).
Adrien E. Deberghes (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Deberghes also serves as an officer of other funds. He serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), Executive Vice President of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm, 2016-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2008-present). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served as President and Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2018). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Deberghes was Senior Vice President of Mutual Fund Administration at State Street Corporation (2007-2008), Senior Director of Mutual Fund Administration at Investors Bank & Trust (2005-2007), and Director of Finance for Dunkin' Brands (2000-2005). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served in other fund officer roles.
Laura M. Del Prato (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
President and Treasurer
Ms. Del Prato also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Del Prato is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2017-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Del Prato served as a Managing Director and Treasurer of the JPMorgan Mutual Funds (2014-2017). Prior to JPMorgan, Ms. Del Prato served as a partner at Cohen Fund Audit Services (accounting firm, 2012-2013) and KPMG LLP (accounting firm, 2004-2012).
Colm A. Hogan (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Hogan also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Hogan serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2005-present). Previously, Mr. Hogan served as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2016-2018).
Cynthia Lo Bessette (1969)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer (CLO)
Ms. Lo Bessette also serves as Secretary and CLO of other funds. Ms. Lo Bessette serves as CLO, Secretary, and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Management & Research Company and FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); Secretary of Fidelity SelectCo, LLC and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); and CLO of Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited, and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (investment adviser firms, 2019-present). She is a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2019-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Lo Bessette served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel (2016-2019) and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel (2015-2016) of OppenheimerFunds (investment management company) and Deputy Chief Legal Officer (2013-2015) of Jennison Associates LLC (investment adviser firm).
Chris Maher (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Maher serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Maher is Vice President of Valuation Oversight, serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Maher served as Vice President of Asset Management Compliance (2013), Vice President of the Program Management Group of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2010-2013), and Vice President of Valuation Oversight (2008-2010).
John B. McGinty, Jr. (1962)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Chief Compliance Officer
Mr. McGinty also serves as Chief Compliance Officer of other funds. Mr. McGinty is Senior Vice President of Asset Management Compliance for Fidelity Investments and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Mr. McGinty previously served as Vice President, Senior Attorney at Eaton Vance Management (investment management firm, 2015-2016), and prior to Eaton Vance as global CCO for all firm operations and registered investment companies at GMO LLC (investment management firm, 2009-2015). Before joining GMO LLC, Mr. McGinty served as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Fidelity Investments (2007-2009).
Jason P. Pogorelec (1975)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2015
Assistant Secretary
Mr. Pogorelec also serves as Assistant Secretary of other funds. Mr. Pogorelec serves as Vice President, Associate General Counsel (2010-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2006-present).
Nancy D. Prior (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Vice President
Ms. Prior also serves as Vice President of other funds. Ms. Prior serves as President of Fixed Income (2014-present), President (2016-present) and Director (2014-present) of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2002-present). Previously, Ms. Prior served as Vice President of Global Asset Allocation Funds (2017-2019); Vice Chairman of FIAM LLC (investment adviser firm, 2014-2018), a Director of FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (investment adviser firm, 2015-2018), President Multi-Asset Class Strategies of FMR's Global Asset Allocation Division (2017-2018), Vice President of Fidelity's Money Market Funds (2012-2014), and President, Money Market and Short Duration Bond Group of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) (investment adviser firm, 2013-2014).
Stacie M. Smith (1974)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Smith also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Smith serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2009-present), and has served in other fund officer roles. Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Smith served as Senior Audit Manager of Ernst & Young LLP (accounting firm, 1996-2009). Previously, Ms. Smith served as Assistant Treasurer (2013-2018) and Deputy Treasurer (2013-2016) of certain Fidelity® funds.
Marc L. Spector (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Deputy Treasurer
Mr. Spector also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Spector serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Spector served as Director at the Siegfried Group (accounting firm, 2013-2016), and prior to Siegfried Group as audit senior manager at Deloitte & Touche (accounting firm, 2005-2013).
Jim Wegmann (1979)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Wegmann also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Wegmann is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2011-present).
Standing Committees of the Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established various committees to support the Independent Trustees in acting independently in pursuing the best interests of the funds and their shareholders. Currently, the Board of Trustees has four standing committees. The members of each committee are Independent Trustees.
The Operations Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Johnson currently serving as Chair. The committee normally meets at least six times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair, and serves as a forum for consideration of issues of importance to, or calling for particular determinations by, the Independent Trustees. The committee considers matters involving potential conflicts of interest between the funds and FMR and its affiliates and reviews proposed contracts and the proposed continuation of contracts between the funds and FMR and its affiliates, and annually reviews and makes recommendations regarding contracts with third parties unaffiliated with FMR, including insurance coverage and custody agreements. The committee has oversight of compliance issues not specifically within the scope of any other committee. These matters include, but are not limited to, significant non-conformance with contract requirements and other significant regulatory matters and recommending to the Board of Trustees the designation of a person to serve as the funds' Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The committee (i) serves as the primary point of contact for the CCO with regard to Board-related functions; (ii) oversees the annual performance review of the CCO; (iii) makes recommendations concerning the CCO's compensation; and (iv) makes recommendations as needed in respect of the removal of the CCO. The committee is also responsible for definitive action on all compliance matters involving the potential for significant reimbursement by FMR. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held 12 meetings.
The Audit Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Ms. Acton currently serving as Chair. At least one committee member will be an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the SEC. The committee normally meets four times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair or a majority of committee members. The committee meets separately, at least annually, with the funds' Treasurer, with the funds' Chief Financial Officer, with personnel responsible for the internal audit function of FMR LLC, with the funds' outside auditors, and with the funds' CCO. The committee has direct responsibility for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the outside auditors employed by the funds. The committee assists the Trustees in overseeing and monitoring: (i) the systems of internal accounting and financial controls of the funds and the funds' service providers (to the extent such controls impact the funds' financial statements); (ii) the funds' auditors and the annual audits of the funds' financial statements; (iii) the financial reporting processes of the funds; (iv) whistleblower reports; and (v) the accounting policies and disclosures of the funds. The committee considers and acts upon (i) the provision by any outside auditor of any non-audit services for any fund, and (ii) the provision by any outside auditor of certain non-audit services to fund service providers and their affiliates to the extent that such approval (in the case of this clause (ii)) is required under applicable regulations of the SEC. It is responsible for approving all audit engagement fees and terms for the funds and for resolving disagreements between a fund and any outside auditor regarding any fund's financial reporting. Auditors of the funds report directly to the committee. The committee will obtain assurance of independence and objectivity from the outside auditors, including a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the auditor and the funds and any service providers consistent with the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. It oversees and receives reports on the funds' service providers' internal controls and reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the service providers' accounting and financial controls, including: (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably likely to adversely affect the funds' ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; (ii) any change in the fund's internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the fund's internal control over financial reporting; and (iii) any fraud, whether material or not, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the funds' or service providers internal controls over financial reporting. The committee will also review any correspondence with regulators or governmental agencies or published reports that raise material issues regarding the funds' financial statements or accounting policies. These matters may also be reviewed by the Operations Committee. The committee reviews at least annually a report from each outside auditor describing any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control, peer review, or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board examination of the auditing firm and any material issues raised by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities of the auditing firm and in each case any steps taken to deal with such issues. The committee will oversee and receive reports on the funds' financial reporting process from the funds' Treasurer and outside auditors and will oversee the resolution of any disagreements concerning financial reporting among applicable parties. The committee will discuss with FMR, the funds' Treasurer, outside auditors and, if appropriate, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC their qualitative judgments about the appropriateness and acceptability of accounting principles and financial disclosure practices used or proposed for adoption by the funds. The committee will review with FMR, the funds' outside auditor, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC and legal counsel, as appropriate, matters related to the audits of the funds' financial statements. The committee will discuss regularly and oversee the review of the internal controls of the funds and their service providers with respect to accounting, financial matters and risk management programs related to the funds. The committee will review periodically the funds' major internal controls exposures and the steps that have been taken to monitor and control such exposures. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held five meetings.
The Fair Valuation Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Murray currently serving as Chair. The Committee normally meets quarterly, or more frequently as called by the Chair. The Fair Valuation Committee reviews and approves annually Fair Value Committee Policies recommended by the FMR Fair Value Committee and oversees particular valuations or fair valuation methodologies employed by the FMR Fair Value Committee as circumstances may require. The Committee also reviews actions taken by the FMR Fair Value Committee. The Committee does not oversee the day-to-day operational aspects of the valuation and calculation of the net asset value of the funds, which have been delegated to the FMR Fair Value Committee and FSC. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held four meetings.
The Governance and Nominating Committee is composed of Messrs. Johnson (Chair), Kenneally (Vice Chair) and Gartland. The committee meets as called by the Chair. With respect to fund governance and board administration matters, the committee periodically reviews procedures of the Board of Trustees and its committees (including committee charters) and periodically reviews compensation of Independent Trustees. The committee monitors corporate governance matters and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the frequency and structure of the Board of Trustee meetings and on any other aspect of Board procedures. It acts as the administrative committee under the retirement plan for Independent Trustees who retired prior to December 30, 1996 and under the fee deferral plan for Independent Trustees. It reviews the performance of legal counsel employed by the funds and the Independent Trustees. On behalf of the Independent Trustees, the committee will make such findings and determinations as to the independence of counsel for the Independent Trustees as may be necessary or appropriate under applicable regulations or otherwise. The committee is also responsible for Board administrative matters applicable to Independent Trustees, such as expense reimbursement policies and compensation for attendance at meetings, conferences and other events. The committee monitors compliance with, acts as the administrator of, and makes determinations in respect of, the provisions of the code of ethics and any supplemental policies regarding personal securities transactions applicable to the Independent Trustees. The committee monitors the functioning of each Board committee and makes recommendations for any changes, including the creation or elimination of standing or ad hoc Board committees. The committee monitors regulatory and other developments to determine whether to recommend modifications to the committee's responsibilities or other Trustee policies and procedures in light of rule changes, reports concerning "best practices" in corporate governance and other developments in mutual fund governance. The committee meets with Independent Trustees at least once a year to discuss matters relating to fund governance. The committee recommends that the Board establish such special or ad hoc Board committees as may be desirable or necessary from time to time in order to address ethical, legal, or other matters that may arise. The committee also oversees the annual self-evaluation of the Board of Trustees and establishes procedures to allow it to exercise this oversight function. In conducting this oversight, the committee shall address all matters that it considers relevant to the performance of the Board of Trustees and shall report the results of its evaluation to the Board of Trustees, including any recommended amendments to the principles of governance, and any recommended changes to the funds' or the Board of Trustees' policies, procedures, and structures. The committee reviews periodically the size and composition of the Board of Trustees as a whole and recommends, if necessary, measures to be taken so that the Board of Trustees reflects the appropriate balance of knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, and diversity required for the Board as a whole and contains at least the minimum number of Independent Trustees required by law. The committee makes nominations for the election or appointment of Independent Trustees and non-management Members of any Advisory Board, and for membership on committees. The committee has the authority to retain and terminate any third-party advisers, including authority to approve fees and other retention terms. Such advisers may include search firms to identify Independent Trustee candidates and board compensation consultants. The committee may conduct or authorize investigations into or studies of matters within the committee's scope of responsibilities, and may retain, at the funds' expense, such independent counsel or other advisers as it deems necessary. The committee will consider nominees to the Board of Trustees recommended by shareholders based upon the criteria applied to candidates presented to the committee by a search firm or other source. Recommendations, along with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as an Independent Trustee of the funds, should be submitted to the Chair of the committee at the address maintained for communications with Independent Trustees. If the committee retains a search firm, the Chair will generally forward all such submissions to the search firm for evaluation. With respect to the criteria for selecting Independent Trustees, it is expected that all candidates will possess the following minimum qualifications: (i) unquestioned personal integrity; (ii) not an interested person of the funds within the meaning of the 1940 Act; (iii) does not have a material relationship (e.g., commercial, banking, consulting, legal, or accounting) with the adviser, any sub-adviser or their affiliates that could create an appearance of lack of independence in respect of the funds; (iv) has the disposition to act independently in respect of FMR and its affiliates and others in order to protect the interests of the funds and all shareholders; (v) ability to attend regularly scheduled Board meetings during the year; (vi) demonstrates sound business judgment gained through broad experience in significant positions where the candidate has dealt with management, technical, financial, or regulatory issues; (vii) sufficient financial or accounting knowledge to add value in the complex financial environment of the funds; (viii) experience on corporate or other institutional oversight bodies having similar responsibilities, but which board memberships or other relationships could not result in business or regulatory conflicts with the funds; and (ix) capacity for the hard work and attention to detail that is required to be an effective Independent Trustee in light of the funds' complex regulatory, operational, and marketing setting. The Governance and Nominating Committee may determine that a candidate who does not have the type of previous experience or knowledge referred to above should nevertheless be considered as a nominee if the Governance and Nominating Committee finds that the candidate has additional qualifications such that his or her qualifications, taken as a whole, demonstrate the same level of fitness to serve as an Independent Trustee. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held six meetings.
The following table sets forth information describing the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the fund and in all funds in the aggregate within the same fund family overseen by the Trustee for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018.
| Interested Trustees | ||
|
DOLLAR RANGE OF
FUND SHARES |
Abigail P.Johnson | JenniferToolin McAuliffe |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | none | none |
|
AGGREGATE DOLLAR RANGE OF
FUND SHARES IN ALL FUNDS OVERSEEN WITHIN FUND FAMILY |
over $100,000 | over $100,000 |
The following table sets forth information describing the compensation of each Trustee and Member of the Advisory Board (if any) for his or her services for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, or calendar year ended December 31, 2018, as applicable.
(1) Abigail P. Johnson and Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe are interested persons and are compensated by Fidelity.
(2) General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust from July 17, 2018 through December 30, 2018. General Dunwoody serves as a Trustee of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust effective December 31, 2018.
(3) Reflects compensation received for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018 for 261 funds of 31 trusts (including Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios II LLC). Compensation figures include cash and may include amounts elected to be deferred. Certain individuals elected voluntarily to defer a portion of their compensation as follows: Elizabeth S. Acton, $72,000; Ann E. Dunwoody, $103,344; John Engler, $234,985; Robert F. Gartland, $180,000; Marie L. Knowles, $150,000; and Mark A. Murray, $234,985.
As of November 27, 2019, the Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the fund owned, in the aggregate, less than 1% of each class's total outstanding shares, with respect to the fund.
As of November 27, 2019, the following owned of record and/or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares:
| Fund Name | Owner Name | City | State | Ownership % |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | NEW YORK | NY | 65.29% |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | CHARLES SCHWAB & CO., INC. | SAN FRANCISCO | CA | 12.34% |
CONTROL OF INVESTMENT ADVISERS
FMR LLC, as successor by merger to FMR Corp., is the ultimate parent company of FMRC, FIMM, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (FMR UK), Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.), and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan). The voting common shares of FMR LLC are divided into two series. Series B is held predominantly by members of the Johnson family, including Abigail P. Johnson, directly or through trusts, and is entitled to 49% of the vote on any matter acted upon by the voting common shares. Series A is held predominantly by non-Johnson family member employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates and is entitled to 51% of the vote on any such matter. The Johnson family group and all other Series B shareholders have entered into a shareholders' voting agreement under which all Series B shares will be voted in accordance with the majority vote of Series B shares. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act), control of a company is presumed where one individual or group of individuals owns more than 25% of the voting securities of that company. Therefore, through their ownership of voting common shares and the execution of the shareholders' voting agreement, members of the Johnson family may be deemed, under the 1940 Act, to form a controlling group with respect to FMR LLC.
At present, the primary business activities of FMR LLC and its subsidiaries are: (i) the provision of investment advisory, management, shareholder, investment information and assistance and certain fiduciary services for individual and institutional investors; (ii) the provision of securities brokerage services; (iii) the management and development of real estate; and (iv) the investment in and operation of a number of emerging businesses.
FMRC, FIMM, FMR UK, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, FDC, and the fund have adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act that sets forth employees' fiduciary responsibilities regarding the fund, establishes procedures for personal investing, and restricts certain transactions. Employees subject to the code of ethics, including Fidelity investment personnel, may invest in securities for their own investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by the fund.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
The fund has entered into a management contract with FIMM, pursuant to which FIMM furnishes investment advisory and other services.
Management Services. Under the terms of its management contract with the fund, FIMM acts as investment adviser and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, has overall responsibility for directing the investments of the fund in accordance with its investment objective, policies and limitations. FIMM also provides the fund with all necessary office facilities and personnel for servicing the fund's investments, compensates all officers of the fund and all Trustees who are interested persons of the trust or of FIMM, and compensates all personnel of the fund or FIMM performing services relating to research, statistical and investment activities.
In addition, FIMM or its affiliates, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, provide the management and administrative services necessary for the operation of the fund. These services include providing facilities for maintaining the fund's organization; supervising relations with custodians, transfer and pricing agents, accountants, underwriters and other persons dealing with the fund; preparing all general shareholder communications and conducting shareholder relations; maintaining the fund's records and the registration of the fund's shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws; developing management and shareholder services for the fund; and furnishing reports, evaluations and analyses on a variety of subjects to the Trustees.
Management-Related Expenses. Under the terms of the fund's management contract, FIMM, either itself or through an affiliate, is responsible for payment of all operating expenses of the fund with limited exceptions. Specific expenses payable by FIMM include expenses for typesetting, printing, and mailing proxy materials to shareholders, legal expenses, fees of the custodian, auditor, and interested Trustees, the fund's proportionate share of insurance premiums and Investment Company Institute dues, and the costs of registering shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws. The fund's management contract further provides that FIMM will pay for typesetting, printing, and mailing prospectuses, statements of additional information, notices, and reports to shareholders. FIMM also pays all fees associated with the transfer agency services and pricing and bookkeeping services agreements.
FIMM pays all other expenses of the fund with the following exceptions: fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees, interest, taxes, and such non-recurring expenses as may arise, including costs of any litigation to which the fund may be a party, and any obligation it may have to indemnify its officers and Trustees with respect to litigation. The fund shall pay its non-operating expenses, including brokerage commissions and fees and expenses associated with the fund’s securities lending program, if applicable.
Management Fee.
For the services of FIMM under the management contract, the fund pays FIMM a monthly management fee at the annual rate of 0.36% of the fund's average net assets throughout the month. The management fee paid to FIMM by the fund is reduced by an amount equal to the fees and expenses paid by the fund to the Independent Trustees.
The following table shows the amount of management fees paid by the fund to FIMM for the past three fiscal years and the amount of credits reducing management fees.
| Fund |
Fiscal Years
Ended August 31 |
Amount of
Credits Reducing Management Fees |
Management
Fees Paid to Investment Adviser |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF | 2019 | $659 | $1,955,303 |
| 2018(1) | $783 | $1,475,124 | |
| 2017 | $502 | $1,054,432 |
(1) On April 1, 2018, FIMM reduced the management fee rate paid by the fund from 0.45% to 0.36%.
FIMM may, from time to time, voluntarily reimburse all or a portion of a fund's or, in the case of a multiple class fund, a class's operating expenses. FIMM retains the ability to be repaid for these expense reimbursements in the amount that expenses fall below the limit prior to the end of the fiscal year.
Expense reimbursements will increase returns and yield, and repayment of the reimbursement will decrease returns and yield.
Sub-Adviser - FMRC. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with FMRC pursuant to which FMRC has day-to-day responsibility for choosing certain types of investments for the fund. FIMM, and not the fund, pays FMRC's fees.
Sub-Advisers - FMR UK, FMR H.K., and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into sub-advisory agreements with FMR H.K. and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with FMR UK. Pursuant to the sub-advisory agreements, FIMM may receive from the sub-advisers investment research and advice on issuers outside the United States (non-discretionary services) and FIMM may grant the sub-advisers investment management authority and the authority to buy and sell securities if FIMM believes it would be beneficial to the fund (discretionary services). FIMM, and not the fund, pays the sub-advisers.
Currently, FMR UK has day-to-day responsibility for choosing certain types of investments for the fund.
Michael Foggin is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. Celso Munoz is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. Ford O’Neil is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. Michael Plage is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. As of August 31, 2019, portfolio manager compensation generally consists of a fixed base salary determined periodically (typically annually), a bonus, in certain cases, participation in several types of equity-based compensation plans, and, if applicable, relocation plan benefits. A portion of each portfolio manager’s compensation may be deferred based on criteria established by FMR or at the election of the portfolio manager.
Each portfolio manager’s base salary is determined by level of responsibility and tenure at FMR or its affiliates. The primary components of each portfolio manager’s bonus are based on (i) the pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) measured against a benchmark index assigned to each fund or account, and (ii) the investment performance of other FMR taxable bond funds and accounts. The pre-tax investment performance of each portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) is weighted according to the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) and the average asset size of those fund(s) and account(s) over the portfolio manager’s tenure. Each component is calculated separately over the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) over a measurement period that initially is contemporaneous with the portfolio manager’s tenure, but that eventually encompasses rolling periods of up to three years for the comparison to a benchmark index. A smaller, subjective component of each portfolio manager’s bonus is based on the portfolio manager’s overall contribution to management of FMR. The portion of each portfolio manager’s bonus that is linked to the investment performance of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF is based on the pre-tax investment performance of the fund measured against the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Universal Bond Index. Each portfolio manager also is compensated under equity-based compensation plans linked to increases or decreases in the net asset value of the stock of FMR LLC, FMR’s parent company. FMR LLC is a diverse financial services company engaged in various activities that include fund management, brokerage, retirement and employer administrative services. If requested to relocate their primary residence, portfolio managers also may be eligible to receive benefits, such as home sale assistance and payment of certain moving expenses, under relocation plans for most full-time employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates.
Michael Weaver is co-manager of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF and receives compensation for those services. As of August 31, 2019, portfolio manager compensation generally consists of a fixed base salary determined periodically (typically annually), a bonus, in certain cases, participation in several types of equity-based compensation plans, and, if applicable, relocation plan benefits. A portion of the portfolio manager's compensation may be deferred based on criteria established by FMR or at the election of the portfolio manager.
The portfolio manager’s base salary is determined by level of responsibility and tenure at FMR or its affiliates. The primary components of the portfolio manager’s bonus are based on (i) the pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) measured against a benchmark index or within a defined peer group assigned to each fund or account, and (ii) the investment performance of other FMR high yield funds and accounts. The pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) is weighted according to the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) and the average asset size of those fund(s) and account(s) over the portfolio manager’s tenure. Each component is calculated separately over the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) over a measurement period that initially is contemporaneous with the portfolio manager’s tenure, but that eventually encompasses rolling periods of up to five years for the comparison to a benchmark index or a peer group. A smaller, subjective component of the portfolio manager’s bonus is based on the portfolio manager’s overall contribution to management of FMR. The portion of the portfolio manager’s bonus that is linked to the investment performance of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF is based on the fund’s pre-tax investment performance measured against the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Universal Bond Index. The portfolio manager also is compensated under equity-based compensation plans linked to increases or decreases in the net asset value of the stock of FMR LLC, FMR’s parent company. FMR LLC is a diverse financial services company engaged in various activities that include fund management, brokerage, retirement, and employer administrative services. If requested to relocate their primary residence, portfolio managers also may be eligible to receive benefits, such as home sale assistance and payment of certain moving expenses, under relocation plans for most full-time employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates.
A portfolio manager’s compensation plan may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Although investors in the fund may invest through either tax-deferred accounts or taxable accounts, a portfolio manager’s compensation is linked to the pre-tax performance of the fund, rather than its after-tax performance. A portfolio manager’s base pay tends to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management and a portion of the bonus relates to marketing efforts, which together indirectly link compensation to sales. When a portfolio manager takes over a fund or an account, the time period over which performance is measured may be adjusted to provide a transition period in which to assess the portfolio. The management of multiple funds and accounts (including proprietary accounts) may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as a portfolio manager must allocate time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. In addition, a fund’s trade allocation policies and procedures may give rise to conflicts of interest if the fund’s orders do not get fully executed due to being aggregated with those of other accounts managed by FMR or an affiliate. A portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by a fund. Securities selected for other funds or accounts may outperform the securities selected for the fund. Portfolio managers may be permitted to invest in the funds they manage, even if a fund is closed to new investors. Trading in personal accounts, which may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, is restricted by a fund’s Code of Ethics.
Portfolio managers may receive interests in certain funds or accounts managed by FMR or one of its affiliated advisers (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). A conflict of interest situation is presented where a portfolio manager considers investing a client account in securities of an issuer in which FMR, its affiliates or their (or their fund clients’) respective directors, officers or employees already hold a significant position for their own account, including positions held indirectly through Proprietary Accounts. Because the 1940 Act, as well as other applicable laws and regulations, restricts certain transactions between affiliated entities or between an advisor and its clients, client accounts managed by FMR or its affiliates, including accounts sub-advised by third parties, are, in certain circumstances, prohibited from participating in offerings of such securities (including initial public offerings and other offerings occurring before or after an issuer’s initial public offering) or acquiring such securities in the secondary market. For example, ownership of a company by Proprietary Accounts has, in certain situations, resulted in restrictions on FMR’s and its affiliates’ client accounts’ ability to acquire securities in the company’s initial public offering and subsequent public offerings, private offerings, and in the secondary market, and additional restrictions could arise in the future; to the extent such client accounts acquire the relevant securities after such restrictions are subsequently lifted, the delay could affect the price at which the securities are acquired.
A conflict of interest situation is presented when FMR or its affiliates acquire, on behalf of their client accounts, securities of the same issuers whose securities are already held in Proprietary Accounts, because such investments could have the effect of increasing or supporting the value of the Proprietary Accounts. A conflict of interest situation also arises when FMR investment advisory personnel consider whether client accounts they manage should invest in an investment opportunity that they know is also being considered by an affiliate of FMR for a Proprietary Account, to the extent that not investing on behalf of such client accounts improves the ability of the Proprietary Account to take advantage of the opportunity. FMR has adopted policies and procedures and maintains a compliance program designed to help manage such actual and potential conflicts of interest.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Foggin as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 8 | 5 | none |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $2,156 | $5,284 | none |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Total Bond ETF ($761 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Foggin was none.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Munoz as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $79,500 | $6,494 | $5,857 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Total Bond ETF ($761 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Munoz was $50,001 - $100,000.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. O'Neil as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 16 | 10 | 4 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $116,109 | $9,124 | $1,942 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Total Bond ETF ($761 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. O'Neil was none.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Plage as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 7 | 10 | 21 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $46,452 | $4,563 | $14,629 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Total Bond ETF ($761 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Plage was none.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Weaver as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 15 | 5 | 11 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $13,278 | $1,633 | $2,343 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Total Bond ETF ($761 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Total Bond ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Weaver was none.
PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES
Fidelity® Funds' Proxy Voting Guidelines
I. Introduction
These guidelines are intended to help Fidelity’s customers and the companies in which Fidelity invests understand how Fidelity votes proxies to further the values that have sustained Fidelity for over 70 years. In particular, these guidelines are animated by two fundamental principles: 1) putting first the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. Fidelity generally adheres to these guidelines in voting proxies. Our evaluation of proxies reflects information from many sources, including management or shareholders of a company presenting a proposal and proxy voting advisory firms. Fidelity maintains the flexibility to vote individual proxies based on our assessment of each situation.
In evaluating proxies, we recognize that companies can conduct themselves in ways that have important environmental and social consequences. While Fidelity always remains focused on maximizing long-term shareholder value, we also consider potential environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.
Fidelity will vote on proposals not specifically addressed by these guidelines based on an evaluation of a proposal's likelihood to enhance the long-term economic returns or profitability of the company or to maximize long-term shareholder value. Fidelity will not be influenced by business relationships or outside perspectives that may conflict with the interests of the funds and their shareholders.
II. Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
Directors of public companies play a critical role in ensuring that a company and its management team serve the interests of its shareholders. Fidelity believes that through proxy voting, it can help ensure accountability of management teams and boards of directors, align management and shareholder interests, and monitor and assess the degree of transparency and disclosure with respect to executive compensation and board actions affecting shareholders’ rights. The following general guidelines are intended to reflect these proxy voting principles.
A. Election of Directors
Fidelity will generally support director nominees in elections where all directors are unopposed (uncontested elections), except where a director clearly appears to have failed to exercise reasonable judgment or otherwise failed to sufficiently protect the interests of shareholders.
Fidelity generally will oppose the election of directors if, by way of example:
1. The director attended fewer than 75% of the total number of meetings of the board and its committees on which the director served during the company's prior fiscal year, absent extenuating circumstances.
