Royal Bank of Canada is offering the Buffered Enhanced Return Notes (the “Notes”) linked to the performance of a weighted basket of equity indices (the “Basket”) comprised of the EURO STOXX 50® Index (60%), the FTSE® 100 Index (25%) and the Swiss Market Index (15%).
The CUSIP number for the Notes is 78012KX36. If the Percentage Change of the Basket is greater than 0%, the Notes provide a 153.40% return based on that Percentage Change. If the Percentage Change of the Basket is equal to or less than 0% but greater than or equal to -10%, the Notes will pay the principal amount. However, if the Percentage Change of the Basket is less than -10%, you will lose 1% of the principal amount for each 1% decrease in the value of the Basket of more than 10%, and you may lose up to 90% of your initial investment. Any payments on the Notes are subject to our credit risk.
Issue Date: July 6, 2017
Maturity Date: July 5, 2019
The Notes do not pay interest. The Notes will not be listed on any securities exchange.
Investing in the Notes involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-1 of the prospectus supplement dated January 8, 2016, “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” beginning on page PS-4 of the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016, and “Selected Risk Considerations” beginning on page P-6 of this pricing supplement.
The Notes will not constitute deposits insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other Canadian or U.S. government agency or instrumentality.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined that this pricing supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Per Note
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Total
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Price to public
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100.00%
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$20,098,000
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Underwriting discounts and commissions
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0.00%
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$0
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Proceeds to Royal Bank of Canada
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100.00%
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$20,098,000
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The initial estimated value of the Notes as of the date of this pricing supplement is $989.40 per $1,000 in principal amount, which is less than the price to public. The actual value of the Notes at any time will reflect many factors, cannot be predicted with accuracy, and may be less than this amount. We describe our determination of the initial estimated value in more detail below.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC, which we refer to as RBCCM, acting as agent for Royal Bank of Canada, did not receive a commission in connection with the sale of the Notes. See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)” on page P-20 below.
SUMMARY
The information in this “Summary” section is qualified by the more detailed information set forth in this pricing supplement, the product prospectus supplement, the prospectus supplement, and the prospectus.
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Issuer:
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Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”)
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Issue:
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Senior Global Medium-Term Notes, Series G
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Underwriter:
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RBC Capital Markets, LLC (“RBCCM”)
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Reference
Asset:
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The Notes are linked to the level of a weighted basket (the “Basket”) of 3 equity indices (each, a “Basket Component,” collectively, the “Basket Components”). The Basket Components and their respective Component Weights are indicated in the table below.
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Currency:
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U.S. Dollars
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Denominations:
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$1,000 and minimum denominations of $1,000 in excess thereof
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Pricing Date:
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June 30, 2017
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Issue Date:
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July 6, 2017
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CUSIP:
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78012KX36
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Valuation Date:
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July 1, 2019
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Payment at
Maturity
(if held to
maturity):
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If the Percentage Change is positive, then the investor will receive an amount equal to:
Principal Amount + (Principal Amount x Percentage Change x Leverage Factor)
If the Percentage Change is less than or equal to 0%, but greater than or equal to -10% (that is, the Percentage Change is between 0% and -10%), then the investor will receive the principal amount.
If the Percentage Change is less than -10% (that is, the Percentage Change is between -10.01% and -100%), then the investor will receive a cash payment equal to:
Principal Amount + [Principal Amount x (Percentage Change + Buffer Amount)]
In this case, the payment on the Notes will be less than the principal amount, and you will lose up to 90% of the principal amount.
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Percentage
Change:
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The Percentage Change, expressed as a percentage and rounded to two decimal places, will be equal to the sum of the Weighted Component Change for each Basket Component. The Weighted Component Change for each Basket Component will be determined as follows:
Component Weight x
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Leverage
Factor:
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153.40%
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Initial Level:
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With respect to each Basket Component, its closing level on the Pricing Date, as indicated below.
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Final Level:
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With respect to each Basket Component, its closing level on the Valuation Date.
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The Basket:
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Basket Component
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Bloomberg Ticker
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Component Weight
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Initial Level*
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EURO STOXX 50® Index
(the “SX5E”)
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SX5E
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60%
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3,441.88
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FTSE® 100 Index (the “UKX”)
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UKX
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25%
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7,312.72
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Swiss Market Index (the “SMI”)
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SMI
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15%
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8,906.89
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* The Initial Level for each Basket Component was its closing level on the Pricing Date.
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Maturity Date:
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July 5, 2019, subject to extension for market and other disruptions, as described in the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016.
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Term:
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2 years
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Principal at
Risk:
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The Notes are NOT principal protected. You will lose up to 90% of your principal amount at maturity if the Percentage Change of the Basket is less than -10%.
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Calculation
Agent:
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RBCCM
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U.S. Tax
Treatment:
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By purchasing a Note, each holder agrees (in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary) to treat the Note as a pre-paid cash-settled derivative contract in respect of the Basket for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the Notes are uncertain and the Internal Revenue Service could assert that the Notes should be taxed in a manner that is different from that described in the preceding sentence. Please see “Supplemental Discussion of
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below and the discussion (including the opinion of our counsel Morrison & Foerster LLP) in the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016 under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” which applies to the Notes.
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Secondary
Market:
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RBCCM (or one of its affiliates), though not obligated to do so, plans to maintain a secondary market in the Notes after the Issue Date. The amount that you may receive upon sale of your Notes prior to maturity may be less than the principal amount of your Notes.
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Listing:
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The Notes will not be listed on any securities exchange.
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Clearance and
Settlement:
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DTC global (including through its indirect participants Euroclear and Clearstream, Luxembourg as described under “Description of Debt Securities—Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance” in the prospectus dated January 8, 2016).
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Terms
Incorporated in
the Master
Note:
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All of the terms appearing above the item captioned “Secondary Market” on pages P-2 and P-3 of this pricing supplement and the terms appearing under the caption “General Terms of the Notes” in the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016, as modified by this pricing supplement.
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ADDITIONAL TERMS OF YOUR NOTES
You should read this pricing supplement together with the prospectus dated January 8, 2016, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement dated January 8, 2016 and the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016, relating to our Senior Global Medium-Term Notes, Series G, of which these Notes are a part. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this pricing supplement will have the meanings given to them in the product prospectus supplement. In the event of any conflict, this pricing supplement will control. The Notes vary from the terms described in the product prospectus supplement in several important ways. You should read this pricing supplement carefully.
