abrdn Precious Metals Basket ETF Trust - Quarter Report: 2015 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-Q 

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

For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2015 

or

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

For the Transition Period from _____________ to _____________

Commission File Number: 001-34917

ETFS PRECIOUS METALS BASKET TRUST

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(212) 918-4954

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. 

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐ No ☒ 

As of May 4, 2015, ETFS Precious Metals Basket Trust had  2,400,000 ETFS Physical PM Basket Shares outstanding.

 

 

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ETFS PRECIOUS METALS BASKET TRUST

FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTER ENDED MARCH 31, 2015

INDEX

 

 

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Condensed Financial Statements

Condensed Statements of Assets and Liabilities 
At March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014 

 

 

 

 

(1)Authorized share capital is unlimited with no par value per Share. Shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2015 were 2,450,000 and at December 31, 2014 were 3,850,000.  Net asset value per Share at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 was $61.10 and $61.60, respectively.

 

 

See Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements

 

 

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Schedule of Investments
At March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014 

 

 

 

 

See Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements

 

 

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 Condensed Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 

 

 

 

See Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements

 

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Condensed Statement of Changes in Net Assets 
For the three months ended March 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and the year ended December 31, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

See Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements

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Financial Highlights (Unaudited)
For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 

 

 

 

 

See Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements

 

 

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1. Organization

The ETFS Precious Metals Basket Trust (the “Trust”) is an investment trust formed on October 18, 2010, under New York law pursuant to a depositary trust agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) executed by ETF Securities USA LLC (the “Sponsor”) and the Bank of New York Mellon (the “Trustee”) at the time of the Trust’s organization. The Trust holds gold, silver, platinum and palladium in set ratios (together, “Bullion”) and issues ETFS Physical PM Basket Shares (“Shares”) (in minimum blocks of 50,000 Shares, also referred to as “Baskets”) in exchange for deposits of Bullion and distributes Bullion in connection with the redemption of Baskets. Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust which are issued by the Trust. The Sponsor is a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETF Securities Limited, a Jersey, Channel Islands based company. The Trust is governed by the Trust Agreement.

The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold, silver, platinum and palladium, less the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. The Trust is designed to provide an individual owner of beneficial interests in the Shares (a “Shareholder”) an opportunity to participate in the gold, silver, platinum and palladium markets through an investment in securities. The fiscal year end for the Trust is December 31.

The accompanying condensed financial statements were prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions for the Form 10-Q. In the opinion of management of the Sponsor, all adjustments (which consist of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position and results of operations as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and for all periods presented have been made.

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted. These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year.

 

 

 

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2. Significant Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires those responsible for preparing financial statements to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Trust.

 

2.1 Basis of Accounting

At the Trust’s inception, the Sponsor determined that the Trust was not an investment company within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Codification of Accounting Standards, Topic 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies (“Topic 946”).  Consequently, the Trust did not prepare its financial statements applying standards applicable to investment companies in accordance with Topic 946, including recording its investment in Bullion at “fair value” as defined in Topic 946.  Instead, the Trust recorded its investment in Bullion at the lower of cost or fair value in accordance with ASC 330, Inventory and ASC 270, Interim Reporting. 

Following the release of FASB Accounting Standards Update ASU 2013-08, Financial Services—Investments Companies (Topic 946): Amendments to the Scope, Measurement and Disclosure Requirements, the Sponsor has re-evaluated whether the Trust falls within scope and has concluded that for reporting purposes, the Trust is classified as an investment company effective January 1, 2014.  The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such act.

As a result of the change in the evaluation of investment company status, the Trust must, from January 1, 2014, present its Bullion assets at “fair value” as defined in Topic 946.

The adoption of Topic 946 accounting changed the presentation of the Trust’s financial statements prospectively from January 1, 2014. 