2. Inside or affiliated directors serve on boards that are not composed of a majority of independent directors.
3. The company made a commitment to modify a proposal or practice to conform to these guidelines, and failed to act on that commitment.
4. For reasons described below under the sections entitled Compensation and Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections.
B. Contested Director Elections
On occasion, directors are forced to compete for election against outside director nominees (contested elections). Fidelity believes that strong management creates long-term shareholder value. As a result, Fidelity generally will vote in support of management of companies in which the funds’ assets are invested. Fidelity will vote its proxy on a case-by-case basis in a contested election, taking into consideration a number of factors, amongst others:
1. Management’s track record and strategic plan for enhancing shareholder value;
2. The long-term performance of the company compared to its industry peers; and
3. The qualifications of the shareholder’s and management’s nominees.
Fidelity will vote for the outcome it believes has the best prospects for maximizing shareholder value over the long-term.
C. Cumulative Voting Rights
Under cumulative voting, each shareholder may exercise the number of votes equal to the number of shares owned multiplied by the number of directors up for election. Shareholders may cast all of their votes for a single nominee (or multiple nominees in varying amounts). With regular (non-cumulative) voting, by contrast, shareholders cannot allocate more than one vote per share to any one director nominee. Fidelity believes that cumulative voting can be detrimental to the overall strength of a board. Generally, therefore, Fidelity will oppose the introduction of, and support the elimination of, cumulative voting rights.
D. Classified Boards
A classified board is one that elects only a percentage of its members each year (usually one-third of directors are elected to serve a three-year term). This means that at each annual meeting only a subset of directors is up for re-election. Fidelity believes that, in general, classified boards are not as accountable to shareholders as declassified boards. For this and other reasons, Fidelity generally will oppose a board’s adoption of a classified board structure and support declassification of existing boards.
E. Independent Chairperson
In general, Fidelity believes that boards should have a process and criteria for selecting the board chair, and will oppose shareholder proposals calling for, or recommending the appointment of, a non-executive or independent chairperson. If, however, based on particular facts and circumstances, Fidelity believes that appointment of a non-executive or independent chairperson appears likely to further the interests of shareholders and promote effective oversight of management by the board of directors, Fidelity will consider voting to support a proposal for an independent chairperson under such circumstances.
F. Majority Voting in Director Elections
In general, Fidelity supports proposals calling for directors to be elected by a majority of votes cast if the proposal permits election by a plurality in the case of contested elections (where, for example, there are more nominees than board seats). Fidelity may oppose a majority voting shareholder proposal where a company’s board has adopted a policy requiring the resignation of an incumbent director who fails to receive the support of a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election.
G. Proxy Access
Proxy access proposals generally require a company to amend its by-laws to allow a qualifying shareholder or group of shareholders to nominate directors on a company’s proxy ballot. Fidelity believes that certain safeguards as to ownership threshold and duration of ownership are important to assure that proxy access is not misused by those without a significant economic interest in the company or those driven by short term goals. Fidelity will evaluate proxy access proposals on a case-by-case basis, but generally will support proposals that include ownership of at least 3% (5% in the case of small-cap companies) of the company’s shares outstanding for at least three years; limit the number of directors that eligible shareholders may nominate to 20% of the board; and limit to 20 the number of shareholders that may form a nominating group.
H. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
In many instances there are sound reasons to indemnify officers and directors, so that they may perform their duties without the distraction of unwarranted litigation or other legal process. Fidelity generally supports charter and by-law amendments expanding the indemnification of officers or directors, or limiting their liability for breaches of care unless Fidelity is dissatisfied with their performance or the proposal is accompanied by anti-takeover provisions (see Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans below).
III. Compensation
Incentive compensation plans can be complicated and many factors are considered when evaluating such plans. Fidelity evaluates such plans based on protecting shareholder interests and our historical knowledge of the company and its management.
A. Equity Compensation Plans
Fidelity encourages the use of reasonably designed equity compensation plans that align the interest of management with those of shareholders by providing officers and employees with incentives to increase long-term shareholder value. Fidelity considers whether such plans are too dilutive to existing shareholders because dilution reduces the voting power or economic interest of existing shareholders as a result of an increase in shares available for distribution to employees in lieu of cash compensation. Fidelity will generally oppose equity compensation plans or amendments to authorize additional shares under such plans if:
1. The company grants stock options and equity awards in a given year at a rate higher than a benchmark rate (“burn rate”) considered appropriate by Fidelity and there were no circumstances specific to the company or the compensation plans that leads Fidelity to conclude that the rate of awards is otherwise acceptable.
2. The plan includes an evergreen provision, which is a feature that provides for an automatic increase in the shares available for grant under an equity compensation plan on a regular basis.
3. The plan provides for the acceleration of vesting of equity compensation even though an actual change in control may not occur.
As to stock option plans, considerations include the following:
1. Pricing: We believe that options should be priced at 100% of fair market value on the date they are granted. We generally oppose options priced at a discount to the market, although the price may be as low as 85% of fair market value if the discount is expressly granted in lieu of salary or cash bonus.
2. Re-pricing: An “out-of-the-money” (or underwater) option has an exercise price that is higher than the current price of the stock. We generally oppose the re-pricing of underwater options because it is not consistent with a policy of offering options as a form of long-term compensation. Fidelity also generally opposes a stock option plan if the board or compensation committee has re-priced options outstanding in the past two years without shareholder approval.
Fidelity generally will support a management proposal to exchange, re-price or tender for cash, outstanding options if the proposed exchange, re-pricing, or tender offer is consistent with the interests of shareholders, taking into account a variety of factors such as:
1. Whether the proposal excludes senior management and directors;
2. Whether the exchange or re-pricing proposal is value neutral to shareholders based upon an acceptable pricing model;
3. The company's relative performance compared to other companies within the relevant industry or industries;
4. Economic and other conditions affecting the relevant industry or industries in which the company competes; and
5. Any other facts or circumstances relevant to determining whether an exchange or re-pricing proposal is consistent with the interests of shareholders.
B. Employee Stock Purchase Plans
These plans are designed to allow employees to purchase company stock at a discounted price and receive favorable tax treatment when the stock is sold. Fidelity generally will support employee stock purchase plans if the minimum stock purchase price is equal to or greater than 85% (or at least 75% in the case of non-U.S. companies where a lower minimum stock purchase price is equal to the prevailing “best practices” in that market) of the stock's fair market value and the plan constitutes a reasonable effort to encourage broad based participation in the company's stock.
IV. Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) and Frequency of Say on Pay Vote
Current law requires companies to allow shareholders to cast non-binding votes on the compensation for named executive officers, as well as the frequency of such votes. Fidelity generally will support proposals to ratify executive compensation unless the compensation appears misaligned with shareholder interests or is otherwise problematic, taking into account:
- The actions taken by the board or compensation committee in the previous year, including whether the company re-priced or exchanged outstanding stock options without shareholder approval; adopted or extended a golden parachute without shareholder approval; or adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation;
- The alignment of executive compensation and company performance relative to peers; and
- The structure of the compensation program, including factors such as whether incentive plan metrics are appropriate, rigorous and transparent; whether the long-term element of the compensation program is evaluated over at least a three-year period; the sensitivity of pay to below median performance; the amount and nature of non-performance-based compensation; the justification and rationale behind paying discretionary bonuses; the use of stock ownership guidelines and amount of executive stock ownership; and how well elements of compensation are disclosed.
When presented with a frequency of Say on Pay vote, Fidelity generally will support holding an annual advisory vote on Say on Pay.
A. Compensation Committee
Directors serving on the compensation committee of the Board have a special responsibility to ensure that management is appropriately compensated and that compensation, among other things, fairly reflects the performance of the company. Fidelity believes that compensation should align with company performance as measured by key business metrics. Compensation policies should align the interests of executives with those of shareholders. Further, the compensation program should be disclosed in a transparent and timely manner.
Fidelity will oppose the election of directors on the compensation committees if:
1. The company has not adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation.
2. Within the last year, and without shareholder approval, a company's board of directors or compensation committee has either:
a) Re-priced outstanding options, exchanged outstanding options for equity, or tendered cash for outstanding options; or
b) Adopted or extended a golden parachute.
B. Executive Severance Agreements
Executive severance compensation and benefit arrangements resulting from a termination following a change in control are known as “golden parachutes.” Fidelity generally will oppose proposals to ratify golden parachutes where the arrangement includes an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
V. Environmental and Social Issues
In these guidelines, we outline our views about corporate governance and how we evaluate and express our views about the governance of a company in ways that are intended to maximize long-term shareholder value. In addition, environmental and social issues are generally incorporated into our evaluation of a company.
Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with management’s recommendation on shareholder proposals concerning environmental or social issues, as it generally believes that management and the board are in the best position to determine how to address these matters. In certain cases, however, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals that request additional disclosures from companies regarding environmental or social issues, where it believes that the proposed disclosures could provide meaningful information to the investment management process without unduly burdening the company. For example, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals calling for reports on sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental impact issues. Fidelity also may support proposals on issues such as equal employment, and board and workforce diversity.
VI. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans
Fidelity generally will oppose a proposal to adopt an anti-takeover provision.
Anti-takeover provisions include:
- classified boards;
- “blank check” preferred stock (whose terms and conditions may be expressly determined by the company’s board, for example, with differential voting rights);
- golden parachutes;
- supermajority provisions (that require a large majority (generally between 67-90%) of shareholders to approve corporate changes as compared to a majority provision that simply requires more than 50% of shareholders to approve those changes);
- poison pills;
- restricting the right to call special meetings;
- provisions restricting the right of shareholders to set board size; and
- any other provision that eliminates or limits shareholder rights.
A. Shareholders Rights Plans (“poison pills”)
Poison pills allow shareholders opposed to a takeover offer to purchase stock at discounted prices under certain circumstances and effectively give boards veto power over any takeover offer. While there are advantages and disadvantages to poison pills, they can be detrimental to the creation of shareholder value and can help entrench management by deterring acquisition offers not favored by the board, but that may, in fact, be beneficial to shareholders.
Fidelity generally will support a proposal to adopt or extend a poison pill if the proposal:
1. Includes a condition in the charter or plan that specifies an expiration date (sunset provision) of no greater than five years;
2. Is integral to a business strategy that is expected to result in greater value for the shareholders;
3. Requires shareholder approval to be reinstated upon expiration or if amended;
4. Contains a mechanism to allow shareholders to consider a bona fide takeover offer for all outstanding shares without triggering the poison pill; and
5. Allows the Fidelity funds to hold an aggregate position of up to 20% of a company's total voting securities, where permissible.
Fidelity generally also will support a proposal that is crafted only for the purpose of protecting a specific tax benefit if it also believes the proposal is likely to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
B. Shareholder Ability to Call a Special Meeting
Fidelity generally will support shareholder proposals regarding shareholders' right to call special meetings if the threshold required to call the special meeting is no less than 25% of the outstanding stock.
C. Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding shareholders' right to act by written consent if the proposals include appropriate mechanisms for implementation. This means that proposals must include record date requests from at least 25% of the outstanding stockholders and consents must be solicited from all shareholders.
D. Supermajority Shareholder Vote Requirement
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding supermajority provisions if Fidelity believes that the provisions protect minority shareholder interests in companies where there is a substantial or dominant shareholder.
VII. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections
Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors or directors on responsible committees if the board adopted or extended an anti-takeover provision without shareholder approval.
Fidelity will consider supporting the election of directors with respect to poison pills if:
- All of the poison pill’s features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights section above are met when a poison pill is adopted or extended.
- A board is willing to consider seeking shareholder ratification of, or adding the features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans section above to, an existing poison pill. If, however, the company does not take appropriate action prior to the next annual shareholder meeting, Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors at that meeting.
- It determines that the poison pill was narrowly tailored to protect a specific tax benefit, and subject to an evaluation of its likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
VIII. Capital Structure and Incorporation
These guidelines are designed to protect shareholders’ value in the companies in which the Fidelity funds invest. To the extent a company’s management is committed and incentivized to maximize shareholder value, Fidelity generally votes in favor of management proposals; Fidelity may vote contrary to management where a proposal is overly dilutive to shareholders and/or compromises shareholder value or other interests. The guidelines that follow are meant to protect shareholders in these respects.
A. Increases in Common Stock
Fidelity may support reasonable increases in authorized shares for a specific purpose (a stock split or re-capitalization, for example). Fidelity generally will oppose a provision to increase a company's authorized common stock if such increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than three times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares, including stock options.
In the case of REITs, however, Fidelity will oppose a provision to increase the REIT’s authorized common stock if the increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than five times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares.
B. Multi-Class Share Structures
Fidelity generally will support proposals to recapitalize multi-class share structures into structures that provide equal voting rights for all shareholders, and generally will oppose proposals to introduce or increase classes of stock with differential voting rights. However, Fidelity will evaluate all such proposals in the context of their likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
C. Incorporation or Reincorporation in another State or Country
Fidelity generally will support management proposals calling for, or recommending that, a company reincorporate in another state or country if, on balance, the economic and corporate governance factors in the proposed jurisdiction appear reasonably likely to be better aligned with shareholder interests, taking into account the corporate laws of the current and proposed jurisdictions and any changes to the company's current and proposed governing documents. Fidelity will consider supporting these shareholder proposals in limited cases if, based upon particular facts and circumstances, remaining incorporated in the current jurisdiction appears misaligned with shareholder interests.
IX. Shares of Fidelity Funds, ETFs, or other non-Fidelity Mutual Funds and ETFs
When a Fidelity fund invests in an underlying Fidelity fund with public shareholders, an exchange traded fund (ETF), or fund that is not affiliated, Fidelity will vote in the same proportion as all other voting shareholders of the underlying fund (this is known as “echo voting”). Fidelity may choose not to vote if "echo voting" is not operationally practical. For Fidelity fund investments in a Fidelity Series Fund, Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with the recommendation of the Fidelity Series Fund's Board of Trustees on all proposals.
X. Foreign Markets
Many Fidelity funds invest in voting securities issued by companies that are domiciled outside the United States and are not listed on a U.S. securities exchange. Corporate governance standards, legal or regulatory requirements and disclosure practices in foreign countries can differ from those in the United States. When voting proxies relating to non-U.S. securities, Fidelity generally will evaluate proposals under these guidelines and where applicable and feasible, take into consideration differing laws, regulations and practices in the relevant foreign market in determining how to vote shares.
In certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, shareholders voting shares of a company may be restricted from trading the shares for a period of time around the shareholder meeting date. Because these trading restrictions can hinder portfolio management and could result in a loss of liquidity for a fund, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in circumstances where such restrictions apply. In addition, certain non-U.S. jurisdictions require voting shareholders to disclose current share ownership on a fund-by-fund basis. When such disclosure requirements apply, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in order to safeguard fund holdings information.
XI. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
Voting of shares is conducted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fidelity funds. In other words, securities of a company generally will be voted in a manner consistent with these guidelines and without regard to any other Fidelity companies' business relationships.
Fidelity takes its responsibility to vote shares in the best interests of the funds seriously and has implemented policies and procedures to address actual and potential conflicts of interest.
XII. Conclusion
Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Fidelity has been driven by two fundamental values: 1) putting the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders first; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. With these fundamental principles as guideposts, the funds are managed to provide the greatest possible return to shareholders consistent with governing laws and the investment guidelines and objectives of each fund.
Fidelity believes that there is a strong correlation between sound corporate governance and enhancing shareholder value. Fidelity, through the implementation of these guidelines, puts this belief into action through consistent engagement with portfolio companies on matters contained in these guidelines, and, ultimately, through the exercise of voting rights by the funds.
Glossary
• Burn rate means the total number of stock option and full value equity awards granted as compensation in a given year divided by the weighted average common stock outstanding for that same year.
- For a large-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 1.5%.
- For a small-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 2.5%.
- For a micro-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 3.5%.
• Golden parachute means employment contracts, agreements, or policies that include an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
• Large-capitalization company means a company included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index.
• Micro-capitalization company means a company with market capitalization under US $300 million.
• Poison pill refers to a strategy employed by a potential takeover / target company to make its stock less attractive to an acquirer. Poison pills are generally designed to dilute the acquirer's ownership and value in the event of a takeover.
• Small-capitalization company means a company not included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index that is not a Micro-Capitalization Company.
To view a fund's proxy voting record for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, if applicable, visit www.fidelity.com/proxyvotingresults or visit the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.
DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
The fund has entered into a distribution agreement with FDC, an affiliate of FIMM and FMR. The principal business address of FDC is 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, Rhode Island 02917. FDC is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The distribution agreement calls for FDC to use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its other business, to secure purchasers for shares of the fund, which are continuously offered at NAV. Promotional and administrative expenses in connection with the offer and sale of shares are paid by FIMM or FMR.
The Trustees have approved a Distribution and Service Plan with respect to shares of the fund (the Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the Rule). The Rule provides in substance that a fund may not engage directly or indirectly in financing any activity that is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund except pursuant to a plan approved on behalf of the fund under the Rule. The Plan, as approved by the Trustees, allows shares of the fund, FIMM, and/or FMR to incur certain expenses that might be considered to constitute indirect payment by the fund of distribution expenses.
The Plan adopted for the fund is described in the prospectus.
Under the Plan, if the payment of management fees by the fund to FIMM is deemed to be indirect financing by the fund of the distribution of its shares, such payment is authorized by the Plan. The Plan specifically recognizes that FIMM or FMR may use its management fee revenue, including management fees paid to FIMM by the fund or fees paid to FMR by FIMM out of such management fees, as well as its past profits or its other resources, to pay FDC for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund and/or shareholder support services. In addition, the Plan provides that FIMM or FMR, directly or through FDC, may pay significant amounts to intermediaries that provide those services.
Prior to approving the Plan, the Trustees carefully considered all pertinent factors relating to the implementation of the Plan, and determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trustees noted that the Plan does not authorize payments by shares of the fund other than those made to FIMM under its management contract with the fund. To the extent that the Plan gives FIMM, FMR, and FDC greater flexibility in connection with the distribution of shares, additional sales of shares or stabilization of cash flows may result. Furthermore, certain shareholder support services may be provided more effectively under the Plan by local entities with whom shareholders have other relationships.
FDC or an affiliate may compensate, or upon direction make payments for certain retirement plan expenses to intermediaries. A number of factors are considered in determining whether to pay these additional amounts. Such factors may include, without limitation, the level or type of services provided by the intermediary, the level or expected level of assets or sales of shares, and other factors. In addition to such payments, FDC or an affiliate may offer other incentives such as sponsorship of educational or client seminars relating to current products and issues, payments or reimbursements for travel and related expenses associated with due diligence trips that an intermediary may undertake in order to explore possible business relationships with affiliates of FDC, and/or payments of costs and expenses associated with attendance at seminars, including travel, lodging, entertainment, and meals. Certain of the payments described above may be significant to an intermediary. As permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules and other applicable laws and regulations, FDC or an affiliate may pay or allow other incentives or payments to intermediaries.
FDC or an affiliate may also make payments to banks, broker-dealers and other service-providers (who may be affiliated with FDC) for distribution-related activities and/or shareholder services. If you have purchased shares of the fund through an investment professional, please speak with your investment professional to learn more about any payments his or her firm may receive from FIMM, FMR, FDC, and/or their affiliates, as well as fees and/or commissions the investment professional charges. You should also consult disclosures made by your investment professional at the time of purchase.
Any of the payments described in this section may represent a premium over payments made by other fund families. Investment professionals may have an added incentive to sell or recommend a fund over others offered by competing fund families, or retirement plan sponsors may take these payments into account when deciding whether to include a fund as a plan investment option.
FDC may also enter into agreements with securities dealers who will solicit purchases of Creation Units. Such securities dealers may also be Authorized Participants, DTC Participants, and or investor services organizations.
TRANSFER AND SERVICE AGENT AGREEMENTS
The fund has entered into a transfer agency and service agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street), which is located at One Heritage Drive, Floor 1, North Quincy, Massachusetts, 02171. Under the terms of the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) acts as transfer agent and dividend and disbursing agent.
The fund has entered into a service agent agreement with FSC, an affiliate of FIMM (or an agent, including an affiliate), which is located at 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210. Under the terms of the agreement, FSC (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides certain pricing and bookkeeping services for the fund and administers the fund's securities lending program. FSC has entered into a sub-administration agreement with State Street. Under the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides various fund accounting and fund administration services, including preparation of financial information for shareholder reports and tax services, for the fund.
FIMM bears the cost of services under these agreements under the terms of its management contract with the fund.
SECURITIES LENDING
During the fiscal year, the securities lending agent, or the investment adviser (where the fund does not use a securities lending agent) monitors loan opportunities for the fund, negotiates the terms of the loans with borrowers, monitors the value of securities on loan and the value of the corresponding collateral, communicates with borrowers and the fund's custodian regarding marking to market the collateral, selects securities to be loaned and allocates those loan opportunities among lenders, and arranges for the return of the loaned securities upon the termination of the loan. Income and fees from securities lending activities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, are shown in the following table:
| Security Lending Activities | Fund(s) |
| Fidelity® Total Bond ETF(1) | |
| Gross income from securities lending activities | $0 |
| Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split | $0 |
| Administrative fees | $0 |
| Rebate (paid to borrower) | $0 |
| Other fees not included in the revenue split (lending agent fees to NFS) | $0 |
| Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities | $0 |
| Net income from securities lending activities | $0 |
(1) The fund did not lend securities during the year.
A fund does not pay cash collateral management fees, separate indemnification fees, or other fees not reflected above.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
Trust Organization. Fidelity® Total Bond ETF is a fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust, an open-end management investment company created under an initial declaration of trust dated November 15, 2012. The Trustees are permitted to create additional funds in the trust and to create additional classes of the fund.
The assets of the trust received for the issue or sale of shares of each of its funds and all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, subject to the rights of creditors, are allocated to such fund, and constitute the underlying assets of such fund. The underlying assets of each fund in the trust shall be charged with the liabilities and expenses attributable to such fund. Any general expenses of the trust shall be allocated between or among any one or more of the funds.
Shareholder Liability. The trust is an entity commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the trust.
The Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations, and expenses of the trust or fund. The Declaration of Trust provides that the trust shall not have any claim against shareholders except for the payment of the purchase price of shares and requires that each agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by the trust or the Trustees relating to the trust or to a fund shall include a provision limiting the obligations created thereby to the trust or to one or more funds and its or their assets. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders of a fund shall not have a claim on or right to any assets belonging to any other fund.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of a fund's property of any shareholder or former shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the fund solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a fund shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the fund and satisfy any judgment thereon. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which a fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations. FIMM believes that, in view of the above, the risk of personal liability to shareholders is remote.
Voting Rights. Each fund's capital consists of shares of beneficial interest. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each dollar of net asset value they own. The voting rights of shareholders can be changed only by a shareholder vote. Shares may be voted in the aggregate, by fund, and by class.
The shares have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares are fully paid and nonassessable, except as set forth under the heading "Shareholder Liability" above.
The trust or a fund or a class may be terminated upon the sale of its assets to, or merger with, another open-end management investment company, series, or class thereof, or upon liquidation and distribution of its assets. The Trustees may reorganize, terminate, merge, or sell all or a portion of the assets of the trust or a fund or a class without prior shareholder approval. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the trust, shareholders of each of its funds are entitled to receive the underlying assets of such fund available for distribution. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of a fund or a class, shareholders of that fund or that class are entitled to receive the underlying assets of the fund or class available for distribution.
Custodians. State Street Bank and Trust Company, 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian of the assets of the fund. The custodian is responsible for the safekeeping of the fund's assets and the appointment of any subcustodian banks and clearing agencies. The Bank of New York Mellon and JPMorgan Chase Bank, each headquartered in New York, also may serve as special purpose custodians of certain assets in connection with repurchase agreement transactions. From time to time, subject to approval by a fund's Treasurer, a Fidelity® fund may enter into escrow arrangements with other banks if necessary to participate in certain investment offerings.
FMR, its officers and directors, its affiliated companies, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and Members of the Board of Trustees may, from time to time, conduct transactions with various banks, including banks serving as custodians for certain funds advised by FMR or an affiliate. Transactions that have occurred to date include mortgages and personal and general business loans. In the judgment of the fund's adviser, the terms and conditions of those transactions were not influenced by existing or potential custodial or other fund relationships.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts, independent registered public accounting firm, audits financial statements for the fund and provides other audit, tax, and related services.
FUND HOLDINGS INFORMATION
The fund views holdings information as sensitive and limits its dissemination. The Board authorized FMR to establish and administer guidelines for the dissemination of fund holdings information, which may be amended at any time without prior notice. FMR's Disclosure Policy Committee (comprising executive officers of FMR) evaluates disclosure policy with the goal of serving the fund's best interests by striking an appropriate balance between providing information about the fund's portfolio and protecting the fund from potentially harmful disclosure. The Board reviews the administration and modification of these guidelines and receives reports from the fund's chief compliance officer periodically.
On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in shares on the listing exchange, the fund will disclose on its website the identities and quantities of the fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
Daily portfolio composition files (PCFs) that identify a basket of specified securities that may overlap with the actual or expected portfolio holdings of the fund will be provided as frequently as daily to the fund's service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the fund and to certain other entities in connection with the dissemination of information necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Each business day prior to the opening of the listing exchange, a PCF containing a list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security for the fund will be provided for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC; through other fee-based services to NSCC members; subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants; and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading fund shares in the secondary market. In addition to making PCFs available to the NSCC, the fund will disclose the PCF or portions thereof as frequently as daily on www.fidelity.com.
The fund may also from time to time provide or make available to the Board or third parties upon request specific fund level performance attribution information and statistics. Third parties may include fund shareholders or prospective fund shareholders, members of the press, consultants, and ratings and ranking organizations. Nonexclusive examples of performance attribution information and statistics may include (i) the allocation of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions among various asset classes, sectors, industries, and countries, (ii) the characteristics of the stock and bond components of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions, (iii) the attribution of fund returns by asset class, sector, industry, and country and (iv) the volatility characteristics of the fund.
FMR’s Disclosure Policy Committee may approve a request for fund level performance attribution and statistics as long as (i) such disclosure does not enable the receiving party to recreate the complete or partial portfolio holdings of any Fidelity fund prior to such fund’s public disclosure of its portfolio holdings and (ii) Fidelity has made a good faith determination that the requested information is not material given the particular facts and circumstances. Fidelity may deny any request for performance attribution information and other statistical information about a fund made by any person, and may do so for any reason or for no reason.
Disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information for a Fidelity fund’s portfolio may only be provided pursuant to the guidelines below.
The Use of Holdings In Connection With Fund Operations. Material non-public holdings information may be provided as part of the activities associated with managing Fidelity® funds to: entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed; other parties if legally required; or persons FMR believes will not misuse the disclosed information. These entities, parties, and persons include, but are not limited to: the fund's trustees; the fund's manager, its sub-advisers, if any, and their affiliates whose access persons are subject to a code of ethics (including portfolio managers of affiliated funds of funds); contractors who are subject to a confidentiality agreement; the fund's auditors; the fund's custodians; proxy voting service providers; financial printers; pricing service vendors; broker-dealers in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities; securities lending agents; counsel to the fund or its Independent Trustees; regulatory authorities; stock exchanges and other listing organizations; parties to litigation; third parties in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding relating to a fund holding; and third parties who have submitted a standing request to a money market fund for daily holdings information. Non-public holdings information may also be provided to an issuer regarding the number or percentage of its shares that are owned by the fund and in connection with redemptions in kind.
Other Uses Of Holdings Information. In addition, the fund may provide material non-public holdings information to (i) third parties that calculate information derived from holdings for use by FMR, a sub-adviser, or their affiliates, (ii) ratings and rankings organizations, and (iii) an investment adviser, trustee, or their agents to whom holdings are disclosed for due diligence purposes or in anticipation of a merger involving the fund. Each individual request is reviewed by the Disclosure Policy Committee which must find, in its sole discretion that, based on the specific facts and circumstances, the disclosure appears unlikely to be harmful to the fund. Entities receiving this information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that, (a) the holdings information will be kept confidential, (b) no employee shall use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit, and (c) the nature and type of information that they, in turn, may disclose to third parties is limited. FMR relies primarily on the existence of non-disclosure agreements and/or control mechanisms when determining that disclosure is not likely to be harmful to the fund.