This pricing supplement, together with the documents listed below, contains the terms of the Notes and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral statements as well as any other written materials including preliminary or indicative pricing terms, correspondence, trade ideas, structures for implementation, sample structures, brochures or other educational materials of ours. You should carefully consider, among other things, the matters set forth in “Risk Factors” in the prospectus supplement dated January 8, 2016, “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” in the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016 and “Selected Risk Considerations” in this pricing supplement, as the Notes involve risks not associated with conventional debt securities. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisors before you invest in the Notes. You may access these documents on the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) website at www.sec.gov as follows (or if that address has changed, by reviewing our filings for the relevant date on the SEC website):
Prospectus dated January 8, 2016:
Prospectus Supplement dated January 8, 2016:
Product Prospectus Supplement ERN-EI-1 dated January 12, 2016:
Our Central Index Key, or CIK, on the SEC website is 1000275. As used in this pricing supplement, “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to Royal Bank of Canada.
HYPOTHETICAL RETURNS
The examples set out below are included for illustration purposes only. The hypothetical Percentage Changes of the Basket used to illustrate the calculation of the Payment at Maturity are not estimates or forecasts of the level of any Basket Component on any trading day prior to the Maturity Date. All examples are based on the Buffer Amount of 10% and the Leverage Factor of 153.40%, and assume that a holder purchased Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $1,000 and that no market disruption event occurs on the Valuation Date.
Example 1—
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Calculation of the Payment at Maturity where the Percentage Change is positive.
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Percentage Change:
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10%
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Payment at Maturity:
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$1,000 + ($1,000 x 10% x 153.40%) = $1,000 + $153.40 = $1,153.40
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On a $1,000 investment, a 10% Percentage Change results in a Payment at Maturity of $1,153.40, a 15.34% return on the Notes.
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Example 2—
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Calculation of the Payment at Maturity where the Percentage Change is negative (but greater than or equal to -10%).
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|
Percentage Change:
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-5%
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|
Payment at Maturity:
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$1,000
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On a $1,000 investment, a -5% Percentage Change results in a Payment at Maturity of $1,000, a 0% return on the Notes.
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Example 3—
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Calculation of the Payment at Maturity where the Percentage Change is less than -10%.
|
|
Percentage Change: |
-40%
|
|
Payment at Maturity:
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$1,000 + [$1,000 x (-40% + 10%)] = $1,000 - $300 = $700
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|
On a $1,000 investment, a -40% Percentage Change results in a Payment at Maturity of $700, a -30% return on the Notes.
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SELECTED RISK CONSIDERATIONS
An investment in the Notes involves significant risks. Investing in the Notes is not equivalent to investing directly in any of the securities included in any Basket Component. These risks are explained in more detail in the section “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes,” beginning on page PS-4 of the product prospectus supplement. In addition to the risks described in the prospectus supplement and the product prospectus supplement, you should consider the following:
· |
Principal at Risk - Investors in the Notes will lose up to 90% of their principal amount if the Percentage Change of the Basket is less than -10%. In such a case, you will lose one percent of the principal amount of your Notes for each 1% that the value of the Basket decreases by more than the Buffer Amount from the Pricing Date to the Valuation Date.
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· |
The Notes Do Not Pay Interest and Your Return May Be Lower than the Return on a Conventional Debt Security of Comparable Maturity - There will be no periodic interest payments on the Notes as there would be on a conventional fixed-rate or floating-rate debt security having the same maturity. The return that you will receive on the Notes, which could be negative, may be less than the return you could earn on other investments. Even if your return is positive, your return may be less than the return you would earn if you bought a conventional senior interest bearing debt security of Royal Bank.
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· |
Payments on the Notes Are Subject to Our Credit Risk, and Changes in Our Credit Ratings Are Expected to Affect the Market Value of the Notes - The Notes are Royal Bank’s senior unsecured debt securities. As a result, your receipt of the amount due on the Maturity Date is dependent upon Royal Bank’s ability to repay its obligations at that time. This will be the case even if the value of the Basket increases after the Pricing Date. No assurance can be given as to what our financial condition will be at the maturity of the Notes.
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· |
There May Not Be an Active Trading Market for the Notes—Sales in the Secondary Market May Result in Significant Losses - There may be little or no secondary market for the Notes. The Notes will not be listed on any securities exchange. RBCCM and other affiliates of Royal Bank may make a market for the Notes; however, they are not required to do so. RBCCM or any other affiliate of Royal Bank may stop any market-making activities at any time. Even if a secondary market for the Notes develops, it may not provide significant liquidity or trade at prices advantageous to you. We expect that transaction costs in any secondary market would be high. As a result, the difference between bid and asked prices for your Notes in any secondary market could be substantial.
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· |
You Will Not Have Any Rights to the Securities Included in the Basket Components - As a holder of the Notes, you will not have voting rights or rights to receive cash dividends or other distributions or other rights that holders of securities included in a Basket Component would have. The Final Levels of the Basket Components will not reflect any dividends paid on the securities included in the Basket Components, and accordingly, any positive return on the Notes may be less than the potential positive return on those securities.
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· |
The Initial Estimated Value of the Notes Is Less than the Price to the Public - The initial estimated value set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement does not represent a minimum price at which we, RBCCM or any of our affiliates would be willing to purchase the Notes in any secondary market (if any exists) at any time. If you attempt to sell the Notes prior to maturity, their market value may be lower than the price you paid for them and the initial estimated value. This is due to, among other things, changes in the value of the Basket, the borrowing rate we pay to issue securities of this kind, and the inclusion in the price to the public of the underwriting discount and the estimated costs relating to our hedging of the Notes. These factors, together with various credit, market and economic factors over the term of the Notes, are expected to reduce the price at which you may be able to sell the Notes in any secondary market and will affect the value of the Notes in complex and unpredictable ways. Assuming no change in market conditions or any other relevant factors, the price, if any, at which you may be able to sell your Notes prior to maturity may be less than your original purchase price, as any such sale price would not be expected to include the underwriting discount and the hedging costs relating to the Notes. In addition to bid-ask spreads, the value of the Notes determined for any secondary market price is expected to be based on the secondary rate rather than the internal funding rate used to price the Notes and determine the initial estimated value. As a result, the secondary price will be less than if the internal funding rate was used. The Notes are not designed to be short-term trading instruments. Accordingly, you should be able and willing to hold your Notes to maturity.
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· |
The Initial Estimated Value of the Notes on the Cover Page Is an Estimate Only, Calculated as of the Time the Terms of the Notes Were Set - The initial estimated value of the Notes is based on the value of our obligation to make the payments on the Notes, together with the mid-market value of the derivative embedded in the terms of the Notes. See “Structuring the Notes” below. Our estimate is based on a variety of assumptions, including our credit spreads, expectations as to dividends, interest rates and volatility, and the expected term of the Notes. These assumptions are based on certain forecasts about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. Other entities may value the Notes or similar securities at a price that is significantly different than we do.
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The value of the Notes at any time after the Pricing Date will vary based on many factors, including changes in market conditions, and cannot be predicted with accuracy. As a result, the actual value you would receive if you sold the Notes in any secondary market, if any, should be expected to differ materially from the initial estimated value of your Notes.
· |
Changes in the Level of One Basket Component May Be Offset by Changes in the Level of the Other Basket Components - A change in the level of one Basket Component may not correlate with changes in the levels of the other Basket Components. The level of one Basket Component may increase, while the level of one or more of the other Basket Components may not increase as much, or may even decrease. Therefore, in determining the value of the Basket as of any time, increases in the level of one Basket Component may be moderated, or wholly offset, by lesser increases or decreases in the level of the other Basket Components. Because of their greater basket weightings, decreases in the levels of the SX5E and/or the UKX will have a particularly adverse effect upon the value of the Notes.
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· |
An Investment in the Notes Is Subject to Risks Relating to Non-U.S. Securities Markets - Because foreign companies or foreign equity securities included in the SX5E, the UKX and the SMI are publicly traded in the applicable foreign countries and are denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars, an investment in the securities involves particular risks. For example, the non-U.S. securities markets may be more volatile than the U.S. securities markets, and market developments may affect these markets differently from the U.S. or other securities markets. Direct or indirect government intervention to stabilize the securities markets outside the U.S., as well as cross-shareholdings in certain companies, may affect trading prices and trading volumes in those markets. Also, the public availability of information concerning the foreign issuers may vary depending on their home jurisdiction and the reporting requirements imposed by their respective regulators. In addition, the foreign issuers may be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements that differ from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies.
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The securities included in the SX5E are issued by companies located within the Eurozone, which is and has been undergoing severe financial stress, and the political, legal and regulatory ramifications are impossible to predict. Changes within the Eurozone could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the SX5E and, consequently, on the value of the Notes.
· |
Market Disruption Events and Adjustments - The Payment at Maturity and the Valuation Date are subject to adjustment as described in the product prospectus supplement. For a description of what constitutes a market disruption event as well as the consequences of that market disruption event, see “General Terms of the Notes—Market Disruption Events” in the product prospectus supplement.
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INFORMATION REGARDING THE REFERENCE INDICES
All disclosures contained in this pricing supplement regarding the Basket Components, including, without limitation, their make-up, method of calculation, and changes in their components, have been derived from publicly available sources prepared by the sponsors of the Basket Components. Such information reflects the policies of, and is subject to change by the sponsors. The sponsors have no obligation to continue to publish, and may discontinue publication of, the Basket Components. The consequences of the index sponsors discontinuing publication of the Basket Components are discussed in the section of the product prospectus supplement entitled “General Terms of the Notes—Unavailability of the Level of the Reference Asset on a Valuation Date.” Neither we nor RBCCM accepts any responsibility for the calculation, maintenance or publication of any Basket Component or any successor index.
EURO STOXX 50® Index (“SX5E”)
The SX5E
The SX5E was created by STOXX, a subsidiary of Deutsche Börse AG. Publication of the SX5E began in February 1998, based on an initial index level of 1,000 at December 31, 1991.
Composition and Maintenance
The SX5E is composed of 50 component stocks of market sector leaders from within the 19 EURO STOXX® Supersector indices, which represent the Eurozone portion of the STOXX Europe 600® Supersector indices.
The composition of the SX5E is reviewed annually, based on the closing stock data on the last trading day in August. The component stocks are announced on the first trading day in September. Changes to the component stocks are implemented on the third Friday in September and are effective the following trading day. Changes in the composition of the SX5E are made to ensure that the SX5E includes the 50 market sector leaders from within the SX5E.
The free float factors for each component stock used to calculate the SX5E, as described below, are reviewed, calculated, and implemented on a quarterly basis and are fixed until the next quarterly review.
The SX5E is also reviewed on an ongoing basis. Corporate actions (including initial public offerings, mergers and takeovers, spin-offs, delistings, and bankruptcy) that affect the SX5E composition are immediately reviewed. Any changes are announced, implemented, and effective in line with the type of corporate action and the magnitude of the effect.
Calculation of the SX5E
The SX5E is calculated with the “Laspeyres formula,” which measures the aggregate price changes in the component stocks against a fixed base quantity weight. The formula for calculating the SX5E value can be expressed as follows:
SX5E =
|
Free float market capitalization of the SX5E
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x 1,000
|
Adjusted base date market capitalization of the SX5E
|
The “free float market capitalization of the SX5E” is equal to the sum of the products of the closing price, market capitalization, and free float factor for each component stock as of the time the SX5E is being calculated.
The SX5E is also subject to a divisor, which is adjusted to maintain the continuity of the SX5E values across changes due to corporate actions, such as the deletion and addition of stocks, the substitution of stocks, stock dividends, and stock splits.
License Agreement
We have entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with STOXX providing for the license to us and certain of our affiliated or subsidiary companies, in exchange for a fee, of the right to use indices owned and published by STOXX (including the SX5E) in connection with certain securities, including the Notes offered hereby.
The license agreement between us and STOXX requires that the following language be stated in this document:
STOXX has no relationship to us, other than the licensing of the SX5E and the related trademarks for use in connection with the Notes. STOXX does not:
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· |
sponsor, endorse, sell, or promote the Notes;
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· |
recommend that any person invest in the Notes offered hereby or any other securities;
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· |
have any responsibility or liability for or make any decisions about the timing, amount, or pricing of the Notes;
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· |
have any responsibility or liability for the administration, management, or marketing of the Notes; or
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· |
consider the needs of the Notes or the holders of the Notes in determining, composing, or calculating the SX5E, or have any obligation to do so.
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STOXX will not have any liability in connection with the Notes. Specifically:
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· |
STOXX does not make any warranty, express or implied, and disclaims any and all warranty concerning:
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|
· |
the results to be obtained by the Notes, the holders of the Notes or any other person in connection with the use of the SX5E and the data included in the SX5E;
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· |
the accuracy or completeness of the SX5E and its data;
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· |
the merchantability and the fitness for a particular purpose or use of the SX5E and its data;
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· |
STOXX will have no liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions in the SX5E or its data; and
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|
· |
Under no circumstances will STOXX be liable for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages or losses, even if STOXX knows that they might occur.
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The licensing agreement between us and STOXX is solely for their benefit and our benefit, and not for the benefit of the holders of the Notes or any other third parties.
Historical Information for the EURO STOXX 50® Index
The graph below sets forth the information relating to the historical performance of the SX5E. In addition, below the graph is a table setting forth the intra-day high, intra-day low and period-end closing levels of the SX5E. The information provided in this table is for the four calendar quarters of 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the first calendar quarter of 2017 and for the period from April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017.
We obtained the information regarding the historical performance of the SX5E in the chart below from Bloomberg Financial Markets.
We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg Financial Markets. The historical performance of the SX5E should not be taken as an indication of its future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the Final Level of the SX5E. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the SX5E will result in any positive return on your initial investment.
Period-Start Date
|
|
Period-End Date
|
|
High Intra-Day Level of SX5E
|
|
Low Intra-Day Level of SX5E
|
|
Period-End Closing Level of SX5E
|
1/1/2013
|
|
3/31/2013
|
|
2,754.80
|
|
2,563.64
|
|
2,624.02
|
4/1/2013
|
|
6/30/2013
|
|
2,851.48
|
|
2,494.54
|
|
2,602.59
|
7/1/2013
|
|
9/30/2013
|
|
2,955.47
|
|
2,539.15
|
|
2,893.15
|
10/1/2013
|
|
12/31/2013
|
|
3,116.23
|
|
2,891.39
|
|
3,109.00
|
1/1/2014
|
|
3/31/2014
|
|
3,185.68
|
|
2,944.13
|
|
3,161.60
|
4/1/2014
|
|
6/30/2014
|
|
3,325.50
|
|
3,083.43
|
|
3,228.24
|
7/1/2014
|
|
9/30/2014
|
|
3,301.15
|
|
2,977.52
|
|
3,225.93
|
10/1/2014
|
|
12/31/2014
|
|
3,278.97
|
|
2,789.63
|
|
3,146.43
|
1/1/2015
|
|
3/31/2015
|
|
3,742.42
|
|
2,998.53
|
|
3,697.38
|
4/1/2015
|
|
6/30/2015
|
|
3,836.28
|
|
3,374.18
|
|
3,424.30
|
7/1/2015
|
|
9/30/2015
|
|
3,714.26
|
|
2,973.16
|
|
3,100.67
|
10/1/2015
|
|
12/31/2015
|
|
3,524.04
|
|
3,036.17
|
|
3,267.52
|
1/1/2016
|
|
3/31/2016
|
|
3,266.01
|
|
2,672.73
|
|
3,004.93
|
4/1/2016
|
|
6/30/2016
|
|
3,156.86
|
|
2,678.27
|
|
2,864.74
|
7/1/2016
|
|
9/30/2016
|
|
3,101.75
|
|
2,742.66
|
|
3,002.24
|
10/1/2016
|
|
12/31/2016
|
|
3,290.52
|
|
2,937.98
|
|
3,290.52
|
1/1/2017
|
|
3/31/2017
|
|
3,500.93
|
|
3,230.68
|
|
3,500.93
|
4/1/2017
|
|
6/30/2017
|
|
3,666.80
|
|
3,407.33
|
|
3,441.88
|
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.
The FTSE® 100 Index
The FTSE® 100 Index (Bloomberg ticker “UKX Index”) is a market capitalization-weighted index of the 100 most highly capitalized U.K.-listed blue chip companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. The FTSE® 100 Index was developed with a base level of 1,000 as of December 30, 1983. It is calculated, published and disseminated by FTSE International Limited (“FTSE”), a company owned by the London Stock Exchange Group Plc (the “Exchange”). Additional information on the FTSE® 100 Index is available from the following website: www.ftse.com/products/indices/uk. We are not incorporating by reference the website or any material it includes in this pricing supplement. FTSE is under no obligation to continue to publish the FTSE® 100 Index and may discontinue publication of the FTSE® 100 Index at any time.
The FTSE® 100 is a market capitalization-weighted index of the 100 most highly capitalized U.K.-listed blue chip companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. FTSE divides the 100 companies included in the FTSE® 100 Index into 19 sectors: Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Basic Resources, Construction & Materials, Industrial Goods & Services, Automobiles & Parts, Food & Beverage, Personal & Household Goods, Health Care, Retail, Media, Travel & Leisure, Telecommunications, Utilities, Banks, Insurance, Real Estate, Financial Services and Technology.
FTSE® 100 Index Composition and Selection Criteria
The FTSE® 100 Index consists of the 100 largest U.K.-listed blue chip companies, based on full market capitalization, that pass screening tests for price and liquidity. The FTSE® 100 Index is reviewed on a quarterly basis in March, June, September and December based on data from the close of business on the Tuesday before the first Friday of the review month. The FTSE Europe, Middle East & Africa Regional Advisory Committee (the “Committee”), meets quarterly to approve the constituents of the index. These meetings are held on the Wednesday before the first Friday in March, June, September and December. Any constituent changes are implemented after the close of business on the third Friday of the review month (i.e., effective Monday), following the expiration of the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange futures and options contracts.
Eligibility Standards
Only “premium listed” equity shares, as defined by the Financial Conduct Authority in its Listing Rules Sourcebook, are eligible for inclusion in the FTSE® 100 Index. Eligible stocks must pass price and liquidity screens before being included in the index. Additionally, a stock must have a free float (as described below) of greater than 5%.
Price Screen — With regard to the price screen, the Committee must be satisfied that an accurate and reliable price exists for purposes of determining the market value of a company. To be eligible for inclusion in the FTSE® 100 Index, a stock must have a full listing on the London Stock Exchange with a Sterling-denominated price on SETS (SETS is the London Stock Exchange’s trading service for UK blue chip securities).
Liquidity Screen — With regard to liquidity, each eligible stock is tested for liquidity annually in June by calculating its median daily trading per month. When calculating the median of daily trades per month of any security, a minimum of five trading days in each month must exist, otherwise the month is excluded from the test. Liquidity is tested from the first business day in May of the previous year to the last business day of April. The median trade is calculated by ranking each daily trade total and selecting the middle-ranking day. Any period of suspension is not included in the test. The liquidity test is applied on a pro-rata basis where the testing period is less than 12 months. A stock not presently included in the FTSE® 100 Index that does not turnover at least 0.025% of its shares in issue (after application of any investability weightings) based on its median daily trade per month in at least ten of the 12 months prior to the annual index review in June will not be eligible for inclusion until the next annual review. An existing constituent failing to trade at least 0.015% of its shares in issue (after the application of any investability weightings) based on its median daily trade per month for at least eight of the 12 months prior to the annual index review will be removed from the FTSE® 100 Index and will not be eligible for inclusion until the next annual review. New issues will become eligible for inclusion in the index at the quarterly review following their issuance provided that they have a minimum trading record of at least 20 trading days prior to the review date and that they have turned over at least 0.025% of their shares in issue (after the application of any investability weightings) based on their median daily trade per month since listing.
Market Capitalization Ranking — Eligible stocks that pass the price and liquidity screens are ranked by the Committee according to their market capitalization before the application of any adjustments based on the extent to which the shares are publicly traded. Only the quoted equity capital of a constituent company will be included in the calculation of its market capitalization. Where a company has two or more classes of equity, secondary lines will be included in the calculation of the market capitalization of the company only if those lines are significant and liquid. The Committee will add a stock to the FTSE® 100 Index at the quarterly review if it has risen to 90th place or above on the full market capitalization rankings and will delete a stock at the quarterly review if it has fallen to 111th place or below on these rankings. Market capitalization rankings are calculated using data as of the close of business on the day before the review.
100 Constituent Limitation — The FTSE® 100 Index always contains 100 constituents. If a greater number of companies qualify to be inserted in the index than qualify to be removed, the lowest ranking constituents of the index will be removed so that the total number of stocks remains at 100 following inclusion of those that qualify to be inserted. Likewise, if a greater number of companies qualify to be
removed than to be inserted at the quarterly review, securities of the highest ranking companies that are then not included in the FTSE® 100 Index will be inserted to match the number of companies being removed, in order to maintain the total at 100.
Index Calculation
The FTSE® 100 Index is a market capitalization weighted index. This means that the price movement of a larger company (that is, one representing larger percentage of the index) will have a greater effect on the level of the index than will the price movement of a smaller company (that is, one representing a smaller percentage of the index).
The value of the FTSE® 100 Index is represented by a fraction, (a) the numerator of which is the sum of the product of (i) the price of each component stock, (ii) the number of shares issued for each such component and (iii) a free float factor for each such component (described more fully below), and (b) the denominator of which is a divisor. The divisor represents the total issued share capital of the index on the base date; the divisor may be adjusted as necessary to allow for changes in issued share capital of individual securities without distorting the index.
As noted above, a free float factor is applied to each index component. By employing this approach, FTSE uses the investable market capitalization, not the total market capitalization, of each constituent to determine the value of the FTSE® 100 Index. Investable market capitalization depends on free float. The following are excluded from free float: shares directly owned by state, regional, municipal and local governments (excluding shares held by independently managed pension schemes for governments); shares held by sovereign wealth funds where each holding is 10% or greater of the total number of shares in issue (if the holding subsequently decreases below 10%, the shares will be excluded from free float until the holding falls below 7%); shares held by directors, senior executives and managers of the company, and by their family and direct relations, and by companies with which they are affiliated; shares held within employee share plans; shares held by public companies or by non-listed subsidiaries of public companies; shares held by founders, promoters, former directors, founding venture capital and private equity firms, private companies and individuals (including employees) where the holding is 10% or greater of the total number of shares in issue (if the holding subsequently decreases below 10%, the shares will be excluded from free float until the holding falls below 7%); all shares where the holder is subject to a lock-in clause (for the duration of that clause, after which free float changes resulting from the expiration of a lock-in clause will be implemented at the next quarterly review subsequent to there being a minimum of 20 business days between the expiration date of such lock-in clause and the index review date); shares held for publicly announced strategic reasons, including shares held by several holders acting in concert; and shares that are subject to ongoing contractual agreements (such as swaps) where they would ordinarily be treated as restricted.
The FTSE® 100 Index is recalculated whenever errors or distortions occur that are deemed to be significant. Users of the FTSE® 100 Index are notified through appropriate media.
Index Maintenance
The FTSE® 100 Index is reviewed quarterly for changes in free float. A stock’s free float is also reviewed and adjusted if necessary following certain corporate events. Following a takeover or merger involving one or more index constituents, the free float restrictions will be based on restricted holdings in the successor company and will be implemented when the offer has completed (or lapsed) unless it directly reflects a corporate action independent of and not conditional on the takeover or merger completing or lapsing. If the corporate event includes another corporate action that affects the index, a change in free float is implemented at the same time as the corporate action. If there is no corporate action, the change in free float will be applied at the next quarterly review. Following the application of an initial free float restriction, a stock’s free float will only be changed if its rounded free float moves more than three percentage points above or below the existing rounded free float. Companies with a free float of above 99% and of 15% or below will not be subject to the three percentage points threshold.
At each quarterly review, the Committee publishes a Reserve List containing the six highest ranking non-constituents of the FTSE® 100 Index. The Reserve List will be used in the event that one or more constituents are deleted from the index during the period up to the next quarterly review. If a merger or takeover results in one index constituent being absorbed by another constituent, the resulting company will remain a constituent and a vacancy will be created. This vacancy will be filled by selecting the highest ranking security in the Reserve List as at the close of the FTSE® 100 Index calculation two days prior to the deletion and related index adjustment. If an index constituent is taken over by a non-constituent company, the original constituent will be removed and replaced by the highest ranking non-constituent on the Reserve List. Any eligible company resulting from the takeover will be eligible to become the replacement company if it is ranked higher than any other company on the Reserve List. If a constituent company is split to form two or more companies, then the resulting companies will be eligible for inclusion as FTSE® 100 Index constituents, based on their respective full market capitalizations (before the application of any investability weightings), provided that they qualify in all other respects. Any eligible company resulting from a split that has no available market price after 20 business days will be removed. If a split results in the inclusion of an ineligible non-equity security, such security will remain in the FTSE® 100 Index for two trading days and then be removed. If a constituent is delisted or ceases to have a firm quotation, it will be removed from the list of constituents and be replaced by the highest ranking eligible company from the Reserve List as at the close of the index calculation two days prior to the deletion.
Capitalization Adjustments
A premium listed secondary line of a company will be considered for index inclusion if its total market capitalization before the application of any adjustments based on the extent to which the shares are publicly traded, is greater than 25% of the total market
capitalization of the company’s principal line and the secondary line is eligible, in its own right. Should the total market capitalization of a secondary line fall below 20% of the total market capitalization of the company’s principal line at an annual review, the secondary line will be deleted from the FTSE® 100 Index unless its total market capitalization remains above the qualification level for continued inclusion as a constituent of the FTSE® 100 Index at that review. Where a company has partly paid shares, these shares, together with the outstanding call(s), are both included in the FTSE® 100 Index. Warrants to purchase ordinary shares and convertible securities are not included in the FTSE® 100 Index until they are exercised or converted.