The quantitative effect of the adoption of investment company accounting is presented below:

 

 

 

 

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2.2.  Valuation of Bullion

The Trust follows the provisions of ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"). ASC 820 provides guidance for determining fair value and requires increased disclosure regarding the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

Bullion is held by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Custodian”), on behalf of the Trust, at its London, England vaulting premises on a segregated basis. The allocated platinum and palladium may also be held by UBS A.G., or any other firm selected by the Custodian to hold the Trust’s platinum and palladium in the Trust’s allocated account in the firm’s Zurich, Switzerland vault premises on a segregated basis and whose appointment has been approved by the Sponsor, (the “Zurich Sub-Custodian”). The Trust’s Bullion is recorded, per individual metal type, at fair value. The cost of Bullion is determined according to the average cost method and the fair value is based on the relevant “London Metal Price” for each metal held by the Trust.  This is the applicable “LBMA PM Gold Price” for gold of the price of an ounce of gold, the “London Silver Price” for silver and for platinum and palladium the applicable “LME PM Price”.

Since March 20, 2015, the LBMA PM Gold Price is set using the afternoon session of the ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”) equilibrium auction, an electronic, tradable and auditable over-the-counter auction market with the ability to settle trades in US Dollars, Euros or British Pounds for London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”) authorized participating gold bullion banks or market makers (“gold participants”) that establishes a reference gold price for that day’s trading.

Prior to March 20, 2015, the fair value of gold was based on the London PM Fix. The London PM Fix price for gold was set using the afternoon session of the twice daily fix of the price of gold by five market making members of the London Bullion Market Association which occurred at approximately 3:00 PM London time, on each working day.   The London PM Fix was discontinued on March 19, 2015.

Since December 1, 2014, the London Metal Exchange (“LME”) has been responsible for the administration of the electronic platinum and palladium bullion price fixing system (“LMEbullion”) that replicates electronically the manual London platinum and palladium fixing processes previously employed by the London Platinum and Palladium Fixing Company Ltd (“LPPFCL”) as well as providing electronic market clearing processes for platinum and palladium bullion transactions at the fixed prices established by the LME pricing mechanism. The LME’s electronic price fixing processes, like the previous London platinum and palladium fix processes, establishes and publishes fixed prices for troy ounces of platinum and palladium twice each London trading day during fixing sessions beginning at 9:45 a.m. London time (the LME AM Fix) and 2:00 p.m. London time (the LME PM Fix).

Prior to December 1, 2014, the Trust utilized the London PM Fix as its benchmark for valuation purposes. The London PM Fix for platinum and palladium was the price of an ounce of platinum or palladium (respectively) as set by four fixing members of the London Platinum and Palladium Market (“LPPM”) at approximately 2:00 PM, London time, on each working day and was widely accepted among platinum and palladium market participants. The London PM Fix was discontinued on November 30, 2014.

Since August 15, 2014, CME Group, Inc. has been conducting an electronic, over-the-counter silver bullion auction in London, England to establish a fixing price for an ounce of silver once each trading day, which is disseminated by Thomson Reuters (the “London Silver Price”).  The London Silver Price is established by the five LBMA-authorized bullion banks and market makers participating in the auction.  The “London Metal Price” for silver held by the Trust is the London Silver Price.

Prior to August 15, 2014, the Trust utilized the “London Fix” for silver as its benchmark for silver valuation purposes. The London Fix for silver, which London Silver Market Fixing Ltd. discontinued on August 14, 2014, was the price of an ounce of silver as set by three market making members of the LBMA at approximately 12:00 noon, London time, on each London business day and was widely accepted among silver market participants. 

Realized gains and losses on transfers of Bullion, or Bullion distributed for the redemption of Shares, are calculated on a trade date basis using cost.  

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2.2.  Valuation of Bullion (Continued)

Once the value of Bullion has been determined, the net asset value (the “NAV”) is computed by the Trustee by deducting all accrued fees, expenses and other liabilities of the Trust, including the remuneration due to the Sponsor (the “Sponsor’s Fee”), from the fair value of the Bullion and all other assets held by the Trust. 

The Trust recognizes changes in fair value of the investment in Bullion as changes in unrealized gains or losses on investment in Bullion through the Statement of Operations.