At this time, the entities receiving information described in the preceding paragraph are: Factset Research Systems Inc. (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (full holdings weekly (generally as of the previous Friday), generally 5 business days thereafter); MSCI Inc. and certain affiliates (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); and Bloomberg, L.P. (full holdings daily, on the next business day).
FMR, its affiliates, or the fund will not enter into any arrangements with third parties from which they derive consideration for the disclosure of material non-public holdings information. If, in the future, such an arrangement is desired, prior Board approval would be sought and any such arrangements would be disclosed in the fund's SAI.
There can be no assurance that the fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of fund portfolio holdings will prevent the misuse of such information by individuals and firms that receive such information.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The fund's financial statements and financial highlights for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, and report of the independent registered public accounting firm, are included in the fund's annual report and are incorporated herein by reference. Total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table may differ from the ratios of expenses to average net assets in the financial highlights because total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table include any acquired fund fees and expenses, whereas the ratios of expenses in the financial highlights do not, except to the extent any acquired fund fees and expenses relate to an entity, such as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with which a fund's financial statements are consolidated. Acquired funds include other investment companies (such as central funds or other underlying funds) in which the fund has invested, if and to the extent it is permitted to do so. Total annual operating expenses in the prospectus fee table and the financial highlights do not include any expenses associated with investments in certain structured or synthetic products that may rely on the exception from the definition of "investment company" provided by section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act.
APPENDIX
Fidelity and Fidelity Investments & Pyramid Design are registered service marks of FMR LLC. © 2019 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Any third-party marks that may appear above are the marks of their respective owners.
| Fund | Ticker |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | FLDR |
Fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.
December 30, 2019
This statement of additional information (SAI) is not a prospectus. Portions of the fund's annual report are incorporated herein. The annual report is supplied with this SAI.
To obtain a free additional copy of the prospectus or SAI, dated December 30, 2019, or an annual report, please call Fidelity at 1-800-FIDELITY or visit Fidelity’s web site at www.fidelity.com.
LDE-PTB-1219
1.9887641.103
245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND(S)
The fund is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide investment results that correspond, before fees and expenses, generally to the returns of a specified index. The fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at net asset value per share (NAV) in aggregations of a specified number of shares called "Creation Units." Creation Units generally are issued in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. Shares are listed and traded on an exchange. Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may differ from the shares' NAV. Shares are not individually redeemable, but are redeemable only in Creation Unit aggregations, and in exchange for portfolio securities and/or cash. A Creation Unit of the fund consists of a block of 25,000 shares. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants (as defined herein), therefore, will not be able to purchase or redeem shares directly with or from the fund. Instead, most shareholders who are not Authorized Participants will buy and sell shares in the secondary market through a broker.
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS
The following policies and limitations supplement those set forth in the prospectus. Unless otherwise noted, whenever an investment policy or limitation states a maximum percentage of the fund's assets that may be invested in any security or other asset, or sets forth a policy regarding quality standards, such standard or percentage limitation will be determined immediately after and as a result of the fund's acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, any subsequent change in values, net assets, or other circumstances will not be considered when determining whether the investment complies with the fund's investment policies and limitations.
The fund's fundamental investment policies and limitations cannot be changed without approval by a "majority of the outstanding voting securities" (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act)) of the fund. However, except for the fundamental investment limitations listed below, the investment policies and limitations described in this SAI are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
The following are the fund's fundamental investment limitations set forth in their entirety.
Diversification
The fund may not with respect to 75% of the fund's total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, (a) more than 5% of the fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (b) the fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer.
Senior Securities
The fund may not issue senior securities, except in connection with the insurance program established by the fund pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission or as otherwise permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Borrowing
The fund may not borrow money, except that the fund may borrow money for temporary or emergency purposes (not for leveraging or investment) in an amount not exceeding 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than borrowings). Any borrowings that come to exceed this amount will be reduced within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) to the extent necessary to comply with the 33 1/3% limitation.
Underwriting
The fund may not underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the fund may be considered an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in the disposition of restricted securities or in connection with investments in other investment companies.
Concentration
The fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers in a particular industry to approximately the same extent that the fund’s index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) looks through to the U.S. Government securities.
For purposes of the fund's concentration limitation discussed above, with respect to any investment in Fidelity® Money Market Central Fund and/or any non-money market central fund, FIMM looks through to the holdings of the central fund.
Real Estate
The fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from investing in securities or other instruments backed by real estate or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business).
Commodities
The fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments (but this shall not prevent the fund from purchasing or selling options and futures contracts or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
Loans
The fund may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, but this limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities or to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.
(This limitation does not apply to purchases of debt securities, to repurchase agreements, or to acquisitions of loans, loan participations or other forms of debt instruments.)
The following investment limitations are not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval.
Short Sales
The fund does not currently intend to sell securities short, unless it owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in kind and amount to the securities sold short, and provided that transactions in futures contracts, options, and swaps are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.
Margin Purchases
The fund does not currently intend to purchase securities on margin, except that the fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions, and provided that margin payments in connection with futures contracts and options on futures contracts shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin.
Borrowing
The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements are treated as borrowings for purposes of the fundamental borrowing investment limitation).
Illiquid Securities
The fund does not currently intend to purchase any security if, as a result, more than 10% of its net assets would be invested in securities that are deemed to be illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business at approximately the prices at which they are valued.
For purposes of the fund's illiquid securities limitation discussed above, if through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, the fund were in a position where more than 10% of its net assets were invested in illiquid securities, it would consider appropriate steps to protect liquidity.
Loans
The fund does not currently intend to lend assets other than securities to other parties, except by (a) lending money (up to 15% of the fund's net assets) to a registered investment company or portfolio for which FIMM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) assuming any unfunded commitments in connection with the acquisition of loans, loan participations, or other forms of debt instruments.
In addition to the fund's fundamental and non-fundamental investment limitations discussed above:
In order to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the fund currently intends to comply with certain diversification limits imposed by Subchapter M.
The following pages contain more detailed information about types of instruments in which the fund may invest, techniques the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may employ in pursuit of the fund's investment objective, and a summary of related risks. The fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) may not buy all of these instruments or use all of these techniques unless it believes that doing so will help the fund achieve its goal. However, the fund's adviser (or a sub-adviser) is not required to buy any particular instrument or use any particular technique even if to do so might benefit the fund.
On the following pages in this section titled "Investment Policies and Limitations," and except as otherwise indicated, references to "an adviser" or "the adviser" may relate to the fund's adviser or a sub-adviser, as applicable.
Affiliated Bank Transactions. A Fidelity® fund may engage in transactions with financial institutions that are, or may be considered to be, "affiliated persons" of the fund under the 1940 Act. These transactions may involve repurchase agreements with custodian banks; short-term obligations of, and repurchase agreements with, the 50 largest U.S. banks (measured by deposits); municipal securities; U.S. Government securities with affiliated financial institutions that are primary dealers in these securities; short-term currency transactions; and short-term borrowings. In accordance with exemptive orders issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Board of Trustees has established and periodically reviews procedures applicable to transactions involving affiliated financial institutions.
Asset-Backed Securities represent interests in pools of mortgages, loans, receivables, or other assets. Payment of interest and repayment of principal may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities and, in certain cases, supported by letters of credit, surety bonds, or other credit enhancements. Asset-backed security values may also be affected by other factors including changes in interest rates, the availability of information concerning the pool and its structure, the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the loans or receivables, or the entities providing the credit enhancement. In addition, these securities may be subject to prepayment risk. Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) are a type of asset-backed security. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CLOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses. For CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class. Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CLOs may be characterized by a fund as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions.
Borrowing. If a fund borrows money, its share price may be subject to greater fluctuation until the borrowing is paid off. If a fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage.
Cash Management. A fund may hold uninvested cash or may invest it in cash equivalents such as money market securities, repurchase agreements, or shares of short-term bond or money market funds, including (for Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients only) shares of Fidelity® central funds. Generally, these securities offer less potential for gains than other types of securities.
Central Funds are special types of investment vehicles created by Fidelity for use by the Fidelity® funds and other advisory clients. Central funds are used to invest in particular security types or investment disciplines, or for cash management. Central funds incur certain costs related to their investment activity (such as custodial fees and expenses), but do not pay additional management fees. The investment results of the portions of a Fidelity® fund's assets invested in the central funds will be based upon the investment results of those funds.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Notice of Exclusion. The trust, on behalf of the Fidelity® fund to which this SAI relates, has filed with the National Futures Association a notice claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and the rules of the CFTC promulgated thereunder, with respect to the fund's operation. Accordingly, neither a fund nor its adviser is subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool or a CPO. However, the CFTC has adopted certain rule amendments that significantly affect the continued availability of this exclusion, and may subject advisers to funds to regulation by the CFTC. As of the date of this SAI, the adviser does not expect to register as a CPO of the fund. However, there is no certainty that a fund or its adviser will be able to rely on an exclusion in the future as the fund's investments change over time. A fund may determine not to use investment strategies that trigger additional CFTC regulation or may determine to operate subject to CFTC regulation, if applicable. If a fund or its adviser operates subject to CFTC regulation, it may incur additional expenses.
Dollar-Weighted Average Maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each security by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of a fund's portfolio. An obligation's maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions to this rule.
Under certain circumstances, a fund may invest in nominally long-term securities that have maturity shortening features of shorter-term securities, and the maturities of these securities may be deemed to be earlier than their ultimate maturity dates by virtue of an existing demand feature or an adjustable interest rate. Under other circumstances, if it is probable that the issuer of an instrument will take advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument will probably be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. The maturities of mortgage securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, and some asset-backed securities are determined on a weighted average life basis, which is the average time for principal to be repaid. For a mortgage security, this average time is calculated by estimating the timing of principal payments, including unscheduled prepayments, during the life of the mortgage. The weighted average life of these securities is likely to be substantially shorter than their stated final maturity.
Duration is a measure of a bond's price sensitivity to a change in interest rates. For example, if a bond has a 5-year duration and interest rates rise 1%, the bond's value is likely to fall about 5%. Similarly, if a bond fund has a 5-year duration and interest rates rise 1%, the fund's value is likely to fall about 5%. For funds with exposure to foreign markets, there are many reasons why all of the bond holdings do not experience the same yield changes. These reasons include: the bonds are spread off of different yield curves around the world and these yield curves do not move in tandem; the shapes of these yield curves change; and sector and issuer yield spreads change. Other factors can influence a bond fund's performance and share price. Accordingly, a bond fund's actual performance will likely differ from the example.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are shares of other investment companies, commodity pools, or other entities that are traded on an exchange. Typically, assets underlying the ETF shares are stocks, though they may also be commodities or other instruments. An ETF may seek to replicate the performance of a specific index or may be actively managed.
Typically, shares of an ETF that tracks an index are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark increases. However, in the case of inverse ETFs (also called "short ETFs" or "bear ETFs"), ETF shares are expected to increase in value as the value of the underlying benchmark decreases. Inverse ETFs seek to deliver the opposite of the performance of the benchmark they track and are often marketed as a way for investors to profit from, or at least hedge their exposure to, downward moving markets. Investments in inverse ETFs are similar to holding short positions in the underlying benchmark.
ETF shares are redeemable only in large blocks of shares often called "creation units" by persons other than a fund, and are redeemed principally in-kind at each day's next calculated net asset value per share (NAV). ETFs typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by a fund. A fund's purchase of ETFs results in the layering of expenses, such that the fund would indirectly bear a proportionate share of any ETF's operating expenses. Further, while traditional investment companies are continuously offered at NAV, ETFs are traded in the secondary market (e.g., on a stock exchange) on an intra-day basis at prices that may be above or below the value of their underlying portfolios.
Some of the risks of investing in an ETF that tracks an index are similar to those of investing in an indexed mutual fund, including tracking error risk (the risk of errors in matching the ETF's underlying assets to the index or other benchmark); and the risk that because an ETF that tracks an index is not actively managed, it cannot sell stocks or other assets as long as they are represented in the index or other benchmark. Other ETF risks include the risk that ETFs may trade in the secondary market at a discount from their NAV and the risk that the ETFs may not be liquid. ETFs also may be leveraged. Leveraged ETFs seek to deliver multiples of the performance of the index or other benchmark they track and use derivatives in an effort to amplify the returns (or decline, in the case of inverse ETFs) of the underlying index or benchmark. While leveraged ETFs may offer the potential for greater return, the potential for loss and the speed at which losses can be realized also are greater. Most leveraged and inverse ETFs "reset" daily, meaning they are designed to achieve their stated objectives on a daily basis. Leveraged and inverse ETFs can deviate substantially from the performance of their underlying benchmark over longer periods of time, particularly in volatile periods.
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) are a type of senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt security issued by financial institutions that combines aspects of both bonds and ETFs. An ETN's returns are based on the performance of a market index or other reference asset minus fees and expenses. Similar to ETFs, ETNs are listed on an exchange and traded in the secondary market. However, unlike an ETF, an ETN can be held until the ETN's maturity, at which time the issuer will pay a return linked to the performance of the market index or other reference asset to which the ETN is linked minus certain fees. Unlike regular bonds, ETNs typically do not make periodic interest payments and principal typically is not protected.
ETNs also incur certain expenses not incurred by their applicable index. The market value of an ETN is determined by supply and demand, the current performance of the index or other reference asset, and the credit rating of the ETN issuer. The market value of ETN shares may differ from their intraday indicative value. The value of an ETN may also change due to a change in the issuer's credit rating. As a result, there may be times when an ETN's share trades at a premium or discount to its NAV. Some ETNs that use leverage in an effort to amplify the returns of an underlying index or other reference asset can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Leveraged ETNs may offer the potential for greater return, but the potential for loss and speed at which losses can be realized also are greater.
Fund's Rights as an Investor. Fidelity® funds do not intend to direct or administer the day-to-day operations of any company. A fund may, however, exercise its rights as a shareholder or lender and may communicate its views on important matters of policy to a company's management, board of directors, and shareholders, and holders of a company's other securities when such matters could have a significant effect on the value of the fund's investment in the company. The activities in which a fund may engage, either individually or in conjunction with others, may include, among others, supporting or opposing proposed changes in a company's corporate structure or business activities; seeking changes in a company's directors or management; seeking changes in a company's direction or policies; seeking the sale or reorganization of the company or a portion of its assets; supporting or opposing third-party takeover efforts; supporting the filing of a bankruptcy petition; or foreclosing on collateral securing a security. This area of corporate activity is increasingly prone to litigation and it is possible that a fund could be involved in lawsuits related to such activities. Such activities will be monitored with a view to mitigating, to the extent possible, the risk of litigation against a fund and the risk of actual liability if a fund is involved in litigation. No guarantee can be made, however, that litigation against a fund will not be undertaken or liabilities incurred. A fund's proxy voting guidelines are included in its SAI.
Futures. The success of any strategy involving futures depends on an adviser's analysis of many economic and mathematical factors and a fund's return may be higher if it never invested in such instruments. Additionally, some of the contracts discussed below are new instruments without a trading history and there can be no assurance that a market for the instruments will continue to exist. Government legislation or regulation could affect the use of such instruments and could limit a fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies.
The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which a fund may enter into futures, options on futures, and forward contracts.
Futures Contracts. In purchasing a futures contract, the buyer agrees to purchase a specified underlying instrument at a specified future date. In selling a futures contract, the seller agrees to sell a specified underlying instrument at a specified date. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts and the price at which the purchase and sale will take place is fixed when the buyer and seller enter into the contract. Some currently available futures contracts are based on specific securities or baskets of securities, some are based on commodities or commodities indexes (for funds that seek commodities exposure), and some are based on indexes of securities prices (including foreign indexes for funds that seek foreign exposure). In addition, some currently available futures contracts are based on Eurodollars. Positions in Eurodollar futures reflect market expectations of forward levels of three-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rates. Futures on indexes and futures not calling for physical delivery of the underlying instrument will be settled through cash payments rather than through delivery of the underlying instrument. Futures can be held until their delivery dates, or can be closed out by offsetting purchases or sales of futures contracts before then if a liquid market is available. A fund may realize a gain or loss by closing out its futures contracts.
The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of its underlying instrument. Therefore, purchasing futures contracts will tend to increase a fund's exposure to positive and negative price fluctuations in the underlying instrument, much as if it had purchased the underlying instrument directly. When a fund sells a futures contract, by contrast, the value of its futures position will tend to move in a direction contrary to the market for the underlying instrument. Selling futures contracts, therefore, will tend to offset both positive and negative market price changes, much as if the underlying instrument had been sold.
The purchaser or seller of a futures contract or an option for a futures contract is not required to deliver or pay for the underlying instrument or the final cash settlement price, as applicable, unless the contract is held until the delivery date. However, both the purchaser and seller are required to deposit "initial margin" with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant (FCM), when the contract is entered into. If the value of either party's position declines, that party will be required to make additional "variation margin" payments to settle the change in value on a daily basis. This process of "marking to market" will be reflected in the daily calculation of open positions computed in a fund's NAV. The party that has a gain is entitled to receive all or a portion of this amount. Initial and variation margin payments do not constitute purchasing securities on margin for purposes of a fund's investment limitations. Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by a fund, but is instead a settlement between a fund and the FCM of the amount one would owe the other if the fund's contract expired. In the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of a fund, the fund may be entitled to return of margin owed to it only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM's other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the fund. A fund is also required to segregate liquid assets equivalent to the fund's outstanding obligations under the contract in excess of the initial margin and variation margin, if any.
Although futures exchanges generally operate similarly in the United States and abroad, foreign futures exchanges may follow trading, settlement, and margin procedures that are different from those for U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts traded outside the United States may not involve a clearing mechanism or related guarantees and may involve greater risk of loss than U.S.-traded contracts, including potentially greater risk of losses due to insolvency of a futures broker, exchange member, or other party that may owe initial or variation margin to a fund. Because initial and variation margin payments may be measured in foreign currency, a futures contract traded outside the United States may also involve the risk of foreign currency fluctuation.
There is no assurance a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time. Exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for futures contracts, and may halt trading if a contract's price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.
If the market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or other market conditions, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require a fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, a fund's access to other assets held to cover its futures positions could also be impaired. These risks may be heightened for commodity futures contracts, which have historically been subject to greater price volatility than exists for instruments such as stocks and bonds.
Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded futures contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match a fund's current or anticipated investments exactly. A fund may invest in futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which the fund typically invests, which involves a risk that the futures position will not track the performance of the fund's other investments.
Futures prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match a fund's investments well. Futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. A fund may purchase or sell futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in a fund's futures positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments. In addition, the price of a commodity futures contract can reflect the storage costs associated with the purchase of the physical commodity.
Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to the manner in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that a fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of these futures contracts will not vary in direct proportion to the value of the fund's holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.
Hybrid and Preferred Securities. A hybrid security may be a debt security, warrant, convertible security, certificate of deposit or other evidence of indebtedness on which the value of the interest on or principal of which is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument or financial strength of a reference entity (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, index, or business entity such as a financial institution). Another example is contingent convertible securities, which are fixed income securities that, under certain circumstances, either convert into common stock of the issuer or undergo a principal write-down by a predetermined percentage if the issuer's capital ratio falls below a predetermined trigger level. The liquidation value of such a security may be reduced upon a regulatory action and without the need for a bankruptcy proceeding. Preferred securities may take the form of preferred stock and represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock.
The risks of investing in hybrid and preferred securities reflect a combination of the risks of investing in securities, options, futures and currencies. An investment in a hybrid or preferred security may entail significant risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional debt or equity security. The risks of a particular hybrid or preferred security will depend upon the terms of the instrument, but may include the possibility of significant changes in the value of any applicable reference instrument. Such risks may depend upon factors unrelated to the operations or credit quality of the issuer of the hybrid or preferred security. Hybrid and preferred securities are potentially more volatile and carry greater market and liquidity risks than traditional debt or equity securities. Also, the price of the hybrid or preferred security and any applicable reference instrument may not move in the same direction or at the same time. In addition, because hybrid and preferred securities may be traded over-the-counter or in bilateral transactions with the issuer of the security, hybrid and preferred securities may be subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the security and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates. In addition, uncertainty regarding the tax and regulatory treatment of hybrid and preferred securities may reduce demand for such securities and tax and regulatory considerations may limit the extent of a fund's investments in certain hybrid and preferred securities.
Illiquid Investments means any investment that cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Difficulty in selling or disposing of illiquid investments may result in a loss or may be costly to a fund. Illiquid securities may include (1) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days without demand/redemption features, (2) OTC options and certain other derivatives, (3) private placements, (4) securities traded on markets and exchanges with structural constraints, and (5) loan participations.
Under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, a Fidelity® fund's adviser classifies the liquidity of the fund's investments and monitors the extent of funds’ illiquid investments.
Various market, trading and investment-specific factors may be considered in determining the liquidity of a fund's investments including, but not limited to (1) the existence of an active trading market, (2) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades, (3) the number, diversity, and quality of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace, (4) the frequency, volume, and volatility of trade and price quotations, (5) bid-ask spreads, (6) dates of issuance and maturity, (7) demand, put or tender features, and (8) restrictions on trading or transferring the investment.
Fidelity classifies certain investments as illiquid based upon these criteria. Fidelity also monitors for certain market, trading and investment-specific events that may cause Fidelity to re-evaluate an investment’s liquidity status and may lead to an investment being classified as illiquid. In addition, Fidelity uses a third-party to assist with the liquidity classifications of the fund’s investments, which includes calculating the time to sell and settle a specified size position in a particular investment without the sale significantly changing the market value of the investment.
Increasing Government Debt. The total public debt of the United States and other countries around the globe as a percent of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008 financial downturn. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented.
A high national debt level may increase market pressures to meet government funding needs, which may drive debt cost higher and cause a country to sell additional debt, thereby increasing refinancing risk. A high national debt also raises concerns that a government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. In the worst case, unsustainable debt levels can decline the valuation of currencies, and can prevent a government from implementing effective counter-cyclical fiscal policy in economic downturns.
On August 5, 2011, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States one level to "AA+" from "AAA." While Standard & Poor's Ratings Services affirmed the United States' short-term sovereign credit rating as "A-1+," there is no guarantee that Standard & Poor's Ratings Services will not decide to lower this rating in the future. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services stated that its decision was prompted by its view on the rising public debt burden and its perception of greater policymaking uncertainty. The market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government may be adversely affected by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services decisions to downgrade the long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States.
Indexed Securities are instruments whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indexes, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose values at maturity or coupon rates are determined by reference to a specific instrument, statistic, or measure.
Indexed securities also include commercial paper, certificates of deposit, and other fixed-income securities whose values at maturity or coupon interest rates are determined by reference to the returns of particular stock indexes. Indexed securities can be affected by stock prices as well as changes in interest rates and the creditworthiness of their issuers and may not track the indexes as accurately as direct investments in the indexes.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the instrument or measure to which they are indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments or measures. Indexed securities are also subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. Government agencies.
Insolvency of Issuers, Counterparties, and Intermediaries. Issuers of fund portfolio securities or counterparties to fund transactions that become insolvent or declare bankruptcy can pose special investment risks. In each circumstance, risk of loss, valuation uncertainty, increased illiquidity, and other unpredictable occurrences may negatively impact an investment. Each of these risks may be amplified in foreign markets, where security trading, settlement, and custodial practices can be less developed than those in the U.S. markets, and bankruptcy laws differ from those of the U.S.
As a general matter, if the issuer of a fund portfolio security is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and preferred stock have priority over the claims of common stock owners. These events can negatively impact the value of the issuer's securities and the results of related proceedings can be unpredictable.
If a counterparty to a fund transaction, such as a swap transaction, a short sale, a borrowing, or other complex transaction becomes insolvent, the fund may be limited in its ability to exercise rights to obtain the return of related fund assets or in exercising other rights against the counterparty. In addition, insolvency and liquidation proceedings take time to resolve, which can limit or preclude a fund's ability to terminate a transaction or obtain related assets or collateral in a timely fashion. Uncertainty may also arise upon the insolvency of a securities or commodities intermediary such as a broker-dealer or futures commission merchant with which a fund has pending transactions. If an intermediary becomes insolvent, while securities positions and other holdings may be protected by U.S. or foreign laws, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether these protections are available to specific trades based on the circumstances. Receiving the benefit of these protections can also take time to resolve, which may result in illiquid positions.
Interfund Borrowing and Lending Program. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC, a Fidelity® fund may lend money to, and borrow money from, other funds advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) or its affiliates. A Fidelity® fund will borrow through the program only when the costs are equal to or lower than the costs of bank loans. A Fidelity® fund will lend through the program only when the returns are higher than those available from an investment in repurchase agreements. Interfund loans and borrowings normally extend overnight, but can have a maximum duration of seven days. Loans may be called on one day's notice. A Fidelity® fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher interest rate if an interfund loan is called or not renewed. Any delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional borrowing costs.
Investment-Grade Debt Securities. Investment-grade debt securities include all types of debt instruments that are of medium and high-quality. Investment-grade debt securities include repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Government securities as well as repurchase agreements collateralized by equity securities, non-investment-grade debt, and all other instruments in which a fund can perfect a security interest, provided the repurchase agreement counterparty has an investment-grade rating. Some investment-grade debt securities may possess speculative characteristics and may be more sensitive to economic changes and to changes in the financial conditions of issuers. An investment-grade rating means the security or issuer is rated investment-grade by a credit rating agency registered as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) with the SEC (for example, Moody's Investors Service, Inc.), or is unrated but considered to be of equivalent quality by a fund's adviser. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of an investment-grade debt security, an adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). REITs issue debt securities to fund the purchase and/or development of commercial properties. The value of these debt securities may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, the creditworthiness of the trusts, interest rates, and tax and regulatory requirements. REITs are dependent upon management skill and the cash flow generated by the properties owned by the trusts. REITs are at the risk of the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free status of income under the Internal Revenue Code and failing to maintain exemption from the 1940 Act.
Reforms and Government Intervention in the Financial Markets. Economic downturns can trigger various economic, legal, budgetary, tax, and regulatory reforms across the globe. Instability in the financial markets in the wake of the 2008 economic downturn led the U.S. Government and other governments to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases, a lack of liquidity. Reforms are ongoing and their effects are uncertain. Federal, state, local, foreign, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which a fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Reforms may also change the way in which a fund is regulated and could limit or preclude a fund's ability to achieve its investment objective or engage in certain strategies. Also, while reforms generally are intended to strengthen markets, systems, and public finances, they could affect fund expenses and the value of fund investments.
The value of a fund's holdings is also generally subject to the risk of future local, national, or global economic disturbances based on unknown weaknesses in the markets in which a fund invests. In the event of such a disturbance, the issuers of securities held by a fund may experience significant declines in the value of their assets and even cease operations, or may receive government assistance accompanied by increased restrictions on their business operations or other government intervention. In addition, it is not certain that the U.S. Government or foreign governments will intervene in response to a future market disturbance and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted.
Repurchase Agreements involve an agreement to purchase a security and to sell that security back to the original seller at an agreed-upon price. The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed-upon incremental amount which is unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased security. As protection against the risk that the original seller will not fulfill its obligation, the securities are held in a separate account at a bank, marked-to-market daily, and maintained at a value at least equal to the sale price plus the accrued incremental amount. The value of the security purchased may be more or less than the price at which the counterparty has agreed to purchase the security. In addition, delays or losses could result if the other party to the agreement defaults or becomes insolvent. A fund may be limited in its ability to exercise its right to liquidate assets related to a repurchase agreement with an insolvent counterparty. A Fidelity® fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser.
Restricted Securities (including Private Placements) are subject to legal restrictions on their sale. Difficulty in selling securities may result in a loss or be costly to a fund. Restricted securities, including private placements of private and public companies, generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act), or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the holder of a registered security may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time it may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the holder might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, a fund sells a security to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, in return for cash and agrees to repurchase that security at an agreed-upon price and time. A Fidelity® fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with parties whose creditworthiness has been reviewed and found satisfactory by the fund's adviser. Such transactions may increase fluctuations in the market value of a fund's assets and, if applicable, a fund's yield, and may be viewed as a form of leverage.
Securities Lending. A Fidelity® fund may lend securities to parties such as broker-dealers or other institutions, including an affiliate, National Financial Services LLC (NFS). Securities lending allows a fund to retain ownership of the securities loaned and, at the same time, earn additional income. The borrower provides the fund with collateral in an amount at least equal to the value of the securities loaned. The fund seeks to maintain the ability to obtain the right to vote or consent on proxy proposals involving material events affecting securities loaned. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, a fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned or in gaining access to the collateral. These delays and costs could be greater for foreign securities. If a fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. The value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased. For a Fidelity® fund, loans will be made only to parties deemed by the fund's adviser to be in good standing and when, in the adviser's judgment, the income earned would justify the risks.
