Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust - Quarter Report: 2019 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, 2019
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 001-32906
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
Sponsored by Invesco Specialized Products, LLC
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
New York |
03-6118853 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
|
|
3500 Lacey Road, Suite 700 Downers Grove, Illinois |
60515 |
(Address of principal executive offices) |
(Zip Code) |
(800) 983-0903 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (d232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Accelerated filer |
☒ |
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Non-accelerated filer |
☐ |
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Smaller reporting company |
☒ |
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Emerging growth company |
☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) 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 ☒
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common Units of Beneficial Interest |
FXB |
NYSE Arca |
Indicate the number of outstanding Redeemable Capital Shares as of March 31, 2019: 1,000,000 Shares.
INVESCO CURRENCYSHARES® BRITISH POUND STERLING TRUST
INDEX
2
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
Statements of Financial Condition
(Unaudited)
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March 31, 2019 |
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December 31, 2018 |
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Assets |
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Current Assets: |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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British Pound Sterling deposits, interest bearing |
|
$ |
126,388,632 |
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|
|
|
$ |
135,900,899 |
|
British Pound Sterling deposits, non-interest bearing |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
Receivable from accrued interest |
|
|
39,388 |
|
|
|
|
|
41,050 |
|
Total Current Assets |
|
$ |
126,428,020 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
135,941,949 |
|
Liabilities, Redeemable Capital Shares and Shareholders’ Equity |
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Current Liabilities: |
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Accrued Sponsor’s fee |
|
$ |
44,669 |
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|
|
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$ |
46,575 |
|
Total Current Liabilities |
|
|
44,669 |
|
|
|
|
|
46,575 |
|
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities (note 8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redeemable Capital Shares, at redemption value, no par value, 18,000,000 authorized—1,000,000 and 1,100,000 issued and outstanding, respectively |
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|
126,383,351 |
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|
|
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|
135,895,374 |
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Shareholders’ Equity: |
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|
|
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Retained Earnings |
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— |
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|
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— |
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Total Liabilities, Redeemable Capital Shares and Shareholders’ Equity |
|
$ |
126,428,020 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
135,941,949 |
|
See Notes to Financial Statements.
3
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
Statements of Comprehensive Income
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 |
|
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|
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 |
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Income |
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Interest Income |
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$ |
114,701 |
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|
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$ |
44,630 |
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Total Income |
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114,701 |
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44,630 |
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Expenses |
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|
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Sponsor’s fee |
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(130,048 |
) |
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|
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|
(192,384 |
) |
Total Expenses |
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(130,048 |
) |
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|
(192,384 |
) |
Net Comprehensive Income (Loss) |
|
$ |
(15,347 |
) |
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|
|
$ |
(147,754 |
) |
Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share |
|
$ |
(0.01 |
) |
|
|
|
$ |
(0.10 |
) |
Weighted-average Shares Outstanding |
|
|
1,043,889 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,441,111 |
|
See Notes to Financial Statements.
4
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity and Redeemable Capital Shares
(Unaudited)
|
|
Retained Earnings |
|
|
Total Shareholders' Equity |
|
|
Redeemable Capital Shares |
|
|||
Balance at December 31, 2018 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
135,895,374 |
|
Purchases of Shares |
|
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— |
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— |
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18,986,604 |
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Redemption of Shares |
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— |
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|
|
— |
|
|
|
(31,438,493 |
) |
Net Increase (Decrease) due to Share Transactions |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(12,451,889 |
) |
Net Comprehensive Income (Loss) |
|
|
(15,347 |
) |
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|
(15,347 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Adjustment of Redeemable Capital Shares to Redemption Value related to Retained Earnings |
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|
15,347 |
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15,347 |
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(15,347 |
) |
Adjustment of Redeemable Capital Shares to Redemption Value |
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— |
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— |
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2,955,213 |
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Balance at March 31, 2019 |
|
$ |
— |
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|
$ |
— |
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|
$ |
126,383,351 |
|
See Notes to Financial Statements.
