United States Brent Oil Fund, LP - Quarter Report: 2010 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
x
|
Quarterly
report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 for the quarterly period ended September 30,
2010.
|
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: 001-34704
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
27-0925904
|
|
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
|
1320
Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145
Alameda,
California 94502
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(510)
522-9600
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
N/A
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report)
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.
x
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.
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
Non-accelerated
filer x
|
Smaller
reporting company ¨
|
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting company)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
¨
Yes x No
UNITED
STATES BRENT OIL FUND, LP
Table
of Contents
Page
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Part
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Item
1. Condensed Financial Statements.
|
1
|
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Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations.
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15
|
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Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
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31
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Item
4. Controls and Procedures.
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32
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Part
II. OTHER INFORMATION
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Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
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33
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Item
1A. Risk Factors.
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33
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Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
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33
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Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
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33
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Item
4. Reserved.
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33
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Item
5. Other Information.
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33
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Item
6. Exhibits.
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33
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Part I.
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FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
Item 1.
|
Condensed Financial
Statements.
|
Index
to Condensed Financial Statements
Documents
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Page
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|||
Condensed
Statements of Financial Condition at September 30, 2010 (Unaudited) and
December 31, 2009
|
2
|
|||
Condensed
Schedule of Investments (Unaudited) at September 30, 2010
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3
|
|||
Condensed
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2010
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4
|
|||
Condensed
Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited) for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010
|
5
|
|||
Condensed
Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010
|
6
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|||
Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements for the period ended September 30,
2010 (Unaudited)
|
7
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1
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
Condensed
Statements of Financial Condition
At
September 30, 2010
(Unaudited) and December 31, 2009
September 30, 2010
|
December 31, 2009
|
|||||||
Assets
|
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents (Note 5)
|
$ | 9,159,750 | $ | 1,000 | ||||
Equity
in UBS Securities LLC trading accounts:
|
||||||||
Cash
|
1,413,440 | - | ||||||
Unrealized
gain on open commodity futures contracts
|
496,720 | - | ||||||
Receivable
from General Partner (Note 3)
|
58,502 | - | ||||||
Dividend
receivable
|
460 | - | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 11,128,872 | $ | 1,000 | ||||
Liabilities
and Partners’ Capital
|
||||||||
Professional
fees payable
|
$ | 63,280 | $ | - | ||||
General
Partner management fees payable (Note 3)
|
6,475 | - | ||||||
Brokerage
commission fees payable
|
440 | - | ||||||
Other
liabilities
|
174 | - | ||||||
Total
liabilities
|
70,369 | - | ||||||
Commitments and Contingencies
(Notes 3, 4 and 5)
|
||||||||
Partners’
Capital
|
||||||||
General
Partner
|
- | 20 | ||||||
Limited
Partners
|
11,058,503 | 980 | ||||||
Total
Partners’ Capital
|
11,058,503 | 1,000 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and partners’ capital
|
$ | 11,128,872 | $ | 1,000 | ||||
Limited
Partners’ units outstanding
|
200,000 | - | ||||||
Net
asset value per unit
|
$ | 55.29 | $ | - | ||||
Market
value per unit
|
$ | 54.23 | $ | - |
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
2
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
Condensed
Schedule of Investments (Unaudited)
At
September 30, 2010
Gain on Open
|
% of
|
|||||||||||
Number of
|
Commodity
|
Partners’
|
||||||||||
Contracts
|
Contracts
|
Capital
|
||||||||||
Open
Futures Contracts - Long
|
||||||||||||
Foreign
Contracts
|
||||||||||||
ICE
Brent Crude Oil Futures CO contracts, expire November 2010
|
100 | $ | 496,720 | 4.49 | ||||||||
ICE
Brent Crude Oil Futures CO contracts, expire December 2010
|
33 | - | - | |||||||||
Total
Open Futures Contracts
|
133 | $ | 496,720 | 4.49 |
Principal
Amount
|
Market
Value
|
|||||||||||
Cash
Equivalents
|
||||||||||||
United
States - Money Market Funds
|
||||||||||||
Fidelity
Institutional Government Portfolio - Class
I
|
$ | 4,000,643 | $ | 4,000,643 | 36.18 | |||||||
Morgan
Stanley Institutional Liquidity Fund - Government
Portfolio
|
4,000,794 | 4,000,794 | 36.18 | |||||||||
Total
Cash Equivalents
|
$ | 8,001,437 | 72.36 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
3
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
Condensed
Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
For
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010
Three months
ended
|
Nine months
ended
|
|||||||
September 30, 2010
|
September 30, 2010
|
|||||||
Income
|
||||||||
Gain
on trading of commodity futures contracts:
|
||||||||
Realized
gain on closed positions
|
$ | 487,060 | $ | 594,180 | ||||
Change
in unrealized gain on open positions
|
400,740 | 496,720 | ||||||
Dividend
income
|
1,610 | 1,897 | ||||||
Interest
income
|
89 | 170 | ||||||
Total
income
|
889,499 | 1,092,967 | ||||||
Expenses
|
||||||||
Professional
fees
|
51,980 | 63,280 | ||||||
General
Partner management fees (Note 3)
|
19,621 | 25,785 | ||||||
Brokerage
commission fees
|
2,259 | 3,681 | ||||||
Other
expenses
|
175 | 220 | ||||||
Total
expenses
|
74,035 | 92,966 | ||||||
Expense
waiver (Note 3)
|
(48,064 | ) | (58,502 | ) | ||||
Net
expenses
|
25,971 | 34,464 | ||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 863,528 | $ | 1,058,503 | ||||
Net
income per limited partnership unit
|
$ | 4.32 | $ | 5.29 | ||||
Net
income per weighted average limited partnership unit
|
$ | 4.32 | $ | 5.29 | ||||
Weighted
average limited partnership units outstanding
|
|
200,000 | 200,000 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
4
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
Condensed
Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited)
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2010
General Partner
|
Limited Partners
|
Total
|
||||||||||
Balances,
at December 31, 2009
|
$ | 20 | $ | 980 | $ | 1,000 | ||||||
Addition
of 200,000 partnership units
|
- | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | |||||||||
Redemption
of initial investment
|
(20 | ) | (980 | ) | (1,000 | ) | ||||||
Net
income
|
- | 1,058,503 | 1,058,503 | |||||||||
Balances,
at September 30, 2010
|
$ | - | $ | 11,058,503 | $ | 11,058,503 | ||||||
Net
Asset Value Per Unit:
|
||||||||||||
At
June 1, 2010 (commencement of operations)
|
$ | 50.00 | ||||||||||
At
September 30, 2010
|
$ | 55.29 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
5
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
Condensed
Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2010
Nine months ended
|
||||
September 30, 2010
|
||||
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
||||
Net
income
|
$ | 1,058,503 | ||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
||||
Increase
in commodity futures trading account - cash
|
(1,413,440 | ) | ||
Unrealized
gain on futures contracts
|
(496,720 | ) | ||
Increase
in receivable from General Partner
|
(58,502 | ) | ||
Increase
in dividend receivable
|
(460 | ) | ||
Increase
in professional fees payable
|
63,280 | |||
Increase
in General Partner management fees payable
|
6,475 | |||
Increase
in brokerage commission fees payable
|
440 | |||
Increase
in other liabilities
|
174 | |||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(840,250 | ) | ||
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
||||
Addition
of partnership units
|
10,000,000 | |||
Redemption
of partnership units
|
(1,000 | ) | ||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
9,999,000 | |||
Net
Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
9,158,750 | |||
Cash and Cash
Equivalents, beginning of period
|
1,000 | |||
Cash and Cash
Equivalents, end of period
|
$ | 9,159,750 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
6
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP
Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements
For
the period ended September 30, 2010 (Unaudited)
NOTE
1 - ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
USBO
commenced investment operations on June 1, 2010 and has a fiscal year ending on
December 31. United States Commodity Funds LLC (the “General Partner”)
is responsible for the management of USBO. The General Partner is a member
of the National Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a
commodity pool operator registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(the “CFTC”) effective December 1, 2005. The General Partner is also the general
partner of the United States Oil Fund, LP (“USOF”), the United States Natural
Gas Fund, LP (“USNG”), the United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (“US12OF”),
the United States Gasoline Fund, LP (“UGA”) and the United States Heating Oil
Fund, LP (“USHO”), which listed their limited partnership units on the American
Stock Exchange (the “AMEX”) under the ticker symbols “USO” on April 10,
2006, “UNG” on April 18, 2007, “USL” on December 6, 2007, “UGA”
on February 26, 2008 and “UHN” on April 9, 2008, respectively. As a result of
the acquisition of the AMEX by NYSE Euronext, each of USOF’s, USNG’s, US12OF’s,
UGA’s and USHO’s units commenced trading on the NYSE Arca on November 25, 2008.
The General Partner is also the general partner of the United States Short Oil
Fund, LP (“USSO”) and the United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
(“US12NG”), which listed their limited partnership units on the NYSE Arca under
the ticker symbols “DNO” on September 24, 2009 and “UNL” on November 18, 2009,
respectively. The General Partner is also the sponsor of the United
States Commodity Index Fund (“USCI”) which listed its units on the NYSE Arca
under the ticker symbol “USCI” on August 10, 2010.
The
accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and, therefore, do not include all
information and footnote disclosure required under accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The financial
information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information
reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for
the fair presentation of the condensed financial statements for the interim
period.
USBO
issues units to certain authorized purchasers (“Authorized Purchasers”) by
offering baskets consisting of 100,000 units (“Creation Baskets”) through
ALPS Distributors, Inc., as the marketing agent (the “Marketing Agent”).
The purchase price for a Creation Basket is based upon the net asset value of
a unit calculated shortly after the close of the core trading session on
the NYSE Arca on the day the order to create the basket is properly
received.
7
In
addition, Authorized Purchasers pay USBO a $1,000 fee for each order placed
to create one or more Creation Baskets or to redeem one or more baskets
consisting of 100,000 units (“Redemption Baskets”). Units may be purchased
or sold on a nationally recognized securities exchange in smaller increments
than a Creation Basket or Redemption Basket. Units purchased or sold on a
nationally recognized securities exchange are not purchased or sold at the net
asset value of USBO but rather at market prices quoted on such
exchange.