Share Weighting Changes — For the purposes of computing the FTSE® 100 Index, the number of shares in issue for each constituent security is expressed to the nearest share and, to prevent a large number of insignificant weighting changes, the number of shares in issue for each constituent security is amended only when the total shares in issue held within the index system changes by more than 1% on a cumulative basis. Changes will be made quarterly after the close of business on the third Friday of March, June, September and December. The data for these changes will be taken from the close of business on the third Wednesday of the month prior to the review month.
If a corporate action is applied to a constituent which involves a change in the number of shares in issue, the change in shares will be applied simultaneously with the corporate action. If accumulated changes in the number of shares in issue add up to 10% or more or when an accumulated share change represents $2 billion of a company’s total market capitalization, they are implemented between quarters. If an adjustment is made, it will be applied for the first time at the next review in March of the following year. All adjustments are made before the start of the index calculation on the day concerned, unless market conditions prevent this.
Shares in Issue Increase — When a company increases the number of shares it has in issue, the market capitalization of that company increases and the total market capitalization will rise accordingly. The index divisor is adjusted to maintain a constant index value.
Weighting Amendments — The market capitalization of a company is adjusted to take account of various corporate actions. To prevent the value of the FTSE® 100 Index from changing due to such an event, all corporate actions which affect the market capitalization of the FTSE® 100 Index require an offsetting divisor adjustment. By adjusting the divisor, the value of the FTSE® 100 Index remains constant before and after the event. Below is a summary of the more frequent corporate actions and their resulting adjustment.
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Type of Corporate Action
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Adjustment
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Adjustment to Divisor
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Issue of new shares
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Share weighting increased
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Yes
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Share repurchase
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Share weighting decreased
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Yes
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Bonus issued or stock split
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Share weighting multiplied by four. Share price divided by four
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No
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Rights Issues — A rights issue is where a company raises new capital by offering shareholders additional shares at a set ratio with a discount to the market price. The rights become attached to the shares on a set date—the ex-date. On this date, the price of the company’s underlying shares will fall by the value of the rights. The effect of the rights issue is to increase the market capitalization of the company by the value of the additional shares created by the rights issue less the value of the fall in the share price. The share weighting of the company and index divisor are also adjusted to prevent the index falling in line with the reduction in the share price on the ex-date.
In the event that the market price is equal to or below the rights offer price at the close of business immediately before trading ex-dividend, no adjustments will be made. In this circumstance, any resulting new shares will only be added to the index weighting once the take-up proportion is known and together with any associated change to the company’s free float. If the rights issue is highly dilutive and the ratio is greater than ten to one, FTSE will include the new shares on a separate temporary line to reflect the market value of the right (together with a temporary line fixed at the value of the outstanding rights subscription price) until the end of the subscription period, at which point the temporary lines will be deleted and the new shares will be merged into the existing share line. In the event the rights issue involves non-equity and the value of the right cannot be determined, there will be no adjustment to the parent stock on the ex-date. The rights line will be included in the index at a value of zero on the ex-date (with no inclusion of the cash call value). If the rights line trades, it will be deleted at the market price after two days. If it does not trade, it will be deleted at a value of zero.
Market Disruption
If there is a system problem or situation in the market that is judged by FTSE to affect the quality of the constituent prices at any time when an index is being calculated, the index will be declared indicative (e.g. normally where a “fast market” exists in the equity market). The message “IND” will be displayed against the index value calculated by FTSE. The Committee must be satisfied that an accurate and reliable price for the purposes of determining the market value of a company exists. The Committee may exclude a security from the FTSE® 100 Index should it consider that an “accurate and reliable” price is not available.
If any event leads to an error in the index value of the FTSE® 100 Index that is greater than three basis points at the local country index level, then the FTSE® 100 Index will generally be recalculated, subject to discovery, within one month of the event. Where an alternative approach is available, FTSE may, at its sole discretion, choose not to recalculate.
Historical Information for the FTSE® 100 Index
The graph below sets forth the information relating to the historical performance of the UKX. In addition, below the graph is a table setting forth the intra-day high, intra-day low and period-end closing levels of the UKX. The information provided in this table is for the four calendar quarters of 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the first calendar quarter of 2017, and for the period from April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017.
We obtained the information regarding the historical performance of the UKX in the chart below from Bloomberg Financial Markets.
We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg Financial Markets. The historical performance of the UKX should not be taken as an indication of its future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the Final Level of the UKX. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the UKX will result in any positive return on your initial investment.
Period Start Date
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Period End Date
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High Intra-Day Level
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Low Intra-Day Level
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Period-End Closing Level
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1/1/2013
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3/31/2013
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4,675.68
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3,460.71
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3,926.14
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4/1/2013
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6/30/2013
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4,520.82
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3,838.22
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4,249.21
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7/1/2013
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9/30/2013
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5,190.00
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4,096.08
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5,133.90
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10/1/2013
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12/31/2013
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5,445.17
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4,954.98
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5,397.86
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1/1/2014
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3/31/2014
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5,742.75
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5,033.01
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5,679.64
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4/1/2014
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6/30/2014
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5,833.73
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4,898.49
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4,916.87
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7/1/2014
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9/30/2014
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5,650.33
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4,790.04
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5,548.62
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10/1/2014
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12/31/2014
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6,021.46
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5,519.19
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5,971.01
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1/1/2015
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3/31/2015
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6,105.77
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5,591.59
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5,908.76
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4/1/2015
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6/30/2015
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6,103.73
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5,644.38
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5,945.71
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6/1/2015
|
9/30/2015
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6,084.08
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4,791.01
|
5,128.48
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10/1/2015
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12/31/2015
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5,747.33
|
4,868.60
|
5,572.28
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1/1/2016
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3/31/2016
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5,989.07
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5,572.28
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5,768.45
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4/1/2016
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6/30/2016
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6,504.33
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5,788.74
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6,504.33
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7/1/2016
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9/30/2016
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6,955.34
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6,432.47
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6,899.33
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10/1/2016
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12/31/2016
|
7,142.83
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6,676.56
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7,142.83
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1/1/2017
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3/31/2017
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7,447.00
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7,093.57
|
7,322.92
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4/1/2017
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6/30/2017
|
7,598.99
|
7,096.83
|
7,312.72
|
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.
The Swiss Market Index (“SMI”)
The Swiss Market Index (Bloomberg ticker “SMI Index”):
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· |
was first launched with a base level of 1,500 as of June 30, 1988; and
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· |
is sponsored, calculated, published and disseminated by SIX Group Ltd., certain of its subsidiaries, and the Management Committee of the SIX Swiss Exchange (the “SIX Exchange”).