5
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity and Redeemable Capital Shares
(Unaudited)
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Retained Earnings |
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Total Shareholders' Equity |
|
|
Redeemable Capital Shares |
|
|||
Balance at December 31, 2017 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
210,380,158 |
|
Purchases of Shares |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
13,519,943 |
|
Redemption of Shares |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(33,807,310 |
) |
Net Increase (Decrease) due to Share Transactions |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(20,287,367 |
) |
Net Comprehensive Income (Loss) |
|
|
(147,754 |
) |
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|
(147,754 |
) |
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— |
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Adjustment of Redeemable Capital Shares to Redemption Value related to Retained Earnings |
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|
147,754 |
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|
147,754 |
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|
(147,754 |
) |
Adjustment of Redeemable Capital Shares to Redemption Value |
|
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— |
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|
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— |
|
|
|
7,616,395 |
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Balance at March 31, 2018 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
197,561,432 |
|
See Notes to Financial Statements.
6
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
(Unaudited)
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 |
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 |
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Cash flows from operating activities |
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Net Comprehensive Income (Loss) |
|
$ |
(15,347 |
) |
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|
$ |
(147,754 |
) |
Adjustments to reconcile net comprehensive income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities: |
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Change in operating assets and liabilities: |
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|
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Receivable from accrued interest |
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1,662 |
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|
|
|
|
1,229 |
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Accrued Sponsor’s fee |
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(1,906 |
) |
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(7,599 |
) |
Net cash used in operating activities |
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(15,591 |
) |
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(154,124 |
) |
Cash flows from financing activities |
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|
|
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Proceeds from purchases of redeemable Shares |
|
|
18,986,604 |
|
|
|
|
|
13,519,943 |
|
Redemptions of redeemable Shares |
|
|
(31,438,493 |
) |
|
|
|
|
(33,807,310 |
) |
Net cash used in financing activities |
|
|
(12,451,889 |
) |
|
|
|
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(20,287,367 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Effect of exchange rate on cash |
|
|
2,955,213 |
|
|
|
|
|
7,616,395 |
|
Net change in cash |
|
|
(9,512,267 |
) |
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|
|
|
(12,825,096 |
) |
Cash at beginning of period |
|
|
135,900,899 |
|
|
|
|
|
210,438,083 |
|
Cash at end of period |
|
$ |
126,388,632 |
|
|
|
|
$ |
197,612,987 |
|
See Notes to Financial Statements.
7
Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust
(Unaudited)
1. |
Background |
On September 28, 2017, Guggenheim Capital, LLC (“Guggenheim”) and Invesco Ltd. entered into a Transaction Agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”), pursuant to which Guggenheim agreed to transfer all of the membership interests of Guggenheim Specialized Products, LLC (the “Sponsor”) to Invesco Capital Management LLC (“Invesco Capital Management”).
The Transaction Agreement was consummated on April 6, 2018 (the “Closing”) and immediately following the Closing, Invesco Capital Management changed the name of the Sponsor to Invesco Specialized Products, LLC.
On January 9, 2019, the Sponsor changed the Trust’s fiscal year from the period beginning on November 1 and ending on October 31 to the period beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31. Unless otherwise noted, all references to “years” in this report refer to the twelve-month fiscal year, which prior to November 1, 2018 ended on October 31 and beginning after December 31, 2018 ends on December 31 of each year.
2. |
Organization and Description of the Trust |
The Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust (the “Trust”) was formed under the laws of the State of New York on June 8, 2006 when the Sponsor deposited 100 British Pounds Sterling in the Trust’s primary deposit account held by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., London Branch (the “Depository”). The Sponsor is a Delaware limited liability company whose sole member is Invesco Capital Management. The Sponsor is responsible for, among other things, overseeing the performance of The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Trustee”) and the Trust’s principal service providers, including the preparation of financial statements. The Trustee is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Trust.
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Trust’s shares (the “Shares”) to reflect the price in U.S. Dollars (“USD”) of the British Pound Sterling plus accrued interest, if any, less the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. The Shares are intended to provide investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding British Pounds Sterling. The Trust’s assets primarily consist of British Pounds Sterling on demand deposit in two deposit accounts maintained by the Depository: a primary deposit account which may earn interest and a secondary deposit account which does not earn interest. The secondary deposit account is used to account for any interest that may be received and paid out on creations and redemptions of blocks of 50,000 Shares (“Baskets”). The secondary account is also used to account for interest earned, if any, on the primary deposit account, pay Trust expenses and distribute any excess interest to holders of Shares (“Shareholders”) on a monthly basis.
The accompanying unaudited financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In the opinion of management, all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair statement of the interim period financial statements have been made. Interim period results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full-year period. These financial statements and the notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the Trust’s financial statements included in the Form 10-K transition report as filed on March 11, 2019.
3. |
Significant Accounting Policies |
|
A. |
Use of Estimates |
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of the assets, liabilities and disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements, the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period and the evaluation of subsequent events through the issuance date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
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B. |
Foreign Currency Translation |
For Net Asset Value (“NAV”) calculation purposes, British Pound Sterling deposits (cash) are translated at the Closing Spot Rate, which is the British Pound Sterling/USD exchange rate as determined and published by The WM Company at 4:00 PM (London time / London fixing) on each day that NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) is open for regular trading.
The Trust maintains its books and records in British Pounds Sterling. For financial statement reporting purposes, the U.S. Dollar is the reporting currency. As a result, the financial records of the Trust are translated from British Pounds Sterling to USD. The Closing Spot Rate on the last day of the period is used for translation in the statements of financial condition. The average Closing Spot Rate for the
8
period is used for translation in the statements of comprehensive income and the statements of cash flows. The redeemable capital Shares are adjusted to redemption value and these adjustments are recorded against retained earnings.
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C. |
Federal Income Taxes |
The Trust is treated as a “grantor trust” for federal income tax purposes and, therefore, no provision for federal income taxes is required. Interest, gains and losses are passed through to the Shareholders.
Shareholders generally will be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as if they directly owned a pro-rata share of the assets held in the Trust. Shareholders also will be treated as if they directly received their respective pro-rata portion of the Trust’s income, if any, and as if they directly incurred their respective pro-rata portion of the Trust’s expenses. The acquisition of Shares by a U.S. Shareholder as part of a creation of a Basket will not be a taxable event to the Shareholder.
The Sponsor’s fee accrues daily and is payable monthly. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, an accrual-basis U.S. Shareholder generally will be required to take into account as an expense its allocable portion of the USD-equivalent of the amount of the Sponsor’s fee that is accrued on each day, with such USD-equivalent being determined by the currency exchange rate that is in effect on the respective day. To the extent that the currency exchange rate on the date of payment of the accrued amount of the Sponsor’s fee differs from the currency exchange rate in effect on the day of accrual, the U.S. Shareholder will recognize a currency gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The Trust does not expect to generate taxable income except for interest income (if any) and gain (if any) upon the sale of British Pounds Sterling. A non-U.S. Shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to gain recognized upon the sale or other disposition of Shares, or upon the sale of British Pounds Sterling by the Trust, unless: (1) the non-U.S. Shareholder is an individual and is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the sale or other disposition, and the gain is treated as being from United States sources; or (2) the gain is effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. Shareholder of a trade or business in the United States.
A non-U.S. Shareholder’s portion of any interest income earned by the Trust generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless the Shares owned by such non-U.S. Shareholder are effectively connected with the conduct by the non-U.S. Shareholder of a trade or business in the United States.
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D. |
Revenue Recognition |
Interest on the primary deposit account, if any, accrues daily as earned and is received or paid on a monthly basis. Any interest below zero for the period is reflected as interest expense on currency deposits. The Depository may change the rate at which interest accrues, including reducing the interest rate to zero or below zero, based upon the Depository’s belief that Sterling Overnight Index Average (SONIA) does not accurately reflect the market, other market conditions or the Depository’s liquidity needs. Interest charged on the primary deposit account will be disclosed as interest expense on currency deposits.
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E. |
Dividends |
To the extent that the interest earned by the Trust, if any, exceeds the sum of the Sponsor’s fee for the prior month plus other Trust expenses, if any, the Trust will distribute, as a dividend (herein referred to as dividends or distributions), the excess interest earned in British Pounds Sterling effective on the first business day of the subsequent month. The Trustee will direct that the excess British Pounds Sterling be converted into USD at the prevailing market rate and the Trustee will distribute the USD as promptly as practicable to Shareholders on a pro-rata basis (in accordance with the number of Shares that they own).