The Fidelity® funds have retained agents, including NFS, an affiliate of the funds, to act as securities lending agent. If NFS acts as securities lending agent for a fund, it is subject to the overall supervision of the fund’s adviser, and NFS will administer the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the fund’s Trustees.
Cash received as collateral through loan transactions may be invested in other eligible securities, including shares of a money market fund. Investing this cash subjects that investment, as well as the securities loaned, to market appreciation or depreciation.
Securities of Other Investment Companies, including shares of closed-end investment companies (which include business development companies (BDCs)), unit investment trusts, and open-end investment companies, represent interests in professionally managed portfolios that may invest in any type of instrument. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying instruments, but may involve additional expenses at the underlying investment company-level, such as portfolio management fees and operating expenses. Fees and expenses incurred indirectly by a fund as a result of its investment in shares of one or more other investment companies generally are referred to as "acquired fund fees and expenses" and may appear as a separate line item in a fund's prospectus fee table. For certain investment companies, such as BDCs, these expenses may be significant. Certain types of investment companies, such as closed-end investment companies, issue a fixed number of shares that trade on a stock exchange or over-the-counter at a premium or a discount to their NAV. Others are continuously offered at NAV, but may also be traded in the secondary market.
The securities of closed-end funds may be leveraged. As a result, a fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of closed-end funds that use leverage may expose a fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the fund's long-term returns on such securities will be diminished.
A fund's ability to invest in securities of other investment companies may be limited by federal securities laws. To the extent a fund acquires securities issued by unaffiliated investment companies, the Adviser's access to information regarding such underlying fund's portfolio may be limited and subject to such fund's policies regarding disclosure of fund holdings.
Sources of Liquidity or Credit Support. Issuers may employ various forms of credit and liquidity enhancements, including letters of credit, guarantees, swaps, puts, and demand features, and insurance provided by domestic or foreign entities such as banks and other financial institutions. An adviser and its affiliates may rely on their evaluation of the credit of the issuer or the credit of the liquidity or credit enhancement provider in determining whether to purchase or hold a security supported by such enhancement. In evaluating the credit of a foreign bank or other foreign entities, factors considered may include whether adequate public information about the entity is available and whether the entity may be subject to unfavorable political or economic developments, currency controls, or other government restrictions that might affect its ability to honor its commitment. Changes in the credit quality of the issuer and/or entity providing the enhancement could affect the value of the security or a fund's share price.
Stripped Securities are the separate income or principal components of a debt security. The risks associated with stripped securities are similar to those of other debt securities, although stripped securities may be more volatile, and the value of certain types of stripped securities may move in the same direction as interest rates. U.S. Treasury securities that have been stripped by a Federal Reserve Bank are obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Privately stripped government securities are created when a dealer deposits a U.S. Treasury security or other U.S. Government security with a custodian for safekeeping. The custodian issues separate receipts for the coupon payments and the principal payment, which the dealer then sells.
Structured Securities (also called "structured notes") are derivative debt securities, the interest rate on or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. The value of the interest rate on and/or the principal of structured securities is determined by reference to changes in the value of a reference instrument (e.g., a security or other financial instrument, asset, currency, interest rate, commodity, or index) or the relative change in two or more reference instruments. A structured security may be positively, negatively, or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured security may be calculated as a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s); therefore, the value of such structured security may be very volatile. Structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured securities may also be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities. In addition, because structured securities generally are traded over-the-counter, structured securities are subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the structured security, and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates.
Transfer Agent Bank Accounts. Proceeds from shareholder purchases of a Fidelity® fund may pass through a series of demand deposit bank accounts before being held at the fund's custodian. Redemption proceeds may pass from the custodian to the shareholder through a similar series of bank accounts.
If a bank account is registered to the transfer agent or an affiliate, who acts as an agent for the fund when opening, closing, and conducting business in the bank account, the transfer agent or an affiliate may invest overnight balances in the account in repurchase agreements. Any balances that are not invested in repurchase agreements remain in the bank account overnight. Any risks associated with such an account are investment risks of the fund. The fund faces the risk of loss of these balances if the bank becomes insolvent.
Variable and Floating Rate Securities provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate paid on the security. Variable rate securities provide for a specified periodic adjustment in the interest rate, while floating rate securities have interest rates that change whenever there is a change in a designated benchmark rate or the issuer's credit quality, sometimes subject to a cap or floor on such rate. Some variable or floating rate securities are structured with put features that permit holders to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries. For purposes of determining the maximum maturity of a variable or floating rate security, a fund's adviser may take into account normal settlement periods.
In addition to other interbank offered rates (IBORs), the most common benchmark rate for floating rate securities is LIBOR, which is the rate of interest offered on short-term interbank deposits, as determined by trading between major international banks. After the global financial crisis, regulators globally determined that existing interest rate benchmarks should be reformed based on concerns that LIBOR and other IBORs were susceptible to manipulation. Replacement rates that have been identified include the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR, which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR and measures the cost of overnight borrowings through repurchase agreement transactions collateralized with U.S. Treasury securities) and the Sterling Overnight Index Average rate (SONIA, which is intended to replace pound sterling LIBOR and measures the overnight interest rate paid by banks for unsecured transactions in the sterling market). In 2017, the head of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. While various regulators and industry bodies are working globally on transitioning to alternative rates, there remains uncertainty regarding the future utilization of the IBORs and the transition to, and the nature of, replacement rates. As such, the effect of a transition away from the IBORs on a fund and the financial instruments in which it invests cannot yet be determined. Such transition may result in a reduction in the value of IBOR-based instruments held by a fund, a reduction in the effectiveness of certain hedging transactions and increased illiquidity and volatility in markets that currently rely on an IBOR to determine interest rates, any of which could adversely impact the fund’s performance.
When-Issued and Forward Purchase or Sale Transactions involve a commitment to purchase or sell specific securities at a predetermined price or yield in which payment and delivery take place after the customary settlement period for that type of security. Typically, no interest accrues to the purchaser until the security is delivered.
When purchasing securities pursuant to one of these transactions, the purchaser assumes the rights and risks of ownership, including the risks of price and yield fluctuations and the risk that the security will not be issued as anticipated. Because payment for the securities is not required until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with a fund's investments. If a fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when a purchase is outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage. When a fund has sold a security pursuant to one of these transactions, the fund does not participate in further gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a delayed-delivery transaction fails to deliver or pay for the securities, a fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity or suffer a loss.
A fund may renegotiate a when-issued or forward transaction and may sell the underlying securities before delivery, which may result in capital gains or losses for the fund.
Under the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s “Single Security Initiative” intended to maximize liquidity for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities in the TBA market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to start issuing UMBS in place of their current separate offerings of TBA-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The effects of the issuance of UMBS on the TBA market are uncertain.
Zero Coupon Bonds do not make interest payments; instead, they are sold at a discount from their face value and are redeemed at face value when they mature. Because zero coupon bonds do not pay current income, their prices can be more volatile than other types of fixed-income securities when interest rates change. In calculating a fund's dividend, a portion of the difference between a zero coupon bond's purchase price and its face value is considered income.
In addition to the investment policies and limitations discussed above, a fund is subject to the additional operational risk discussed below.
Considerations Regarding Cybersecurity. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, a fund’s service providers are susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events and may arise from external or internal sources. Cyber attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information; corrupting data, equipment or systems; or causing operational disruption. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Cyber incidents affecting a fund’s manager, any sub-adviser and other service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with a fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of fund shareholders to transact business, destruction to equipment and systems, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cyber incidents affecting issuers of securities in which a fund invests, counterparties with which a fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and service providers for fund shareholders) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.
While a fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, a fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect a fund or its shareholders. A fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
EXCHANGE TRADED FUND RISKS
Continuous Offering. The method by which Creation Units of shares are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of shares are issued and sold by the fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC), the fund's distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares, and sells such shares directly to customers, or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters," but are effecting transactions in shares of the fund, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the 1933 Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus-delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available from the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange.
Listing and Trading. Shares of the fund have been approved for listing and trading on an exchange. The fund's shares trade on an exchange at prices that may differ to some degree from their NAV. The listing exchange may remove the fund's shares from listing if, among other things (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of the fund, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of the fund's shares for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (ii) the indicative optimized portfolio value of the fund is no longer calculated or available; or (iii) such other event shall occur or condition exists that, in the opinion of the listing exchange, makes further dealings on the exchange inadvisable. The listing exchange will remove the fund's shares from listing and trading upon termination of the trust. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the listing exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the fund's shares will continue to be met.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, brokers' commissions on transactions will be based on negotiated commission rates at customary levels.
The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that such a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the fund's shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
Orders for the purchase or sale of portfolio securities are placed on behalf of the fund by FIMM pursuant to authority contained in the management contract. To the extent that FIMM grants investment management authority to a sub-adviser (see the section entitled "Management Contract"), that sub-adviser is authorized to provide the services described in the respective sub-advisory agreement, and in accordance with the policies described in this section. Furthermore, the sub-adviser's trading and associated policies, which may differ from FIMM's policies, may apply to that fund, subject to applicable law.
FIMM or a sub-adviser may be responsible for the placement of portfolio securities transactions for other investment companies and investment accounts for which it has or its affiliates have investment discretion.
The fund will not incur any commissions or sales charges when it invests in shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds), but it may incur such costs when it invests directly in other types of securities.
Purchases and sales of equity securities on a securities exchange or over-the-counter (OTC) are effected through brokers who receive compensation for their services. Generally, compensation relating to securities traded on foreign exchanges will be higher than compensation relating to securities traded on U.S. exchanges and may not be subject to negotiation. Compensation may also be paid in connection with principal transactions (in both OTC securities and securities listed on an exchange) and agency OTC transactions executed with an electronic communications network (ECN) or an alternative trading system. Equity securities may be purchased from underwriters at prices that include underwriting fees.
Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities are generally made with an issuer or a primary market-maker acting as principal. Although there is no stated brokerage commission paid by the fund for any fixed-income security, the price paid by the fund to an underwriter includes the disclosed underwriting fee and prices in secondary trades usually include an undisclosed dealer commission or markup reflecting the spread between the bid and ask prices of the fixed-income security. New issues of equity and fixed-income securities may also be purchased in underwritten fixed price offerings.
The Trustees of the fund periodically review FIMM's performance of its responsibilities in connection with the placement of portfolio securities transactions on behalf of the fund. The Trustees also review the compensation paid by the fund over representative periods of time to determine if it was reasonable in relation to the benefits to the fund.
FIMM.
The Selection of Securities Brokers and Dealers
FIMM or its affiliates generally have authority to select securities brokers (whether acting as a broker or a dealer) to place or execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions. In selecting securities brokers, including affiliates of FIMM, to execute the fund's portfolio securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates consider the factors they deem relevant in the context of a particular trade and in regard to FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities with respect to the fund and other investment accounts, including any instructions from the fund's portfolio manager. Based on the factors considered, FIMM or its affiliates may choose to execute an order by using an electronic trading platform or by calling one or more dealers. Other possibly relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, the following: price; the size and type of the securities transaction; the reasonableness of compensation to be paid, including spreads and commission rates; the speed and certainty of trade executions, including broker willingness to commit capital; the nature and characteristics of the markets for the security to be purchased or sold, including the degree of specialization of the broker in such markets or securities; the availability of liquidity in the security, including the liquidity provided by individual brokers; the reliability of a broker; the broker's overall trading relationship with FIMM or its affiliates; the trader's assessment of whether and how closely the broker likely will follow the trader's instructions to the broker; the degree of anonymity that a particular broker can provide; the potential for avoiding or lessening market impact; the execution services rendered on a continuing basis; the execution efficiency, settlement capability, and financial condition of the broker or dealer; arrangements for payment of fund expenses, if applicable; and the provision of additional brokerage and research products and services, if applicable.
The trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities.
The Acquisition of Brokerage and Research Products and Services
Brokers (who are not affiliates of FIMM) that execute transactions for the fund may receive higher compensation from the fund than other brokers might have charged the fund, in recognition of the value of the brokerage or research products and services they provide to FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Products and Services. These products and services may include, when permissible under applicable law: economic, industry, company, municipal, sovereign (U.S. and non-U.S.), legal, or political research reports; market color; company meeting facilitation; compilation of securities prices, earnings, dividends and similar data; quotation services, data, information and other services; analytical computer software and services; and investment recommendations. In addition to receiving brokerage and research products and services via written reports and computer-delivered services, such reports may also be provided by telephone and in-person meetings with securities analysts, corporate and industry spokespersons, economists, academicians and government representatives and others with relevant professional expertise. FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service. Some of these brokerage and research products and services supplement FIMM's or its affiliates' own research activities in providing investment advice to the fund.Execution Services. In addition, when permissible under applicable law, brokerage and research products and services may include, those that assist in the execution, clearing, and settlement of securities transactions, as well as other incidental functions (including, but not limited to, communication services related to trade execution, order routing and algorithmic trading, post-trade matching, exchange of messages among brokers or dealers, custodians and institutions, and the use of electronic confirmation and affirmation of institutional trades).
Mixed-Use Products and Services. Although FIMM or its affiliates do not use fund commissions to pay for products or services that do not qualify as brokerage and research products and services, they may use commission dollars to obtain certain products or services that are not used exclusively in FIMM's or its affiliates' investment decision-making process (mixed-use products or services). In those circumstances, FIMM or its affiliates will make a good faith judgment to evaluate the various benefits and uses to which they intend to put the mixed-use product or service, and will pay for that portion of the mixed-use product or service that does not qualify as brokerage and research products and services with their own resources (referred to as "hard dollars").
Benefit to FIMM. FIMM's or its affiliates' expenses likely would be increased if they attempted to generate these additional brokerage and research products and services through their own efforts, or if they paid for these brokerage and research products or services with their own resources. To minimize the potential for conflicts of interest, the trading desks through which FIMM or its affiliates may execute trades are instructed to execute portfolio transactions on behalf of the fund based on the quality of execution without any consideration of brokerage and research products and services the broker or dealer may provide. The administration of brokerage and research products and services is managed separately from the trading desks, which means that traders have no responsibility for administering soft dollar activities. Furthermore, certain of the brokerage and research products and services FIMM or its affiliates receive are furnished by brokers on their own initiative, either in connection with a particular transaction or as part of their overall services. Some of these brokerage and research products or services may be provided at no additional cost to FIMM or its affiliates or have no explicit cost associated with them. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may request that a broker provide a specific proprietary or third-party product or service, certain of which third-party products or services may be provided by a broker that is not a party to a particular transaction and is not connected with the transacting broker's overall services.
FIMM's Decision-Making Process. In connection with the allocation of fund brokerage, FIMM or its affiliates make a good faith determination that the compensation paid to brokers and dealers is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research products and services provided to FIMM or its affiliates, viewed in terms of the particular transaction for the fund or FIMM's or its affiliates' overall responsibilities to that fund or other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion; however, each brokerage and research product or service received in connection with the fund's brokerage may not benefit the fund. While FIMM or its affiliates may take into account the brokerage and/or research products and services provided by a broker or dealer in determining whether compensation paid is reasonable, neither FIMM, its affiliates, nor the fund incur an obligation to any broker, dealer, or third party to pay for any brokerage and research product or service (or portion thereof) by generating a specific amount of compensation or otherwise. Typically, these brokerage and research products and services assist FIMM or its affiliates in terms of their overall investment responsibilities to the fund or any other investment companies and investment accounts for which FIMM or its affiliates have investment discretion. Certain funds or investment accounts may use brokerage commissions to acquire brokerage and research products and services that may also benefit other funds or accounts managed by FIMM or its affiliates.
Research Contracts. FIMM or its affiliates have arrangements with certain third-party research providers and brokers through whom FIMM or its affiliates effect fund trades, whereby FIMM or its affiliates may pay with fund commissions or hard dollars for all or a portion of the cost of research products and services purchased from such research providers or brokers. If hard dollar payments are used, FIMM or its affiliates may still cause the fund to pay more for execution than the lowest commission rate available from the broker providing research products and services to FIMM or its affiliates, or that may be available from another broker. FIMM or its affiliates view hard dollar payments for research products and services as likely to reduce the fund's total commission costs. FIMM's or its affiliates' determination to pay for research products and services separately is wholly voluntary on FIMM's or its affiliates' part and may be extended to additional brokers or discontinued with any broker participating in this arrangement.
Affiliated Transactions
FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with certain brokers, including NFS and Luminex Trading & Analytics LLC (Luminex), with whom they are under common control or affiliated, provided FIMM or its affiliates determine that these affiliates' trade-execution abilities and costs are comparable to those of non-affiliated, qualified brokerage firms, and that such transactions be executed in accordance with applicable rules under the 1940 Act and procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees of the fund and subject to other applicable law. In addition, FIMM or its affiliates may place trades with brokers that use NFS or Fidelity Clearing Canada ULC (FCC) as a clearing agent.
The Trustees of the fund have approved procedures whereby a fund may purchase securities that are offered in underwritings in which an affiliate of the adviser or certain other affiliates participate. In addition, for underwritings where such an affiliate participates as a principal underwriter, certain restrictions may apply that could, among other things, limit the amount of securities that the fund could purchase in the underwritings.
Non-U.S. Securities Transactions
To facilitate trade settlement and related activities in non-United States securities transactions, FIMM or its affiliates may effect spot foreign currency transactions with foreign currency dealers. In certain circumstances, due to local law and regulation, logistical or operational challenges, or the process for settling securities transactions in certain markets (e.g., short settlement periods), spot currency transactions may be effected on behalf of funds by parties other than FIMM or its affiliates, including funds' custodian banks (working through sub-custodians or agents in the relevant non-U.S. jurisdiction) or broker-dealers that executed the related securities transaction.
Trade Allocation
Although the Trustees and officers of the fund are substantially the same as those of certain other Fidelity® funds, investment decisions for the fund are made independently from those of other Fidelity® funds or investment accounts (including proprietary accounts). The same security is often held in the portfolio of more than one of these funds or investment accounts. Simultaneous transactions are inevitable when several funds and investment accounts are managed by the same investment adviser, or an affiliate thereof, particularly when the same security is suitable for the investment objective of more than one fund or investment account.
When two or more funds or investment accounts are simultaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security or instrument, the prices and amounts are allocated in accordance with procedures believed by FIMM to be appropriate and equitable to each fund or investment account. In some cases this could have a detrimental effect on the price or value of the security or instrument as far as the fund is concerned. In other cases, however, the ability of the fund to participate in volume transactions will produce better executions and prices for the fund.
Commissions Paid
A fund may pay compensation including both commissions and spreads in connection with the placement of portfolio transactions. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by a fund may change from year to year because of, among other things, changing asset levels, shareholder activity, and/or portfolio turnover.
The following table shows the fund's portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal period ended August 31, 2019 and the fiscal period June 12, 2018 to August 31, 2018. Variations in turnover rate may be due to a fluctuating volume of shareholder purchase and redemption orders and/or market conditions.
| Turnover Rates | 2019 | 2018 |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | 14% | 2% |
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund held securities issued by one or more of its regular brokers or dealers or a parent company of its regular brokers or dealers. The following table shows the aggregate value of the securities of the regular broker or dealer or parent company held by the fund as of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019.
| Fund | Regular Broker or Dealer |
Aggregate Value of
Securities Held |
| Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | Bank of America Corp. | $ 3,251,306 |
| Barclays Capital, Inc. | $ 1,935,241 | |
| Citigroup, Inc. | $ 2,651,683 | |
| Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. | $ 1,413,698 | |
| Fidelity Cash Central Fund | $ 383,018 | |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $ 4,257,449 | |
| Morgan Stanley | $ 4,472,790 | |
| The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | $ 3,630,948 |
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019 and the fiscal period June 12, 2018 to August 31, 2018, the fund paid no brokerage commissions.
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the fund paid no brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
During the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2019, the fund did not allocate brokerage commissions to firms for providing research or brokerage services.
VALUATION
The NAV is the value of a single share. NAV is computed by adding the value of a fund's investments, cash, and other assets, subtracting its liabilities, and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding.
The value of fund shares bought and sold in the secondary market is driven by market price. The price of these shares, like the price of all traded securities, is subject to factors such as supply and demand, as well as the current value of the portfolio securities held by a fund. Secondary market shares, available for purchase or sale on an intraday basis, do not have a fixed relationship either to the previous day's NAV nor the current day's NAV. Prices in the secondary market, therefore, may be below, at, or above the most recently calculated NAV of such shares.
In order to provide investors with a basis to gauge whether the market price of the shares on the listing exchange is approximately consistent with the current value of the assets of the fund on a per share basis, an updated value of the fund’s shares is disseminated intraday (“IIV” and also known as the Indicative Optimized Portfolio Value) through the facilities of ICE Data Indices, LLC. IIVs are disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day. The fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IIVs and makes no warranty as to their accuracy.
The IIV has a securities component and a cash component reflecting cash and other assets that may be held by the fund. The securities values included in the IIV are the values of the Deposit Securities (as defined below under the heading “Buying and Selling Information-Portfolio Deposit”) for the fund. While the IIV reflects the approximate current value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by the fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, the fund’s IIV disseminated during the listing exchange's trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the fund’s NAV, which is calculated only once a day. The IIV is generally determined by using current market quotations or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers and other market intermediaries that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the fund.
The cash component included in the IIV could consist of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses.
The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for pricing, but has delegated day-to-day valuation responsibilities to FIMM. FIMM may rely on information and recommendations provided by the FMR Fair Value Committee (the Committee) to fulfill these responsibilities.
Shares of open-end investment companies (including any underlying central funds) held by a fund are valued at their respective NAVs. If an underlying fund's NAV is unavailable, shares of that underlying fund will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies.
Generally, other portfolio securities and assets held by a fund, as well as portfolio securities and assets held by an underlying central fund, are valued as follows:
Most equity securities are valued at the official closing price or the last reported sale price or, if no sale has occurred, at the last quoted bid price on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded.
Debt securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available may be valued at market values in the principal market in which they normally are traded, as furnished by recognized dealers in such securities or assets. Or, debt securities and convertible securities may be valued on the basis of information furnished by a pricing service that uses a valuation matrix which incorporates both dealer-supplied valuations and electronic data processing techniques.
Short-term securities with remaining maturities of sixty days or less for which market quotations and information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available may be valued at amortized cost, which approximates current value.
Futures contracts are valued at the settlement or closing price. Options are valued at their market quotations, if available. Swaps are valued daily using quotations received from independent pricing services or recognized dealers.
Prices described above are obtained from pricing services that have been approved by the Board of Trustees. A number of pricing services are available and the funds may use more than one of these services. The funds may also discontinue the use of any pricing service at any time. FIMM engages in oversight activities with respect to the fund's pricing services, which includes, among other things, testing the prices provided by pricing services prior to calculation of a fund's NAV, conducting periodic due diligence meetings, and periodically reviewing the methodologies and inputs used by these services.
Foreign securities and instruments are valued in their local currency following the methodologies described above. Foreign securities, instruments and currencies are translated to U.S. dollars, based on foreign currency exchange rate quotations supplied by a pricing service as of the close of regular trading on the listing exchange or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which uses a proprietary model to determine the exchange rate. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts are valued at an interpolated rate based on days to maturity between the closest preceding and subsequent settlement period reported by the third party pricing service.
Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations, official closing prices, or information furnished by a pricing service are not readily available or, in the opinion of the Committee, are deemed unreliable will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. For example, if, in the opinion of the Committee, a security's value has been materially affected by events occurring before a fund's pricing time but after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, that security will be fair valued in good faith by the Committee in accordance with applicable fair value pricing policies. In fair valuing a security, the Committee may consider factors including price movements in futures contracts and American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), market and trading trends, the bid/ask quotes of brokers, and off-exchange institutional trading.
In determining the fair value of a private placement security for which market quotations are not available, the Committee generally applies one or more valuation methods including the market approach, income approach and cost approach. The market approach considers factors including the price of recent investments in the same or a similar security or financial metrics of comparable securities. The income approach considers factors including expected future cash flows, security specific risks and corresponding discount rates. The cost approach considers factors including the value of the security’s underlying assets and liabilities.
The fund's adviser reports to the Board on the Committee’s activities and fair value determinations. The Board monitors the appropriateness of the procedures used in valuing the fund’s investments and ratifies the fair value determinations of the Committee.
BUYING AND SELLING INFORMATION
Book-Entry Only System. The Depository Trust Company (DTC) acts as securities depository for the shares. Shares of the fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC. Certificates will not be issued for shares.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among DTC participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers, and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC participant, either directly or indirectly.
Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC participants and persons holding interests through DTC participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of beneficial interests are referred to herein as Beneficial Owners) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC participants) and on the records of DTC participants (with respect to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through a DTC participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the trust a listing of the shares of the fund held by each DTC participant. The trust shall inquire of each such DTC participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding fund shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC participant. The trust shall provide each such DTC participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the trust shall pay to each such DTC participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC participants to indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC participants.
The trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC participants or the relationship between such DTC participants and the indirect DTC participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC participants.
DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares at any time by giving reasonable notice to the trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the trust shall take action either to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to issue and deliver printed certificates representing ownership of shares, unless the trust makes other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the listing exchange.
Creation Units. The trust issues and redeems shares of the fund only in Creation Unit aggregations on a continuous basis through FDC, without a sales load, at its NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. An Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive, as part of a redemption, restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A. Each Creation Unit consists of a block of 25,000 shares.
A "Business Day" with respect to the fund is any day on which the listing exchange or the NYSE is open for business. As of the date of the prospectus, the listing exchange and the NYSE observe the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President's Day (Washington's Birthday) (U.S.), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day (U.S.), Labor Day (U.S.), Thanksgiving Day (U.S.), and Christmas Day.
To be eligible to place orders to purchase a Creation Unit of the fund, an entity must be an "Authorized Participant" which is either (i) a "Participating Party," i.e., broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC (the Clearing Process); or (ii) a DTC participant, and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with FDC, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units (Participant Agreement). All shares of the fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC participant.
The fund reserves the right to adjust the prices of fund shares and the number of shares in a Creation Unit in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the fund.
Portfolio Deposit. The fund generally expects to issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for a specified all-cash payment (Cash Deposit). Alternatively, the fund may issue Creation Units in exchange for consideration that consists of an in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (Deposit Securities) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (Cash Component) computed as described herein. The Cash Deposit, or alternatively, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component together, constitute the "Portfolio Deposit," which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit. In the event the fund requires Deposit Securities and a Cash Component in consideration for purchasing a Creation Unit, the function of the Cash Component is to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component would be an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the Authorized Participant will receive the Cash Component. Computation of the Cash Component excludes any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities, which shall be the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant.
FIMM, or its agent, makes available through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) on each Business Day, prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time), the amount of the Cash Deposit and/or the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component to be included in the current Portfolio Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for the fund. Such Portfolio Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units until such time as the next-announced Portfolio Deposit composition is made available.
The amount of the Cash Deposit (or identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities and the amount of the Cash Component) required for a Portfolio Deposit for the fund changes as corporate action events, such as dividends, splits, and rights issues, are reflected from time to time by FIMM with a view to the investment objective of the fund. In the event that the fund issues Creation Units in exchange for consideration that includes Deposit Securities and a Cash Component, the fund reserves the right to permit the substitution of an amount of cash (i.e., a cash in lieu amount) to replace any Deposit Security which may, among other reasons, not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC, the Federal Reserve System or the Clearing Process, not be permitted to be re-registered in the name of the trust as a result of an in-kind purchase order pursuant to local law or market convention, restricted under the securities laws or which may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor for which it is acting. In such cases where the fund purchases portfolio securities with cash, the Authorized Participant will reimburse the fund for, among other things, any difference between the market value at which the securities were purchased by the fund and the cash in lieu amount (which amount, at FIMM's discretion, may be capped), applicable registration fees and taxes. Brokerage commissions incurred in connection with the fund's acquisition of Deposit Securities will be at the expense of the fund and will affect the value of all shares of the fund; but FIMM may adjust the transaction fee to the extent the composition of the Deposit Securities changes or cash in lieu is added to the Cash Component to protect ongoing shareholders. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to FIMM on the date of the announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Portfolio Deposit, in the composition of the index being tracked by the fund or resulting from certain corporate actions.
Procedures for Creation Unit Purchases. All purchase orders must be placed for one or more Creation Units. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be received by FDC or its agent no later than the closing time of regular trading hours on the listing exchange or the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) (the Closing Time), or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) in the case of nonconforming orders, in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of shares of the fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. A nonconforming order may be placed by an Authorized Participant in the event that the fund permits the substitution of an amount of cash to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security. The date on which an order to purchase Creation Units (or an order to redeem Creation Units as discussed below) is placed is referred to as the "Transmittal Date." Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant by telephone or other transmission method acceptable to FDC pursuant to procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement. Severe economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communications failure may impede the ability to reach FDC or an Authorized Participant.
All orders to purchase Creation Units shall be placed with an Authorized Participant, as applicable, in the form required by such Authorized Participant. In addition, the Authorized Participant may request the investor to make certain representations or enter into agreements with respect to the order, including payments of cash to pay the Cash Deposit (or Cash Component, when required). Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed a Participant Agreement and that, therefore, orders to purchase Creation Units have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. In such cases there may be additional charges to such investor. At any given time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have executed a Participant Agreement.
Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units should afford sufficient time to permit proper submission of the order to FDC or its agent prior to the applicable deadlines on the Transmittal Date. Authorized participants may ascertain the deadlines applicable to DTC and the Federal Reserve Bank wire system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depository institution effecting such transfer of Deposit Securities and Cash Component.
Portfolio Deposits must be delivered through the Federal Reserve System (for cash and government securities) and through DTC (for corporate and municipal securities) by an Authorized Participant that has executed a Participant Agreement. The Portfolio Deposit transfer must be ordered by the Authorized Participant on the Transmittal Date in a timely fashion so as to ensure the delivery of the requisite number of Deposit Securities through DTC to the account of the fund by no later than 1:00 p.m. Eastern time of the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date. In certain cases Authorized Participants will purchase and redeem Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
All questions as to the number of Deposit Securities to be delivered, and the validity, form and eligibility (including time of receipt) for the deposit of any tendered securities, will be determined by the fund, whose determination shall be final and binding. For purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the amount of cash equal to the Cash Component must be transferred directly to the fund's custodian through the Federal Reserve Bank wire transfer system in a timely manner so as to be received by the fund's custodian no later than 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on the next Business Day immediately following such Transmittal Date. An order to purchase Creation Units is deemed received by FDC on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received by FDC or its agent not later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such Transmittal Date; and (ii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. However, if the fund's custodian does not receive, with respect to purchase orders composed solely of a Cash Component, the Cash Component by 10:00 a.m., or the required Deposit Securities together with the associated Cash Component by 1:00 p.m. on the next Business Day immediately following the Transmittal Date, such order will be deemed not in proper form and canceled. Upon written notice to FDC, such canceled order may be resubmitted the following Business Day using a Portfolio Deposit as newly constituted to reflect the next calculated NAV of the fund. The delivery of Creation Units so purchased will occur not later than the second (2nd) Business Day following the day on which the purchase order is deemed received by FDC.
FDC or its agent will inform the transfer agent, FIMM and the fund's custodian upon receipt of a purchase order. The custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate subcustodian. The custodian will cause the subcustodian to maintain an account into which the Deposit Securities (or the cash value of all or part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or "cash in lieu" amount) will be delivered. Deposit Securities must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local custodian. The trust must also receive, on or before the contractual settlement date, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the custodian to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after receipt in proper form of the purchase order, together with the purchase transaction fee described below.
Once the trust has accepted a purchase order, the trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit of the fund against receipt of payment, at such NAV as will have been calculated after receipt in proper form of such order. FDC or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance of such order.
Creation Units will not be issued until the payment of the Cash Deposit (or the transfer of good title to the trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component) has been completed. When the subcustodian has confirmed to the custodian that the required Deposit Securities (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant subcustodian, FDC and FIMM will be notified of such delivery and the trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Units.
Creation Units may be created in advance of receipt by the fund of all or a portion of the applicable Deposit Securities as described below. In these circumstances, the initial deposit will have a value greater than the NAV of the shares on the date the order is placed in proper form since, in addition to available Deposit Securities, cash must be deposited in an amount equal to the sum of (i) the Cash Component (including any Transaction Fees), plus (ii) at least 105% and up to 115% of the market value of the undelivered Deposit Securities (Additional Cash Deposit). The order shall be deemed to be received on the Business Day on which the order is placed provided that the order is placed in proper form prior to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on such date and federal funds in the appropriate amount are deposited with the fund's custodian by 10:00 a.m. Eastern time the following Business Day. If the order is not placed in proper form by 3:00 p.m. or federal funds in the appropriate amount are not received by 10:00 a.m. the next Business Day, then the order may be deemed to be rejected and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for losses, if any, resulting therefrom. An additional amount of cash shall be required to be deposited with the fund, pending delivery of the missing Deposit Securities to the extent necessary to maintain the Additional Cash Deposit with the fund in an amount at least equal to 105% and up to 115% of the daily marked to market value of the missing Deposit Securities. In the sole discretion of the fund following the Business Day on which the order was received the fund may use the cash on deposit to purchase the missing Deposit Securities. Authorized Participants will be liable to the fund for the costs incurred by the fund in connection with any such purchases. These costs will be deemed to include the amount by which the actual purchase price of the Deposit Securities exceeds the market value of such Deposit Securities on the day the purchase order was deemed received by FDC plus the brokerage and related transaction costs associated with such purchases and the Authorized Participant shall be liable to the fund for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing any missing Deposit Securities and the value of the collateral. The fund will return any unused portion of the Additional Cash Deposit once all of the missing Deposit Securities have been properly received by FDC or purchased by the fund and deposited into the fund.
Acceptance of Purchase Orders. The fund reserves the absolute right to reject a purchase order transmitted to it by FDC if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the fund; (iii) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; (iv) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would, in the opinion of the fund, be unlawful; (v) acceptance of the Portfolio Deposit would otherwise, in the discretion of the fund or FIMM, have an adverse effect on the fund or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vi) in the event that circumstances outside the control of the fund, make it impossible to process creation orders for all practical purposes. Examples of such circumstances include, without limitation, acts of God; public service or utility problems such as earthquakes, fires, floods, extreme weather conditions, and power outages resulting in telephone, telecopy, and computer failures; wars; civil or military disturbances, including acts of civil or military authority or governmental actions; terrorism; sabotage; epidemics; riots; labor disputes; market conditions or activities causing trading halts; systems failures involving computer or other information systems affecting the fund, FMR, FIMM, FDC, DTC, NSCC, the transfer agent, or any other participant in the purchase process, and similar extraordinary events. The fund and FDC have the right to require information to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of (ii) above should it so choose or to rely on a certification from a broker-dealer who is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. as to the cost basis of Deposit Securities. If creations are on an in-kind basis, the fund further reserves the absolute right to reject or suspend an order transmitted to it by FDC and/or the transfer agent in respect of the fund if: (i) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the fund; or (ii) for any other reasons as specified herein. FDC or the fund shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on the purchaser's behalf, of its rejection of the purchaser's order. The fund, the transfer agent, and FDC are under no duty, however, to verify or give notification of any defects or irregularities in any written order or in the delivery of a Portfolio Deposit, nor shall any of them incur any liability for the failure to give any such notification.
Redemption of Creation Units. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the fund through the transfer agent and only on a Business Day through an Authorized Participant that has entered into a Participant Agreement. The fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Unit-size aggregations. Beneficial Owners must accumulate enough shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such shares redeemed by the fund. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
FIMM, through FDC or the transfer agent (through the NSCC) makes available immediately prior to the opening of trading on the listing exchange or the NYSE (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern time) on each Business Day, the identity of the basket of securities (Fund Securities) that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day.
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit may consist of Fund Securities - as announced by FIMM, or its agent, on the Business Day of the request for redemption received in proper form - plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of the request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (Cash Redemption Amount), less a redemption transaction fee and any variable fee as listed below. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares being redeemed, a compensating cash payment to the fund equal to the differential plus the applicable redemption transaction fee is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the fund will substitute a cash-in-lieu amount to replace any Fund Security that is a non-deliverable instrument. The amount of the cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the instrument listed as a Fund Security.
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the fund (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares or determination of the fund's NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstances as is permitted by the SEC.
Orders to redeem Creation Units must be delivered through an Authorized Participant. An order to redeem Creation Units is deemed received by the fund on the Transmittal Date if (i) such order is received in proper form by the transfer agent not later than the Closing Time (or one hour prior to the Closing Time (ordinarily 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time) for nonconforming orders) on such Transmittal Date; (ii) such order is accompanied or followed by the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount specified in such order, which delivery must be made through DTC to the fund's custodian no later than 1:00 p.m., for the shares, and 3:00 p.m., for the Cash Redemption Amount, Eastern time on the next Business Day following such Transmittal Date (the DTC Cut-Off-Time); and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. The requisite Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount will be transferred by the second (2nd) Business Day following the date on which such request for redemption is deemed received, which will generally be no more than seven (7) days after such request for redemption but may be up to fifteen days for funds that invest in foreign securities. In certain cases, Authorized Participants will redeem and purchase Creation Units of the fund on the same Transmittal Date. In these instances, the fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis.
If the fund determines, based on information available to the fund when a redemption request is submitted by an Authorized Participant, that: (i) the short interest of the fund in the marketplace is greater than or equal to 100%; and (ii) the orders in the aggregate from all Authorized Participants redeeming shares on a Business Day represent 25% or more of the outstanding shares of the fund, such Authorized Participant will be required to verify to the fund the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption. If, after receiving notice of the verification requirement, the Authorized Participant does not verify the accuracy of its representations that are deemed to have been made by submitting a request for redemption in accordance with this requirement, its redemption request will be considered not to have been received in proper form.
To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement, in the event the Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Units to be redeemed to FDC, on behalf of the fund, at or prior to the closing time of regular trading on the listing exchange (or the NYSE if the listing exchange is not open that day) on the date such redemption request is submitted, FDC will nonetheless accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing fund shares as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral consisting of cash having a value (marked to market daily) at least equal to 105% and up to 115% of the value of the missing fund shares. The current procedures for collateralization of missing shares require, among other things, that any cash collateral shall be in the form of U.S. dollars in immediately-available funds and shall be held by the fund and marked to market daily, and that the fees of the fund and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance, and redelivery of the cash collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Participant Agreement will permit the fund to purchase the missing fund shares or acquire the Deposit Securities and the Balancing Amount underlying such shares at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the fund of purchasing such shares, Deposit Securities or Balancing Amount and the value of the collateral.
The calculation of the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered upon redemption will be made by Fidelity Service Company, Inc. (FSC) according to the procedures set forth in the section entitled "Valuation" computed on the Business Day on which a redemption order is deemed received by the transfer agent. Therefore, if a conforming redemption order in proper form is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date, and the requisite number of shares of the fund are delivered to the fund's custodian prior to the DTC Cut-Off-Time, then the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be determined by FSC on such Transmittal Date. If, however, a conforming redemption order is submitted to the transfer agent by an Authorized Participant not later than the Closing Time, or 3:00 p.m. Eastern time in the case of nonconforming orders, on the Transmittal Date but either (i) the requisite number of shares of the fund and the Cash Redemption Amount are not delivered by the DTC Cut-Off-Time as described above on the next Business Day following the Transmittal Date, or (ii) the redemption order is not submitted in proper form, then the redemption order will not be deemed received as of the Transmittal Date. In such case, the value of the Fund Securities and the Cash Redemption Amount to be delivered will be computed as of the Closing Time on the Business Day that such order is deemed received by the transfer agent, i.e., the Business Day on which the shares of the fund are delivered through DTC to FDC by the DTC Cut-Off-Time on such Business Day pursuant to a properly submitted redemption order.
The fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash that the fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. The fund generally expects to effect redemptions for cash. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its shares based on the NAV of shares of the fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper from (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions specified above, to offset the fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities).
Redemption of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized Participant or a Beneficial Owner for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Authorized Participant may request the redeeming Beneficial Owner of the shares to complete an order form or to enter into agreements with respect to such matters as compensating cash payment.
In connection with taking delivery of shares for Fund Securities upon redemption of Creation Units, a redeeming shareholder or entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder must maintain appropriate custody arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Fund Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Fund Securities will be delivered. If neither the redeeming shareholder nor the entity acting on behalf of a redeeming shareholder has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of the Fund Securities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities in such jurisdictions, the trust may, in its discretion, exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming shareholder will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash.
Deliveries of redemption proceeds generally will be made within two Business Days. Due to the schedule of holidays in certain countries, however, the delivery of redemption proceeds may take longer than two Business Days after the day on which the redemption request is received in proper form. In such cases, the local market settlement procedures will not commence until the end of the local holiday periods.
The proclamation of new holidays, the treatment by market participants of certain days as "informal holidays" (e.g., days on which no or limited securities transactions occur, as a result of substantially shortened trading hours), the elimination of existing holidays or changes in local securities delivery practices, could affect the information set forth herein at some time in the future.
Creation/Redemption Transaction Fees. The fund may impose a "Transaction Fee" on investors purchasing or redeeming Creation Units. The Transaction Fee will be limited to amounts that have been determined by FIMM to be appropriate. The purpose of the Transaction Fee is to protect the existing shareholders of the fund from the dilutive costs associated with the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. For cash creations (or redemptions) or cash in lieu of depositing one or more Deposit Securities, the purchaser (or redeemer) may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the transaction cost to the fund of buying (or selling) those particular Deposit Securities. To the extent a purchase/redemption transaction consists of cash and/or in-kind securities, the standard fee applies to in-kind purchases and redemptions of creation units and an additional transaction fee (up to the maximum amounts shown in the table below) may also be imposed on cash transactions. The fund reserves the right to not impose the additional transaction fee or to vary the amount of the additional transaction fee, up to the maximum listed below, depending on the materiality of the fund's actual transaction costs incurred or where FDC believes that not imposing or varying the additional transaction fee would be in the fund's interest. Transaction fees associated with the redemption of Creation Units will not exceed 2% of the value of shares redeemed. Actual transaction costs may vary depending on the time of day an order is received or the nature of the securities. Investors bear the costs of transferring Fund Securities to/from the fund to/from their account or on their order. Every purchaser of a Creation Unit will receive a prospectus that contains disclosure about the Transaction Fees, including the maximum amount of the additional transaction fee charged by the fund.
The following table shows, as of August 31, 2019, the approximate value of one Creation Unit of the fund and sets forth the standard transaction fees and maximum additional transaction fees for creations and redemptions.
| Name of Fund | Approximate Value of One Creation Unit | Standard Creation/Redemption Transaction Fee | Maximum Additional Creation Transaction Fee* | Maximum Additional Redemption Transaction Fee* |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | $1,250,000 | $125 | 5.0% | 2.0% |
* As a percentage of the cash amount invested or redeemed.
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
Dividends. Because the fund's income is primarily derived from interest, dividends from the fund generally will not qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders or the long-term capital gains tax rates available to individuals. Short-term capital gains are taxable at ordinary income tax rates. A portion of the fund's dividends may be exempt from state and local taxation to the extent that they are derived from certain U.S. Government securities and meet certain requirements. Distributions by the fund to tax-advantaged retirement plan accounts are not taxable currently.
Capital Gain Distributions. Unless your shares of the fund are held in a tax-advantaged retirement plan, the fund's long-term capital gain distributions are federally taxable to shareholders generally as capital gains.
Returns of Capital. If the fund's distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder's cost basis in the fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold in taxable accounts.
Sales of Listed Shares. Gain or loss that is recognized on the sale of exchange-listed shares generally will be characterized as long-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for more than one year and as short-term capital gain or loss for shares that have been held for one year or less.
Purchase of Creation Units. The purchase of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who transfers securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The transferor will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the Creation Units (which may differ from their NAV) and any Balancing Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the transferor's basis in the transferred securities, transaction fees and any Balancing Amount that is paid. The purchase of Creation Units may trigger application of the wash sale rules for federal tax purposes.
Redemption of Creation Units. The redemption of Creation Units generally will be a taxable event for the person who receives securities in exchange for Creation Units but generally will not be a taxable event for the fund. The recipient will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between (a) the sum of the fair market value of the securities and any Cash Redemption Amount that is received and (b) the sum of the basis of the Creation Unit shares, transaction fees and any Cash Redemption Amount that is paid. The redemption of Creation Units may be treated as a wash sale for federal tax purposes.
Foreign Tax Credit or Deduction. Foreign governments may impose withholding taxes on dividends and interest earned by the fund with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Foreign governments may also impose taxes on other payments or gains with respect to foreign securities held directly by the fund. Because the fund does not currently anticipate that securities of foreign issuers or underlying regulated investment companies will constitute more than 50% of its total assets at the end of its fiscal year, or fiscal quarter, respectively, shareholders should not expect to be eligible to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction on their federal income tax returns with respect to foreign taxes withheld.
Tax Status of the Fund. The fund intends to qualify each year as a "regulated investment company" under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code so that it will not be liable for federal tax on income and capital gains distributed to shareholders. In order to qualify as a regulated investment company, and avoid being subject to federal income or excise taxes at the fund level, the fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains within each calendar year as well as on a fiscal year basis (if the fiscal year is other than the calendar year), and intends to comply with other tax rules applicable to regulated investment companies.
Other Tax Information. The information above is only a summary of some of the tax consequences generally affecting the fund and its shareholders, and no attempt has been made to discuss individual tax consequences. It is up to you or your tax preparer to determine whether the sale of shares of the fund resulted in a capital gain or loss or other tax consequence to you. In addition to federal income taxes, shareholders may be subject to state and local taxes on fund distributions, and shares may be subject to state and local personal property taxes. Investors should consult their tax advisers to determine whether the fund is suitable to their particular tax situation.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
The Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the trust and fund, as applicable, are listed below. The Board of Trustees governs the fund and is responsible for protecting the interests of shareholders. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the fund's activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the fund, oversee management of the risks associated with such activities and contractual arrangements, and review the fund's performance. Each of the Trustees oversees 277 funds.
The Trustees hold office without limit in time except that (a) any Trustee may resign; (b) any Trustee may be removed by written instrument, signed by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal; (c) any Trustee who requests to be retired or who has become incapacitated by illness or injury may be retired by written instrument signed by a majority of the other Trustees; and (d) any Trustee may be removed at any special meeting of shareholders by a two-thirds vote of the outstanding voting securities of the trust. Each Trustee who is not an interested person (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the trust and the fund is referred to herein as an Independent Trustee. Each Independent Trustee shall retire not later than the last day of the calendar year in which his or her 75th birthday occurs. The Independent Trustees may waive this mandatory retirement age policy with respect to individual Trustees. Officers and Advisory Board Members hold office without limit in time, except that any officer or Advisory Board Member may resign or may be removed by a vote of a majority of the Trustees at any regular meeting or any special meeting of the Trustees. Except as indicated, each individual has held the office shown or other offices in the same company for the past five years.
Experience, Skills, Attributes, and Qualifications of the Trustees. The Governance and Nominating Committee has adopted a statement of policy that describes the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that are necessary and desirable for potential Independent Trustee candidates (Statement of Policy). The Board believes that each Trustee satisfied at the time he or she was initially elected or appointed a Trustee, and continues to satisfy, the standards contemplated by the Statement of Policy. The Governance and Nominating Committee also engages professional search firms to help identify potential Independent Trustee candidates who have the experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills consistent with the Statement of Policy. From time to time, additional criteria based on the composition and skills of the current Independent Trustees, as well as experience or skills that may be appropriate in light of future changes to board composition, business conditions, and regulatory or other developments, have also been considered by the professional search firms and the Governance and Nominating Committee. In addition, the Board takes into account the Trustees' commitment and participation in Board and committee meetings, as well as their leadership of standing and ad hoc committees throughout their tenure.
In determining that a particular Trustee was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Trustee, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. Information about the specific experience, skills, attributes, and qualifications of each Trustee, which in each case led to the Board's conclusion that the Trustee should serve (or continue to serve) as a trustee of the fund, is provided below.
Board Structure and Oversight Function. Abigail P. Johnson is an interested person and currently serves as Chairman. The Trustees have determined that an interested Chairman is appropriate and benefits shareholders because an interested Chairman has a personal and professional stake in the quality and continuity of services provided to the fund. Independent Trustees exercise their informed business judgment to appoint an individual of their choosing to serve as Chairman, regardless of whether the Trustee happens to be independent or a member of management. The Independent Trustees have determined that they can act independently and effectively without having an Independent Trustee serve as Chairman and that a key structural component for assuring that they are in a position to do so is for the Independent Trustees to constitute a substantial majority for the Board. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet in executive session. Arthur E. Johnson serves as Chairman of the Independent Trustees and as such (i) acts as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and management with respect to matters important to the Independent Trustees and (ii) with management prepares agendas for Board meetings.
Fidelity® funds are overseen by different Boards of Trustees. The fund's Board oversees Fidelity's investment-grade bond, money market, asset allocation and certain equity funds, and other Boards oversee Fidelity's high income and other equity funds. The asset allocation funds may invest in Fidelity® funds that are overseen by such other Boards. The use of separate Boards, each with its own committee structure, allows the Trustees of each group of Fidelity® funds to focus on the unique issues of the funds they oversee, including common research, investment, and operational issues. On occasion, the separate Boards establish joint committees to address issues of overlapping consequences for the Fidelity® funds overseen by each Board.
The Trustees operate using a system of committees to facilitate the timely and efficient consideration of all matters of importance to the Trustees, the fund, and fund shareholders and to facilitate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and oversight of the fund's activities and associated risks. The Board, acting through its committees, has charged FMR and its affiliates with (i) identifying events or circumstances the occurrence of which could have demonstrably adverse effects on the fund's business and/or reputation; (ii) implementing processes and controls to lessen the possibility that such events or circumstances occur or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur; and (iii) creating and maintaining a system designed to evaluate continuously business and market conditions in order to facilitate the identification and implementation processes described in (i) and (ii) above. Because the day-to-day operations and activities of the fund are carried out by or through FMR, its affiliates, and other service providers, the fund's exposure to risks is mitigated but not eliminated by the processes overseen by the Trustees. While each of the Board's committees has responsibility for overseeing different aspects of the fund's activities, oversight is exercised primarily through the Operations and Audit Committees. In addition, an ad hoc Board committee of Independent Trustees has worked with FMR to enhance the Board's oversight of investment and financial risks, legal and regulatory risks, technology risks, and operational risks, including the development of additional risk reporting to the Board. Appropriate personnel, including but not limited to the fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), FMR's internal auditor, the independent accountants, the fund's Treasurer and portfolio management personnel, make periodic reports to the Board's committees, as appropriate, including an annual review of Fidelity's risk management program for the Fidelity® funds. The responsibilities of each standing committee, including their oversight responsibilities, are described further under "Standing Committees of the Trustees."Interested Trustees*:
Correspondence intended for a Trustee who is an interested person may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Abigail P. Johnson (1961)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2012
Trustee
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Ms. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. Johnson serves as Chairman (2016-present), Chief Executive Officer (2014-present), and Director (2007-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company), President of Fidelity Financial Services (2012-present) and President of Personal, Workplace and Institutional Services (2005-present). Ms. Johnson is Chairman and Director of FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firm, 2011-present) and Chairman and Director of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2011-present). Previously, Ms. Johnson served as Vice Chairman (2007-2016) and President (2013-2016) of FMR LLC, President and a Director of FMR (2001-2005), a Trustee of other investment companies advised by FMR, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firm), and FMR Co., Inc. (2001-2005), Senior Vice President of the Fidelity® funds (2001-2005), and managed a number of Fidelity® funds. Ms. Abigail P. Johnson and Mr. Arthur E. Johnson are not related.
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe (1959)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Ms. McAuliffe also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Ms. McAuliffe previously served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Head of Fixed Income of Fidelity Investments Limited (now known as FIL Limited (FIL)) (diversified financial services company). Earlier roles at FIL included Director of Research for FIL’s credit and quantitative teams in London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Ms. McAuliffe also was the Director of Research for taxable and municipal bonds at Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. Ms. McAuliffe is also a director or trustee of several not-for-profit entities.
* Determined to be an “Interested Trustee” by virtue of, among other things, his or her affiliation with the trust or various entities under common control with FMR.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Independent Trustees:
Correspondence intended for an Independent Trustee may be sent to Fidelity Investments, P.O. Box 55235, Boston, Massachusetts 02205-5235.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupations and Other Relevant Experience+
Elizabeth S. Acton (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Acton also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to her retirement in April 2012, Ms. Acton was Executive Vice President, Finance (2011-2012), Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (2002-2011), and Treasurer (2004-2005) of Comerica Incorporated (financial services). Prior to joining Comerica, Ms. Acton held a variety of positions at Ford Motor Company (1983-2002), including Vice President and Treasurer (2000-2002) and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ford Motor Credit Company (1998-2000). Ms. Acton currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Finance Committees of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (homebuilding, 2012-present). Previously, Ms. Acton served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2016).
Ann E. Dunwoody (1953)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Trustee
General Dunwoody also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. General Dunwoody (United States Army, Retired) was the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve the rank of four-star general and prior to her retirement in 2012 held a variety of positions within the U.S. Army, including Commanding General, U.S. Army Material Command (2008-2012). She is the President of First to Four LLC (leadership and mentoring services, 2012-present). She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of L3 Technologies, Inc. (communication, electronic, sensor, and aerospace systems, 2013-present), Board of Directors and Nomination and Corporate Governance Committees of Kforce Inc. (professional staffing services, 2016-present) and Board of Directors of Automattic Inc. (software engineering, 2018-present). Previously, General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2018), a member of the Board of Directors and Audit and Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Committees of Republic Services, Inc. (waste collection, disposal and recycling, 2013-2016). Ms. Dunwoody also serves on several boards for non-profit organizations, including as a member of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee and member of the Audit Committee of Logistics Management Institute (consulting non-profit, 2012-present), a member of the Board of Directors of the Army Historical Foundation (2015-present), a member of the Council of Trustees for the Association of the United States Army (advocacy non-profit, 2013-present) and a member of the Board of Trustees of Florida Institute of Technology (2015-present) and ThanksUSA (military family education non-profit, 2014-present).
John Engler (1948)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Trustee
Mr. Engler also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. He serves on the board of directors for Universal Forest Products (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2003-present) and K12 Inc. (technology-based education company, 2012-present). Previously, Mr. Engler served as interim president of Michigan State University (2018-2019), a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2014-2016), president of the Business Roundtable (2011-2017), a trustee of The Munder Funds (2003-2014), president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (2004-2011), member of the Board of Trustees of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2004-2015), and as governor of Michigan (1991-2003). He is a past chairman of the National Governors Association.
Robert F. Gartland (1951)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Mr. Gartland also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Gartland is Chairman and an investor in Gartland & Mellina Group Corp. (consulting, 2009-present). Previously, Mr. Gartland served as a partner and investor of Vietnam Partners LLC (investments and consulting, 2008-2011). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Gartland held a variety of positions at Morgan Stanley (financial services, 1979-2007), including Managing Director (1987-2007), and Chase Manhattan Bank (1975-1978).
Arthur E. Johnson (1947)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Johnson also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Johnson serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Eaton Corporation plc (diversified power management, 2009-present) and Booz Allen Hamilton (management consulting, 2011-present). Prior to his retirement, Mr. Johnson served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategic Development of Lockheed Martin Corporation (defense contractor, 1999-2009). Mr. Johnson previously served as Vice Chairman (2015-2018) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds and on the Board of Directors of IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (1999-2008), AGL Resources, Inc. (holding company, 2002-2016), and Delta Airlines (2005-2007). Mr. Arthur E. Johnson is not related to Ms. Abigail P. Johnson.
Michael E. Kenneally (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Vice Chairman of the Independent Trustees
Mr. Kenneally also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Kenneally served as Chairman and Global Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Asset Management. Before joining Credit Suisse, he was an Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for Bank of America Corporation. Earlier roles at Bank of America included Director of Research, Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst, and Mr. Kenneally was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1991.