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The Swiss Market Index is a price return float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index of the 20 largest stocks traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange. The Management Committee of SIX Swiss Exchange is supported by an Index Commission (advisory board) in all index-related matters, notably in connection with changes to the index rules and adjustments, additions and exclusions outside of the established review and acceptance period. The Index Commission meets at least twice annually.
Sector designations are determined by the index sponsor using criteria it has selected or developed. Index sponsors may use very different standards for determining sector designations. In addition, many companies operate in a number of sectors, but are listed in only one sector and the basis on which that sector is selected may also differ. As a result, sector comparisons between indices with different index sponsors may reflect differences in methodology as well as actual differences in the sector composition of the indices.
Index Composition and Selection Criteria
The Swiss Market Index is comprised of the 20 highest ranked stocks traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange that have a free float of 20% or more and that are not investment companies. The equity universe is largely Swiss domestic companies; however, in some cases, foreign issuers with a primary listing on the Swiss Stock Exchange or investment companies that do not hold any shares of any other eligible company and that have a primary listing on the Swiss Stock Exchange may be included.
The ranking of each security is determined by a combination of the following criteria:
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· |
average free-float market capitalization (compared to the capitalization of the entire Swiss Stock Exchange index family), and
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· |
cumulative on order book turnover (compared to the total turnover of the Swiss Stock Exchange index family).
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Each of these two factors is assigned a 50% weighting in ranking the stocks eligible for the Swiss Market Index.
The Swiss Market Index is reconstituted annually after prior notice of at least two months on the third Friday in September after the close of trading.
The reconstitution is based on data from the previous July 1 through June 30. Provisional interim selection (ranking) lists are also published following the end of the third, fourth and first financial quarters.
In order to reduce turnover, an index constituent will not be replaced unless it is ranked below 23 or, if it is ranked 21 or 22, if another share ranks 18 or higher. If a company has primary listings on several exchanges and less than 50% of that company’s total turnover is generated on the Swiss Stock Exchange, it will not be included in the Swiss Market Index unless it ranks at least 18 or better on the selection list on the basis of its turnover alone (i.e., without considering its free float).
Index Maintenance
Constituent Changes. In the case of major market changes as a result of capital events such as mergers or new listings, the Management Committee of SIX Swiss Exchange can decide at the request of the Index Commission that a security should be admitted to the Swiss Market Index outside the annual review period as long as it clearly fulfills the criteria for inclusion. For the same reasons, a security can also be excluded if the requirements for admission to the Swiss Market Index are no longer fulfilled. As a general rule, extraordinary acceptances into the Swiss Market Index take place after a three-month period on a quarterly basis after the close of trading on the third Friday of March, June, September and December (for example, a security listed on or before the fifth trading day prior to the end of November cannot be included until the following March). An announced insolvency is deemed to be an extraordinary event and the security will be removed from the Swiss Market Index with five trading days’ prior notice if the circumstances permit such notice.
Number of Shares and Free Float. The securities included in the Swiss Market Index are weighted according to their free float. This means that shares deemed to be in firm hands are subtracted from the total market capitalization of that company. The free float is calculated on the basis of outstanding shares. Issued and outstanding equity capital is, as a rule, the total amount of equity capital that has been fully subscribed and wholly or partially paid in and documented in the Commercial Register. Not counting as issued and outstanding equity capital are the approved capital and the conditional capital of a company. The free float is calculated on the basis of listed shares only. If a company offers several different categories of listed participation rights, each is treated separately for purposes of index calculation.
Shares held deemed to be in firm hands are shareholdings that have been acquired by one person or a group of persons in companies domiciled in Switzerland and which, upon exceeding 5%, have been reported to the SIX Exchange. Shares of persons and groups of persons who are subject to a shareholder agreement which is binding for more than 5% of the listed shares or who, according to publicly known facts, have a long-term interest in a company, are also deemed to be in firm hands.
For the calculation of the number of shares in firm hands, the SIX Exchange may also use other sources than the reports submitted to it. In particular, the SIX Exchange may use data gained from issuer surveys that it conducts itself.
In general, shares held by custodian nominees, trustee companies, investment funds, pension funds and investment companies are deemed free-floating regardless whether a report has been made to the SIX Exchange. The SIX Exchange classifies at its own discretion persons and groups of persons who, because of their area of activity or the absence of important information, cannot be clearly assigned.
The free-float rule applies only to bearer shares and registered shares. Capital issued in the form of participation certificates (“Partizipationsscheine”) and bonus certificates (“Genussscheine”) is taken into full account in calculating the Swiss Market Index because it does not confer voting rights.
The number of securities in the Swiss Market Index and the free-float factors are adjusted after the close of trading on four adjustment dates per year, the third Friday of March, June, September and December. Such changes are pre-announced at least one month before the adjustment date, although the index sponsor reserves the right to take account of recent changes before the adjustment date in the actual adjustment, so the definite new securities are announced five trading days before the adjustment date.
In order to avoid frequent slight changes to the weighting and to maintain the stability of the Swiss Market Index, any extraordinary change of the total number of outstanding securities or the free float will only result in an extraordinary adjustment if it exceeds 10% and 5% respectively and is in conjunction with a corporate action.
After a takeover, the index sponsor may, in exceptional cases, adjust the free float of a company upon publication of the end results after a five-day notification period or may exclude the security from the relevant index family. When an insolvency has been announced, an extraordinary adjustment will be made and the affected security will be removed from the Swiss Market Index after five trading days’ notice.
The index sponsor reserves the right to make an extraordinary adjustment, in exceptional cases, without observing the notification period.
Index Calculation
The index sponsor calculates the Swiss Market Index using the “Laspeyres formula,” with a weighted arithmetic mean of a defined number of securities issues. The formula for calculating the index value can be expressed as follows:
Swiss Market Index (SMI®) =
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Free Float Market Capitalization of the Swiss Market Index
Divisor
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The “free float market capitalization of the SMI®” is equal to the sum of the product of the last-paid price, the number of shares, the free-float factor and, if a foreign stock is included, the current CHF exchange rate as of the time the index value is being calculated. The index value is calculated in real time and is updated whenever a trade is made in a component stock. Where any Swiss Market Index component stock price is unavailable on any trading day, the index sponsor will use the last reported price for such component stock. Only prices from the SIX Exchange’s electronic order book are used in calculating the Swiss Market Index.
Divisor Value and Adjustments
The divisor is a technical number used to calculate the index and is adjusted to reflect changes in market capitalization due to corporate events.