In May
2010, USBO initially registered 50,000,000 units on Form S-1 with the SEC. On
June 2, 2010, USBO listed its units on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol
“BNO”. USBO established its initial net asset value by setting the price at
$50.00 per unit and issued 200,000 units in exchange for $10,000,000. USBO
commenced investment operations on June 1, 2010, by purchasing Futures Contracts
traded on the ICE Futures based on Brent crude oil. As of September
30, 2010, USBO had registered a total of 50,000,000 units.
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Revenue
Recognition
Commodity
futures contracts, forward contracts, physical commodities, and related options
are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the
identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized gains or losses on
open contracts are reflected in the condensed statement of financial
condition and represent the difference between the original contract amount and
the market value (as determined by exchange settlement prices for futures
contracts and related options and cash dealer prices at a predetermined time for
forward contracts, physical commodities, and their related options) as of the
last business day of the year or as of the last date of the condensed
financial statements. Changes in the unrealized gains or losses between periods
are reflected in the condensed statement of operations. USBO earns interest
on its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the futures commission
merchant at the 90-day Treasury bill rate. In addition, USBO earns income
on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates earned on such
investments.
Brokerage
Commissions
Brokerage
commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Income
Taxes
USBO is
not subject to federal income taxes; each partner reports his/her allocable
share of income, gain, loss deductions or credits on his/her own income tax
return.
In
accordance with GAAP, USBO is required to determine whether a tax position is
more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing
authority, including resolution of any tax related appeals or litigation
processes, based on the technical merits of the position. USBO files an income
tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, and may file income tax returns in
various U.S. states. USBO is not subject to income tax return examinations by
major taxing authorities for years before 2009 (year of inception). The tax
benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a
greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate
settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in
USBO recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. However,
USBO’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment
at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, on-going
analyses of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.
USBO recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and
penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if
assessed. No interest expense or penalties have been recognized as of and for
the nine months ended September 30, 2010.
Creations
and Redemptions
Authorized
Purchasers may purchase Creation Baskets or redeem Redemption Baskets only in
blocks of 100,000 units at a price equal to the net asset value of the units
calculated shortly after the close of the core trading session on the NYSE Arca
on the day the order is placed.
USBO
receives or pays the proceeds from units sold or redeemed within three business
days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from
Authorized Purchasers are reflected in USBO’s condensed statement of financial
condition as receivable for units sold, and amounts payable to Authorized
Purchasers upon redemption are reflected as payable for units
redeemed.
8
Partnership
Capital and Allocation of Partnership Income and Losses
Profit or
loss shall be allocated among the partners of USBO in proportion to the number
of units each partner holds as of the close of each month. The General Partner
may revise, alter or otherwise modify this method of allocation as described in
the LP Agreement.
Calculation
of Net Asset Value
USBO’s
net asset value is calculated on each NYSE Arca trading day by taking the
current market value of its total assets, subtracting any liabilities and
dividing the amount by the total number of units issued and outstanding. USBO
uses the closing price for the contracts on the relevant exchange on that
day to determine the value of contracts held on such exchange.
Net
Income (Loss) per Unit
Net
income (loss) per unit is the difference between the net asset value per
unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The
weighted average number of units outstanding was computed for purposes of
disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average unit. The weighted average
units are equal to the number of units outstanding at the end of the period,
adjusted proportionately for units redeemed based on the amount of time the
units were outstanding during such period. There were no units held by the
General Partner at September 30, 2010.
Offering
Costs
Offering
costs incurred in connection with the registration of additional units after the
initial registration of units are borne by USBO. These costs include
registration fees paid to regulatory agencies and all legal, accounting,
printing and other expenses associated with such offerings. These costs are
accounted for as a deferred charge and thereafter amortized to expense over
twelve months on a straight-line basis or a shorter period if
warranted.
Cash
Equivalents
Cash
equivalents include money market funds and overnight deposits or time deposits
with original maturity dates of three months or less.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of condensed financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires
USBO’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported
amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and
liabilities at the date of the condensed financial statements, and the reported
amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results
may differ from those estimates and assumptions.
NOTE 3
- FEES PAID BY THE FUND AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
General
Partner Management Fee
Under the
LP Agreement, the General Partner is responsible for investing the assets of
USBO in accordance with the objectives and policies of USBO. In addition, the
General Partner has arranged for one or more third parties to provide
administrative, custody, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary
services to USBO. For these services, USBO is contractually obligated to pay the
General Partner a fee, which is paid monthly, equal to 0.75% per annum of
average daily net assets.
Ongoing
Registration Fees and Other Offering Expenses
USBO pays
all costs and expenses associated with the ongoing registration of its units
subsequent to the initial offering. These costs include registration
or other fees paid to regulatory agencies in connection with the offer and sale
of units, and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated
with such offer and sale. During the nine months ended September
30, 2010, USBO did not incur any registration fees or other offering
expenses.
9
Directors’
Fees and Expenses
USBO is
responsible for paying its portion of the directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance of the General Partner and the fees and expenses of the independent
directors of the General Partner who are also the General Partner’s audit
committee members. These fees and expenses for the calendar year 2010
are estimated to be a total of $1,178,870 for all funds. Effective as
of April 1, 2010, USBO is responsible for paying its portion of any payments
that may become due to the independent
directors pursuant to
the deferred
compensation agreements entered into
between the independent directors, the General Partner and each of the
affiliated funds. USBO shares all director fees and expenses,
including any that may become due pursuant to the deferred compensation
agreements, with USOF, USNG, US12OF, UGA, USHO, USSO and US12NG, based on the
relative assets of each fund, computed on a daily basis.
Investor
Tax Reporting Cost
The fees
and expenses associated with USBO’s audit expenses and tax accounting and
reporting requirements, with the exception of certain initial implementation
service fees and base service fees, which were borne by the General Partner, are
paid by USBO. These costs are estimated to be $160,000 for the
calendar year 2010.
Other
Expenses and Fees and Expense Waivers
In
addition to the fees described above, USBO pays all brokerage fees and
other expenses in connection with the operation of USBO, excluding costs and
expenses paid by the General Partner as outlined in Note 4 below. The General
Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to
the extent that such expenses exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of USBO’s NAV, on
an annualized basis, through at least December 31, 2010. The General
Partner has no obligation to continue such payments into subsequent
periods.
NOTE
4 - CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS
USBO is
party to a marketing agent agreement, dated as of March 31, 2010, as amended
from time to time, with the Marketing Agent and the General Partner,
whereby the Marketing Agent provides certain marketing services for USBO as
outlined in the agreement. The fee of the Marketing Agent, which is borne by the
General Partner, is equal to 0.06% on USBO’s assets up to $3 billion and 0.04%
on USBO’s assets in excess of $3 billion.
The above
fee does not include the following expenses, which are also borne by the General
Partner: the cost of placing advertisements in various periodicals; web
construction and development; or the printing and production of various
marketing materials.
USBO is
also party to a custodian agreement, dated February 8, 2010, as amended from
time to time, with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (“BBH&Co.”) and the
General Partner, whereby BBH&Co. holds investments on behalf of USBO. The
General Partner pays the fees of the custodian, which are determined by the
parties from time to time. In addition, USBO is party to an administrative
agency agreement, dated February 8, 2010, as amended from time to time, with the
General Partner and BBH&Co., whereby BBH&Co. acts as the administrative
agent, transfer agent and registrar for USBO. The General Partner also pays the
fees of BBH&Co. for its services under such agreement and such fees are
determined by the parties from time to time.
Currently,
the General Partner pays BBH&Co. for its services, in the foregoing
capacities, a minimum amount of $75,000 annually for its custody, fund
accounting and fund administration services rendered to USBO and each of the
affiliated funds managed by the General Partner, as well as a $20,000 annual fee
for its transfer agency services. In addition, the General Partner pays
BBH&Co. an asset-based charge of (a) 0.06% for the first $500 million of
USBO’s, USOF’s, USNG’s, US12OF’s, UGA’s, USHO’s, USSO’s, US12NG’s and USCI’s
combined net assets, (b) 0.0465% for USBO’s, USOF’s, USNG’s, US12OF’s, UGA’s,
USHO’s, USSO’s, US12NG’s and USCI’s combined net assets greater than $500
million but less than $1 billion, and (c) 0.035% once USBO’s, USOF’s, USNG’s,
US12OF’s, UGA’s, USHO’s, USSO’s, US12NG’s and USCI’s combined net assets exceed
$1 billion. The annual minimum amount will not apply if the asset-based charge
for all accounts in the aggregate exceeds $75,000. The General Partner also pays
transaction fees ranging from $7.00 to $15.00 per transaction.
10
USBO has
entered into a brokerage agreement with UBS Securities LLC (“UBS Securities”).
The agreement requires UBS Securities to provide services to USBO in connection
with the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related
Investments that may be purchased and sold by or through UBS Securities for
USBO’s account. In accordance with the agreement, UBS Securities charges USBO
commissions of approximately $7 per
round-turn trade, including applicable exchange and NFA fees for Futures
Contracts and options on Futures Contracts.
NOTE
5 - FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISKS AND
CONTINGENCIES
USBO engages
in the trading of futures contracts and options on futures contracts and may
engage in cleared swaps (collectively, “derivatives”). USBO is exposed to both
market risk, which is the risk arising from changes in the market value of the
contracts, and credit risk, which is the risk of failure by another party to
perform according to the terms of a contract.
USBO may
enter into futures contracts, options on futures contracts and cleared swaps to
gain exposure to changes in the value of an underlying commodity. A futures
contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to accept) the
future delivery of a specified quantity and type of a commodity at a specified
time and place. Some futures contracts may call for physical delivery of the
asset, while others are settled in cash. The contractual obligations
of a buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by taking or making physical
delivery of the underlying commodity or by making an offsetting sale or purchase
of an identical futures contract on the same or linked exchange before the
designated date of delivery.