4. |
British Pound Sterling Deposits |
British Pound Sterling principal deposits are held in a British Pound Sterling-denominated, interest-bearing demand account. The interest rate in effect as of March 31, 2019 was an annual nominal rate of 0.35%. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, there were British Pound Sterling principal deposits of 14,549,122, British Pound Sterling principal redemptions of 24,248,747 and British Pound Sterling withdrawals (to pay expenses) of 12,072, resulting in an ending British Pound Sterling principal balance of 96,994,428. This equates to 126,388,632 USD. For the two months ended December 31, 2018, there were British Pound Sterling principal deposits of 19,401,440, British Pound Sterling principal redemptions of 29,102,021 and British Pound Sterling withdrawals (to pay expenses) of 9,701, resulting in an ending British Pound Sterling principal balance of 106,706,125. This equates to 135,900,899 USD.
Net interest, if any, associated with creation and redemption activity is held in a British Pound Sterling-denominated non-interest-bearing account, and any balance is distributed in full as part of the monthly income distributions, if any.
5. |
Redeemable Capital Shares |
Shares are classified as “redeemable” for financial statement purposes, since they are subject to redemption. Shares are issued and redeemed continuously in Baskets in exchange for British Pounds Sterling. Individual investors cannot purchase or redeem Shares in
9
direct transactions with the Trust. Only Authorized Participants (as defined below) may place orders to create and redeem Baskets. An Authorized Participant is a Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participant that is a registered broker-dealer or other institution eligible to settle securities transactions through the book-entry facilities of the DTC and which has entered into a contractual arrangement with the Trust and the Sponsor governing, among other matters, the creation and redemption process. Authorized Participants may redeem their Shares at any time in Baskets.
Due to expected continuing creations and redemptions of Baskets and the two-day period for settlement of each creation or redemption, the Trust reflects Shares created as a receivable on the trade date. Shares redeemed are reflected as a liability on the trade date. Outstanding Shares are reflected at a redemption value, which is the NAV per Share at the period end date. Adjustments to redeemable capital Shares at redemption value are recorded directly redeemable capital shares and retained earnings.
Activity in redeemable capital Shares is as follows:
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 |
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 |
|
||||||||||
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Shares |
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U.S. Dollar Amount |
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|
Shares |
|
|
U.S. Dollar Amount |
|
||||
Opening Balance |
|
|
1,100,000 |
|
|
$ |
135,895,374 |
|
|
|
1,600,000 |
|
|
$ |
210,380,158 |
|
Shares Issued |
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
18,986,604 |
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
13,519,943 |
|
Shares Redeemed |
|
|
(250,000 |
) |
|
|
(31,438,493 |
) |
|
|
(250,000 |
) |
|
|
(33,807,310 |
) |
Adjustment of Redeemable Capital Shares to Redemption Value |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,939,866 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
7,468,641 |
|
Ending Balance |
|
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
$ |
126,383,351 |
|
|
|
1,450,000 |
|
|
$ |
197,561,432 |
|
The Trustee calculates the Trust’s NAV each business day. To calculate the NAV, the Trustee subtracts the Sponsor’s accrued fee through the previous day from the British Pounds Sterling held by the Trust (including all unpaid interest, if any, accrued through the preceding day) and calculates the value of the British Pounds Sterling in USD based upon the Closing Spot Rate. If, on a particular evaluation day, the Closing Spot Rate has not been determined and announced by 6:00 PM (London time), then the most recent Closing Spot Rate will be used to determine the NAV of the Trust unless the Trustee, in consultation with the Sponsor, determines that such price is inappropriate to use as the basis for the valuation. If the Trustee and the Sponsor determine that the most recent Closing Spot Rate is not an appropriate basis for valuation of the Trust’s British Pounds Sterling, they will determine an alternative basis for the valuation. The Trustee also determines the NAV per Share, which equals the NAV of the Trust, divided by the number of outstanding Shares. Shares deliverable under a purchase order are considered outstanding for purposes of determining NAV per Share; Shares deliverable under a redemption order are not considered outstanding for this purpose.
6. |
Related Parties |
The Sponsor is a related party of the Trust. The Sponsor’s fee accrues daily at an annual nominal rate of 0.40% of the British Pounds Sterling in the Trust (including all unpaid interest but excluding unpaid fees, each as accrued through the immediately preceding day) and is paid monthly.
The Sponsor assumes and pays the following administrative and marketing expenses incurred by the Trust: the Trustee’s monthly fee, NYSE Arca listing fees, SEC registration fees, typical maintenance and transaction fees of the Depository, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and expenses, up to $100,000 per year in legal fees and expenses, and applicable license fees.