The per Share amount of Bullion exchanged for a purchase or redemption is calculated daily by the Trustee, using the London Metal Price for each metal held by the Trust to calculate the Bullion amount in respect of any liabilities for which covering Bullion sales have not yet been made, and represents the per Share amount of Bullion held by the Trust, after giving effect to its liabilities, to cover expenses and liabilities and any losses that may have occurred.

Fair Value Hierarchy

Generally accepted accounting principles establish a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The three levels of inputs are as follows:

To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in level 3.

The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.

The investment in Bullion is classified as a level 2 asset, as the Trust’s investment in Bullion is calculated using third party pricing sources supported by observable, verifiable inputs.

The categorization of the Trust’s assets is as shown below:

 

There were no transfers between levels during the period ended March 31, 2015 or the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

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2.3. Bullion Receivable and Payable

Bullion receivable or payable represents the quantity of Bullion covered by contractually binding orders for the creation or redemption of Shares respectively, where the Bullion has not yet been transferred to or from the Trust’s account. Generally, ownership of the Bullion is transferred within three business days of the trade date.

Bullion payable or receivable at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 is set out below:

 

 

2.4.  Creations and Redemptions of Shares 

The Trust’s contractual obligation is to create or redeem Baskets with Authorized Participants (as defined below) at set prices on each trading day.  These prices are based on an agreed formula published in the prospectus, which is equal to the NAV of the Trust.  The Trust expects to create and redeem Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets. The Trust issues Shares in Baskets to Authorized Participants on an ongoing basis. Individual investors cannot purchase or redeem Shares in direct transactions with the Trust. An Authorized Participant is a person who (1) is a registered broker-dealer or other securities market participant such as a bank or other financial institution which is not required to register as a broker-dealer to engage in securities transactions, (2) is a participant in The Depository Trust Company, (3) has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Trustee and the Sponsor, and (4) has established an Authorized Participant Unallocated Account with the Trust’s Custodian or other Bullion clearing bank. An Authorized Participant Agreement is an agreement entered into by each Authorized Participant, the Sponsor and the Trustee which provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of Baskets and for the delivery of the Bullion required for such creations and redemptions. An Authorized Participant Unallocated Account is an unallocated Bullion account, either loco London or loco Zurich, established with the Custodian or a Bullion clearing bank by an Authorized Participant.

The creation and redemption of Baskets is only made in exchange for the delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of Bullion represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which is based on the combined NAV of the number of Shares included in the Baskets being created or redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received.

The amount of Bullion represented by the Baskets created or redeemed can only be settled to the nearest 1/1000th of an ounce per individual metal type. As a result, the value attributed to the creation or redemption of Shares may differ from the value of Bullion to be delivered or distributed by the Trust. In order to ensure that the correct amount of Bullion is available at all times to back the Shares, the Sponsor accepts an adjustment to its management fees in the event of any shortfall or excess. For each transaction, this amount is not more than 1/1000th of an ounce per individual metal type.

Authorized Participants may, on any business day, place an order with the Trustee to create or redeem one or more Baskets. The typical settlement period for Shares is three business days. In the event of a trade date at period end, where a settlement is pending, a respective account receivable and/or payable will be recorded. When Bullion is exchanged in settlement of a redemption, it is considered a sale of Bullion for financial statement purposes.

The Shares of the Trust are classified as “Redeemable Shares” for financial statement purposes, since they are subject to redemption at the option of Authorized Participants. Outstanding Shares are reflected at redemption value, which represents the maximum obligation (based on NAV per Share), with the difference from historical cost recorded as an offsetting amount to retained earnings. When Bullion is exchanged in settlement of a redemption, a realized gain or loss in the amount of the difference between the fair value on the trade date and the historical cost is recorded through the Condensed Statement of Operations.

 

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2.5.  Income Taxes

The Trust is classified as a “grantor trust” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust itself will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, the Trust’s income and expenses will “flow through” to the Shareholders, and the Trustee will report the Trust’s proceeds, income, deductions, gains, and losses to the Internal Revenue Service on that basis.