Marie L. Knowles (1946)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Trustee
Ms. Knowles also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Prior to Ms. Knowles' retirement in June 2000, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) (diversified energy, 1996-2000). From 1993 to 1996, she was a Senior Vice President of ARCO and President of ARCO Transportation Company (pipeline and tanker operations). Ms. Knowles currently serves as a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of McKesson Corporation (healthcare service, since 2002). Ms. Knowles is a member of the Board of the Santa Catalina Island Company (real estate, 2009-present). Ms. Knowles is a Member of the Investment Company Institute Board of Governors and a Member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council (2014-present). She also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Engineering of the University of Southern California. Previously, Ms. Knowles served as a Director of Phelps Dodge Corporation (copper mining and manufacturing, 1994-2007), URS Corporation (engineering and construction, 2000-2003) and America West (airline, 1999-2002). Ms. Knowles previously served as Chairman (2015-2018) and Vice Chairman (2012-2015) of the Independent Trustees of certain Fidelity® funds.
Mark A. Murray (1954)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Trustee
Mr. Murray also serves as Trustee of other Fidelity® funds. Mr. Murray is Vice Chairman (2013-present) of Meijer, Inc. (regional retail chain). Previously, Mr. Murray served as a Member of the Advisory Board of certain Fidelity® funds (2016) and as Co-Chief Executive Officer (2013-2016) and President (2006-2013) of Meijer, Inc. Mr. Murray serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Nuclear Review and Public Policy and Responsibility Committees of DTE Energy Company (diversified energy company, 2009-present). Mr. Murray also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Spectrum Health (not-for-profit health system, 2015-present). Mr. Murray previously served as President of Grand Valley State University (2001-2006), Treasurer for the State of Michigan (1999-2001), Vice President of Finance and Administration for Michigan State University (1998-1999), and a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (manufacturer and distributor of wood and wood-alternative products, 2004-2016). Mr. Murray is also a director or trustee of many community and professional organizations.
+ The information includes the Trustee's principal occupation during the last five years and other information relating to the experience, attributes, and skills relevant to the Trustee's qualifications to serve as a Trustee, which led to the conclusion that the Trustee should serve as a Trustee for the fund.
Advisory Board Members and Officers:
Correspondence intended for an officer may be sent to Fidelity Investments, 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210. Officers appear below in alphabetical order.
Name, Year of Birth; Principal Occupation
Elizabeth Paige Baumann (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2017
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Officer
Ms. Baumann also serves as AML Officer of other funds. She is Chief AML Officer (2012-present) and Senior Vice President (2014-present) of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Baumann served as AML Officer of the funds (2012-2016), and Vice President (2007-2014) and Deputy Anti-Money Laundering Officer (2007-2012) of FMR LLC.
Craig S. Brown (1977)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Brown also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Brown is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2013-present).
John J. Burke III (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Burke also serves as Chief Financial Officer of other funds. Mr. Burke serves as Head of Investment Operations for Fidelity Fund and Investment Operations (2018-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (1998-present). Previously Mr. Burke served as head of Asset Management Investment Operations (2012-2018).
Jonathan Davis (1968)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Davis also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Davis serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Davis served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2003-2010).
Adrien E. Deberghes (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Deberghes also serves as an officer of other funds. He serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), Executive Vice President of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm, 2016-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2008-present). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served as President and Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2013-2018). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Deberghes was Senior Vice President of Mutual Fund Administration at State Street Corporation (2007-2008), Senior Director of Mutual Fund Administration at Investors Bank & Trust (2005-2007), and Director of Finance for Dunkin' Brands (2000-2005). Previously, Mr. Deberghes served in other fund officer roles.
Laura M. Del Prato (1964)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2018
President and Treasurer
Ms. Del Prato also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Del Prato is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2017-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Del Prato served as a Managing Director and Treasurer of the JPMorgan Mutual Funds (2014-2017). Prior to JPMorgan, Ms. Del Prato served as a partner at Cohen Fund Audit Services (accounting firm, 2012-2013) and KPMG LLP (accounting firm, 2004-2012).
Colm A. Hogan (1973)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Hogan also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Hogan serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2005-present). Previously, Mr. Hogan served as Assistant Treasurer of certain Fidelity® funds (2016-2018).
Cynthia Lo Bessette (1969)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Secretary and Chief Legal Officer (CLO)
Ms. Lo Bessette also serves as Secretary and CLO of other funds. Ms. Lo Bessette serves as CLO, Secretary, and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Management & Research Company and FMR Co., Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); Secretary of Fidelity SelectCo, LLC and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (investment adviser firms, 2019-present); and CLO of Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited, and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (investment adviser firms, 2019-present). She is a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of FMR LLC (diversified financial services company, 2019-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Ms. Lo Bessette served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel (2016-2019) and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel (2015-2016) of OppenheimerFunds (investment management company) and Deputy Chief Legal Officer (2013-2015) of Jennison Associates LLC (investment adviser firm).
Chris Maher (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Maher serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Maher is Vice President of Valuation Oversight, serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments. Previously, Mr. Maher served as Vice President of Asset Management Compliance (2013), Vice President of the Program Management Group of FMR (investment adviser firm, 2010-2013), and Vice President of Valuation Oversight (2008-2010).
John B. McGinty, Jr. (1962)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Chief Compliance Officer
Mr. McGinty also serves as Chief Compliance Officer of other funds. Mr. McGinty is Senior Vice President of Asset Management Compliance for Fidelity Investments and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Mr. McGinty previously served as Vice President, Senior Attorney at Eaton Vance Management (investment management firm, 2015-2016), and prior to Eaton Vance as global CCO for all firm operations and registered investment companies at GMO LLC (investment management firm, 2009-2015). Before joining GMO LLC, Mr. McGinty served as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Fidelity Investments (2007-2009).
Jason P. Pogorelec (1975)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2015
Assistant Secretary
Mr. Pogorelec also serves as Assistant Secretary of other funds. Mr. Pogorelec serves as Vice President, Associate General Counsel (2010-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2006-present).
Nancy D. Prior (1967)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2014
Vice President
Ms. Prior also serves as Vice President of other funds. Ms. Prior serves as President of Fixed Income (2014-present), President (2016-present) and Director (2014-present) of Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM) (investment adviser firm), and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2002-present). Previously, Ms. Prior served as Vice President of Global Asset Allocation Funds (2017-2019); Vice Chairman of FIAM LLC (investment adviser firm, 2014-2018), a Director of FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (investment adviser firm, 2015-2018), President Multi-Asset Class Strategies of FMR's Global Asset Allocation Division (2017-2018), Vice President of Fidelity's Money Market Funds (2012-2014), and President, Money Market and Short Duration Bond Group of Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR) (investment adviser firm, 2013-2014).
Stacie M. Smith (1974)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2013
Assistant Treasurer
Ms. Smith also serves as an officer of other funds. Ms. Smith serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present), is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2009-present), and has served in other fund officer roles. Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Ms. Smith served as Senior Audit Manager of Ernst & Young LLP (accounting firm, 1996-2009). Previously, Ms. Smith served as Assistant Treasurer (2013-2018) and Deputy Treasurer (2013-2016) of certain Fidelity® funds.
Marc L. Spector (1972)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2016
Deputy Treasurer
Mr. Spector also serves as an officer of other funds. Mr. Spector serves as Assistant Treasurer of FMR Capital, Inc. (2017-present) and is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2016-present). Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Mr. Spector served as Director at the Siegfried Group (accounting firm, 2013-2016), and prior to Siegfried Group as audit senior manager at Deloitte & Touche (accounting firm, 2005-2013).
Jim Wegmann (1979)
Year of Election or Appointment: 2019
Assistant Treasurer
Mr. Wegmann also serves as Assistant Treasurer of other funds. Mr. Wegmann is an employee of Fidelity Investments (2011-present).
Standing Committees of the Trustees. The Board of Trustees has established various committees to support the Independent Trustees in acting independently in pursuing the best interests of the funds and their shareholders. Currently, the Board of Trustees has four standing committees. The members of each committee are Independent Trustees.
The Operations Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Johnson currently serving as Chair. The committee normally meets at least six times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair, and serves as a forum for consideration of issues of importance to, or calling for particular determinations by, the Independent Trustees. The committee considers matters involving potential conflicts of interest between the funds and FMR and its affiliates and reviews proposed contracts and the proposed continuation of contracts between the funds and FMR and its affiliates, and annually reviews and makes recommendations regarding contracts with third parties unaffiliated with FMR, including insurance coverage and custody agreements. The committee has oversight of compliance issues not specifically within the scope of any other committee. These matters include, but are not limited to, significant non-conformance with contract requirements and other significant regulatory matters and recommending to the Board of Trustees the designation of a person to serve as the funds' Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The committee (i) serves as the primary point of contact for the CCO with regard to Board-related functions; (ii) oversees the annual performance review of the CCO; (iii) makes recommendations concerning the CCO's compensation; and (iv) makes recommendations as needed in respect of the removal of the CCO. The committee is also responsible for definitive action on all compliance matters involving the potential for significant reimbursement by FMR. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held 12 meetings.
The Audit Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Ms. Acton currently serving as Chair. At least one committee member will be an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the SEC. The committee normally meets four times a year, or more frequently as called by the Chair or a majority of committee members. The committee meets separately, at least annually, with the funds' Treasurer, with the funds' Chief Financial Officer, with personnel responsible for the internal audit function of FMR LLC, with the funds' outside auditors, and with the funds' CCO. The committee has direct responsibility for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the outside auditors employed by the funds. The committee assists the Trustees in overseeing and monitoring: (i) the systems of internal accounting and financial controls of the funds and the funds' service providers (to the extent such controls impact the funds' financial statements); (ii) the funds' auditors and the annual audits of the funds' financial statements; (iii) the financial reporting processes of the funds; (iv) whistleblower reports; and (v) the accounting policies and disclosures of the funds. The committee considers and acts upon (i) the provision by any outside auditor of any non-audit services for any fund, and (ii) the provision by any outside auditor of certain non-audit services to fund service providers and their affiliates to the extent that such approval (in the case of this clause (ii)) is required under applicable regulations of the SEC. It is responsible for approving all audit engagement fees and terms for the funds and for resolving disagreements between a fund and any outside auditor regarding any fund's financial reporting. Auditors of the funds report directly to the committee. The committee will obtain assurance of independence and objectivity from the outside auditors, including a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the auditor and the funds and any service providers consistent with the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. It oversees and receives reports on the funds' service providers' internal controls and reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of the service providers' accounting and financial controls, including: (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting that are reasonably likely to adversely affect the funds' ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data; (ii) any change in the fund's internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the fund's internal control over financial reporting; and (iii) any fraud, whether material or not, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the funds' or service providers internal controls over financial reporting. The committee will also review any correspondence with regulators or governmental agencies or published reports that raise material issues regarding the funds' financial statements or accounting policies. These matters may also be reviewed by the Operations Committee. The committee reviews at least annually a report from each outside auditor describing any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control, peer review, or Public Company Accounting Oversight Board examination of the auditing firm and any material issues raised by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities of the auditing firm and in each case any steps taken to deal with such issues. The committee will oversee and receive reports on the funds' financial reporting process from the funds' Treasurer and outside auditors and will oversee the resolution of any disagreements concerning financial reporting among applicable parties. The committee will discuss with FMR, the funds' Treasurer, outside auditors and, if appropriate, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC their qualitative judgments about the appropriateness and acceptability of accounting principles and financial disclosure practices used or proposed for adoption by the funds. The committee will review with FMR, the funds' outside auditor, internal audit personnel of FMR LLC and legal counsel, as appropriate, matters related to the audits of the funds' financial statements. The committee will discuss regularly and oversee the review of the internal controls of the funds and their service providers with respect to accounting, financial matters and risk management programs related to the funds. The committee will review periodically the funds' major internal controls exposures and the steps that have been taken to monitor and control such exposures. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held five meetings.
The Fair Valuation Committee is composed of all of the Independent Trustees, with Mr. Murray currently serving as Chair. The Committee normally meets quarterly, or more frequently as called by the Chair. The Fair Valuation Committee reviews and approves annually Fair Value Committee Policies recommended by the FMR Fair Value Committee and oversees particular valuations or fair valuation methodologies employed by the FMR Fair Value Committee as circumstances may require. The Committee also reviews actions taken by the FMR Fair Value Committee. The Committee does not oversee the day-to-day operational aspects of the valuation and calculation of the net asset value of the funds, which have been delegated to the FMR Fair Value Committee and FSC. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held four meetings.
The Governance and Nominating Committee is composed of Messrs. Johnson (Chair), Kenneally (Vice Chair) and Gartland. The committee meets as called by the Chair. With respect to fund governance and board administration matters, the committee periodically reviews procedures of the Board of Trustees and its committees (including committee charters) and periodically reviews compensation of Independent Trustees. The committee monitors corporate governance matters and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the frequency and structure of the Board of Trustee meetings and on any other aspect of Board procedures. It acts as the administrative committee under the retirement plan for Independent Trustees who retired prior to December 30, 1996 and under the fee deferral plan for Independent Trustees. It reviews the performance of legal counsel employed by the funds and the Independent Trustees. On behalf of the Independent Trustees, the committee will make such findings and determinations as to the independence of counsel for the Independent Trustees as may be necessary or appropriate under applicable regulations or otherwise. The committee is also responsible for Board administrative matters applicable to Independent Trustees, such as expense reimbursement policies and compensation for attendance at meetings, conferences and other events. The committee monitors compliance with, acts as the administrator of, and makes determinations in respect of, the provisions of the code of ethics and any supplemental policies regarding personal securities transactions applicable to the Independent Trustees. The committee monitors the functioning of each Board committee and makes recommendations for any changes, including the creation or elimination of standing or ad hoc Board committees. The committee monitors regulatory and other developments to determine whether to recommend modifications to the committee's responsibilities or other Trustee policies and procedures in light of rule changes, reports concerning "best practices" in corporate governance and other developments in mutual fund governance. The committee meets with Independent Trustees at least once a year to discuss matters relating to fund governance. The committee recommends that the Board establish such special or ad hoc Board committees as may be desirable or necessary from time to time in order to address ethical, legal, or other matters that may arise. The committee also oversees the annual self-evaluation of the Board of Trustees and establishes procedures to allow it to exercise this oversight function. In conducting this oversight, the committee shall address all matters that it considers relevant to the performance of the Board of Trustees and shall report the results of its evaluation to the Board of Trustees, including any recommended amendments to the principles of governance, and any recommended changes to the funds' or the Board of Trustees' policies, procedures, and structures. The committee reviews periodically the size and composition of the Board of Trustees as a whole and recommends, if necessary, measures to be taken so that the Board of Trustees reflects the appropriate balance of knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, and diversity required for the Board as a whole and contains at least the minimum number of Independent Trustees required by law. The committee makes nominations for the election or appointment of Independent Trustees and non-management Members of any Advisory Board, and for membership on committees. The committee has the authority to retain and terminate any third-party advisers, including authority to approve fees and other retention terms. Such advisers may include search firms to identify Independent Trustee candidates and board compensation consultants. The committee may conduct or authorize investigations into or studies of matters within the committee's scope of responsibilities, and may retain, at the funds' expense, such independent counsel or other advisers as it deems necessary. The committee will consider nominees to the Board of Trustees recommended by shareholders based upon the criteria applied to candidates presented to the committee by a search firm or other source. Recommendations, along with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as an Independent Trustee of the funds, should be submitted to the Chair of the committee at the address maintained for communications with Independent Trustees. If the committee retains a search firm, the Chair will generally forward all such submissions to the search firm for evaluation. With respect to the criteria for selecting Independent Trustees, it is expected that all candidates will possess the following minimum qualifications: (i) unquestioned personal integrity; (ii) not an interested person of the funds within the meaning of the 1940 Act; (iii) does not have a material relationship (e.g., commercial, banking, consulting, legal, or accounting) with the adviser, any sub-adviser or their affiliates that could create an appearance of lack of independence in respect of the funds; (iv) has the disposition to act independently in respect of FMR and its affiliates and others in order to protect the interests of the funds and all shareholders; (v) ability to attend regularly scheduled Board meetings during the year; (vi) demonstrates sound business judgment gained through broad experience in significant positions where the candidate has dealt with management, technical, financial, or regulatory issues; (vii) sufficient financial or accounting knowledge to add value in the complex financial environment of the funds; (viii) experience on corporate or other institutional oversight bodies having similar responsibilities, but which board memberships or other relationships could not result in business or regulatory conflicts with the funds; and (ix) capacity for the hard work and attention to detail that is required to be an effective Independent Trustee in light of the funds' complex regulatory, operational, and marketing setting. The Governance and Nominating Committee may determine that a candidate who does not have the type of previous experience or knowledge referred to above should nevertheless be considered as a nominee if the Governance and Nominating Committee finds that the candidate has additional qualifications such that his or her qualifications, taken as a whole, demonstrate the same level of fitness to serve as an Independent Trustee. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, the committee held six meetings.
The following table sets forth information describing the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the fund and in all funds in the aggregate within the same fund family overseen by the Trustee for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018.
The following table sets forth information describing the compensation of each Trustee and Member of the Advisory Board (if any) for his or her services for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, or calendar year ended December 31, 2018, as applicable.
(1) Abigail P. Johnson and Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe are interested persons and are compensated by Fidelity.
(2) General Dunwoody served as a Member of the Advisory Board of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust from July 17, 2018 through December 30, 2018. General Dunwoody serves as a Trustee of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust effective December 31, 2018.
(3) Reflects compensation received for the calendar year ended December 31, 2018 for 261 funds of 31 trusts (including Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios II LLC). Compensation figures include cash and may include amounts elected to be deferred. Certain individuals elected voluntarily to defer a portion of their compensation as follows: Elizabeth S. Acton, $72,000; Ann E. Dunwoody, $103,344; John Engler, $234,985; Robert F. Gartland, $180,000; Marie L. Knowles, $150,000; and Mark A. Murray, $234,985.
As of November 27, 2019, the Trustees, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and officers of the fund owned, in the aggregate, less than 1% of each class's total outstanding shares, with respect to the fund.
As of November 27, 2019, the following owned of record and/or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares:
| Fund Name | Owner Name | City | State | Ownership % |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | NEW YORK | NY | 82.52% |
CONTROL OF INVESTMENT ADVISERS
FMR LLC, as successor by merger to FMR Corp., is the ultimate parent company of FIMM, FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (FMR UK), Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.), and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan). The voting common shares of FMR LLC are divided into two series. Series B is held predominantly by members of the Johnson family, including Abigail P. Johnson, directly or through trusts, and is entitled to 49% of the vote on any matter acted upon by the voting common shares. Series A is held predominantly by non-Johnson family member employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates and is entitled to 51% of the vote on any such matter. The Johnson family group and all other Series B shareholders have entered into a shareholders' voting agreement under which all Series B shares will be voted in accordance with the majority vote of Series B shares. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act), control of a company is presumed where one individual or group of individuals owns more than 25% of the voting securities of that company. Therefore, through their ownership of voting common shares and the execution of the shareholders' voting agreement, members of the Johnson family may be deemed, under the 1940 Act, to form a controlling group with respect to FMR LLC.
At present, the primary business activities of FMR LLC and its subsidiaries are: (i) the provision of investment advisory, management, shareholder, investment information and assistance and certain fiduciary services for individual and institutional investors; (ii) the provision of securities brokerage services; (iii) the management and development of real estate; and (iv) the investment in and operation of a number of emerging businesses.
FIMM, FMR UK, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, FDC, and the fund have adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act that sets forth employees' fiduciary responsibilities regarding the fund, establishes procedures for personal investing, and restricts certain transactions. Employees subject to the code of ethics, including Fidelity investment personnel, may invest in securities for their own investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by the fund.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
The fund has entered into a management contract with FIMM, pursuant to which FIMM furnishes investment advisory and other services.
Management Services. Under the terms of its management contract with the fund, FIMM acts as investment adviser and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, has overall responsibility for directing the investments of the fund in accordance with its investment objective, policies and limitations. FIMM also provides the fund with all necessary office facilities and personnel for servicing the fund's investments, compensates all officers of the fund and all Trustees who are interested persons of the trust or of FIMM, and compensates all personnel of the fund or FIMM performing services relating to research, statistical and investment activities.
In addition, FIMM or its affiliates, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, provide the management and administrative services necessary for the operation of the fund. These services include providing facilities for maintaining the fund's organization; supervising relations with custodians, transfer and pricing agents, accountants, underwriters and other persons dealing with the fund; preparing all general shareholder communications and conducting shareholder relations; maintaining the fund's records and the registration of the fund's shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws; developing management and shareholder services for the fund; and furnishing reports, evaluations and analyses on a variety of subjects to the Trustees.
Management-Related Expenses. Under the terms of the fund's management contract, FIMM, either itself or through an affiliate, is responsible for payment of all operating expenses of the fund with limited exceptions. Specific expenses payable by FIMM include legal expenses, fees of the custodian, auditor, and interested Trustees, the fund's proportionate share of insurance premiums and Investment Company Institute dues, and the costs of registering shares under federal securities laws and making necessary filings under state securities laws. The fund's management contract further provides that FIMM will pay for typesetting, printing, and mailing prospectuses, statements of additional information, notices, and reports to shareholders. FIMM also pays all fees associated with the transfer agency services and pricing and bookkeeping services agreements.
FIMM pays all other expenses of the fund with the following exceptions: expenses for typesetting, printing, and mailing proxy materials to shareholders, all other expenses incidental to holding meetings of the fund's shareholders (including proxy solicitation), fees and expenses of the Independent Trustees, interest, taxes, and such non-recurring expenses as may arise, including costs of any litigation to which the fund may be a party, and any obligation it may have to indemnify its officers and Trustees with respect to litigation. The fund shall pay its non-operating expenses, including brokerage commissions and fees and expenses associated with the fund’s securities lending program, if applicable.
Management Fee.
For the services of FIMM under the management contract, the fund pays FIMM a monthly management fee at the annual rate of 0.15% of the fund's average net assets throughout the month.
The following table shows the amount of management fees paid by the fund to FIMM for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019 and the fiscal period June 12, 2018 to August 31, 2018 and the amount of credits reducing management fees.
| Fund |
Fiscal Years
Ended August 31 |
Amount of
Credits Reducing Management Fees |
Management
Fees Paid to Investment Adviser |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF | 2019 | $511 | $74,574 |
| 2018(1) | $0 | $3,339 |
(1) Fund commenced operations on June 12, 2018.
FIMM may, from time to time, voluntarily reimburse all or a portion of a fund's or, in the case of a multiple class fund, a class's operating expenses. FIMM retains the ability to be repaid for these expense reimbursements in the amount that expenses fall below the limit prior to the end of the fiscal year.
Expense reimbursements will increase returns and yield, and repayment of the reimbursement will decrease returns and yield.
Sub-Advisers - FMR UK, FMR H.K., and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into sub-advisory agreements with FMR H.K. and FMR Japan. On behalf of the fund, FIMM has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with FMR UK. Pursuant to the sub-advisory agreements, FIMM may receive from the sub-advisers investment research and advice on issuers outside the United States (non-discretionary services) and FIMM may grant the sub-advisers investment management authority and the authority to buy and sell securities if FIMM believes it would be beneficial to the fund (discretionary services). FIMM, and not the fund, pays the sub-advisers.
Brandon Bettencourt is co-manager of Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF and receives compensation for those services. Jay Small is co-manager of Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF and receives compensation for those services. As of August 31, 2019, portfolio manager compensation generally consists of a fixed base salary determined periodically (typically annually), a bonus, in certain cases, participation in several types of equity-based compensation plans, and, if applicable, relocation plan benefits. A portion of each portfolio manager’s compensation may be deferred based on criteria established by FMR or at the election of the portfolio manager.
Each portfolio manager's base salary is determined by level of responsibility and tenure at FMR or its affiliates. The primary components of each portfolio manager’s bonus are based on (i) the pre-tax investment performance of the portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) measured against a benchmark index (which may be a customized benchmark index developed by FMR) assigned to each fund or account, and (ii) the investment performance of other FMR taxable bond funds and accounts. The pre-tax investment performance of each portfolio manager’s fund(s) and account(s) is weighted according to the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) and the average asset size of those fund(s) and account(s) over the portfolio manager’s tenure. Each component is calculated separately over the portfolio manager’s tenure on those fund(s) and account(s) over a measurement period that initially is contemporaneous with the portfolio manager’s tenure, but that eventually encompasses rolling periods of up to three years for the comparison to a benchmark index. A smaller, subjective component of each portfolio manager’s bonus is based on the portfolio manager’s overall contribution to management of FMR. The portion of each portfolio manager’s bonus that is linked to the investment performance of Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF is based on the fund’s pre-tax investment performance relative to the performance of the fund's customized benchmark index. For the three-year period, the bonus takes into account a portfolio manager's performance in terms of the portfolio manager’s management of investment risk. Each portfolio manager also is compensated under equity-based compensation plans linked to increases or decreases in the net asset value of the stock of FMR LLC, FMR’s parent company. FMR LLC is a diverse financial services company engaged in various activities that include fund management, brokerage, retirement, and employer administrative services. If requested to relocate their primary residence, portfolio managers also may be eligible to receive benefits, such as home sale assistance and payment of certain moving expenses, under relocation plans for most full-time employees of FMR LLC and its affiliates.
A portfolio manager’s compensation plan may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. Although investors in the fund may invest through either tax-deferred accounts or taxable accounts, a portfolio manager’s compensation is linked to the pre-tax performance of the fund, rather than its after-tax performance. A portfolio manager’s base pay tends to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management and a portion of the bonus relates to marketing efforts, which together indirectly link compensation to sales. When a portfolio manager takes over a fund or an account, the time period over which performance is measured may be adjusted to provide a transition period in which to assess the portfolio. The management of multiple funds and accounts (including proprietary accounts) may give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as a portfolio manager must allocate time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. In addition, a fund’s trade allocation policies and procedures may give rise to conflicts of interest if the fund’s orders do not get fully executed due to being aggregated with those of other accounts managed by FMR or an affiliate. A portfolio manager may execute transactions for another fund or account that may adversely impact the value of securities held by a fund. Securities selected for other funds or accounts may outperform the securities selected for the fund. Portfolio managers may be permitted to invest in the funds they manage, even if a fund is closed to new investors. Trading in personal accounts, which may give rise to potential conflicts of interest, is restricted by a fund’s Code of Ethics.
Portfolio managers may receive interests in certain funds or accounts managed by FMR or one of its affiliated advisers (collectively, “Proprietary Accounts”). A conflict of interest situation is presented where a portfolio manager considers investing a client account in securities of an issuer in which FMR, its affiliates or their (or their fund clients’) respective directors, officers or employees already hold a significant position for their own account, including positions held indirectly through Proprietary Accounts. Because the 1940 Act, as well as other applicable laws and regulations, restricts certain transactions between affiliated entities or between an advisor and its clients, client accounts managed by FMR or its affiliates, including accounts sub-advised by third parties, are, in certain circumstances, prohibited from participating in offerings of such securities (including initial public offerings and other offerings occurring before or after an issuer’s initial public offering) or acquiring such securities in the secondary market. For example, ownership of a company by Proprietary Accounts has, in certain situations, resulted in restrictions on FMR’s and its affiliates’ client accounts’ ability to acquire securities in the company’s initial public offering and subsequent public offerings, private offerings, and in the secondary market, and additional restrictions could arise in the future; to the extent such client accounts acquire the relevant securities after such restrictions are subsequently lifted, the delay could affect the price at which the securities are acquired.
A conflict of interest situation is presented when FMR or its affiliates acquire, on behalf of their client accounts, securities of the same issuers whose securities are already held in Proprietary Accounts, because such investments could have the effect of increasing or supporting the value of the Proprietary Accounts. A conflict of interest situation also arises when FMR investment advisory personnel consider whether client accounts they manage should invest in an investment opportunity that they know is also being considered by an affiliate of FMR for a Proprietary Account, to the extent that not investing on behalf of such client accounts improves the ability of the Proprietary Account to take advantage of the opportunity. FMR has adopted policies and procedures and maintains a compliance program designed to help manage such actual and potential conflicts of interest.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Bettencourt as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 21 | 13 | 4 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $93,804 | $9,802 | $452 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF ($109 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Bettencourt was $50,001 - $100,000.
The following table provides information relating to other accounts managed by Mr. Small as of August 31, 2019:
|
Registered
Investment Companies* |
Other Pooled
Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
|
| Number of Accounts Managed | 21 | 13 | 4 |
| Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees | none | none | none |
| Assets Managed (in millions) | $93,804 | $9,802 | $452 |
| Assets Managed with Performance-Based Advisory Fees (in millions) | none | none | none |
* Includes Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF ($109 (in millions) assets managed). The amount of assets managed of the fund reflects trades and other assets as of the close of the business day prior to the fund’s fiscal year-end.