The
purchase and sale of futures contracts, options on futures contracts and cleared
swaps require margin deposits with a futures commission merchant. Additional
deposits may be necessary for any loss on contract value. The Commodity Exchange
Act requires a futures commission merchant to segregate all customer
transactions and assets from the futures commission merchant’s proprietary
activities.
Futures
contracts and cleared swaps involve, to varying degrees, elements of market risk
(specifically commodity price risk) and exposure to loss in excess of the amount
of variation margin. The face or contract amounts reflect the extent of the
total exposure USBO has in the particular classes of instruments. Additional
risks associated with the use of futures contracts are an imperfect correlation
between movements in the price of the futures contracts and the market value of
the underlying securities and the possibility of an illiquid market for a
futures contract.
Through
September 30, 2010, all of the futures contracts held by USBO were
exchange-traded. The risks associated with exchange-traded contracts are
generally perceived to be less than those associated with over-the-counter
transactions since, in over-the-counter transactions, a party must rely solely
on the credit of its respective individual counterparties. However, in the
future, if USBO were to enter into non-exchange traded contracts, it would
be subject to the credit risk associated with counterparty non-performance. The
credit risk from counterparty non-performance associated with such instruments
is the net unrealized gain, if any, on the transaction. USBO has credit
risk under its futures contracts since the sole counterparty to all domestic and
foreign futures contracts is the clearinghouse for the exchange on which
the relevant contracts are traded. In addition, USBO bears the risk of financial
failure by the clearing broker.
USBO’s
cash and other property, such as U.S. Treasuries, deposited with a futures
commission merchant are considered commingled with all other customer funds,
subject to the futures commission merchant’s segregation requirements. In the
event of a futures commission merchant’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to
a pro rata share of segregated funds available. It is possible that the
recovered amount could be less than the total of cash and other property
deposited. The insolvency of a futures commission merchant could result in the
complete loss of USBO’s assets posted with that futures commission merchant;
however, the vast majority of USBO’s assets are held in U.S. Treasuries, cash
and/or cash equivalents with USBO’s custodian and would not be impacted by the
insolvency of a futures commission merchant. Also, the failure or insolvency of
USBO’s custodian could result in a substantial loss of USBO’s
assets.
11
The
General Partner invests a portion of USBO’s cash in money market funds that seek
to maintain a stable net asset value. USBO is exposed to any risk of loss
associated with an investment in these money market funds. As of September 30,
2010 and December 31, 2009, USBO had deposits in domestic and foreign financial
institutions, including cash investments in money market funds, in the amounts
of $10,573,190 and $1,000, respectively. This amount is subject to loss should
these institutions cease operations.
For
derivatives, risks arise from changes in the market value of the contracts.
Theoretically, USBO is exposed to market risk equal to the value of futures
contracts purchased and unlimited liability on such contracts sold short. As
both a buyer and a seller of options, USBO pays or receives a premium at the
outset and then bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the
contract underlying the option.
USBO’s
policy is to continuously monitor its exposure to market and counterparty risk
through the use of a variety of financial, position and credit exposure
reporting controls and procedures. In addition, USBO has a policy of requiring
review of the credit standing of each broker or counterparty with which it
conducts business.
The
financial instruments held by USBO are reported in its condensed
statement of financial condition at market or fair value, or at carrying amounts
that approximate fair value, because of their highly liquid nature and
short-term maturity.
USBO
values its investments in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 820
– Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). ASC 820
defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in
generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair
value measurement. The changes to past practice resulting from the application
of ASC 820 relate to the definition of fair value, the methods used to measure
fair value, and the expanded disclosures about fair value measurement. ASC 820
establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between (1) market
participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from sources
independent of USBO (observable inputs) and (2) USBO’s own assumptions about
market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available
under the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The three levels defined by the
ASC 820 hierarchy are as follows:
Level I –
Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or
liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the
measurement date.
Level II
– Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level I that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level II assets
include the following: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities
in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities
in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are
observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived principally
from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means
(market-corroborated inputs).
Level III
– Unobservable pricing input at the measurement date for the asset or liability.
Unobservable inputs shall be used to measure fair value to the extent that
observable inputs are not available.
In some
instances, the inputs used to measure fair value might fall within different
levels of the fair value hierarchy. The level in the fair value hierarchy within
which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls shall be determined based
on the lowest input level that is significant to the fair value measurement in
its entirety.
The
following table summarizes the valuation of USBO’s securities at September 30,
2010 using the fair value hierarchy:
At September 30, 2010
|
Total
|
Level I
|
Level II
|
Level III
|
||||||||||||
Short-Term
Investments
|
$ | 8,001,437 | $ | 8,001,437 | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||
Exchange-Traded
Futures Contracts Foreign Contracts
|
496,720 | 496,720 | - | - |
12
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, there were no significant
transfers between Level I and Level II.
USBO has
adopted the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 815 – Derivatives
and Hedging, which require presentation of qualitative disclosures about
objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative disclosures about
fair value amounts and gains and losses on derivatives.
Fair
Value of Derivative Instruments
Derivatives not Accounted
for as Hedging Instruments
|
Statement of Financial
Condition Location
|
Fair Value
At September 30, 2010
|
Fair Value
At December 31, 2009
|
|||||||
Futures
- Commodity Contracts
|
Assets
|
$ | 496,720 | $ | - |
The
Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statements of Operations
For the nine months ended
September 30, 2010
|
|||||||||
Derivatives not
Accounted for as
Hedging Instruments
|
Location of Gain on
Derivatives
Recognized in
Income
|
Realized Gain
on Derivatives
Recognized in
Income
|
Change in
Unrealized Gain
Recognized in
Income
|
||||||
Futures
-
|
Realized
gain
|
$ | 594,180 | ||||||
Commodity
Contracts
|
on
closed
|
||||||||
futures
contracts
|
|||||||||
Change
in unrealized gain on open futures contracts
|
$ |
496,720
|
NOTE 7
- FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The
following table presents per unit performance data and other supplemental
financial data for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 for the
unitholders. This information has been derived from information presented in the
condensed financial statements.
For the nine months ended
|
||||
September 30, 2010
|
||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||
Per Unit Operating
Performance:
|
||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$ | 50.00 | ||
Total
income
|
5.46 | |||
Total
expenses
|
(0.17 | ) | ||
Net
increase in net asset value
|
5.29 | |||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$ | 55.29 | ||
Total
Return
|
10.58 | % | ||
Ratios
to Average Net Assets
|
||||
Total
income
|
10.54 | % | ||
Management
fees*
|
0.75 | % | ||
Total
expenses excluding management fees*
|
1.95 | % | ||
Expenses
waived*
|
(1.70 | )% | ||
Net
expenses excluding management fees*
|
0.25 | % | ||
Net
income
|
10.21 | % | ||
*Annualized
|
Total
returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An
individual unitholder’s total return and ratio may vary from the above total
returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from
USBO.
13
NOTE
8 – RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In
January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting
Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2010-06 “Improving
Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements.” ASU No. 2010-06 clarifies existing
disclosure and requires additional
disclosures regarding fair value measurements. Effective for fiscal years
beginning after
December 15, 2010, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, entities
will need to disclose information about purchases, sales,
issuances and settlements of Level 3 securities on a gross basis, rather than as
a net number as currently required. The
implementation of ASU No. 2010-06 is not expected to have a material impact on
USBO’s financial statement disclosures.
NOTE
9 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
USBO has
performed an evaluation of subsequent events through the date the financial
statements were issued. This evaluation did not result in any subsequent events
that necessitated disclosures and/or adjustments.
14
Item 2. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed financial
statements and the notes thereto of the United States Brent Oil Fund, LP
(“USBO”) included elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Forward-Looking
Information
This
quarterly report on Form 10-Q, including this “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains
forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for
future operations. This information may involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause USBO’s actual results,
performance or achievements to be materially different from future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe
USBO’s future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by
use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“believe,” “intend” or “project,” the negative of these words, other
variations on these words or comparable terminology. These forward-looking
statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and USBO cannot
assure investors that the projections included in these forward-looking
statements will come to pass. USBO’s actual results could differ materially from
those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of
various factors.
USBO has
based the forward-looking statements included in this quarterly report on Form
10-Q on information available to it on the date of this quarterly report on Form
10-Q, and USBO assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Although USBO undertakes no obligation to revise or update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, investors are advised to consult any additional disclosures
that USBO may make directly to them or through reports that USBO in the
future files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”),
including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and
current reports on Form 8-K.
Introduction
USBO, a
Delaware limited partnership, is a commodity pool that issues units that
may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”). The
investment objective of USBO is for the daily changes in percentage terms of its
units’ net asset value (“NAV”) to reflect the daily changes in percentage terms
of the spot price of Brent crude oil as measured by the changes in the price of
the futures contract for Brent crude oil as traded on the ICE Futures
Exchange (the “ICE Futures”) that is the near month contract to expire, except
when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it
will be measured by the futures contract that is the next month contract to
expire (the “Benchmark Futures Contract”), less USBO’s expenses.
USBO
invests in futures contracts for crude oil, heating oil, gasoline, natural gas
and other petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the ICE Futures, the New York
Mercantile Exchange (the “NYMEX”), or other U.S. and foreign exchanges
(collectively, “Futures Contracts”) and other crude oil-related investments such
as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for crude oil,
cleared swap contracts and over-the-counter transactions that are based on the
price of crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures Contracts and
indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other Crude Oil-Related
Investments”). For convenience and unless otherwise specified, Futures Contracts
and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments collectively are referred to as “Crude
Oil Interests” in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
USBO
seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a combination of
Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments such that daily
changes in its NAV, measured in percentage terms, will closely track the daily
changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract, also measured in
percentage terms. USBO’s general partner believes the changes in the price of
the Benchmark Futures Contract have historically exhibited a close correlation
with the changes in the spot price of Brent crude oil. It is not the intent of
USBO to be operated in a fashion such that the NAV will equal, in dollar terms,
the spot price of Brent crude oil or any particular futures contract based on
Brent crude oil. Management believes that it is not practical to manage the
portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in listed crude oil
Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related
Investments.
15
On any
valuation day, the Benchmark Futures Contract is the near month futures contract
for Brent crude oil traded on the ICE Futures unless the near month
contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case the Benchmark Futures
Contract becomes, over a 4-day period, the next month contract for Brent crude
oil traded on the ICE Futures. “Near month contract” means the next
contract traded on the ICE Futures due to expire. “Next month contract” means
the first contract traded on the ICE Futures due to expire after the near month
contract.
The
regulation of commodity interests in the United States is a rapidly changing
area of law and is subject to ongoing modification by governmental and judicial
action. On July 21, 2010, a broad financial regulatory reform bill,
“The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,” was signed into
law. The legislation includes provisions altering the regulation of
commodity interests. Provisions in the new law include the
requirement that position limits on energy-based commodity futures contracts be
established; new registration, recordkeeping, capital and margin requirements
for “swap dealers” and “major swap participants” as determined by the new law
and applicable regulations; and the forced use of clearinghouse mechanisms for
most over-the-counter transactions. Additionally, the new law requires the
aggregation, for purposes of position limits, of all positions in energy futures
held by a single entity and its affiliates, whether such positions exist on U.S.
futures exchanges, non-U.S. futures exchanges, or in over-the-counter contracts.
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”), along with the SEC
and other federal regulators, has been tasked with developing the rules and
regulations enacting the provisions noted above. The new law and the
rules to be promulgated may negatively impact USBO’s ability to meet its
investment objective either through limits or requirements imposed on it or upon
its counterparties. In particular, new position limits imposed on
USBO or its counterparties may impact USBO’s ability to invest in a manner that
most efficiently meets its investment objective, and new requirements, including
capital and mandatory clearing, may increase the cost of USBO’s investments and
doing business, which could adversely affect USBO’s investors.
The
general partner of USBO, United States Commodity Funds LLC (the “General
Partner”), which is registered as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with
the CFTC, is authorized by the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited
Partnership of USBO (the “LP Agreement”) to manage USBO. The General
Partner is authorized by USBO in its sole judgment to employ and establish the
terms of employment for, and termination of, commodity trading advisors or
futures commission merchants.
Price
Movements
Brent
Crude Oil futures prices exhibited moderate daily swings along with an uneven
upward trend between June and September 2010. The price of the
Benchmark Futures Contract started the period at $72.71 per
barrel. The Benchmark Futures Contract reached its high for the
period on August 3, 2010 at $82.70 per barrel and reached its low for the period
on July 6, 2010 when the price dropped to $71.60 per barrel. The period
ended with the Benchmark Futures Contract at $82.31 per barrel, up approximately
13.203% over the period. USBO’s NAV began the period at $50.00
per unit and ended the period at $55.29 per unit, an increase of approximately
10.58% over the period. USBO’s NAV reached its high for the period on
August 3, 2010 at $55.95 per unit and reached its low for the period on July 6,
2010 at $48.57 per unit. The Benchmark Futures Contract prices listed above
began with the July 2010 contract and ended with the November 2010
contract. The return of approximately 13.203% on the Benchmark
Futures Contract listed above is a hypothetical return only and could not
actually be achieved by an investor holding Futures Contracts. An
investment in Futures Contracts would need to be rolled forward during the time
period described in order to achieve such a result. Furthermore, the
change in the nominal price of these differing crude oil Futures Contracts,
measured from the start of the period to the end of the period, does not
represent the actual benchmark results that USBO seeks to track, which are more
fully described below, in the section titled “Tracking USBO’s
Benchmark”.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the level of contango
remained mildly steep, meaning that the price of the near month crude oil
Futures Contract was less than the price of the next month crude oil Futures
Contract, or contracts further away from expiration. Crude oil inventories in
the United States, which reached historic levels in January 2009 and February
2009 and which appeared to be the primary cause of the steep level of contango,
began to drop in March 2009 and for the remainder of 2009 and the beginning
of 2010. The Brent crude oil futures market did not experience the steep levels
of contango seen in the United States during the nine months ended
September 30, 2010. The Brent crude oil futures market remained in mild contango
through the end of September 2010. For a discussion of the impact of
backwardation and contango on total returns, see “Term Structure of Crude Oil
Prices and the Impact on Total Returns.”
16
Valuation
of Futures Contracts and the Computation of the NAV
The NAV
of USBO’s units is calculated once each NYSE Arca trading day. The
NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:00 p.m. New York
time. Trading during the core trading session on the NYSE Arca
typically closes at 4:00 p.m. New York time. USBO’s administrator uses the ICE
Futures settlement price (a weighted average price of trades during a three
minute settlement period from 2:27 p.m. New York time) for the contracts held on
the ICE Futures, but calculates or determines the value of all other USBO
investments, including NYMEX contracts or other futures contracts, as of the
earlier of the close of the NYSE Arca or 4:00 p.m. New York time.
Results
of Operations and the Crude Oil Market
Results of
Operations. On June 2, 2010, USBO listed its units on the NYSE
Arca under the ticker symbol “BNO.” USBO established its initial offering price
at $50.00 per unit and issued 200,000 units to the initial authorized purchaser,
Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., in exchange for $10,000,000 in
cash.
Since its
initial offering of 50,000,000 units, USBO has not registered any subsequent
offerings of its units. As of September 30, 2010, USBO had issued
200,000 units, all of which were outstanding. As of
September 30, 2010, there were 49,800,000 units registered but not yet
issued.
More
units may have been issued by USBO than are outstanding due to the redemption of
units. Unlike funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, units that have been redeemed by USBO cannot be resold by
USBO. As a result, USBO contemplates that additional offerings of its units will
be registered with the SEC in the future in anticipation of additional issuances
and redemptions.
For
the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
A
comparison of USBO’s results of operations for the nine months ended September
30, 2009 and 2010 has not been provided because USBO had not commenced
operations as of September 30, 2009. In addition, as USBO did not
commence operations until June 1, 2010, the results of operations do not reflect
a full nine-month period of operations.
As of
September 30, 2010, the total unrealized gain on Futures Contracts owned or
held on that day was $496,720, and USBO established cash deposits, including
cash investments in money market funds, that were equal to $10,573,190.
USBO held 86.63% of its cash assets in overnight deposits and money market funds
at its custodian bank, while 13.37% of the cash balance was held as margin
deposits for the Futures Contracts purchased. The ending per unit NAV
on September 30, 2010 was $55.29.
Portfolio Expenses. USBO’s
expenses consist of investment management fees, brokerage
fees and commissions, certain offering costs, the fees and expenses of the
independent directors of the General Partner and expenses relating to tax
accounting and reporting requirements. The management fee that USBO
pays to the General Partner is calculated as a percentage of the total net
assets of USBO. USBO pays the General Partner a management fee of
0.75% of its average net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid
monthly.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the daily average total net
assets of USBO were $10,371,026. The management fee incurred by
USBO during the period amounted to $25,785.
In
addition to the management fee, USBO pays all brokerage fees and other
expenses, including certain tax reporting costs, ongoing registration or other
fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”)
and any other regulatory agency in connection with offers and sales of
its units subsequent to the initial offering and all legal, accounting, printing
and other expenses associated therewith. The total of these fees and expenses
for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was
$67,181. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010,
USBO did not incur any fees or other expenses relating to the registration
or offering of additional units. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, an expense waiver was in effect which offset certain of the
expenses incurred by USBO. The total amount of the expense waiver was
$58,502. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the expenses
of USBO, including management fees, commissions, and all other expenses, before
allowance for the expense waiver, totaled $92,966, and after allowance for the
expense waiver, totaled $34,464.
17
USBO is
responsible for paying its portion of the directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance of the General Partner and the fees and expenses of the independent
directors of the General Partner who are also the General Partner’s audit
committee members. USBO shares these fees and expenses with the
United States Oil Fund, LP (“USOF”), the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP
(“USNG”), the United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (“US12OF”), the United
States Gasoline Fund, LP (“UGA”), the United States Heating Oil Fund, LP
(“USHO”), the United States Short Oil Fund, LP (“USSO”) and the United States 12
Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (“US12NG”) based on the relative assets of each fund
computed on a daily basis. These fees and expenses for the calendar
year 2010 are estimated to be a total of $1,178,870 for all funds. Directors’
expenses are expected to increase in 2010 due to an increase in the amount of
directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage and the incurrence of the
independent directors’ deferred compensation expense. Effective as of
March 3, 2009, the General Partner obtained directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance covering all of the directors and officers of the General Partner.
Previously, the General Partner did not have liability insurance for its
directors and officers; instead, the independent directors received a payment in
lieu of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage. Effective as of
April 1, 2010, USBO is also responsible for paying its portion of any payments
that may become due to the independent directors pursuant to the deferred
compensation agreements entered into between the independent directors, the
General Partner and USBO, USOF, USNG, US12OF, UGA, USHO, USSO and
US12NG.
USBO also
incurs commissions to brokers for the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts,
Other Crude Oil-Related Investments or short-term obligations of the United
States of two years or less (“Treasuries”). During the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, total commissions paid to brokers amounted to
$3,681. As an annualized percentage of total net assets,
the figure for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 represents
approximately 0.11% of total net assets. However, there can be no assurance that
commission costs and portfolio turnover will not cause commission expenses to
rise in future quarters.
The fees
and expenses associated with USBO’s audit expenses and tax accounting and
reporting requirements, with the exception of certain initial implementation
service fees and base service fees, which were borne by the General Partner, are
paid by USBO. These costs are estimated to be $160,000 for the
calendar year 2010. The General Partner, though under no obligation
to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the extent that such expenses
exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of USBO’s NAV, on an annualized basis, through at
least December 31, 2010. The General Partner has no obligation to
continue such payments into subsequent periods.
Dividend and Interest Income.
USBO seeks to invest
its assets such that it holds Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related
Investments in an amount equal to the total net assets of its portfolio.
Typically, such investments do not require USBO to pay the full amount of the
contract value at the time of purchase, but rather require USBO to post an
amount as a margin deposit against the eventual settlement of the contract. As a
result, USBO retains an amount that is approximately equal to its total net
assets, which USBO invests in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents.
This includes both the amount on deposit with the futures commission merchant as
margin, as well as unrestricted cash and cash equivalents held with USBO’s
custodian bank. The Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents earn income that
accrues on a daily basis. For the nine months ended September 30,
2010, USBO earned $2,067
in dividend and interest income on such cash and/or cash
equivalents. Based on USBO’s average daily total net assets, this was
equivalent to an annualized yield of 0.06%. USBO did not
purchase Treasuries during the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and
held only cash and/or cash equivalents during this time period.
For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2010
A
comparison of USBO’s results of operations for the three months ended September
30, 2009 and 2010 has not been provided because USBO had not commenced
operations as of September 30, 2009.
Portfolio Expenses. During
the three months ended September 30, 2010, the daily average total net assets
of USBO were $10,379,353. The management fee incurred by USBO
during the period amounted to $19,621.
18
In
addition to the management fee, USBO pays all brokerage fees and other
expenses, including certain tax reporting costs, ongoing registration or other
fees paid to the SEC, FINRA and any other regulatory agency in connection
with offers and sales of its units subsequent to the initial offering and
all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated
therewith. The total of these fees and expenses for the three months ended
September 30, 2010 was $54,414. During the three months ended
September 30, 2010, USBO did not incur ongoing registration fees or other
expenses relating to the registration and offering of additional units. During the three months
ended September 30, 2010, an expense waiver was in effect which offset certain
of the expenses incurred by USBO. The total
amount of the expense waiver was
$48,064. For the three months ended September 30, 2010, the
expenses of
USBO, including management
fees, commissions, and all other expenses, before allowance for the expense
waiver, totaled $74,035, and after allowance for
the expense waiver, totaled $25,971.
USBO is
responsible for paying its portion of the directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance of the General Partner and the fees and expenses of the independent
directors of the General Partner who are also the General Partner’s audit
committee members. USBO shares these fees and expenses with USOF,
USNG, US12OF, UGA, USHO, USSO and US12NG based on the relative assets of each
fund computed on a daily basis. These fees and expenses for the
calendar year 2010 are estimated to be a total of $1,178,870 for all funds.
Directors’ expenses are expected to increase in 2010 due to an increase in the
amount of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage and the
incurrence of the independent directors’ deferred compensation
expense. Effective as of March 3, 2009, the General Partner obtained
directors’ and officers’ liability insurance covering all of the directors and
officers of the General Partner. Previously, the General Partner did not have
liability insurance for its directors and officers; instead, the independent
directors received a payment in lieu of directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance coverage. Effective as of April 1, 2010, USBO is also
responsible for paying its portion of any payments that may become due to the
independent directors pursuant to the deferred compensation agreements entered
into between the independent directors, the General Partner and USBO, USOF,
USNG, US12OF, UGA, USHO, USSO and US12NG.
USBO also
incurs commissions to brokers for the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts,
Other Crude Oil-Related Investments or Treasuries. During the three
months ended September 30, 2010, total commissions paid to brokers amounted to
$2,259. As an annualized percentage of total net assets,
the figure for the three months ended September 30, 2010 represents
approximately 0.09% of total net assets. However, there can be no
assurance that commission costs and portfolio turnover will not cause commission
expenses to rise in future quarters.
USBO did
not incur transaction costs related to investments in Other Natural Gas-Related
Investments, including over-the-counter swaps, during the three months ended
September 30, 2010.
The fees
and expenses associated with USBO’s audit expenses and tax accounting and
reporting requirements, with the exception of certain initial implementation
service fees and base service fees, which were borne by the General Partner, are
paid by USBO. These costs are estimated to be $160,000 for the calendar year
2010. The General Partner,
though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay certain expenses, to the
extent that such expenses exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of USBO’s NAV, on an
annualized basis, through at least December 31, 2010. The General
Partner has no obligation to continue such payments into subsequent
periods.
Dividend and Interest Income.
USBO seeks to invest its assets such that it holds Futures Contracts and
Other Crude Oil-Related Investments in an amount equal to the total net assets
of its portfolio. Typically, such investments do not require USBO to pay the
full amount of the contract value at the time of purchase, but rather require
USBO to post an amount as a margin deposit against the eventual settlement of
the contract. As a result, USBO retains an amount that is approximately equal to
its total net assets, which USBO invests in Treasuries, cash and/or cash
equivalents. This includes both the amount on deposit with the futures
commission merchant as margin, as well as unrestricted cash and cash equivalents
held with USBO’s custodian bank. The Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents
earn income that accrues on a daily basis. For the three months ended
September 30, 2010, USBO earned $1,699 in dividend and interest income on such
cash and/or cash equivalents. Based on USBO’s average daily total net
assets, this was equivalent to an annualized yield of 0.06%. USBO did not
purchase Treasuries during the three months ended September 30, 2010 and held
only cash and/or cash equivalents during this time period.
19
Tracking
USBO’s Benchmark
USBO’s
management seeks to manage USBO’s portfolio such that changes in its average
daily NAV, on a percentage basis, closely track the changes in the average daily
price of the Benchmark Futures Contract, also on a percentage basis.
Specifically, USBO’s management seeks to manage the portfolio such that over any
rolling period of 30 valuation days, the average daily change in USBO’s NAV is
within a range of 90% to 110% (0.9 to 1.1) of the average daily change in the
price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. As an example, if the average daily
movement of the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract for a particular
30-valuation day time period was 0.5% per day, USBO management would attempt to
manage the portfolio such that the average daily movement of the NAV during that
same time period fell between 0.45% and 0.55% (i.e., between 0.9 and 1.1 of
the benchmark’s results). USBO’s portfolio management goals do not include
trying to make the nominal price of USBO’s NAV equal to the nominal price of the
current Benchmark Futures Contract or the spot price for Brent crude oil.
Management believes that it is not practical to manage the portfolio to achieve
such an investment goal when investing in listed Futures Contracts.
For the
30 valuation days ended September 30, 2010, the simple average daily change in
the Benchmark Futures Contract was 0.319%, while the simple average
daily change in the NAV of USBO over the same time period was 0.314%. The average daily
difference was -0.004% (or -0.4 basis points, where 1 basis
point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily movement of
the Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in daily tracking by the NAV
was -1.116%, meaning that
over this time period USBO’s tracking error was within the plus or minus 10%
range established as its benchmark tracking goal. The first chart below shows
the daily movement of USBO’s NAV versus the daily movement of the Benchmark
Futures Contract for the 30-valuation day period ended September 30,
2010. The second chart below shows the monthly total returns of USBO
as compared to the monthly value of the Benchmark Futures Contracts since
inception.
Since the
commencement of the offering of USBO’s units to the public on June 2, 2010 to
September 30, 2010, the simple average daily change in the Benchmark Futures
Contract was 0.134%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USBO
over the same time period was 0.131%. The average daily difference was -0.003%
(or -0.3 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage
of the daily movement of the Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in
daily tracking by the NAV was -0.860%, meaning that over this time period USBO’s
tracking error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its
benchmark tracking goal.
*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY
INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
20
An
alternative tracking measurement of the return performance of USBO versus the
return of its Benchmark Futures Contract can be calculated by comparing the
actual return of USBO, measured by changes in its NAV, versus the expected changes in its NAV
under the assumption that USBO’s returns had been exactly the same as the daily
changes in its Benchmark Futures Contract.
For
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the actual total return of
USBO as measured by changes in its NAV was 10.58%. This is based on an initial
NAV of $50.00 on June 1, 2010 and an ending NAV as of September 30, 2010 of
$55.29. During this time period, USBO made no distributions to its unitholders.
However, if USBO’s daily changes in its NAV had instead exactly tracked the
changes in the daily return of the Benchmark Futures Contract, USBO would have
had an estimated NAV of $55.45 as of September 30, 2010, for a total return over
the relevant time period of 10.90%. The difference between the actual NAV total
return of USBO of 10.58% and the expected total return based on the Benchmark
Futures Contract of 10.90% was an error over the time period of -0.32%, which is
to say that USBO’s actual total return underperformed the benchmark result by
that percentage. Management believes that a portion of the
difference between the actual return and the expected benchmark return can be
attributed to the net impact of the expenses that USBO pays, offset in part by
the income that USBO collects on its cash and cash equivalent holdings. During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, USBO received dividend and
interest income of $2,067, which is equivalent to a weighted average income rate
of 0.06% for such period. During the nine months ended September 30,
2010, USBO did not collect any income from its Authorized Purchasers for
creating or redeeming baskets of units. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, USBO incurred net expenses of $34,464. Income from dividends
and interest and Authorized Purchaser collections net of expenses was $(32,397),
which is equivalent to an annualized weighted average net income rate of (0.94)%
for the nine months ended September 30, 2010.
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
21
There are
currently three factors that have impacted or are most likely to impact USBO’s
ability to accurately track its Benchmark Futures
Contract.
First,
USBO may buy or sell its holdings in the then current Benchmark Futures Contract
at a price other than the closing settlement price of that contract on the day
during which USBO executes the trade. In that case, USBO may pay a price that is
higher, or lower, than that of the Benchmark Futures Contract, which could
cause the changes in the daily NAV of USBO to either be too high or too low
relative to the changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract. During the nine
months ended September 30, 2010, management attempted to minimize the
effect of these transactions by seeking to execute its purchase or sale of the
Benchmark Futures Contract at, or as close as possible to, the end of the day
settlement price. However, it may not always be possible for USBO to obtain the
closing settlement price and there is no assurance that failure to obtain the
closing settlement price in the future will not adversely impact USBO’s attempt
to track the Benchmark Futures Contract over time.
Second,
USBO earns dividend and interest income on its cash and cash equivalents.