The Sponsor has evaluated whether or not there are uncertain tax positions that require financial statement recognition and has determined that no reserves for uncertain tax positions are required as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.

 

2.6.  Investment in Bullion

Changes in ounces of Bullion and the respective values for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and for the year ended December 31, 2014 are set out below:

 

 

 

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2.7.  

Expenses / Realized Gains / Losses

The primary expense of the Trust is the Sponsor’s Fee, which is paid by the Trust through in-kind transfers of Bullion to the Sponsor.

The Trust will transfer Bullion to the Sponsor to pay the Sponsor’s Fee that will accrue daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.60% of the adjusted net asset value (the “ANAV”) of the Trust, paid monthly in arrears.

The Sponsor has agreed to assume administrative and marketing expenses incurred by the Trust, including the Trustee’s monthly fee and out of pocket expenses, the Custodian’s fee and the reimbursement of the Custodian’s expenses, exchange listing fees, United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and certain legal expenses.

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 the Sponsor’s Fee was $282,229 and $311,080, respectively. 

At March 31, 2015 and at December 31, 2014, the fees payable to the Sponsor were $79,965 and $86,196, respectively.

With respect to expenses not otherwise assumed by the Sponsor, the Trustee will, at the direction of the Sponsor or in its own discretion, sell the Trust’s Bullion as necessary to pay these expenses. When selling Bullion to pay expenses, the Trustee will endeavor to sell the smallest amounts of Bullion needed to pay these expenses in order to minimize the Trust’s holdings of assets other than Bullion.  Other than the Sponsor’s Fee, the Trust had no expenses during the quarters ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.

Unless otherwise directed by the Sponsor, when selling Bullion the Trustee will endeavor to sell at the price established by the London Metal Price for each metal held by the Trust. The Trustee will place orders with dealers (which may include the Custodian) through which the Trustee expects to receive the most favorable price and execution of orders. The Custodian may be the purchaser of such Bullion only if the sale transaction is made at the London Metal Price for each metal held by the Trust used by the Trustee to value the Trust’s Bullion. A gain or loss is recognized based on the difference between the selling price and the cost of the Bullion sold. Neither the Trustee nor the Sponsor is liable for depreciation or loss incurred by reason of any sale.

Revenues consist of realized gains / losses resulting from the transfer of Bullion for Share redemptions and / or to pay expenses.  Realized gains / losses are recognized on a trade date basis.

 

2.8. Subsequent Events

In accordance with the provisions set forth in FASB ASC 855-10, Subsequent Events, the Trust’s management has evaluated the possibility of subsequent events existing in the Trust’s financial statements through the filing date.  During this period, no material subsequent events requiring adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements were identified.

 

 

 

 

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3. Related Parties

The Sponsor and the Trustee are considered to be related parties to the Trust. The Trustee’s and Custodian’s fees are paid by the Sponsor and are not separate expenses of the Trust. The Trustee and the Custodian and their affiliates may from time to time act as Authorized Participants and purchase or sell Shares for their own account, as agent for their customers and for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. In addition the Trustee and the Custodian and their affiliates may from time to time purchase or sell Bullion directly, for their own account, as agent for their customers and for accounts over which they exercise investment discretion.

 

4. Concentration of Risk

The Trust’s sole business activity is the investment in Bullion, and substantially all the Trust’s assets are holdings of Bullion which creates a concentration risk associated with fluctuations in the price of Bullion. Several factors could affect the price of Bullion, including: (i) global Bullion supply and demand, which is influenced by factors such as general changes in economic conditions, such as a recession or other economic downturn, recycling, autocatalyst demand, industrial demand, jewelry demand and investment demand, central bank purchases and sales, and production and cost levels in major Bullion-producing countries; (ii) investors’ expectations with respect to the rate of inflation; (iii) currency exchange rates; (iv) interest rates; (v) investment and trading activities of hedge funds and commodity funds; and (vi) global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations. In addition, there is no assurance that Bullion will maintain its long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. In the event that the price of Bullion declines, the Sponsor expects the value of an investment in the Shares to decline proportionately. Each of these events could have a material effect on the Trust’s financial position and results of operations.