In certain exceptional cases the Trust will pay for some expenses in addition to the Sponsor’s fee. These exceptions include expenses not assumed by the Sponsor (i.e., expenses other than those identified in the preceding paragraph), expenses resulting from negative interest rates, taxes and governmental charges, expenses and costs of any extraordinary services performed by the Trustee or the Sponsor on behalf of the Trust or action taken by the Trustee or the Sponsor to protect the Trust or the interests of Shareholders, indemnification of the Sponsor under the Depositary Trust Agreement, audit fees and legal expenses in excess of $100,000 per year.
7. |
Concentration Risk |
All of the Trust’s assets are British Pounds Sterling, which creates a concentration risk associated with fluctuations in the price of the British Pound Sterling. Accordingly, a decline in the British Pound Sterling to USD exchange rate will have an adverse effect on the value of the Shares. Factors that may have the effect of causing a decline in the price of the British Pound Sterling include national debt levels and trade deficits, domestic and foreign inflation rates, domestic and foreign interest rates, investment and trading activities of institutions and global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations. Substantial sales of British Pounds Sterling by the official sector (central banks, other governmental agencies and related institutions that buy, sell and hold British Pounds Sterling as part of their reserve assets) could adversely affect an investment in the Shares.
10
All of the Trust’s British Pounds Sterling are held by the Depository. Accordingly, a risk associated with the concentration of the Trust’s assets in accounts held by a single financial institution exists and increases the potential for loss by the Trust and the Trust’s beneficiaries in the event that the Depository becomes insolvent.
8. |
Commitments and Contingencies |
The Trust’s organizational documents provide for the Trust to indemnify the Sponsor and any affiliate of the Sponsor that provides services to the Trust to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions for disqualifying conduct by the Sponsor or such an affiliate. 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. Further, the Trust has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts. Accordingly, the Sponsor expects the risk of loss to be remote.
11
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “outlook” and “estimate” and other similar words. Forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Various factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. These factors include fluctuations in the price of the British Pound Sterling, as the value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the British Pounds Sterling held by the Trust and price fluctuations could materially adversely affect an investment in the Shares. Readers are urged to review the “Risk Factors” section contained in the Trust’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K for a description of other risks and uncertainties that may affect an investment in the Shares.
Neither Invesco Specialized Products, LLC (the “Sponsor”) nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of forward-looking statements contained in this report. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this report, and will not be revised or updated to reflect actual results or changes in the Sponsor’s expectations or predictions.
Trust Overview
The Invesco CurrencyShares® British Pound Sterling Trust (the “Trust”) is a grantor trust that was formed on June 8, 2006. The Trust issues shares (the “Shares”) in blocks of 50,000 (a “Basket”) in exchange for deposits of British Pound Sterling and distributes British Pound Sterling in connection with the redemption of Baskets. The Shares commenced trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “FXB” on June 26, 2006. The primary listing of the Shares was transferred to NYSE Arca on October 30, 2007.
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of the British Pound Sterling plus accrued interest, if any, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Shares are intended to offer investors an opportunity to participate in the market for the British Pound Sterling through an investment in securities. The Shares are intended to provide institutional and retail investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding the British Pound Sterling. The Shares are bought and sold on NYSE Arca like any other exchange-listed security. The Shares are backed by the assets of the Trust, which does not hold or use derivative products. The Trust is a passive investment vehicle and does not have any officers, directors or employees. The Trust does not engage in any activities designed to obtain profit from, or ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the price of the British Pound Sterling. Investing in the Shares does not insulate the investor from certain risks, including price volatility. The value of the holdings of the Trust is reported on the Trust’s website, www.invesco.com/etfs, each business day.
Definition of Net Asset Value
The Trustee calculates, and the Sponsor publishes, the Trust’s Net Asset Value (“NAV”) each business day. To calculate the NAV, the Trustee adds to the amount of British Pounds Sterling in the Trust at the end of the preceding day accrued but unpaid interest, if any, British Pounds Sterling receivable under pending purchase orders and the value of other Trust assets, and subtracts the accrued but unpaid Sponsor’s fee, British Pounds Sterling payable under pending redemption orders and other Trust expenses and liabilities, if any. The NAV is expressed in USD based on the British Pound Sterling/USD exchange rate as determined by The WM Company at 4:00 PM (London time / London fixing) (the “Closing Spot Rate”) on each day that NYSE Arca is open for regular trading. If, on a particular evaluation day, the Closing Spot Rate has not been determined and announced by 6:00 PM (London time), then the most recent Closing Spot Rate is used to determine the NAV of the Trust unless the Trustee, in consultation with the Sponsor, determines that such price is inappropriate to use as the basis for the valuation.
The Trustee also determines the NAV per Share, which equals the NAV of the Trust divided by the number of outstanding Shares. The NAV of the Trust and the NAV per Share are published by the Sponsor on each day that NYSE Arca is open for regular trading and are posted on the Trust’s website, www.invesco.com/etfs.
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Movements in the Price of the British Pound Sterling
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of the British Pound Sterling plus accrued interest, if any, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations. The Shares are intended to provide institutional and retail investors with a simple, cost-effective means of gaining investment benefits similar to those of holding British Pounds Sterling. Each outstanding Share represents a proportional interest in the British Pounds Sterling held by the Trust. The following chart provides recent trends on the price of the British Pound Sterling. The chart illustrates movements in the price of the British Pound Sterling in USD and is based on the Closing Spot Rate:
NAV per Share; Valuation of the British Pound Sterling
The following chart illustrates the movement in the price of the Shares based on (1) NAV per Share, (2) the “bid” and “ask” midpoint offered on NYSE Arca and (3) the Closing Spot Rate, expressed as a multiple of 100 British Pounds Sterling:
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The Sponsor is not aware of any trends, demands, conditions or events that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to the Trust’s liquidity needs. The Trust’s Depository, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., London Branch, maintains two deposit accounts for the Trust, a primary deposit account that may earn interest and a secondary deposit account that does not earn interest. Interest on the primary deposit account, if any, accrues daily and is paid monthly. The interest rate in effect as of March 31, 2019 was an annual nominal rate of 0.35%. The following chart provides the daily rate paid by the Depository since March 31, 2014:
In exchange for a fee, the Sponsor bears 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. Each month the Depository deposits into the secondary deposit account accrued but unpaid interest, if any, and the Trustee withdraws British Pounds Sterling from the secondary deposit account to pay the accrued Sponsor’s fee for the previous month plus other Trust expenses, if any. When the interest deposited, if any, exceeds the sum of the Sponsor’s fee for the prior month plus other Trust expenses, if any, the Trustee converts the excess into USD at the prevailing market rate and distributes the USD as promptly as practicable to Shareholders on a pro-rata basis (in accordance with the number of Shares that they own). The Trust did not make any distributions during the quarter ended March 31, 2019.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Sponsor’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of the assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period covered by this report.
In addition to the description below, please refer to Note 3 to the financial statements for further discussion of our accounting policies.
The functional currency of the Trust is the British Pound Sterling in accordance with ASC 830, Foreign Currency Translation.
Results of Operations
As of December 31, 2018, the number of British Pounds Sterling owned by the Trust was 106,706,125 resulting in a redeemable capital Share value of $135,895,374. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, an additional 150,000 Shares were created in exchange for 14,549,122 British Pounds Sterling and 250,000 Shares were redeemed in exchange for 24,248,747 British Pounds Sterling. In addition, 12,072 British Pound Sterling were withdrawn to pay the portion of the Sponsor’s fee that exceeded the interest earned. As of March 31, 2019, the number of British Pounds Sterling owned by the Trust was 96,994,428, resulting in a redeemable capital Share value of $126,383,351.
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A decrease in the Trust’s redeemable capital Share value from $135,895,374 at December 31, 2018 to $126,383,351 at March 31, 2019 was primarily the result of a decrease in the number of Shares outstanding from 1,100,000 at December 31, 2018 to 1,000,000 at March 31, 2019, but was partially offset by an increase in the Closing Spot Rate from 1.2736 at December 31, 2018 to 1.3031 at March 31, 2019.
Interest income increased from $44,630 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 to $114,701 for the three months ended March 31, 2019, attributable primarily to an increase in the annual nominal interest rate paid by the Depository, as set forth in the chart above.
The Sponsor’s fee accrues daily at an annual nominal rate of 0.40% of the British Pounds Sterling in the Trust. Due primarily to a decrease in the weighted-average British Pounds Sterling in the Trust, the Sponsor’s fee decreased from $192,384 for the three months ended March 31, 2018 to $130,048 for the three months ended March 31, 2019. The only expense of the Trust during the three months ended March 31, 2019 was the Sponsor’s fee.
The Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $15,347 due to the Sponsor’s fee of $130,048 exceeding interest income of $114,701. The Trust’s net comprehensive income (loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $147,754 due to Sponsor’s fee of $192,384 exceeding interest income of $44,630.
Cash dividends were not paid by the Trust during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the three months ended March 31, 2019, as the Trust’s interest income did not exceed the Trust’s expenses during those periods.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Except as described above with respect to fluctuations in the British Pound Sterling/USD exchange rate and changes in the nominal annual interest rate paid by the Depository on British Pounds Sterling held by the Trust, the Trust is not subject to market risk. The Trust does not hold securities and does not invest in derivative products.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of the management of the Sponsor, including Daniel Draper, its Principal Executive Officer, and Kelli Gallegos, its Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, the Trust carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report, and, based upon that evaluation, Daniel Draper, the Principal Executive Officer of the Sponsor, and Kelli Gallegos, the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, Investment Pools, of the Sponsor, concluded that the Trust's disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information the Trust is required to disclose in the reports that it files or submits with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms, and to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management of the Sponsor, including its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in internal control over financial reporting (as defined in the Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the Trust's quarter ended March 31, 2019 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust's internal control over financial reporting.
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None.
Current Discussions between the SEC and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP regarding PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's Independence Could Have Potentially Adverse Consequences for the Trust.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP informed the Trust that it has identified an issue related to its independence under Rule 2-01(c)(1)(ii)(A) of Regulation S-X (referred to as the Loan Rule). The Loan Rule prohibits accounting firms, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, from being deemed independent if they have certain financial relationships with their audit clients or certain affiliates of those clients. The Trust is required under various securities laws to have its financial statements audited by an independent accounting firm.
The Loan Rule specifically provides that an accounting firm would not be independent if it or certain affiliates and covered persons receives a loan from a lender that is a record or beneficial owner of more than ten percent of an audit client’s equity securities (referred to as a “more than ten percent owner”). For purposes of the Loan Rule, audit clients include the Trust as well as all registered investment companies advised by the Sponsor and its affiliates, including other subsidiaries of the Sponsor’s parent company, Invesco Ltd. (collectively, the “Invesco Fund Complex”). PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP informed the Trust it and certain affiliates and covered persons have relationships with lenders who hold, as record owner, more than ten percent of the shares of certain funds within the Invesco Fund Complex, which may implicate the Loan Rule.
On June 20, 2016, the SEC Staff issued a “no-action” letter to another mutual fund complex (see Fidelity Management & Research Company et al., No-Action Letter) related to the audit independence issue described above. In that letter, the SEC confirmed that it would not recommend enforcement action against a fund that relied on audit services performed by an audit firm that was not in compliance with the Loan Rule in certain specified circumstances. On May 2, 2018, the SEC proposed amendments to the Loan Rule that, if adopted as proposed, would address many of the issues that led to issuance of the no-action letter. In connection with prior independence determinations, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP communicated, as contemplated by the no-action letter, that it believes that it remains objective and impartial and that a reasonable investor possessing all the facts would conclude that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is able to exhibit the requisite objectivity and impartiality to report on the Trust’s financial statements as the independent registered public accounting firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP also represented that it has complied with PCAOB Rule 3526(b)(1) and (2), which are conditions to the Trust relying on the no-action letter, and affirmed that it is an independent accountant within the meaning of PCAOB Rule 3520. Therefore, the Sponsor, the Trust and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP concluded that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP could continue as the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Invesco Fund Complex relied upon the no-action letter in reaching this conclusion.
If in the future the independence of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is called into question under the Loan Rule by circumstances that are not addressed in the SEC’s no-action letter, the Trust will need to take other action in order for the Trust’s filings with the SEC containing financial statements to be deemed compliant with applicable securities laws. Such additional actions could result in additional costs, impair the ability of the Trust to issue new shares or have other material adverse effects on the Trust. The SEC no-action relief was initially set to expire 18 months from issuance but has been extended by the SEC without an expiration date, except that the no-action letter will be withdrawn upon the effectiveness of any amendments to the Loan Rule designed to address the concerns expressed in the letter.
