AXS News

5-Star AXS Fund (LDVIX) Provides Access to Venture Capital Returns for Individuals

AXS Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Return Tracker Fund is 9th AXS fund in expanding Alternatives lineup

NEW YORK, November 23, 2020 – AXS Investments, a leading alternative investment manager, today announced the addition of the AXS Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Return Tracker Fund (Ticker: LDVIX) to its fast-growing fund family that enables broader access to alternative investments for all investors.

The Fund, which is 5-Star rated by Morningstar, was launched on October 2, 2014, and has had exceptionally strong performance since inception, including 45.94%, 70.92%, 36.08% and 32.09% for the year-to-date, 1-year, 3-year and 5-year periods, respectively as of 9/30/2020. In the Morningstar large growth funds category, the Fund received an overall rating of 5 stars, a 5-Star 3-year rating (out of 1,229 funds), and a 5-Star 5-year rating out of 1,095 funds based on risk-adjusted returns as of 9/30/2020. The Fund has also been in Morningstar’s top quartile for the past 1-year, 3-year and 5-year periods.

“Venture capital has always been accessible to institutional investors and the wealthiest high net worth investors who can withstand the long lock-up periods, the significant investment minimums and the higher fees associated with traditional venture capital investments,” said Greg Bassuk, Chief Executive Officer of AXS Investments. “By contrast, our LDVIX fund offers individual investors that same access to venture capital returns, but with daily liquidity, low investment minimums, full transparency and low fees. We see access to this important venture capital asset class as a game-changer for individual investors who can now invest like the institutions.”

The Fund offers an investor-friendly way to gain exposure to venture capital by tracking the returns of the Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Index. This groundbreaking index, launched in 2012, tracks the gross performance of the US venture capital industry through a comprehensive aggregation of venture capital-funded private company values.

Performance as of 9/30/2020

LDVIX Performance Table for Press Release 2

The performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. For the most recent month-end performance, please call 833.AXS.ALTS or visit the Fund’s website at www.axsinvestments.com.

Inception dates are 10/2/2014 for Class I and Class A and 9/23/2015 for Class C. The Total Annual Operating Expenses for Class I, A and C are 1.51%, 1.76% and 2.51%, respectively. Performance would have been lower without fee waivers in effect.

About AXS Investments

AXS Investments is a leading alternative investment manager providing a diversified family of alternative investments for investors seeking alternative sources of growth, income and diversification. The firm empowers investors to diversify their portfolios with investments previously available only to the largest institutional and high net worth investors. The investor-friendly AXS funds are time-tested, liquid, transparent and managed by high pedigreed portfolio managers with long and strong track records. For more information, visit www.axsinvestments.com.

Important Risk Disclosure

There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

The Fund may invest in ETFs, ETNs and mutual funds, which are subject to investment advisory and other expenses, which will be indirectly paid by the Fund. ETFs, ETNs and mutual funds are subject to issuer, fixed income and risks specific to the Fund. Venture capital investments involve a greater degree of risk; as a result, the Fund’s returns may experience greater volatility than the overall market. The Fund does not invest in venture capital funds nor does it invest directly in companies funded by venture capital funds. The Fund seeks to generate returns that mimic the aggregate returns of U.S. venture capital-backed companies as measured by the Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Index (TRVCI). There is a risk that the Fund's return may not match or achieve a higher degree of correlation with the return of the TRVCI. Additionally, the TRVCI’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the U.S. venture capital-based companies.

There are risks involved with investing including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Diversification does not ensure profits or prevent losses. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the fund before investing. To obtain a prospectus containing this and other important information, please click here to view or download a prospectus online. Read the fund’s prospectus carefully before you invest.

About Morningstar Ratings and Quartile Rankings

The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or "star rating," is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The Morningstar Rating does not include any adjustment for sales loads. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five- and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics.

The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. Morningstar Rating is for the I share classes; other classes may have different performance characteristics.

Morningstar Quartile Rankings are based on Morningstar Percentile Ranking in Morningstar Category, where 1% - 25% = first quartile (1); 26% - 50% = second quartile (2); 51% - 75% = third quartile (3); and 76% - 100% = fourth quartile (4). The Morningstar Percentile Ranking compares a Fund's Morningstar risk and return scores with all the Funds in the same Category, where 1% = Best and 100% = Worst.

© 2020 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.

Ratings, rankings and awards should not be used as the sole basis for evaluating a fund. For more information including standard performance, visit AXS Thomson Reuters Venture Capital Return Tracker Fund.