USBO is not required to distribute any portion of its income to its unitholders
and did not make any distributions to unitholders during the nine months ended
September 30, 2010. Interest payments, and any other income, were retained
within the portfolio and added to USBO’s NAV. When this income exceeds the level
of USBO’s expenses for its management fee, brokerage commissions and other
expenses (including ongoing registration fees and the fees and expenses of
the independent directors of the General Partner), USBO will realize a net yield
that will tend to cause daily changes in the NAV of USBO to track slightly
higher than daily changes in the Benchmark Futures Contract. During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, USBO earned, on an annualized basis,
approximately 0.06% on its cash holdings. It also incurred cash expenses on an
annualized basis of 0.75% for management fees and approximately 0.11% in
brokerage commission costs related to the purchase and sale of futures
contracts, and 0.14% for other net expenses. The foregoing fees and expenses
resulted in a net yield on an annualized basis of approximately -0.94% and
affected USBO’s ability to track its benchmark. If short-term
interest rates rise above the current levels, the level of deviation created by
the yield would decrease. Conversely, if short-term interest rates were to
decline, the amount of error created by the yield would increase. When
short-term yields drop to a level lower than the combined expenses of the
management fee and the brokerage commissions, then the tracking error becomes a
negative number and would tend to cause the daily returns of the NAV to
underperform the daily returns of the Benchmark Futures Contract.
Third,
USBO may hold Other Crude Oil-Related Investments in its portfolio that may
fail to closely track the Benchmark Futures Contract’s total return
movements. In that case, the error in tracking the Benchmark Futures
Contract could result in daily changes in the NAV of USBO that are either too
high, or too low, relative to the daily changes in the Benchmark Futures
Contract. During the nine months ended September 30, 2010, USBO did
not hold any Other Crude Oil-Related Investments. If USBO increases
in size, and due to its obligations to comply with regulatory limits, USBO may
invest in Other Crude Oil-Related Investments which may have the effect of
increasing transaction related expenses and may result in increased tracking
error.
Term Structure of Crude Oil Futures
Prices and the Impact on Total Returns. Several factors determine
the total return from investing in a futures contract position. One factor that
impacts the total return that will result from investing in near month futures
contracts and “rolling” those contracts forward each month is the price
relationship between the current near month contract and the next month
contract. For example, if the price of the near month contract is higher than
the next month contract (a situation referred to as “backwardation” in the
futures market), then absent any other change there is a tendency for the price
of a next month contract to rise in value as it becomes the near month contract
and approaches expiration. Conversely, if the price of a near month contract is
lower than the next month contract (a situation referred to as “contango” in the
futures market), then absent any other change there is a tendency for the price
of a next month contract to decline in value as it becomes the near month
contract and approaches expiration.
As an
example, assume that the price of crude oil for immediate delivery (the “spot”
price), was $50 per barrel, and the value of a position in the near month
futures contract was also $50. Over time, the price of the barrel of crude oil
will fluctuate based on a number of market factors, including demand for
oil relative to its supply. The value of the near month contract will likewise
fluctuate in reaction to a number of market factors. If investors seek to
maintain their position in a near month contract and not take delivery of the
oil, every month they must sell their current near month contract as it
approaches expiration and invest in the next month
contract.
22
If the
futures market is in backwardation, e.g., when the expected price
of crude oil in the future would be less, the investor would be buying a next
month contract for a lower price than the current near month contract.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing crude oil
prices or the price relationship between the spot price, the near month contract
and the next month contract (and ignoring the impact of commission costs and the
income earned on cash and/or cash equivalents), the value of the next month
contract would rise as it approaches expiration and becomes the new near month
contract. In this example, the value of the $50 investment would tend to rise
faster than the spot price of crude oil, or fall slower. As a result, it would
be possible in this hypothetical example for the spot price of crude oil to have
risen to $60 after some period of time, while the value of the investment in the
futures contract would have risen to $65, assuming backwardation is large enough
or enough time has elapsed. Similarly, the spot price of crude oil could have
fallen to $40 while the value of an investment in the futures contract could
have fallen to only $45. Over time, if backwardation remained constant, the
difference would continue to increase.
If the
futures market is in contango, the investor would be buying a next month
contract for a higher price than the current near month contract.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing crude oil
prices or the price relationship between the spot price, the near month contract
and the next month contract (and ignoring the impact of commission costs and the
income earned on cash and/or cash equivalents), the value of the next month
contract would fall as it approaches expiration and becomes the new near month
contract. In this example, it would mean that the value of the $50 investment
would tend to rise slower than the spot price of crude oil, or fall faster. As a
result, it would be possible in this hypothetical example for the spot price
of crude oil to have risen to $60 after some period of time, while the
value of the investment in the futures contract will have risen to only $55,
assuming contango is large enough or enough time has elapsed. Similarly, the
spot price of crude oil could have fallen to $45 while the value of an
investment in the futures contract could have fallen to $40. Over time, if
contango remained constant, the difference would continue to
increase.
The chart
below compares the price of the near month contract to the price of the next
month contract over the last 10 years (2000-2009). When the price of
the near month contract is higher than the price of the next month contract, the
market would be described as being in backwardation. When the price of the near
month contract is lower than the price of the next month contract, the market
would be described as being in contango. Although the prices of the
near month contract and the price of the next month contract do tend to move up
or down together, it can be seen that at times the near month prices are clearly
higher than the price of the next month contract (backwardation), and other
times they are below the price of the next month contract
(contango).
23
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
An
alternative way to view the same data is to subtract from the dollar price of
the near month contract the dollar price of the next month contract. If the
resulting number is a positive number, then the near month price is higher than
the price of the next month contract and the market could be described as being
in backwardation. If the resulting number is a negative number, then the near
month price is lower than the price of the next month contract and the market
could be described as being in contango. The chart below shows the results from
subtracting from the near month price the price of the next month contract for
the 10 year period between 2000 and 2009.
24
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Historically,
the crude oil futures markets have experienced periods of contango and
backwardation, with backwardation being in place more often than
contango. During 2006 and the first half of 2007, these markets
experienced contango. However, starting early in the third quarter of
2007, the crude oil futures market moved into backwardation. The
crude oil markets remained in backwardation until late in the second quarter of
2008 when they moved into contango. The crude oil markets remained in
contango until late in the third quarter of 2008, when the markets moved into
backwardation. Early in the fourth quarter of 2008, the crude oil
market moved back into contango and remained in contango for the balance of
2008. Throughout 2009, the crude oil market remained in
contango. During parts of January and February 2009, the level of
contango was unusually steep. Crude oil inventories, which reached historic
levels in January and February 2009 and which appeared to be the primary cause
of the steep level of contango, began to drop in March 2009 and for the balance
of 2009. The crude oil futures market remained in contango through
September 30, 2010. The Brent crude oil futures market experiences the same
effects of contango and backwardation as the United States crude oil futures
market, but the Brent crude oil futures market has not historically experienced
the same level of steepness in contango and backwardation as the United States
crude oil futures market.
Periods
of contango or backwardation do not materially impact USBO’s investment
objective of having the percentage changes in its per unit NAV track the
percentage changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract since the
impact of backwardation and contango tend to equally impact the percentage
changes in price of both USBO’s units and the Benchmark Futures Contract.
It is impossible to predict with any degree of certainty whether backwardation
or contango will occur in the future. It is likely that both conditions will
occur during different periods.
25
Brent Crude Oil Market.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2010, Brent crude oil prices were
impacted by several factors. On the consumption side, demand increased inside
and outside the United States as global economic growth, including emerging
economies such as China and India, improved for the third quarter of the year.
On the supply side, efforts to reduce production by the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries to more closely match global consumption were
partially successful. Brent crude oil prices finished the third quarter of 2010
approximately 1.1% lower
than at the beginning of the year, though investors looked forward to continued
improvements in the global economy. Management believes, however, that should
the global economic situation cease to improve, or decline, there is a
meaningful possibility that Brent crude oil prices could further retreat from
their current levels.
Brent Crude Oil Price Movements in
Comparison to Other Energy Commodities and Investment Categories. The
General Partner believes that investors frequently measure the degree to which
prices or total returns of one investment or asset class move up or down in
value in concert with another investment or asset class. Statistically, such a
measure is usually done by measuring the correlation of the price movements of
the two different investments or asset classes over some period of time. The
correlation is scaled between 1 and -1, where 1 indicates that the two
investment options move up or down in price or value together, known as
“positive correlation,” and -1 indicating that they move in completely opposite
directions, known as “negative correlation.” A correlation of 0 would mean that
the movements of the two are neither positively or negatively correlated, known
as “non-correlation.” That is, the investment options sometimes move up and down
together and other times move in opposite directions.
For the
ten year time period between 2000 and 2009, the chart below compares the monthly
movements of Brent crude oil prices versus the monthly movements of the prices
of several other energy commodities, such as natural gas, heating oil, and
unleaded gasoline, as well as several major non-commodity investment asset
classes, such as large cap U.S. equities, U.S. government bonds and global
equities. It can be seen that over this particular time period, the movement of
Brent crude oil on a monthly basis was not strongly correlated, positively or
negatively, with the movements of large cap U.S. equities, U.S. government bonds
or global equities. However, movements in Brent crude oil had a strong positive
correlation to movements in unleaded gasoline and heating oil. There
was also a very strong correlation to movements in U.S. West Texas Intermediate
Crude Oil.
10 Year Correlation
Matrix 2000-2009
|
Large
Cap
U.S.
Equities
(S&P
500)
|
U.S. Gov’t.
Bonds
(EFFAS
U.S. Gov’t.
Bond Index)
|
Global
Equities
(FTSE
World
Index)
|
Crude Oil
(WTI)
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
Heating
Oil
|
Brent
Oil
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
1.000 | -0.259 | 0.966 | 0.152 | 0.135 | 0.087 | 0.162 | |||||||||||||||||||||
U.S.
Gov’t. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Gov’t. Bond Index)
|
1.000 | -0.237 | -0.127 | -0.214 | -0.078 | -0.170 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
1.000 | 0.246 | 0.196 | 0.165 | 0.251 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Crude
Oil (WTI)
|
1.000 | 0.724 | 0.783 | 0.963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
1.000 | 0.613 | 0.755 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heating
Oil
|
1.000 | 0.768 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brent
Oil
|
1.000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Bloomberg, NYMEX
|
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
26
The chart
below covers a more recent, but much shorter, range of dates than the above
chart. Over the one year period ended September 30, 2010, Brent crude oil
continued to have a strong positive correlation with West Texas Intermediate
Crude Oil, unleaded gasoline, and Heating Oil. The correlation between Brent
crude oil and both large cap U.S. equities and global equities, which had been
essentially non-correlated over the ten year period ended December 31, 2009,
displayed results that indicated that they had a positive correlation over this
shorter time period. Finally, the results showed that Brent crude oil and U.S.
government bonds, which had essentially been non-correlated for the ten year
period ended December 31, 2009, were weakly negatively correlated over this more
recent time period.
Correlation Matrix 12
months ended
September 30, 2010
|
Large
Cap
U.S.
Equities
(S&P
500)
|
U.S. Gov't.
Bonds
(EFFAS
U.S. Gov’t.
Bond
Index)
|
Global
Equities
(FTSE
World
Index)
|
Crude Oil
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
Heating
Oil
|
Brent
Oil
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
1.000 | -0.504 | 0.973 | 0.715 | 0.676 | 0.717 | 0.758 | |||||||||||||||||||||
U.S.
Gov't. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Gov’t. Bond Index)
|
1.000 | -0.504 | -0.559 | -0.569 | -0.587 | -0.421 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
1.000 | 0.743 | 0.687 | 0.748 | 0.766 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Crude
Oil
|
1.000 | 0.958 | 0.943 | 0.956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
1.000 | 0.914 | 0.943 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heating
Oil
|
1.000 | 0.954 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brent
Oil
|
1.000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Bloomberg, NYMEX
|
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Investors
are cautioned that the historical price relationships between Brent crude oil
and various other energy commodities, as well as other investment asset classes,
as measured by correlation may not be reliable predictors of future price
movements and correlation results. The results pictured above would have been
different if a different range of dates had been selected. The General Partner
believes that Brent crude oil has historically not demonstrated a strong
correlation with equities or bonds over long periods of time. However, the
General Partner also believes that in the future it is possible that Brent crude
oil could have long term correlation results that indicate prices of Brent crude
oil more closely track the movements of equities or bonds. In addition, the
General Partner believes that, when measured over time periods shorter than ten
years, there will always be some periods where the correlation of Brent crude
oil to equities and bonds will be either more strongly positively correlated or
more strongly negatively correlated than the long term historical results
suggest.
The correlations between
Brent crude oil, U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil, heating oil and
gasoline are relevant because the General Partner endeavors to invest
USBO’s assets in Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments so
that daily changes in percentage terms in USBO’s NAV correlate as closely as
possible with daily changes in percentage terms in the price of the Benchmark
Futures Contract. If certain other fuel-based commodity Futures
Contracts do not closely correlate with the Benchmark Futures Contract,
then their use could lead to greater tracking error. As noted above, the General
Partner also believes that the changes in percentage terms in the price of the
Benchmark Futures Contract will closely correlate with changes in percentage
terms in the spot price of Brent crude oil.
Critical
Accounting Policies
Preparation
of the condensed financial statements and related disclosures in compliance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well
as the use of estimates. USBO’s application of these policies involves judgments
and actual results may differ from the estimates used.
27
The
General Partner has evaluated the nature and types of estimates that
it makes in preparing USBO’s condensed financial statements and related
disclosures and has determined that the valuation of its investments which
are not traded on a United States or internationally recognized futures exchange
(such as forward contracts and over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical
accounting policy. The values which are used by USBO for its Futures
Contracts are provided by its commodity broker who uses market prices when
available, while over-the-counter contracts are valued based on the present
value of estimated future cash flows that would be received from or paid to a
third party in settlement of these derivative contracts prior to their delivery
date and valued on a daily basis. In addition, USBO estimates interest and
dividend income on a daily basis using prevailing rates earned on its cash and
cash equivalents. These estimates are adjusted to the actual amount
received on a monthly basis and the difference, if any, is not considered
material.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
USBO has
not made, and does not anticipate making, use of borrowings or other lines of
credit to meet its obligations. USBO has met, and it is anticipated that USBO
will continue to meet, its liquidity needs in the normal course of business from
the proceeds of the sale of its investments, or from the Treasuries, cash
and/or cash equivalents that it intends to hold at all times. USBO’s
liquidity needs include: redeeming units, providing margin deposits for its
existing Futures Contracts or the purchase of additional Futures Contracts and
posting collateral for its over-the-counter contracts, if applicable, and,
except as noted below, payment of its expenses, summarized below under
“Contractual Obligations.”
USBO
currently generates cash primarily from (i) the sale of baskets consisting of
100,000 units (“Creation Baskets”) and (ii) income earned on cash and/or cash
equivalents. USBO has allocated substantially all of its net assets to trading
in Crude Oil Interests. USBO invests in Crude Oil Interests to the fullest
extent possible without being leveraged or unable to satisfy its current or
potential margin or collateral obligations with respect to its investments in
Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments. A significant portion
of USBO’s NAV is held in cash and cash equivalents that are used as margin
and as collateral for its trading in Crude Oil Interests. The balance of the net
assets is held in USBO’s account at its custodian bank. Income received from
USBO’s money market funds is paid to USBO. During the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, USBO’s expenses exceeded the income USBO earned and
the cash earned from the sale of Creation Baskets. During the nine
months ended September 30, 2010, USBO was forced to use other assets to pay cash
expenses, which could cause a drop in USBO’s NAV over time. To the
extent expenses exceed income, USBO’s NAV will be negatively
impacted.
USBO’s
investments in Crude Oil Interests may be subject to periods of illiquidity
because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other reasons. For
example, most commodity exchanges limit the fluctuations in futures contracts
prices during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily limits.” During
a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once
the price of a futures contract has increased or decreased by an amount equal to
the daily limit, positions in the contracts can neither be taken nor liquidated
unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or within the specified daily
limit. Such market conditions could prevent USBO from promptly liquidating its
positions in Futures Contracts. During the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, USBO was not forced to purchase or liquidate any of its
positions while daily limits were in effect; however, USBO cannot predict
whether such an event may occur in the future.
Prior to
the initial offering of USBO, all payments with respect to USBO’s expenses were
paid by the General Partner. USBO does not have an obligation or
intention to refund such payments by the General Partner. The General
Partner is under no obligation to pay USBO’s current or future expenses. Since
the initial offering of units, USBO has been responsible for expenses relating
to (i) management fees, (ii) brokerage fees and commissions, (iii) ongoing
registration expenses in connection with offers and sales of its units
subsequent to the initial offering, (iv) other expenses, including certain tax
reporting costs, (v) fees and expenses of the independent directors of the
General Partner and (vi) other extraordinary expenses not in the ordinary course
of business, while the General Partner has been responsible for expenses
relating to the fees of USBO’s marketing agent, administrator and custodian and
registration expenses relating to the initial offering of units. If the
General Partner and USBO are unsuccessful in raising sufficient funds to cover
these respective expenses or in locating any other source of funding, USBO will
terminate and investors may lose all or part of their
investment.
28
Market
Risk
Trading
in Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments, such as
forwards, involves USBO entering into contractual commitments to purchase
or sell oil at a specified date in the future. The aggregate market value of
the contracts will significantly exceed USBO’s future cash requirements
since USBO intends to close out its open positions prior to settlement. As a
result, USBO is generally only subject to the risk of loss arising
from the change in value of the contracts. USBO considers the “fair value” of
its derivative instruments to be the unrealized gain or loss on the contracts.
The market risk associated with USBO’s commitments to purchase oil is limited to
the aggregate market value of the contracts held. However, should USBO enter
into a contractual commitment to sell oil, it would be required to make delivery
of the oil at the contract price, repurchase the contract at prevailing prices
or settle in cash. Since there are no limits on the future price of oil, the
market risk to USBO could be unlimited.
USBO’s
exposure to market risk depends on a number of factors, including the
markets for oil, the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange rates,
the liquidity of the Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments
markets and the relationships among the contracts held by USBO. The limited
experience that USBO has had in utilizing its model to trade in Crude Oil
Interests in a manner intended to track the changes in the spot price of Brent
crude oil, as well as drastic market occurrences, could ultimately lead to the
loss of all or substantially all of an investor’s capital.
Credit
Risk
When USBO
enters into Futures Contracts and Other Crude Oil-Related Investments, it is
exposed to the credit risk that the counterparty will not be able to meet its
obligations. The counterparty for the Futures Contracts traded on the ICE
Futures and on most other futures exchanges is the clearinghouse associated
with the particular exchange. In general, in addition to margin required to be
posted by the exchange or clearinghouse in connection with trades on the
exchange or through the clearinghouse, clearinghouses are backed by their
members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the
nonperformance of one of their members and, therefore, this additional member
support should significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign exchanges are not
backed by their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a consortium of banks
or other financial institutions. There can be no assurance that any
counterparty, clearinghouse, or their members or their financial backers will
satisfy their obligations to USBO in such circumstances.
The
General Partner attempts to manage the credit risk of USBO by following
various trading limitations and policies. In particular, USBO generally posts
margin and/or holds liquid assets that are approximately equal to the market
value of its obligations to counterparties under the Futures Contracts and Other
Crude Oil-Related Investments it holds. The General Partner has implemented
procedures that include, but are not limited to, executing and clearing trades
only with creditworthy parties and/or requiring the posting of collateral or
margin by such parties for the benefit of USBO to limit its credit exposure. UBS
Securities LLC, USBO’s commodity broker, or any other broker that may be
retained by USBO in the future, when acting as USBO’s futures commission
merchant in accepting orders to purchase or sell Futures Contracts on United
States exchanges, is required by CFTC regulations to separately account for
and segregate as belonging to USBO, all assets of USBO relating to domestic
Futures Contracts trading. These futures commission merchants are not allowed to
commingle USBO’s assets with their other assets. In addition, the CFTC requires
commodity brokers to hold in a secure account USBO’s assets related to foreign
Futures Contracts trading. During the nine months ended September 30,
2010, the only foreign exchange on which USBO made investments was the ICE
Futures, which is a London based futures exchange. Those crude oil contracts are
denominated in U.S. dollars.
If, in
the future, USBO purchases over-the-counter contracts, see “Item 3. Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” of this quarterly report on Form
10-Q for a discussion of over-the-counter contracts.
