Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing such securities. The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index maintained and calculated by FTSE Russell. The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of large- and mid-capitalization stocks from developed Eurozone countries. The Eurozone is a geographic and economic region that consists of all the European Union (EU) countries that have fully incorporated the euro as their national currency. The Underlying Index currently consists of securities from the following ten developed market countries: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

FTSE Russell determines eligible securities for the Underlying Index based on measures such as the company’s place of incorporation, listing country, investor protection regulations present in the country of incorporation, tax domicile, location of headquarters/factors of production and currency of denomination. FTSE Russell also maintains a set of criteria to assess a country’s market status, including various quality of markets criteria, a country’s prevailing regulatory environment, custody and settlement, and dealing landscape. As of May 31, 2024, the Underlying Index was comprised of 286 securities with capitalizations ranging from $412 million to $398.52 billion.

The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Underlying Index. The Fund may use either a replication strategy or representative sampling strategy. Under a replication strategy, the Fund will replicate the component securities of the Underlying Index as closely as possible (i.e., invest in all of the component securities in their respective weightings in the Underlying Index). However, under various circumstances, it may not be possible or practicable to replicate the Underlying Index. In these circumstances, the Fund may use a “representative sampling” strategy whereby the Fund would invest in what it believes to be a representative sample of the component securities of the Underlying Index, but may not track the Underlying Index with the same degree of accuracy as would an investment vehicle replicating the entire Underlying Index. Under the representative sampling technique, the investment manager will select securities that collectively have an investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index, including securities that resemble those included in the Underlying Index in terms of risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics, such as market capitalization and industry weightings.

The Fund may invest in equity futures (including equity index futures) and equity total return swaps to provide additional opportunities to add value and better track the performance of the Fund’s Underlying index, such as to equitize cash and accrued income (i.e., gain equity market exposure and maintain liquidity until the Fund invests in individual securities), simulate investments in the Underlying Index, facilitate trading or minimize transaction costs.

The Fund may enter into foreign currency forward contracts and/or currency futures contracts to provide the Fund with additional opportunities to add value and better track the performance of the Fund’s Underlying Index, such as by facilitating local securities settlements or protecting against currency exposure in connection with distributions to Fund shareholders.

Derivatives that have economic characteristics and provide investment exposure similar to the constituents of the Underlying Index will be counted towards the Fund’s 80% investment policy.

The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its net assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated.