Portfolio Turnover:
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions,
when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which
are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 5% of the average value of its portfolio.
The Fund's Principal Investment Strategy
In seeking to track the performance of the Index, the
Fund employs a replication strategy, which means that the Fund typically invests in substantially all of the securities represented in the Index in approximately the same proportions as the Index.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund generally
invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the Index. The Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days' notice prior to any material change in this 95% investment policy. In addition, the
Fund may invest in cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA FM” or the “Adviser”),
the investment adviser to the Fund).
The Index
includes companies that have been identified as Utilities companies by the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®), including securities of
companies from the following industries: electric utilities; water utilities; multi-utilities; independent power and renewable electricity producers; and gas utilities. The Index is one of eleven Select Sector Indexes developed and maintained in
accordance with the following criteria: (1) each of the component securities in the Index is a constituent of the S&P 500 Index; and (2) the Index is calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“S&P DJI”) based on a proprietary
“modified market capitalization” methodology which means that modifications may be made to the market capitalization weights of single stock concentrations in order to conform to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the “Internal Revenue Code” or “IRC”). As of November 30, 2019, the Index was composed of 28 stocks.
The Index is also sponsored and compiled by S&P
DJI. S&P DJI determines the composition of the Index and relative weightings of the securities in the Index based on the Index methodology (as the “Index Compilation Agent”). S&P DJI also publishes information regarding the
market value of the Index (as the “Index Provider”). S&P DJI is not affiliated with the Fund or the Adviser.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with all investments, there are certain risks of
investing in the Fund. Fund Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Market Risk: The Fund's investments are subject to changes in general economic conditions, and general market fluctuations and the risks inherent in investment in securities markets. Investment markets can be
volatile and prices of investments can change substantially due to various factors including, but not limited to, economic growth or recession, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived creditworthiness of issuers, and general
market liquidity. The Fund is subject to the risk that geopolitical events will disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets.
Equity Investing
Risk: The market prices of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons that may directly
relate to the issuer and also may decline due to general industry or market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles, which may cause stock prices to fall over short or
extended periods of time.
Utilities Sector
Risk: The Fund's assets will be concentrated in the utilities sector, which means the Fund will be more affected by the performance of the utilities sector than a fund that is more diversified.
Utility companies are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. Although rate changes of a
regulated utility usually fluctuate in approximate correlation with financing costs, due to political and regulatory factors rate changes ordinarily occur only following a delay after the changes in financing costs. This factor will tend to
favorably affect a regulated utility company's earnings and dividends in times of decreasing costs, but conversely, will tend to adversely affect earnings and dividends when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend
to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are
subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. These opportunities may permit certain utility companies to earn more than
their