 

5. Indemnification

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, the Trustee (and its directors, employees and agents) and the Sponsor (and its members, managers, directors, officers, employees and affiliates) are indemnified by the Trust against any liability, cost or expense it incurs without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on its part and without reckless disregard on its part of its obligations and duties under the Trust’s organizational documents. The Trust’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Trust that have not yet occurred.

 

 

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

This information should be read in conjunction with the condensed financial statements and notes to the condensed financial statements included in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Form 10-Q. The discussion and analysis that follows may contain forward-looking statements with respect to the Trust’s financial conditions, operations, future performance and business. These statements can be identified by the use of the words “may”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential” or similar words and phrases. These statements are based upon certain assumptions and analyses the Sponsor has made based on its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Neither the Trust nor the Sponsor is under a duty to update any of the forward-looking statements, to conform such statements to actual results or to reflect a change in management’s expectations or predictions.

Introduction

The Trust is a common law trust, formed under the laws of the state of New York on October 18, 2010. The Trust is not managed like a corporation or an active investment vehicle. It does not have any officers, directors, or employees and is administered by the Trustee pursuant to the Trust Agreement. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such act. It will not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts, nor is it a commodity pool, or subject to regulation as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading adviser in connection with issuing Shares.

The Trust holds Bullion (consisting of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in specified proportions) and is expected to issue Baskets in exchange for deposits of Bullion, and to distribute Bullion in connection with redemptions of Baskets. Shares issued by the Trust represent units of undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in the proportions held by the Trust, less the Trust’s expenses. The Trust holds Bullion in a ratio such that for every 0.03 ounces of gold, it holds 1.1 ounces of silver, 0.004 ounces of platinum and 0.006 ounces of palladium. The Sponsor believes that, for many investors, the Shares will represent a cost effective investment relative to traditional means of investing in Bullion.

The Trust issues and redeems Shares only with Authorized Participants in exchange for Bullion, only in aggregations of 50,000 or integral multiples thereof. A list of current Authorized Participants is available from the Sponsor or the Trustee. Shares of the Trust trade on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) Arca under the symbol “GLTR”. 

Valuation of Bullion and Computation of Net Asset Value

On each day that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, as promptly as practicable after 4:00 p.m., New York time, on such day (“Evaluation Time”), the Trustee will evaluate the Bullion held by the Trust and determine both the ANAV and the NAV of the Trust.

At the Evaluation Time, the Trustee will value the Trust’s Bullion on the basis of that day’s London Metal Price for such metal or, if no London Metal Price is made for a metal on such day or has not been announced by the Evaluation Time, the next most recent London Metal Price announced for such metal determined prior to the Evaluation Time will be used, unless the Sponsor determines that such price is inappropriate as a basis for evaluation. In the event the Sponsor determines that the applicable London Metal Price or such other publicly available price as the Sponsor may deem fairly represents the commercial value of the Trust’s Bullion metal is not an appropriate basis for evaluation of the Trust’s Bullion metal, it shall identify an alternative basis for such evaluation to be employed by the Trustee. Neither the Trustee nor the Sponsor shall be liable to any person for the determination that the London Metal Price or such other publicly available price is not appropriate as a basis for evaluation of the Trust’s Bullion or for any determination as to the alternative basis for such evaluation provided that such determination is made in good faith.

Once the value of the Bullion has been determined, the Trustee will subtract all estimated accrued but unpaid fees (other than the fees accruing for such day on which the valuation takes place computed by reference to the value of the Trust or its assets), expenses and other liabilities of the Trust from the total value of the Bullion and all other assets of the Trust (other than any amounts credited to the Trust’s reserve account, if established). The resulting figure is the ANAV of the Trust. The ANAV of the Trust is used to compute the Sponsor’s Fee.

All fees accruing for the day on which the valuation takes place computed by reference to the value of the Trust or its assets shall be calculated using the ANAV calculated for such day on which the valuation takes place. The Trustee shall subtract from the ANAV the amount of accrued fees so computed for such day and the resulting figure is the NAV of the Trust. The Trustee will also determine the NAV per Share by dividing the NAV of the Trust by the number of the Shares outstanding as of the close of trading on the NYSE Arca (which includes the net number of any Shares created or redeemed on such evaluation day).

 

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The Quarter Ended March 31, 2015

The NAV of the Trust is obtained by subtracting the Trust’s liabilities on any day from the value of the Bullion owned and receivable by the Trust on that day; the NAV per Share is obtained by dividing the NAV of the Trust on a given day by the number of Shares outstanding on that day.

The Trust’s NAV decreased from $237,151,492 at December 31, 2014 to $149,706,862 at March 31, 2015, a 36.87% decrease for the quarter. The decrease in the Trust’s NAV resulted primarily from a decrease in outstanding Shares, which fell from 3,850,000 Shares at December 31, 2014 to 2,450,000 Shares at March 31, 2015, a result of 1,500,000 Shares (30 Baskets) being redeemed during the quarter and a decrease in the price per ounce of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in the proportions held by the Trust (the “Proportionate Price”), which fell 0.65% during the quarter. 

NAV per Share decreased 0.81% from $61.60 at December 31, 2014 to $61.10 at March 31, 2015. The Trust’s NAV per Share fell slightly more than the Proportionate Price on a percentage basis due to Sponsor’s Fees, which were $282,229 for the quarter, or 0.60% of the Trust’s assets on an annualized basis.

The NAV per Share of $66.92 at January 21, 2015 was the highest during the quarter, compared with a low of $58.77 at March 18, 2015.

Increase in net assets from operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was $3,242,783, resulting from a realized gain of $1,595,517 on Bullion distributed for the redemption of Shares and change in unrealized gain on investment in Bullion of $1,932,600, offset by a realized loss of $3,105 on the transfer of Bullion to pay expenses and Sponsor’s Fees of $282,229. Other than the Sponsor’s Fee, the Trust had no expenses during the quarter ended March 31, 2015.  

 

Liquidity & Capital Resources

The Trust is not aware of any trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to its liquidity needs. In exchange for the Sponsor’s Fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume most of the expenses incurred by the Trust. As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust during the period covered by this report was the Sponsor’s Fee.

The Trustee will, at the direction of the Sponsor or in its own discretion, sell the Trust’s Bullion, only in the specified proportion of gold, silver, platinum and palladium held by the Trust, as necessary to pay the Trust’s expenses not otherwise assumed by the Sponsor. The Trustee will not sell Bullion to pay the Sponsor’s Fee but will pay the Sponsor’s Fee through in-kind transfers of Bullion to the Sponsor. At March 31, 2015 the Trust did not have any cash balances.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Trust has no off-balance sheet arrangements.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

The condensed financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these condensed financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that impact the Trust’s financial position and results of operations. These estimates and assumptions affect the Trust’s application of accounting policies. In addition, please refer to Note 2 to the condensed financial statements for further discussion of accounting policies.

 

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not applicable.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

The Trust maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor, and to the audit committee, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Under the supervision and with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor, the Sponsor conducted an evaluation of the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined under Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e). Based on this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Sponsor concluded that, as of March 31, 2015, the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

There have been no changes in the Trust’s or Sponsor’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Trust’s fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s or Sponsor’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 4T. Controls and Procedures

Not applicable.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

None.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014.  

 

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

Item 2(a).None. 

Item 2(b).Not applicable.

Item 2(c).For the three months ended March 31, 2015:  

2 Baskets were created. 

30 Baskets  were redeemed. 

 

 

 

 

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

None.

 

Item 5. Other Information

None.

 

 

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Item 6. Exhibits

 

 

*In accordance with Regulation S-T, the XBRL-related information in Exhibit 101 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q shall be deemed to be “furnished” and not “filed.”

 

 

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SIGNATURES

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

 

*The Registrant is a trust and the persons are signing in their capacities as officers of ETF Securities USA LLC, the Sponsor of the Registrant.

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