As of September 30, 2010, USBO had
deposits in domestic and foreign financial institutions, including cash
investments in money market funds, in the amount of $10,573,190. This
amount is subject to loss should these institutions cease
operations.
29
Off
Balance Sheet Financing
As of
September 30, 2010, USBO has no loan guarantee, credit support or other
off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into in
the normal course of business, which may include indemnification provisions
relating to certain risks that service providers undertake in performing
services which are in the best interests of USBO. While USBO’s exposure under
these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, they are not expected to
have a material impact on USBO’s financial position.
Redemption
Basket Obligation
In order
to meet its investment objective and pay its contractual obligations described
below, USBO requires liquidity to redeem units, which redemptions must be
in blocks of 100,000 units called “Redemption Baskets”. USBO has to date
satisfied this obligation by paying from the cash or cash equivalents it holds
or through the sale of its Treasuries in an amount proportionate to the number
of units being redeemed.
Contractual
Obligations
USBO’s
primary contractual obligations are with the General Partner. In return for its
services, the General Partner is entitled to a management fee calculated monthly
as a fixed percentage of USBO’s NAV, currently 0.75% of NAV on its average daily
net assets.
The
General Partner agreed to pay the start-up costs associated with the
formation of USBO, primarily its legal, accounting and other costs in connection
with the General Partner’s registration with the CFTC as a CPO and the
registration and listing of USBO and its units with the SEC, FINRA and the
NYSE Arca, respectively. However, since USBO’s initial offering of units,
offering costs incurred in connection with registering and listing additional
units of USBO have been directly borne on an ongoing basis by USBO, and not by
the General Partner.
The
General Partner pays the fees of USBO’s marketing agent, ALPS Distributors,
Inc., and the fees of the custodian and transfer agent, Brown Brothers Harriman
& Co. (“BBH&Co.”), as well as BBH&Co.’s fees for performing
administrative services, including those in connection with the preparation of
USBO’s condensed financial statements and its SEC and CFTC
reports. USBO also pays the fees and expenses associated with its tax
accounting and reporting requirements with the exception of certain initial
implementation service fees and base service fees which are borne by the General
Partner. The General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, agreed to pay
certain costs for tax reporting and audit expenses normally borne by USBO to the
extent that such expenses exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of USBO’s NAV, on an
annualized basis, through at least December 31, 2010. The General Partner has no
obligation to continue such payments into subsequent periods.
In
addition to the General Partner’s management fee, USBO pays its brokerage fees
(including fees to a futures commission merchant), over-the-counter dealer
spreads and, subsequent to the initial offering, registration and other fees
paid to the SEC, FINRA, or other regulatory agencies in connection with the
offer and sale of units, as well as legal, printing, accounting and other
expenses associated therewith, and extraordinary expenses. The latter are
expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of USBO’s business, including
expenses relating to the indemnification of any person against liabilities and
obligations to the extent permitted by law and under the LP Agreement, the
bringing or defending of actions in law or in equity or otherwise conducting
litigation and incurring legal expenses and the settlement of claims and
litigation. Commission payments to a futures commission merchant are on a
contract-by-contract, or round turn, basis. USBO also pays a portion of the fees
and expenses of the independent directors of the General Partner. See Note 3 to
the Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited).
The
parties cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under
these arrangements for future periods, as USBO’s NAVs and trading levels to meet
its investment objectives will not be known until a future date. These
agreements are effective for a specific term agreed upon by the parties with an
option to renew, or, in some cases, are in effect for the duration of USBO’s
existence. Either party may terminate these agreements earlier for certain
reasons described in the agreements.
As of
September 30, 2010, USBO’s portfolio consisted of 133 Brent Crude Oil Futures CO
contracts traded on the ICE Futures. For a list of USBO’s current
holdings, please see USBO’s website at
www.unitedstatesbrentoilfund.com.
30
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
|
Over-the-Counter
Derivatives
In the
future, USBO may purchase over-the-counter contracts. Unlike most of the
exchange-traded futures contracts or exchange-traded options on such futures,
each party to an over-the-counter contract bears the credit risk that the
other party may not be able to perform its obligations under its
contract.
Some
crude oil-based derivatives transactions contain fairly generic terms and
conditions and are available from a wide range of participants. Other crude
oil-based derivatives have highly customized terms and conditions and are not as
widely available. Many of these over-the-counter contracts are cash-settled
forwards for the future delivery of crude oil- or petroleum-based fuels that
have terms similar to the Futures Contracts. Others take the form of “swaps” in
which the two parties exchange cash flows based on pre-determined formulas tied
to the spot price of crude oil, forward crude oil prices or crude oil
futures prices. For example, USBO may enter into over-the-counter derivative
contracts whose value will be tied to changes in the difference between
the spot price of Brent crude oil, the price of Futures Contracts traded on
the NYMEX or the ICE Futures and the prices of other Futures Contracts in which
USBO may invest.
To
protect itself from the credit risk that arises in connection with such
contracts, USBO may enter into agreements with each counterparty that provide
for the netting of its overall exposure to such counterparty, such as the
agreements published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association,
Inc. USBO also may require that the counterparty be highly rated and/or
provide collateral or other credit support to address USBO’s exposure to the
counterparty. In addition, it is also possible for USBO and its counterparty to
agree to clear their transactions under the agreement through an established
futures clearinghouse such as those connected to the NYMEX or the ICE Futures.
In that event, USBO would no longer bear the credit risk of its original
counterparty, as the clearinghouse would now be USBO’s counterparty. USBO would
still retain any price risk associated with its transaction and would be
required to deposit margin to secure the clearinghouse’s exposure to
USBO.
The
creditworthiness of each potential counterparty is assessed by the General
Partner. The General Partner assesses or reviews, as appropriate, the
creditworthiness of each potential or existing counterparty to an
over-the-counter contract pursuant to guidelines approved by the General
Partner’s board of directors (the “Board”). Furthermore, the General Partner on
behalf of USBO only enters into over-the-counter contracts with counterparties
who are, or are affiliates of, (a) banks regulated by a United States federal
bank regulator, (b) broker-dealers regulated by the SEC, (c) insurance companies
domiciled in the United States, or (d) producers, users or traders of energy,
whether or not regulated by the CFTC. Any entity acting as a counterparty shall
be regulated in either the United States or the United Kingdom unless otherwise
approved by the Board after consultation with its legal counsel. Existing
counterparties are also reviewed periodically by the General
Partner.
USBO
anticipates that the use of Other Crude Oil-Related Investments together with
its investments in Futures Contracts will produce price and total return results
that closely track the investment goals of USBO. However, there can be no
assurance of this. Over-the-counter contracts may result in higher
transaction-related expenses than the brokerage commissions paid in connection
with the purchase of Futures Contracts, which may impact USBO’s ability to
successfully track the Benchmark Futures Contract.
USBO may
employ spreads or straddles in its trading to mitigate the differences in its
investment portfolio and its goal of tracking the price of the Benchmark Futures
Contract. USBO would use a spread when it chooses to take simultaneous long and
short positions in futures written on the same underlying asset, but with
different delivery months. The effect of holding such combined positions is to
adjust the sensitivity of USBO to changes in the price relationship between
futures contracts which will expire sooner and those that will expire later.
USBO would use such a spread if the General Partner felt that taking such long
and short positions, when combined with the rest of its holdings, would more
closely track the investment goals of USBO, or if the General Partner felt it
would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve a given level of
economic exposure to movements in oil prices. USBO would enter into a straddle
when it chooses to take an option position consisting of a long (or short)
position in both a call option and put option. The economic effect of holding
certain combinations of put options and call options can be very similar to that
of owning the underlying futures contracts. USBO would make use of such a
straddle approach if, in the opinion of the General Partner, the resulting
combination would more closely track the investment goals of USBO or if it would
lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve a given level of economic
exposure to movements in oil prices.
31
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, USBO did not employ any hedging
methods such as those described above since all of its investments were made
over an exchange. Therefore, during such period, USBO was not exposed to
counterparty risk.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
USBO
maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that
material information required to be disclosed in USBO’s periodic reports filed
or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s
rules and forms.
The duly
appointed officers of the General Partner, including its chief executive officer
and chief financial officer, who perform functions equivalent to those
of a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of USBO if
USBO had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of USBO’s
disclosure controls and procedures and have concluded that the
disclosure controls and procedures of USBO have been effective as of the end of
the period covered by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Change
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in USBO’s internal control over financial reporting during
USBO’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably
likely to materially affect, USBO’s internal control over financial
reporting.
32
Part
II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
Not
applicable.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
There has
not been a material change from the risk factors previously disclosed in USBO’s
Registration Statement on Form S-1, which was declared effective by the SEC on
May 27, 2010, and USBO's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
June 30, 2010, filed on August 16, 2010.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
Not applicable.
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not applicable.
Item
4. Reserved.
Item 5. Other
Information.
Monthly
Account Statements
Pursuant
to the requirement under Rule 4.22 under the Commodity Exchange Act, each month
USBO publishes an account statement for its unitholders, which includes a
Statement of Income (Loss) and a Statement of Changes in NAV. The account
statement is furnished to the SEC on a current report on Form 8-K pursuant
to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and posted each month on USBO’s
website at www.unitedstatesbrentoilfund.com.
Item 6. Exhibits.
Listed
below are the exhibits which are filed as part of this quarterly report on Form
10-Q (according to the number assigned to them in Item 601 of Regulation
S-K):
Exhibit
|
||
Number
|
Description of Document
|
|
31.1*
|
Certification
by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
31.2*
|
Certification
by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
|
32.1*
|
Certification
by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as
Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
|
32.2*
|
Certification
by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as
Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
*
|
Filed
herewith.
|
33
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
United
States Brent Oil Fund, LP (Registrant)
By: United
States Commodity Funds LLC, its general partner
By:
|
/s/ Nicholas D. Gerber |
Nicholas
D. Gerber
|
|
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
(Principal
executive
officer)
|
Date: November
15, 2010
By:
|
/s/ Howard Mah |
Howard
Mah
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
(Principal
financial and accounting
officer)
|
Date: November
15, 2010
34