The value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the British Pound Sterling held by the Trust. Fluctuations in the price of the British Pound Sterling could materially and adversely affect the value of the Shares.
The Shares are designed to reflect the price of the British Pound Sterling, plus accumulated interest, if any, less the Trust’s expenses. Several factors may affect the price of the British Pound Sterling, including:
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Sovereign debt levels and trade deficits; |
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Domestic and foreign inflation rates and interest rates and investors’ expectations concerning those rates; |
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Currency exchange rates; |
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Investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and currency funds; and |
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Global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations. |
In addition, the British Pound Sterling may not maintain its long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. When the price of the British Pound Sterling declines, the Sponsor expects the price of a Share to decline as well.
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On June 23, 2016, the citizens of the United Kingdom, a European Union member that had not adopted the euro as its currency, voted to leave the European Union. In March 2017, the British government invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, which formally triggered a negotiation process with the European Union. In March 2018, the parties agreed to a transition period of 21 months — from March 29, 2019 until the end of 2020 — before the United Kingdom leaves the European Union completely, assuming approval of a withdrawal agreement. Withdrawal from the European Union has been and remains extraordinarily controversial in the United Kingdom notwithstanding the 2016 vote. The British government and the European Union have negotiated a withdrawal agreement, but the British Parliament has failed to approve that agreement on numerous occasions. The European Court of Justice has ruled that, subject to certain conditions, a member state may revoke notification of its intention to withdraw from the European Union. The European Union has granted the United Kingdom several extensions of the original March 29, 2019 deadline for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. On April 11, 2019, the European Council granted the United Kingdom an extension until October 31, 2019, subject to the United Kingdom holding the elections to the European Parliament on May 23, 2019. If the United Kingdom does not hold the elections to the European Parliament on May 23, 2019, the United Kingdom will leave the European Union on June 1, 2019, with or without an agreement. Failure to (i) agree on a way forward by October 31, 2019, or (ii) hold the elections to the European Parliament on May 23, 2019 and not agree on a way forward by June 1, 2019, would mean that the United Kingdom would leave the European Union on October 31, 2019 or June 1, 2019, as applicable, with no agreement (a so-called “hard Brexit”), unless the United Kingdom requests, and is granted, an additional extension of Article 50 from the European Union. An extension of Article 50 would need to be unanimously approved by the 27 European Union member states. The consequences for the economies of the European Union members of the United Kingdom exiting the European Union are unknown and unpredictable, especially in the case of a hard Brexit, as is the future direction of the value of the British Pound Sterling and the Shares. These uncertainties could increase volatility in the market prices of the British Pound Sterling and the Shares. Increased volatility could, in itself, decrease the value of the Shares.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
(a) None.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) During the quarter ended March 31, 2019, 5 Baskets (250,000 Shares registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) were redeemed by the Trust, as follows:
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Total Number of Registered Shares Redeemed |
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Average Price Per Share |
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01/01/2019 – 01/31/2019 |
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50,000 |
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$ |
125.22 |
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02/01/2019 – 02/28/2019 |
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100,000 |
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$ |
123.97 |
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03/01/2019 – 03/31/2019 |
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100,000 |
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$ |
127.81 |
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Total |
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250,000 |
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$ |
125.76 |
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Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
None.
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Exhibit No. |
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Description |
3.1 |
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3.2 |
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3.3 |
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3.4 |
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4.1 |
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4.2 |
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4.3 |
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4.4 |
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4.5 |
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4.6 |
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4.7 |
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10.1 |
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10.2 |
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10.3 |
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31.1 |
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31.2 |
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32.1 |
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32.2 |
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101.INS |
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XBRL Instance Document. |
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XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. |
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101.CAL |
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XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. |
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101.DEF |
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XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. |
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101.LAB |
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XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
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101.PRE |
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XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
INVESCO CURRENCYSHARES® |
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BRITISH POUND STERLING TRUST |
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By: |
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Invesco Specialized Products, LLC |
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Sponsor of the Invesco CurrencyShares® |
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British Pound Sterling Trust |
Date: May 8, 2019 |
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By: |
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/s/ Daniel Draper |
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Daniel Draper |
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Chief Executive Officer |
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(principal executive officer) |
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By: |
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/s/ Kelli Gallegos |
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Kelli Gallegos |
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Principal Financial and Accounting Officer – Investment Pools |
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