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These are controversies regarding the negative ESG impact of a company’s operations, product and services, as assessed by MSCI’s ESG Controversies monitoring system;
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Specified business activities
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These include adult entertainment, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, nuclear and controversial weapons, civilian firearms, nuclear power and genetically modified organisms.
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Once all relevant companies are
screened out, the remaining companies are included in the Underlying Index and are reweighted in a manner designed for the Underlying Index to approximate the properties of the parent index across three factors:
sector, maturity and rating.
Currently, the bonds eligible for
inclusion in the Underlying Index include US dollar-denominated corporate bonds that: (i) are rated investment-grade using the middle rating of Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. (“Moody's”), S&P
Global Ratings (“S&P”), and Fitch Investors Services, Inc. (“Fitch”); (ii) have at least $300 million minimum par amount outstanding; and (iii) have at least one year to maturity. Under
normal circumstances, the Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis. The fund reconstitutes and rebalances its portfolio in accordance with the Underlying Index, and, therefore, any changes
to the Underlying Index’s reconstitution and rebalance schedule will result in corresponding changes to the fund’s reconstitution and rebalance schedule.
As of March 31, 2020, the
Underlying Index was comprised of 3,437 bonds issued by 544 different issuers. As of March 31, 2020, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from the United States
(79.6%).
The fund uses a representative
sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and
other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole.
The fund will normally invest at
least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in corporate bonds rated investment grade by credit rating agencies (e.g., S&P rating of BBB- or above). In addition, the
fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets, but typically far more, in instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.
The fund will concentrate its
investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of March 31, 2020, a significant percentage of the
Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financials (29.8%) sector. The financials sector includes companies involved in banking, consumer finance, asset management and custody banks, as well as investment
banking and brokerage and insurance. To the
extent that the fund tracks the Underlying Index,
the fund’s investment in certain sectors or countries may change over time.
Neither Bloomberg nor Barclays is
affiliated with DBX Advisors LLC, and neither approves, endorses, reviews or recommends Xtrackers Bloomberg Barclays US Investment Grade Corporate ESG ETF.
Securities lending. The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. In connection
with such loans, the fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. The fund may lend its portfolio
securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets.
Main Risks
As with any investment, you could
lose all or part of your investment in the fund, and the fund’s performance could trail that of other investments. The fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the
fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of
this Prospectus entitled “Additional Information About Fund Strategies, Underlying Index Information and Risks” and in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market
problems have also affected debt securities that are not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments,
which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also have had a negative effect on the broader economy.
Market disruption risk. Geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to
disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Market disruptions could
cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by a market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the
same for all types of assets.
Recent market disruption events
include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, and the significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity and increased government