As of August 31, 2019, the dollar range of shares of Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF beneficially owned by Mr. Small was $50,001 - $100,000.
PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES
Fidelity® Funds' Proxy Voting Guidelines
I. Introduction
These guidelines are intended to help Fidelity’s customers and the companies in which Fidelity invests understand how Fidelity votes proxies to further the values that have sustained Fidelity for over 70 years. In particular, these guidelines are animated by two fundamental principles: 1) putting first the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. Fidelity generally adheres to these guidelines in voting proxies. Our evaluation of proxies reflects information from many sources, including management or shareholders of a company presenting a proposal and proxy voting advisory firms. Fidelity maintains the flexibility to vote individual proxies based on our assessment of each situation.
In evaluating proxies, we recognize that companies can conduct themselves in ways that have important environmental and social consequences. While Fidelity always remains focused on maximizing long-term shareholder value, we also consider potential environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.
Fidelity will vote on proposals not specifically addressed by these guidelines based on an evaluation of a proposal's likelihood to enhance the long-term economic returns or profitability of the company or to maximize long-term shareholder value. Fidelity will not be influenced by business relationships or outside perspectives that may conflict with the interests of the funds and their shareholders.
II. Board of Directors and Corporate Governance
Directors of public companies play a critical role in ensuring that a company and its management team serve the interests of its shareholders. Fidelity believes that through proxy voting, it can help ensure accountability of management teams and boards of directors, align management and shareholder interests, and monitor and assess the degree of transparency and disclosure with respect to executive compensation and board actions affecting shareholders’ rights. The following general guidelines are intended to reflect these proxy voting principles.
A. Election of Directors
Fidelity will generally support director nominees in elections where all directors are unopposed (uncontested elections), except where a director clearly appears to have failed to exercise reasonable judgment or otherwise failed to sufficiently protect the interests of shareholders.
Fidelity generally will oppose the election of directors if, by way of example:
1. The director attended fewer than 75% of the total number of meetings of the board and its committees on which the director served during the company's prior fiscal year, absent extenuating circumstances.
2. Inside or affiliated directors serve on boards that are not composed of a majority of independent directors.
3. The company made a commitment to modify a proposal or practice to conform to these guidelines, and failed to act on that commitment.
4. For reasons described below under the sections entitled Compensation and Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections.
B. Contested Director Elections
On occasion, directors are forced to compete for election against outside director nominees (contested elections). Fidelity believes that strong management creates long-term shareholder value. As a result, Fidelity generally will vote in support of management of companies in which the funds’ assets are invested. Fidelity will vote its proxy on a case-by-case basis in a contested election, taking into consideration a number of factors, amongst others:
1. Management’s track record and strategic plan for enhancing shareholder value;
2. The long-term performance of the company compared to its industry peers; and
3. The qualifications of the shareholder’s and management’s nominees.
Fidelity will vote for the outcome it believes has the best prospects for maximizing shareholder value over the long-term.
C. Cumulative Voting Rights
Under cumulative voting, each shareholder may exercise the number of votes equal to the number of shares owned multiplied by the number of directors up for election. Shareholders may cast all of their votes for a single nominee (or multiple nominees in varying amounts). With regular (non-cumulative) voting, by contrast, shareholders cannot allocate more than one vote per share to any one director nominee. Fidelity believes that cumulative voting can be detrimental to the overall strength of a board. Generally, therefore, Fidelity will oppose the introduction of, and support the elimination of, cumulative voting rights.
D. Classified Boards
A classified board is one that elects only a percentage of its members each year (usually one-third of directors are elected to serve a three-year term). This means that at each annual meeting only a subset of directors is up for re-election. Fidelity believes that, in general, classified boards are not as accountable to shareholders as declassified boards. For this and other reasons, Fidelity generally will oppose a board’s adoption of a classified board structure and support declassification of existing boards.
E. Independent Chairperson
In general, Fidelity believes that boards should have a process and criteria for selecting the board chair, and will oppose shareholder proposals calling for, or recommending the appointment of, a non-executive or independent chairperson. If, however, based on particular facts and circumstances, Fidelity believes that appointment of a non-executive or independent chairperson appears likely to further the interests of shareholders and promote effective oversight of management by the board of directors, Fidelity will consider voting to support a proposal for an independent chairperson under such circumstances.
F. Majority Voting in Director Elections
In general, Fidelity supports proposals calling for directors to be elected by a majority of votes cast if the proposal permits election by a plurality in the case of contested elections (where, for example, there are more nominees than board seats). Fidelity may oppose a majority voting shareholder proposal where a company’s board has adopted a policy requiring the resignation of an incumbent director who fails to receive the support of a majority of the votes cast in an uncontested election.
G. Proxy Access
Proxy access proposals generally require a company to amend its by-laws to allow a qualifying shareholder or group of shareholders to nominate directors on a company’s proxy ballot. Fidelity believes that certain safeguards as to ownership threshold and duration of ownership are important to assure that proxy access is not misused by those without a significant economic interest in the company or those driven by short term goals. Fidelity will evaluate proxy access proposals on a case-by-case basis, but generally will support proposals that include ownership of at least 3% (5% in the case of small-cap companies) of the company’s shares outstanding for at least three years; limit the number of directors that eligible shareholders may nominate to 20% of the board; and limit to 20 the number of shareholders that may form a nominating group.
H. Indemnification of Directors and Officers
In many instances there are sound reasons to indemnify officers and directors, so that they may perform their duties without the distraction of unwarranted litigation or other legal process. Fidelity generally supports charter and by-law amendments expanding the indemnification of officers or directors, or limiting their liability for breaches of care unless Fidelity is dissatisfied with their performance or the proposal is accompanied by anti-takeover provisions (see Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans below).
III. Compensation
Incentive compensation plans can be complicated and many factors are considered when evaluating such plans. Fidelity evaluates such plans based on protecting shareholder interests and our historical knowledge of the company and its management.
A. Equity Compensation Plans
Fidelity encourages the use of reasonably designed equity compensation plans that align the interest of management with those of shareholders by providing officers and employees with incentives to increase long-term shareholder value. Fidelity considers whether such plans are too dilutive to existing shareholders because dilution reduces the voting power or economic interest of existing shareholders as a result of an increase in shares available for distribution to employees in lieu of cash compensation. Fidelity will generally oppose equity compensation plans or amendments to authorize additional shares under such plans if:
1. The company grants stock options and equity awards in a given year at a rate higher than a benchmark rate (“burn rate”) considered appropriate by Fidelity and there were no circumstances specific to the company or the compensation plans that leads Fidelity to conclude that the rate of awards is otherwise acceptable.
2. The plan includes an evergreen provision, which is a feature that provides for an automatic increase in the shares available for grant under an equity compensation plan on a regular basis.
3. The plan provides for the acceleration of vesting of equity compensation even though an actual change in control may not occur.
As to stock option plans, considerations include the following:
1. Pricing: We believe that options should be priced at 100% of fair market value on the date they are granted. We generally oppose options priced at a discount to the market, although the price may be as low as 85% of fair market value if the discount is expressly granted in lieu of salary or cash bonus.
2. Re-pricing: An “out-of-the-money” (or underwater) option has an exercise price that is higher than the current price of the stock. We generally oppose the re-pricing of underwater options because it is not consistent with a policy of offering options as a form of long-term compensation. Fidelity also generally opposes a stock option plan if the board or compensation committee has re-priced options outstanding in the past two years without shareholder approval.
Fidelity generally will support a management proposal to exchange, re-price or tender for cash, outstanding options if the proposed exchange, re-pricing, or tender offer is consistent with the interests of shareholders, taking into account a variety of factors such as:
1. Whether the proposal excludes senior management and directors;
2. Whether the exchange or re-pricing proposal is value neutral to shareholders based upon an acceptable pricing model;
3. The company's relative performance compared to other companies within the relevant industry or industries;
4. Economic and other conditions affecting the relevant industry or industries in which the company competes; and
5. Any other facts or circumstances relevant to determining whether an exchange or re-pricing proposal is consistent with the interests of shareholders.
B. Employee Stock Purchase Plans
These plans are designed to allow employees to purchase company stock at a discounted price and receive favorable tax treatment when the stock is sold. Fidelity generally will support employee stock purchase plans if the minimum stock purchase price is equal to or greater than 85% (or at least 75% in the case of non-U.S. companies where a lower minimum stock purchase price is equal to the prevailing “best practices” in that market) of the stock's fair market value and the plan constitutes a reasonable effort to encourage broad based participation in the company's stock.
IV. Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) and Frequency of Say on Pay Vote
Current law requires companies to allow shareholders to cast non-binding votes on the compensation for named executive officers, as well as the frequency of such votes. Fidelity generally will support proposals to ratify executive compensation unless the compensation appears misaligned with shareholder interests or is otherwise problematic, taking into account:
- The actions taken by the board or compensation committee in the previous year, including whether the company re-priced or exchanged outstanding stock options without shareholder approval; adopted or extended a golden parachute without shareholder approval; or adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation;
- The alignment of executive compensation and company performance relative to peers; and
- The structure of the compensation program, including factors such as whether incentive plan metrics are appropriate, rigorous and transparent; whether the long-term element of the compensation program is evaluated over at least a three-year period; the sensitivity of pay to below median performance; the amount and nature of non-performance-based compensation; the justification and rationale behind paying discretionary bonuses; the use of stock ownership guidelines and amount of executive stock ownership; and how well elements of compensation are disclosed.
When presented with a frequency of Say on Pay vote, Fidelity generally will support holding an annual advisory vote on Say on Pay.
A. Compensation Committee
Directors serving on the compensation committee of the Board have a special responsibility to ensure that management is appropriately compensated and that compensation, among other things, fairly reflects the performance of the company. Fidelity believes that compensation should align with company performance as measured by key business metrics. Compensation policies should align the interests of executives with those of shareholders. Further, the compensation program should be disclosed in a transparent and timely manner.
Fidelity will oppose the election of directors on the compensation committees if:
1. The company has not adequately addressed concerns communicated by Fidelity in the process of discussing executive compensation.
2. Within the last year, and without shareholder approval, a company's board of directors or compensation committee has either:
a) Re-priced outstanding options, exchanged outstanding options for equity, or tendered cash for outstanding options; or
b) Adopted or extended a golden parachute.
B. Executive Severance Agreements
Executive severance compensation and benefit arrangements resulting from a termination following a change in control are known as “golden parachutes.” Fidelity generally will oppose proposals to ratify golden parachutes where the arrangement includes an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
V. Environmental and Social Issues
In these guidelines, we outline our views about corporate governance and how we evaluate and express our views about the governance of a company in ways that are intended to maximize long-term shareholder value. In addition, environmental and social issues are generally incorporated into our evaluation of a company.
Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with management’s recommendation on shareholder proposals concerning environmental or social issues, as it generally believes that management and the board are in the best position to determine how to address these matters. In certain cases, however, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals that request additional disclosures from companies regarding environmental or social issues, where it believes that the proposed disclosures could provide meaningful information to the investment management process without unduly burdening the company. For example, Fidelity may support shareholder proposals calling for reports on sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental impact issues. Fidelity also may support proposals on issues such as equal employment, and board and workforce diversity.
VI. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans
Fidelity generally will oppose a proposal to adopt an anti-takeover provision.
Anti-takeover provisions include:
- classified boards;
- “blank check” preferred stock (whose terms and conditions may be expressly determined by the company’s board, for example, with differential voting rights);
- golden parachutes;
- supermajority provisions (that require a large majority (generally between 67-90%) of shareholders to approve corporate changes as compared to a majority provision that simply requires more than 50% of shareholders to approve those changes);
- poison pills;
- restricting the right to call special meetings;
- provisions restricting the right of shareholders to set board size; and
- any other provision that eliminates or limits shareholder rights.
A. Shareholders Rights Plans (“poison pills”)
Poison pills allow shareholders opposed to a takeover offer to purchase stock at discounted prices under certain circumstances and effectively give boards veto power over any takeover offer. While there are advantages and disadvantages to poison pills, they can be detrimental to the creation of shareholder value and can help entrench management by deterring acquisition offers not favored by the board, but that may, in fact, be beneficial to shareholders.
Fidelity generally will support a proposal to adopt or extend a poison pill if the proposal:
1. Includes a condition in the charter or plan that specifies an expiration date (sunset provision) of no greater than five years;
2. Is integral to a business strategy that is expected to result in greater value for the shareholders;
3. Requires shareholder approval to be reinstated upon expiration or if amended;
4. Contains a mechanism to allow shareholders to consider a bona fide takeover offer for all outstanding shares without triggering the poison pill; and
5. Allows the Fidelity funds to hold an aggregate position of up to 20% of a company's total voting securities, where permissible.
Fidelity generally also will support a proposal that is crafted only for the purpose of protecting a specific tax benefit if it also believes the proposal is likely to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
B. Shareholder Ability to Call a Special Meeting
Fidelity generally will support shareholder proposals regarding shareholders' right to call special meetings if the threshold required to call the special meeting is no less than 25% of the outstanding stock.
C. Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding shareholders' right to act by written consent if the proposals include appropriate mechanisms for implementation. This means that proposals must include record date requests from at least 25% of the outstanding stockholders and consents must be solicited from all shareholders.
D. Supermajority Shareholder Vote Requirement
Fidelity generally will support proposals regarding supermajority provisions if Fidelity believes that the provisions protect minority shareholder interests in companies where there is a substantial or dominant shareholder.
VII. Anti-Takeover Provisions and Director Elections
Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors or directors on responsible committees if the board adopted or extended an anti-takeover provision without shareholder approval.
Fidelity will consider supporting the election of directors with respect to poison pills if:
- All of the poison pill’s features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights section above are met when a poison pill is adopted or extended.
- A board is willing to consider seeking shareholder ratification of, or adding the features outlined under the Anti-Takeover Provisions and Shareholders Rights Plans section above to, an existing poison pill. If, however, the company does not take appropriate action prior to the next annual shareholder meeting, Fidelity will oppose the election of all directors at that meeting.
- It determines that the poison pill was narrowly tailored to protect a specific tax benefit, and subject to an evaluation of its likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
VIII. Capital Structure and Incorporation
These guidelines are designed to protect shareholders’ value in the companies in which the Fidelity funds invest. To the extent a company’s management is committed and incentivized to maximize shareholder value, Fidelity generally votes in favor of management proposals; Fidelity may vote contrary to management where a proposal is overly dilutive to shareholders and/or compromises shareholder value or other interests. The guidelines that follow are meant to protect shareholders in these respects.
A. Increases in Common Stock
Fidelity may support reasonable increases in authorized shares for a specific purpose (a stock split or re-capitalization, for example). Fidelity generally will oppose a provision to increase a company's authorized common stock if such increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than three times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares, including stock options.
In the case of REITs, however, Fidelity will oppose a provision to increase the REIT’s authorized common stock if the increase will result in a total number of authorized shares greater than five times the current number of outstanding and scheduled to be issued shares.
B. Multi-Class Share Structures
Fidelity generally will support proposals to recapitalize multi-class share structures into structures that provide equal voting rights for all shareholders, and generally will oppose proposals to introduce or increase classes of stock with differential voting rights. However, Fidelity will evaluate all such proposals in the context of their likelihood to enhance long-term economic returns or maximize long-term shareholder value.
C. Incorporation or Reincorporation in another State or Country
Fidelity generally will support management proposals calling for, or recommending that, a company reincorporate in another state or country if, on balance, the economic and corporate governance factors in the proposed jurisdiction appear reasonably likely to be better aligned with shareholder interests, taking into account the corporate laws of the current and proposed jurisdictions and any changes to the company's current and proposed governing documents. Fidelity will consider supporting these shareholder proposals in limited cases if, based upon particular facts and circumstances, remaining incorporated in the current jurisdiction appears misaligned with shareholder interests.
IX. Shares of Fidelity Funds, ETFs, or other non-Fidelity Mutual Funds and ETFs
When a Fidelity fund invests in an underlying Fidelity fund with public shareholders, an exchange traded fund (ETF), or fund that is not affiliated, Fidelity will vote in the same proportion as all other voting shareholders of the underlying fund (this is known as “echo voting”). Fidelity may choose not to vote if "echo voting" is not operationally practical. For Fidelity fund investments in a Fidelity Series Fund, Fidelity generally will vote in a manner consistent with the recommendation of the Fidelity Series Fund's Board of Trustees on all proposals.
X. Foreign Markets
Many Fidelity funds invest in voting securities issued by companies that are domiciled outside the United States and are not listed on a U.S. securities exchange. Corporate governance standards, legal or regulatory requirements and disclosure practices in foreign countries can differ from those in the United States. When voting proxies relating to non-U.S. securities, Fidelity generally will evaluate proposals under these guidelines and where applicable and feasible, take into consideration differing laws, regulations and practices in the relevant foreign market in determining how to vote shares.
In certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, shareholders voting shares of a company may be restricted from trading the shares for a period of time around the shareholder meeting date. Because these trading restrictions can hinder portfolio management and could result in a loss of liquidity for a fund, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in circumstances where such restrictions apply. In addition, certain non-U.S. jurisdictions require voting shareholders to disclose current share ownership on a fund-by-fund basis. When such disclosure requirements apply, Fidelity generally will not vote proxies in order to safeguard fund holdings information.
XI. Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
Voting of shares is conducted in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fidelity funds. In other words, securities of a company generally will be voted in a manner consistent with these guidelines and without regard to any other Fidelity companies' business relationships.
Fidelity takes its responsibility to vote shares in the best interests of the funds seriously and has implemented policies and procedures to address actual and potential conflicts of interest.
XII. Conclusion
Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Fidelity has been driven by two fundamental values: 1) putting the long-term interests of our customers and fund shareholders first; and 2) investing in companies that share our approach to creating value over the long-term. With these fundamental principles as guideposts, the funds are managed to provide the greatest possible return to shareholders consistent with governing laws and the investment guidelines and objectives of each fund.
Fidelity believes that there is a strong correlation between sound corporate governance and enhancing shareholder value. Fidelity, through the implementation of these guidelines, puts this belief into action through consistent engagement with portfolio companies on matters contained in these guidelines, and, ultimately, through the exercise of voting rights by the funds.
Glossary
• Burn rate means the total number of stock option and full value equity awards granted as compensation in a given year divided by the weighted average common stock outstanding for that same year.
- For a large-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 1.5%.
- For a small-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 2.5%.
- For a micro-capitalization company, burn rate higher than 3.5%.
• Golden parachute means employment contracts, agreements, or policies that include an excise tax gross-up provision; single trigger for cash incentives; or may result in a lump sum payment of cash and acceleration of equity that may total more than three times annual compensation (salary and bonus) in the event of a termination following a change in control.
• Large-capitalization company means a company included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index.
• Micro-capitalization company means a company with market capitalization under US $300 million.
• Poison pill refers to a strategy employed by a potential takeover / target company to make its stock less attractive to an acquirer. Poison pills are generally designed to dilute the acquirer's ownership and value in the event of a takeover.
• Small-capitalization company means a company not included in the Russell 1000® Index or the Russell Global ex-U.S. Large Cap Index that is not a Micro-Capitalization Company.
To view a fund's proxy voting record for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, if applicable, visit www.fidelity.com/proxyvotingresults or visit the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.
DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
The fund has entered into a distribution agreement with FDC, an affiliate of FIMM and FMR. The principal business address of FDC is 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, Rhode Island 02917. FDC is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. The distribution agreement calls for FDC to use all reasonable efforts, consistent with its other business, to secure purchasers for shares of the fund, which are continuously offered at NAV. Promotional and administrative expenses in connection with the offer and sale of shares are paid by FIMM or FMR.
The Trustees have approved a Distribution and Service Plan with respect to shares of the fund (the Plan) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the Rule). The Rule provides in substance that a fund may not engage directly or indirectly in financing any activity that is primarily intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund except pursuant to a plan approved on behalf of the fund under the Rule. The Plan, as approved by the Trustees, allows shares of the fund, FIMM, and/or FMR to incur certain expenses that might be considered to constitute indirect payment by the fund of distribution expenses.
The Plan adopted for the fund is described in the prospectus.
Under the Plan, if the payment of management fees by the fund to FIMM is deemed to be indirect financing by the fund of the distribution of its shares, such payment is authorized by the Plan. The Plan specifically recognizes that FIMM or FMR may use its management fee revenue, including management fees paid to FIMM by the fund or fees paid to FMR by FIMM out of such management fees, as well as its past profits or its other resources, to pay FDC for expenses incurred in connection with providing services intended to result in the sale of shares of the fund and/or shareholder support services. In addition, the Plan provides that FIMM or FMR, directly or through FDC, may pay significant amounts to intermediaries that provide those services.
Prior to approving the Plan, the Trustees carefully considered all pertinent factors relating to the implementation of the Plan, and determined that there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the fund and its shareholders. In particular, the Trustees noted that the Plan does not authorize payments by shares of the fund other than those made to FIMM under its management contract with the fund. To the extent that the Plan gives FIMM, FMR, and FDC greater flexibility in connection with the distribution of shares, additional sales of shares or stabilization of cash flows may result. Furthermore, certain shareholder support services may be provided more effectively under the Plan by local entities with whom shareholders have other relationships.
FDC or an affiliate may compensate, or upon direction make payments for certain retirement plan expenses to intermediaries. A number of factors are considered in determining whether to pay these additional amounts. Such factors may include, without limitation, the level or type of services provided by the intermediary, the level or expected level of assets or sales of shares, and other factors. In addition to such payments, FDC or an affiliate may offer other incentives such as sponsorship of educational or client seminars relating to current products and issues, payments or reimbursements for travel and related expenses associated with due diligence trips that an intermediary may undertake in order to explore possible business relationships with affiliates of FDC, and/or payments of costs and expenses associated with attendance at seminars, including travel, lodging, entertainment, and meals. Certain of the payments described above may be significant to an intermediary. As permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules and other applicable laws and regulations, FDC or an affiliate may pay or allow other incentives or payments to intermediaries.
FDC or an affiliate may also make payments to banks, broker-dealers and other service-providers (who may be affiliated with FDC) for distribution-related activities and/or shareholder services. If you have purchased shares of the fund through an investment professional, please speak with your investment professional to learn more about any payments his or her firm may receive from FIMM, FMR, FDC, and/or their affiliates, as well as fees and/or commissions the investment professional charges. You should also consult disclosures made by your investment professional at the time of purchase.
Any of the payments described in this section may represent a premium over payments made by other fund families. Investment professionals may have an added incentive to sell or recommend a fund over others offered by competing fund families, or retirement plan sponsors may take these payments into account when deciding whether to include a fund as a plan investment option.
FDC may also enter into agreements with securities dealers who will solicit purchases of Creation Units. Such securities dealers may also be Authorized Participants, DTC Participants, and or investor services organizations.
TRANSFER AND SERVICE AGENT AGREEMENTS
The fund has entered into a transfer agency and service agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street), which is located at One Heritage Drive, Floor 1, North Quincy, Massachusetts, 02171. Under the terms of the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) acts as transfer agent and dividend and disbursing agent.
The fund has entered into a service agent agreement with FSC, an affiliate of FIMM (or an agent, including an affiliate), which is located at 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02210. Under the terms of the agreement, FSC (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides certain pricing and bookkeeping services for the fund and administers the fund's securities lending program. FSC has entered into a sub-administration agreement with State Street. Under the agreement, State Street (or an agent, including an affiliate) provides various fund accounting and fund administration services, including preparation of financial information for shareholder reports and tax services, for the fund.
FIMM bears the cost of services under these agreements under the terms of its management contract with the fund.
SECURITIES LENDING
During the fiscal year, the securities lending agent, or the investment adviser (where the fund does not use a securities lending agent) monitors loan opportunities for the fund, negotiates the terms of the loans with borrowers, monitors the value of securities on loan and the value of the corresponding collateral, communicates with borrowers and the fund's custodian regarding marking to market the collateral, selects securities to be loaned and allocates those loan opportunities among lenders, and arranges for the return of the loaned securities upon the termination of the loan. Income and fees from securities lending activities for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, are shown in the following table:
| Security Lending Activities | Fund(s) |
| Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF(1) | |
| Gross income from securities lending activities | 0 |
| Fees paid to securities lending agent from a revenue split | 0 |
| Administrative fees | 0 |
| Rebate (paid to borrower) | 0 |
| Other fees not included in the revenue split (lending agent fees to NFS) | 0 |
| Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending activities | 0 |
| Net income from securities lending activities | 0 |
(1) The fund did not lend securities during the year.
A fund does not pay cash collateral management fees, separate indemnification fees, or other fees not reflected above.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST
Trust Organization. Fidelity® Low Duration Bond Factor ETF is a fund of Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust, an open-end management investment company created under an initial declaration of trust dated November 15, 2012. The Trustees are permitted to create additional funds in the trust and to create additional classes of the fund.
The assets of the trust received for the issue or sale of shares of each of its funds and all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof, subject to the rights of creditors, are allocated to such fund, and constitute the underlying assets of such fund. The underlying assets of each fund in the trust shall be charged with the liabilities and expenses attributable to such fund. Any general expenses of the trust shall be allocated between or among any one or more of the funds.
Shareholder Liability. The trust is an entity commonly known as a "Massachusetts business trust." Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the trust.
The Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for the debts, liabilities, obligations, and expenses of the trust or fund. The Declaration of Trust provides that the trust shall not have any claim against shareholders except for the payment of the purchase price of shares and requires that each agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by the trust or the Trustees relating to the trust or to a fund shall include a provision limiting the obligations created thereby to the trust or to one or more funds and its or their assets. The Declaration of Trust further provides that shareholders of a fund shall not have a claim on or right to any assets belonging to any other fund.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of a fund's property of any shareholder or former shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the fund solely by reason of his or her being or having been a shareholder and not because of his or her acts or omissions or for some other reason. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a fund shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the fund and satisfy any judgment thereon. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which a fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations. FIMM believes that, in view of the above, the risk of personal liability to shareholders is remote.
Voting Rights. Each fund's capital consists of shares of beneficial interest. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each dollar of net asset value they own. The voting rights of shareholders can be changed only by a shareholder vote. Shares may be voted in the aggregate, by fund, and by class.
The shares have no preemptive or conversion rights. Shares are fully paid and nonassessable, except as set forth under the heading "Shareholder Liability" above.
The trust or a fund or a class may be terminated upon the sale of its assets to, or merger with, another open-end management investment company, series, or class thereof, or upon liquidation and distribution of its assets. The Trustees may reorganize, terminate, merge, or sell all or a portion of the assets of the trust or a fund or a class without prior shareholder approval. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of the trust, shareholders of each of its funds are entitled to receive the underlying assets of such fund available for distribution. In the event of the dissolution or liquidation of a fund or a class, shareholders of that fund or that class are entitled to receive the underlying assets of the fund or class available for distribution.
Custodians. State Street Bank and Trust Company, 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts, is custodian of the assets of the fund. The custodian is responsible for the safekeeping of the fund's assets and the appointment of any subcustodian banks and clearing agencies. The Bank of New York Mellon and JPMorgan Chase Bank, each headquartered in New York, also may serve as special purpose custodians of certain assets in connection with repurchase agreement transactions. From time to time, subject to approval by a fund's Treasurer, a Fidelity® fund may enter into escrow arrangements with other banks if necessary to participate in certain investment offerings.
FMR, its officers and directors, its affiliated companies, Members of the Advisory Board (if any), and Members of the Board of Trustees may, from time to time, conduct transactions with various banks, including banks serving as custodians for certain funds advised by FMR or an affiliate. Transactions that have occurred to date include mortgages and personal and general business loans. In the judgment of the fund's adviser, the terms and conditions of those transactions were not influenced by existing or potential custodial or other fund relationships.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts, independent registered public accounting firm, audits financial statements for the fund and provides other audit, tax, and related services.
FUND HOLDINGS INFORMATION
The fund views holdings information as sensitive and limits its dissemination. The Board authorized FMR to establish and administer guidelines for the dissemination of fund holdings information, which may be amended at any time without prior notice. FMR's Disclosure Policy Committee (comprising executive officers of FMR) evaluates disclosure policy with the goal of serving the fund's best interests by striking an appropriate balance between providing information about the fund's portfolio and protecting the fund from potentially harmful disclosure. The Board reviews the administration and modification of these guidelines and receives reports from the fund's chief compliance officer periodically.
On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in shares on the listing exchange, the fund will disclose on its website the identities and quantities of the fund's portfolio holdings that will form the basis for the fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
Daily portfolio composition files (PCFs) that identify a basket of specified securities that may overlap with the actual or expected portfolio holdings of the fund will be provided as frequently as daily to the fund's service providers to facilitate the provision of services to the fund and to certain other entities in connection with the dissemination of information necessary for transactions in Creation Units. Each business day prior to the opening of the listing exchange, a PCF containing a list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security for the fund will be provided for dissemination through the facilities of the NSCC; through other fee-based services to NSCC members; subscribers to the fee-based services, including Authorized Participants; and to entities that publish and/or analyze such information in connection with the process of purchasing or redeeming Creation Units or trading fund shares in the secondary market. In addition to making PCFs available to the NSCC, the fund will disclose the PCF or portions thereof as frequently as daily on www.fidelity.com.
The fund may also from time to time provide or make available to the Board or third parties upon request specific fund level performance attribution information and statistics. Third parties may include fund shareholders or prospective fund shareholders, members of the press, consultants, and ratings and ranking organizations. Nonexclusive examples of performance attribution information and statistics may include (i) the allocation of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions among various asset classes, sectors, industries, and countries, (ii) the characteristics of the stock and bond components of the fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions, (iii) the attribution of fund returns by asset class, sector, industry, and country and (iv) the volatility characteristics of the fund.
FMR’s Disclosure Policy Committee may approve a request for fund level performance attribution and statistics as long as (i) such disclosure does not enable the receiving party to recreate the complete or partial portfolio holdings of any Fidelity fund prior to such fund’s public disclosure of its portfolio holdings and (ii) Fidelity has made a good faith determination that the requested information is not material given the particular facts and circumstances. Fidelity may deny any request for performance attribution information and other statistical information about a fund made by any person, and may do so for any reason or for no reason.
Disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information for a Fidelity fund’s portfolio may only be provided pursuant to the guidelines below.
The Use of Holdings In Connection With Fund Operations. Material non-public holdings information may be provided as part of the activities associated with managing Fidelity® funds to: entities which, by explicit agreement or by virtue of their respective duties to the fund, are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed; other parties if legally required; or persons FMR believes will not misuse the disclosed information. These entities, parties, and persons include, but are not limited to: the fund's trustees; the fund's manager, its sub-advisers, if any, and their affiliates whose access persons are subject to a code of ethics (including portfolio managers of affiliated funds of funds); contractors who are subject to a confidentiality agreement; the fund's auditors; the fund's custodians; proxy voting service providers; financial printers; pricing service vendors; broker-dealers in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or requests for price quotations or bids on one or more securities; securities lending agents; counsel to the fund or its Independent Trustees; regulatory authorities; stock exchanges and other listing organizations; parties to litigation; third parties in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding relating to a fund holding; and third parties who have submitted a standing request to a money market fund for daily holdings information. Non-public holdings information may also be provided to an issuer regarding the number or percentage of its shares that are owned by the fund and in connection with redemptions in kind.
Other Uses Of Holdings Information. In addition, the fund may provide material non-public holdings information to (i) third parties that calculate information derived from holdings for use by FMR, a sub-adviser, or their affiliates, (ii) ratings and rankings organizations, and (iii) an investment adviser, trustee, or their agents to whom holdings are disclosed for due diligence purposes or in anticipation of a merger involving the fund. Each individual request is reviewed by the Disclosure Policy Committee which must find, in its sole discretion that, based on the specific facts and circumstances, the disclosure appears unlikely to be harmful to the fund. Entities receiving this information must have in place control mechanisms to reasonably ensure or otherwise agree that, (a) the holdings information will be kept confidential, (b) no employee shall use the information to effect trading or for their personal benefit, and (c) the nature and type of information that they, in turn, may disclose to third parties is limited. FMR relies primarily on the existence of non-disclosure agreements and/or control mechanisms when determining that disclosure is not likely to be harmful to the fund.
At this time, the entities receiving information described in the preceding paragraph are: Factset Research Systems Inc. (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (full holdings weekly (generally as of the previous Friday), generally 5 business days thereafter); MSCI Inc. and certain affiliates (full or partial fund holdings daily, on the next business day); and Bloomberg, L.P. (full holdings daily, on the next business day).
FMR, its affiliates, or the fund will not enter into any arrangements with third parties from which they derive consideration for the disclosure of material non-public holdings information. If, in the future, such an arrangement is desired, prior Board approval would be sought and any such arrangements would be disclosed in the fund's SAI.
There can be no assurance that the fund's policies and procedures with respect to disclosure of fund portfolio holdings will prevent the misuse of such information by individuals and firms that receive such information.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The fund's financial statements and financial highlights for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2019, and report of the independent registered public accounting firm, are included in the fund's annual report and are incorporated herein by reference. Total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table may differ from the ratios of expenses to average net assets in the financial highlights because total annual operating expenses as shown in the prospectus fee table include any acquired fund fees and expenses, whereas the ratios of expenses in the financial highlights do not, except to the extent any acquired fund fees and expenses relate to an entity, such as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with which a fund's financial statements are consolidated. Acquired funds include other investment companies (such as central funds or other underlying funds) in which the fund has invested, if and to the extent it is permitted to do so. Total annual operating expenses in the prospectus fee table and the financial highlights do not include any expenses associated with investments in certain structured or synthetic products that may rely on the exception from the definition of "investment company" provided by section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act.
APPENDIX
Fidelity and Fidelity Investments & Pyramid Design are registered service marks of FMR LLC. © 2019 FMR LLC. All rights reserved.
Any third-party marks that may appear above are the marks of their respective owners.
Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
Post-Effective Amendment No. 13
PART C. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28.
Exhibits
(a)
Declaration of Trust, dated November 15, 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a) of the initial Registration Statement.
(b)
Bylaws of the Trust, dated November 15, 2012, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b) of the initial Registration Statement.
(c)
Not applicable.
(d)
(1)
Amended and Restated Management Contract, dated April 1, 2018, between Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(1) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(2)
Amended and Restated Management Contract, dated April 1, 2018, between Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(2) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(3)
Management Contract, dated March 8, 2018, between Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 9.
(4)
Amended and Restated Management Contract, dated April 1, 2018, between Fidelity Total Bond ETF and Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(4) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(5)
Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated September 18, 2014, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and FMR Co., Inc., on behalf of Fidelity Total Bond ETF, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(4) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(6)
Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated September 9, 2008, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, on behalf of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(6) of Fidelity Garrison Street Trust’s (File No. 811-04861) Amendment No. 64.
(7)
Schedule A, dated April 23, 2018, to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated September 9, 2008, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, on behalf of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(7) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 9.
(8)
Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated December 1, 2014, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited, on behalf of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(5) of Fidelity Garrison Street Trust’s (File No. 811-04861) Amendment No. 86.
(9)
Schedule A, dated April 23, 2018, to the Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated December 1, 2014, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited, on behalf of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(9) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 9.
(10)
Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated April 1, 2015, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited, on behalf of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(9) of Fidelity Revere Street Trust’s (File No. 811-07807) Amendment No. 37.
(11)
Schedule A, dated December 5, 2018, to the Amended and Restated Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated April 1, 2015, between Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. and FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited, on behalf of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (d)(11) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(e)
(1)
General Distribution Agreement, dated September 18, 2014, between Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust and Fidelity Distributors Corporation, on behalf of Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(1) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(2)
General Distribution Agreement, dated September 18, 2014, between Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust and Fidelity Distributors Corporation, on behalf of Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(2) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(3)
General Distribution Agreement, dated March 8, 2018, between Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust and Fidelity Distributors Corporation, on behalf of Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 9.
(4)
General Distribution Agreement, dated September 18, 2014, between Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust and Fidelity Distributors Corporation, on behalf of Fidelity Total Bond ETF, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (e)(3) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(f)
Amended and Restated Fee Deferral Plan of the Non-Interested Person Trustees of the Fidelity Fixed Income and Asset Allocation Funds, effective as of September 15, 1995, as amended and restated through March 10, 2016, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (f) of Fidelity Salem Street Trust’s (File No. 002-41839) Post-Effective Amendment No. 334.
(g)
(1)
Custodian Agreement, dated January 1, 2007, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF, Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF, Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF, and Fidelity Total Bond ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(4) of Fidelity Advisor Series I’s (File No. 002-84776) Post-Effective Amendment No. 72.
(2)
Amendment, dated January 16, 2019, to the Custodian Agreement, dated January 1, 2007, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 53.
(3)
Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated October 11, 2013, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(5) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(4)
Amendment, dated January 16, 2019, to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated October 11, 2013 between State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Registrant, is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(4) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 53.
(5)
Side Letter, dated October 11, 2013, to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated October 11, 2013, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(6) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(6)
Amendment, dated January 16, 2019, to the Side Letter to the Custodian Agreement, dated October 11, 2013, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and Fidelity Service Company, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(6) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 53.
(7)
Sub-Administration Agreement, effective as of October 11, 2013, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and Fidelity Service Company, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(7) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 11.
(8)
Amendment, dated February 26, 2019, to the Sub-Administration Agreement, dated October 11, 2013, between State Street Bank and Trust Company and Fidelity Service Company, Inc., is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (g)(8) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 53.
(h)
(1)
Form of Participation Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(1) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 46.
(2)
Form of Authorized Participant Agreement is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) of Fidelity Covington Trust’s (File No. 033-60973) Post-Effective Amendment No. 46.
(i)
Legal Opinion of Dechert LLP, dated December 23, 2019, is filed herein as Exhibit (i).
(j)
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, dated December 19, 2019, is filed herein as Exhibit (j).
(k)
Not applicable.
(l)
Purchase Agreement, dated September 18, 2014, between Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust and FIMM, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (l) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(m)
(1)
Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Fidelity Corporate Bond ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (m)(1) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(2)
Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Fidelity Limited Term Bond ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (m)(2) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(3)
Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Fidelity Low Duration Bond Factor ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (m)(3) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 9.
(4)
Distribution and Service Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for Fidelity Total Bond ETF is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (m)(3) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 5.
(n)
Not applicable.
(p)
(1)
The 2018 Code of Ethics, adopted by each fund, Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc., FMR Co., Inc., Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited, Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited, FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited, and Fidelity Distributors Corporation pursuant to Rule 17j-1 is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(1) of Fidelity Commonwealth Trust’s (File No. 002-52322) Post-Effective Amendment No. 150.
Item 29.
Trusts Controlled by or under Common Control with this Trust
The Board of Trustees of the Trust is the same as the board of other Fidelity funds, each of which has Fidelity Management & Research Company, or an affiliate, or Geode Capital Management LLC, as its investment adviser. In addition, the officers of the Trust are substantially identical to those of the other Fidelity funds. Nonetheless, the Trust takes the position that it is not under common control with other Fidelity funds because the power residing in the respective boards and officers arises as the result of an official position with the respective trusts.
Item 30.
Indemnification
Article XI, Section 2 of the Declaration of Trust sets forth the reasonable and fair means for determining whether indemnification shall be provided to any past or present Trustee or officer. It states that the Trust shall indemnify any present or past trustee or officer to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability, and all expenses reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he or she is involved by virtue of his or her service as a trustee or officer and against any amount incurred in settlement thereof. Indemnification will not be provided to a person adjudged by a court or other adjudicatory body to be liable to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties (collectively, “disabling conduct”), or not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interest of the Trust. In the event of a settlement, no indemnification may be provided unless there has been a determination, as specified in the Declaration of Trust, that the officer or trustee did not engage in disabling conduct.
Pursuant to Section 11 of the Distribution Agreement, the Trust agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages, or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising by reason of any person acquiring any shares, based upon the ground that the registration statement, Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, shareholder reports or other information filed or made public by the Trust (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading under the 1933 Act, or any other statute or the common law. However, the Trust does not agree to indemnify the Distributor or hold it harmless to the extent that the statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the Distributor. In no case is the indemnity of the Trust in favor of the Distributor or any person indemnified to be deemed to protect the Distributor or any person against any liability to the Issuer or its security holders to which the Distributor or such person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the Registrant, the Registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 31.
Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser(s)
(1) FIDELITY INVESTMENTS MONEY MANAGEMENT, INC. (FIMM)
FIMM serves as investment adviser to a number of investment companies. FIMM may also provide investment advisory services to other investment advisers. The directors and officers have held the following positions of a substantial nature during the past two fiscal years.
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Stephen C. Neff |
President SelectCo, LLC (2018), Fidelity Management & Research Company (2019), FMR Co., Inc. (2019) Director of FIMM and SelectCo, LLC (2018). |
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Nancy Prior |
President and Director of FIMM. Previously served as Director of FMR U.K. (2018). |
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Adrien Deberghes |
Executive Vice President of FIMM. |
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Lisa Goulemas |
Chief Operating Officer of FIMM. |
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Kevin M. Meagher |
Chief Compliance Officer of FMR (2018), FMRC (2018), FIMM (2018), SelectCo, LLC (2018), FMR H.K. (2018), FMR Japan (2018), FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (2018), FIAM (2018), and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018). |
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Michael Kearney |
Treasurer of FIMM, FMR LLC, and Fidelity Distributors Corporation (2017); Assistant Treasurer of FMRC (2017). |
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Eric C. Green |
Assistant Treasurer of FMR, FMRC, Strategic Advisers LLC, FIMM, SelectCo, LLC, and Fidelity Distributors Corporation; Executive Vice President, Tax and Assistant Treasurer of FMR LLC. |
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John J. Remondi |
Director of FMR, FMRC, and FIMM; Director and Executive Vice President of FMR LLC. |
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Peter D. Stahl |
Secretary of FDC, FMR LLC, and Strategic Advisers LLC; Assistant Secretary of FMR, FMRC, FRAC, FIMM, and SelectCo. |
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Christopher Rimmer |
Treasurer of FMR, FMRC, FIMM, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, SelectCo, LLC, and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018); President and Director FMR Capital Inc. (2018). Previously served as Chief Accounting Officer FMR LLC (2018). |
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Cynthia Lo Bessette
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Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer FMR and FMRC (2019); Chief Legal Officer FMR H.K (2019) and FMR Japan (2019); Secretary SelectCo, LLC and FIMM (2019). |
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(2) FMR CO., INC. (FMRC)
FMRC serves as investment adviser to a number of investment companies. FMRC may also provide investment advisory services to other investment advisers. The directors and officers have held the following positions of a substantial nature during the past two fiscal years.
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Abigail P. Johnson |
Chairman of the Board of certain Trusts; Chairman of the Board and Director of FMR and FMRC; President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director of FMR LLC. |
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Stephen C. Neff |
President SelectCo, LLC (2018), Fidelity Management & Research Company (2019), FMR Co., Inc. (2019) Director of FIMM and SelectCo, LLC (2018). |
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Peter S. Lynch |
Vice Chairman and Director of FMR and FMRC and member of the Advisory Board of funds advised by FMR. |
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Kevin M. Meagher |
Chief Compliance Officer of FMR (2018), FMRC (2018), FIMM (2018), SelectCo, LLC (2018), FMR H.K. (2018), FMR Japan (2018), FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (2018), FIAM (2018), and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018). |
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John J. Remondi |
Director of FMR, FMRC, and FIMM; Director and Executive Vice President of FMR LLC. |
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Michael Kearney |
Treasurer of FIMM, FMR LLC, and Fidelity Distributors Corporation (2017); Assistant Treasurer of FMRC (2017). |
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Eric C. Green |
Assistant Treasurer of FMR, FMRC, Strategic Advisers LLC, FIMM, SelectCo, LLC, and Fidelity Distributors Corporation; Executive Vice President, Tax and Assistant Treasurer of FMR LLC. |
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Peter D. Stahl |
Secretary of FDC, FMR LLC, and Strategic Advisers LLC; Assistant Secretary of FMR, FMRC, FRAC, FIMM, and SelectCo. |
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Kenneth B. Robins |
Compliance Officer of FMR and FMRC. |
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Christopher Rimmer |
Treasurer of FMR, FMRC, FIMM, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, SelectCo, LLC, and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018); President and Director FMR Capital Inc. (2018). Previously served as Chief Accounting Officer FMR LLC (2018). |
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Cynthia Lo Bessette |
Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer FMR and FMRC (2019); Chief Legal Officer FMR H.K (2019) and FMR Japan (2019); Secretary SelectCo, LLC and FIMM (2019). |
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(3) FIDELITY MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH (HONG KONG) LIMITED (FMR H.K.)
FMR H.K. provides investment advisory services to other investment advisers. The directors and officers of the Sub-Adviser have held the following positions of a substantial nature during the past two fiscal years.
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Sharon Yau Lecornu |
Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director, Director of Investment Services – Asia, and Director. |
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William Francis Shanley III |
Director of FMR Japan and FMR H.K. |
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Christopher J. Seabolt |
Director of FMR H.K. and FMR U.K. (2017). |
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Adrian James Tyerman |
Compliance Officer FMR H.K. and FMR U.K., Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited. |
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Kevin M. Meagher |
Chief Compliance Officer of FMR (2018), FMRC (2018), FIMM (2018), SelectCo, LLC (2018), FMR H.K. (2018), FMR Japan (2018), FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (2018), FIAM (2018), and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018). |
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Christopher Rimmer |
Treasurer of FMR, FMRC, FIMM, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, SelectCo, LLC, and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018); President and Director FMR Capital Inc. (2018). Previously served as Chief Accounting Officer FMR LLC (2018). |
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Cynthia Lo Bessette |
Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer FMR and FMRC (2019); Chief Legal Officer FMR H.K (2019) and FMR Japan (2019); Secretary SelectCo, LLC and FIMM (2019). |
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(4) FIDELITY MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH (JAPAN) LIMITED (FMR JAPAN)
FMR Japan provides investment advisory services to other investment advisers. The directors and officers of the Sub-Adviser have held the following positions of a substantial nature during the past two fiscal years.
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Timothy M. Cohen |
Director of FMR Japan; Executive Vice President SelectCo, LLC (2019). |
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Joseph DeSantis |
Director of FMR Japan and Director of FMR U.K. (2018). |
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Rieko Hirai |
Director of FMR Japan. |
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Judy Yelim Song |
Director of FMR Japan (2019). |
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Kan Man Wong |
Director of FMR Japan (2019). |
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Kirk Roland Neureiter |
Director of FMR Japan. |
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William Francis Shanley III |
Director of FMR Japan and FMR H.K. |
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Koichi Iwabuchi |
Compliance Officer of FMR Japan (2017). |
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Kevin M. Meagher |
Chief Compliance Officer of FMR (2018), FMRC (2018), FIMM (2018), SelectCo, LLC (2018), FMR H.K. (2018), FMR Japan (2018), FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (2018), FIAM (2018), and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018). |
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Cynthia Lo Bessette |
Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer FMR and FMRC (2019); Chief Legal Officer FMR H.K (2019) and FMR Japan (2019); Secretary SelectCo, LLC and FIMM (2019). |
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Christopher Rimmer |
Treasurer of FMR, FMRC, FIMM, FMR H.K., FMR Japan, SelectCo, LLC, and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018); President and Director FMR Capital Inc. (2018). Previously served as Chief Accounting Officer FMR LLC (2018). |
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(5) FMR INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (U.K.) LIMITED (FMR U.K.)
FMR U.K. provides investment advisory services to other investment advisers. The directors and officers of the Sub-Adviser have held the following positions of a substantial nature during the past two fiscal years.
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Mark D. Flaherty |
Director FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited. |
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Joseph DeSantis |
Director of FMR Japan and Director of FMR U.K. (2018). |
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Markus K. Eichacker |
Director of FMR U.K. (2017). |
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Paula Kienert |
Director of FMR U.K. |
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Michael D. Kopfler |
Director of FMR U.K. (2019). |
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Jeffrey Mitchell |
Director of FMR U.K. (2019). |
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Jamie Pagliocco |
Director of FMR U.K. (2018). |
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Christopher J. Seabolt |
Director of FMR H.K. and FMR U.K. (2017). |
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Adrian James Tyerman |
Compliance Officer FMR H.K. Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited. |
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Mark Sullivan |
Director of FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited (2018). |
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Kevin M. Meagher |
Chief Compliance Officer of FMR (2018), FMRC (2018), FIMM (2018), SelectCo, LLC (2018), FMR H.K. (2018), FMR Japan (2018), FMR Investment Management (UK) Limited (2018), FIAM (2018), and Strategic Advisers LLC (2018). |
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William C. Coffey |
Chief Legal Officer FMR U.K (2018); Previously served as Senior Vice President, Secretary and Chief Legal Officer FMR and FMRC (2018); Chief Legal Officer FMR H.K (2019) and FMR Japan (2019); Secretary FIMM (2018) and SelectCo, LLC (2019). |
Principal business addresses of the investment adviser, sub-advisers and affiliates.
Fidelity Investments Money Management, Inc. (FIMM)
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
Fidelity Management & Research Company (FMR)
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
FMR Co., Inc. (FMRC)
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
Fidelity Management & Research (Hong Kong) Limited (FMR H.K.)
Floor 19, 41 Connaught Road Central
Hong Kong
Fidelity Management & Research (Japan) Limited (FMR Japan)
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
FMR Investment Management (U.K.) Limited (FMR U.K.)
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
Fidelity SelectCo, LLC (SelectCo)
6501 S. Fiddler’s Green Circle Ste 300 – 600
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
FIL Investment Advisors (FIA)
Pembroke Hall
42 Crow Lane
Pembroke HM19, Bermuda
FIL Investment Advisors (UK) Limited (FIA(UK))
Oakhill House,
130 Tonbridge Road,
Hildenborough, TN11 9DZ, United Kingdom
FIL Investments (Japan) Limited (FIJ)
Tri Seven Roppongi
7-7-7 Roppongi, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 106-0032
Strategic Advisers LLC
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
FMR LLC
245 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210
Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC)
900 Salem Street
Smithfield, RI 02917
Item 32.
Principal Underwriters
(a)
Fidelity Distributors Corporation (FDC) acts as distributor for all funds advised by FMR or an affiliate, as well as Fidelity Commodity Strategy Central Fund and Fidelity Series Commodity Strategy Fund.
* 900 Salem Street, Smithfield, RI
(c)
Not applicable.
Item 33.
Location of Accounts and Records
All accounts, books, and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and the Rules promulgated thereunder are maintained by Fidelity Management & Research Company, FIMM, or Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc., 245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210, or the funds’ custodian, or special purpose custodian, as applicable, State Street Bank & Trust Company, 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA.
Item 34.
Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 35.
Undertakings
Not applicable.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for the effectiveness of this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 13 to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 26th day of December 2019.
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Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust |
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By |
/s/Laura M. Del Prato |
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Laura M. Del Prato, President |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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(Signature) |
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(Title) |
(Date) |
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/s/Laura M. Del Prato |
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President and Treasurer |
December 26, 2019 |
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Laura M. Del Prato |
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(Principal Executive Officer) |
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/s/ John J. Burke III |
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Chief Financial Officer |
December 26, 2019 |
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John J. Burke III |
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(Principal Financial Officer) |
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/s/Abigail P. Johnson |
† |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Abigail P. Johnson |
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/s/Elizabeth S. Acton |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Elizabeth S. Acton |
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/s/Ann E. Dunwoody |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Ann E. Dunwoody |
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/s/John Engler |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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John Engler |
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/s/Robert F. Gartland |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Robert F. Gartland |
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/s/Arthur E. Johnson |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Arthur E. Johnson |
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/s/Michael E. Kenneally |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Michael E. Kenneally |
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/s/Marie L. Knowles |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Marie L. Knowles |
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/s/Mark A. Murray |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Mark A. Murray |
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/s/Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe |
* |
Trustee |
December 26, 2019 |
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Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe |
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† |
By: |
/s/ Kevin M. Meagher |
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Kevin M. Meagher, pursuant to a power of attorney dated September 30, 2018 and filed herewith. |
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* |
By: |
/s/Megan C. Johnson |
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Megan C. Johnson, pursuant to a power of attorney dated January 1, 2019 and filed herewith. |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
We, the undersigned Directors or Trustees, as the case may be, of the following investment companies:
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Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust Fidelity Advisor Series II Fidelity Advisor Series IV Fidelity Boylston Street Trust Fidelity California Municipal Trust Fidelity California Municipal Trust II Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios II LLC Fidelity Charles Street Trust Fidelity Colchester Street Trust Fidelity Court Street Trust Fidelity Court Street Trust II Fidelity Garrison Street Trust Fidelity Hereford Street Trust Fidelity Income Fund Fidelity Massachusetts Municipal Trust Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust
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Fidelity Money Market Trust Fidelity Municipal Trust Fidelity Municipal Trust II Fidelity Newbury Street Trust Fidelity New York Municipal Trust Fidelity New York Municipal Trust II Fidelity Oxford Street Trust Fidelity Oxford Street Trust II Fidelity Phillips Street Trust Fidelity Revere Street Trust Fidelity Salem Street Trust Fidelity School Street Trust Fidelity Union Street Trust Fidelity Union Street Trust II Variable Insurance Products Fund V |
in addition to any other Fidelity Fund for which the undersigned individuals serve as Directors or Trustees (collectively, the “Funds”), hereby revoke all previous powers of attorney we have given to sign and otherwise act in our names and behalf in matters involving any investment company for which FMR or an affiliate acts as investment adviser and hereby constitute and appoint Thomas C. Bogle, John V. O’Hanlon, Robert W. Helm, Megan C. Johnson, and Anthony H. Zacharski, each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution, and with full power to each of them, to sign for us and in our names in the appropriate capacities, all Registration Statements of the Funds on Form N-1A, or any successors thereto, any and all subsequent Amendments, Pre-Effective Amendments, or Post-Effective Amendments to said Registration Statements or any successors thereto, and any supplements or other instruments in connection therewith, and generally to do all such things in our names and behalf in connection therewith as said attorneys-in-fact deem necessary or appropriate, to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, and all related requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission. We hereby ratify and confirm all that said attorneys-in-fact or their substitutes may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. This power of attorney is effective for all documents filed on or after January 1, 2019.
WITNESS our hands on this first day of January 2019.
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/s/Elizabeth S. Acton |
/s/Michael E. Kenneally |
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Elizabeth S. Acton |
Michael E. Kenneally |
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/s/Ann E. Dunwoody |
/s/Marie L. Knowles |
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Ann E. Dunwoody |
Marie L. Knowles |
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/s/John Engler |
/s/Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe |
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John Engler |
Jennifer Toolin McAuliffe |
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/s/Robert F. Gartland |
/s/Mark A. Murray |
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Robert F. Gartland |
Mark A. Murray |
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/s/Arthur E. Johnson |
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Arthur E. Johnson |
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
I, the undersigned Trustee of the following investment companies:
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Fidelity Aberdeen Street Trust Fidelity Advisor Series II Fidelity Advisor Series IV Fidelity Boylston Street Trust Fidelity California Municipal Trust Fidelity California Municipal Trust II Fidelity Central Investment Portfolios II LLC Fidelity Charles Street Trust Fidelity Colchester Street Trust Fidelity Court Street Trust Fidelity Court Street Trust II Fidelity Garrison Street Trust Fidelity Hereford Street Trust Fidelity Income Fund Fidelity Massachusetts Municipal Trust |
Fidelity Merrimack Street Trust Fidelity Money Market Trust Fidelity Municipal Trust Fidelity Municipal Trust II Fidelity Newbury Street Trust Fidelity New York Municipal Trust Fidelity New York Municipal Trust II Fidelity Oxford Street Trust Fidelity Oxford Street Trust II Fidelity Phillips Street Trust Fidelity Revere Street Trust Fidelity Salem Street Trust Fidelity School Street Trust Fidelity Union Street Trust Fidelity Union Street Trust II Variable Insurance Products Fund V |
in addition to any other Fidelity Fund for which the undersigned individual serves as Trustee (collectively, the “Funds”), hereby constitute and appoint Kevin M. Meagher, my true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution, and with full power to sign for me and in my name in the appropriate capacity, all Registration Statements of the Funds on Form N-1A, or any successors thereto, any and all subsequent Amendments, Pre-Effective Amendments, or Post-Effective Amendments to said Registration Statements or any successors thereto, and any supplements or other instruments in connection therewith, and generally to do all such things in my name and behalf in connection therewith as said attorney-in-fact deems necessary or appropriate, to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, and all related requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission. I hereby ratify and confirm all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitutes may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect only for such time as Kevin M. Meagher shall continue to be an officer of Fidelity Management & Research Company, provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, this Power of Attorney may be revoked at any time by the undersigned in writing.
This Power of Attorney has been executed as of September 30, 2018.
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/s/Abigail P. Johnson |
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Abigail P. Johnson
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