Below are common corporate events and their impact on the divisor of the index.
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Event
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Divisor Change?
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|
Regular cash dividend
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No
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Repayments of capital through reduction of a share’s par value
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No
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Special dividends, anniversary bonds and other extraordinary payments that, contrary to the company’s usual dividend policy, are paid out or declared extraordinary.
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Yes
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Share dividends (company’s own shares)
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No
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Share dividend (shares of another company)
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|
Yes
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The index sponsor reserves the right to respond to any other corporate events with divisor adjustments or, in extraordinary circumstances, to depart from the provisions set forth above.
License Agreement
The Securities are not in any way sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by the SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd and the SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd makes no warranty or representation whatsoever, express or implied, either as to the results to be obtained from the use of the Swiss Market Index and/or the figure at which the Swiss Market Index stands at any particular time on any particular day or otherwise. However, the SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd shall not be liable (whether in negligence or otherwise) to any person for any error in the Swiss Market Index and the SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd shall not be under any obligation to advise any person of any error therein.
® SIX Group, SIX Swiss Exchange, SPI, Swiss Performance Index (SPI), SPI EXTRA, SPI ex SLI, SMI, Swiss Market Index (SMI), SMI MID (SMIM), SMI Expanded, SXI, SXI Real Estate, SXI Swiss Real Estate, SXI Life Sciences, SXI Bio+Medtech, SLI, SLI Swiss Leader Index, SBI, SBI Swiss Bond Index, SAR, SAR SWISS AVERAGE RATE, SARON, SCR, SCR SWISS CURRENT RATE, SCRON, SAION, SCION, VSMI and SWX Immobilienfonds Index are trademarks that have been registered in Switzerland and/or abroad by SIX Group Ltd respectively SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd. Their use is subject to a license.
Historical Information for the Swiss Market Index
The graph below sets forth the information relating to the historical performance of the SMI. In addition, below the graph is a table setting forth the intra-day high, intra-day low and period-end closing levels of the SMI. The information provided in this table is for the four calendar quarters of 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the first calendar quarter of 2017 and for the period from April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017.
We obtained the information regarding the historical performance of the SMI in the chart below from Bloomberg Financial Markets.
We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg Financial Markets. The historical performance of the SMI should not be taken as an indication of its future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the Final Level of the SMI. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the SMI will result in any positive return on your initial investment.
Period-Start Date
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Period-End Date
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High Intra-Day Level of SMI
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Low Intra-Day Level of SMI
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Period-End Closing Level of SMI
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1/1/2013
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3/31/2013
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7,874.21
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6,970.80
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|
7,813.67
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4/1/2013
|
|
6/30/2013
|
|
8,411.30
|
|
7,247.25
|
|
7,683.04
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7/1/2013
|
|
9/30/2013
|
|
8,144.53
|
|
7,609.98
|
|
8,022.60
|
10/1/2013
|
|
12/31/2013
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|
8,365.65
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|
7,747.42
|
|
8,202.98
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1/1/2014
|
|
3/31/2014
|
|
8,544.12
|
|
8,053.74
|
|
8,453.82
|
4/1/2014
|
|
6/30/2014
|
|
8,763.98
|
|
8,235.01
|
|
8,554.52
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7/1/2014
|
|
9/30/2014
|
|
8,874.48
|
|
8,183.55
|
|
8,835.14
|
10/1/2014
|
|
12/31/2014
|
|
9,218.68
|
|
7,870.89
|
|
8,983.37
|
1/1/2015
|
|
3/31/2015
|
|
9,397.15
|
|
7,852.83
|
|
9,128.98
|
4/1/2015
|
|
6/30/2015
|
|
9,474.95
|
|
8,727.95
|
|
8,780.91
|
7/1/2015
|
|
9/30/2015
|
|
9,537.90
|
|
8,155.10
|
|
8,513.41
|
10/1/2015
|
|
12/31/2015
|
|
9,080.56
|
|
8,375.31
|
|
8,818.09
|
1/1/2016
|
|
3/31/2016
|
|
8,730.05
|
|
7,425.05
|
|
7,807.89
|
4/1/2016
|
|
6/30/2016
|
|
8,310.88
|
|
7,475.54
|
|
8,020.15
|
7/1/2016
|
|
9/30/2016
|
|
8,351.34
|
|
7,845.89
|
|
8,139.01
|
10/1/2016
|
|
12/31/2016
|
|
8,279.99
|
|
7,585.56
|
|
8,219.87
|
1/1/2017
|
|
3/31/2017
|
|
8,710.26
|
|
8,192.58
|
|
8,658.89
|
4/1/2017
|
|
6/30/2017
|
|
9,148.61
|
|
8,491.61
|
|
8,906.89
|
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCUSSION OF
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
The following disclosure supplements, and to the extent inconsistent supersedes, the discussion in the product prospectus supplement dated January 12, 2016 under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.”
Under Section 871(m) of the Code, a “dividend equivalent” payment is treated as a dividend from sources within the United States. Such payments generally would be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax if paid to a non-U.S. holder. Under U.S. Treasury Department regulations, payments (including deemed payments) with respect to equity-linked instruments (“ELIs”) that are “specified ELIs” may be treated as dividend equivalents if such specified ELIs reference an interest in an “underlying security,” which is generally any interest in an entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes if a payment with respect to such interest could give rise to a U.S. source dividend. However, U.S. Treasury Department regulations provide that withholding on dividend equivalent payments will not apply to specified ELIs that are not delta-one instruments and that are issued before January 1, 2018. Based on our determination that the Notes are not delta-one instruments, non-U.S. holders should not be subject to withholding on dividend equivalent payments, if any, under the Notes. However, it is possible that the Notes could be treated as deemed reissued for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the occurrence of certain events affecting the Basket Components or the Notes (for example, upon a Basket Component rebalancing), and following such occurrence the Notes could be treated as subject to withholding on dividend equivalent payments. Non-U.S. holders that enter, or have entered, into other transactions in respect of the Basket Components or the Notes should consult their tax advisors as to the application of the dividend equivalent withholding tax in the context of the Notes and their other transactions. If any payments are treated as dividend equivalents subject to withholding, we (or the applicable withholding agent) would be entitled to withhold taxes without being required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts so withheld.
SUPPLEMENTAL PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)
Delivery of the Notes will be made against payment for the Notes on July 6, 2017, which is the third (3rd) business day following the Pricing Date (this settlement cycle being referred to as “T+3”). See “Plan of Distribution” in the prospectus dated January 8, 2016. For additional information as to the relationship between us and RBCCM, please see the section “Plan of Distribution—Conflicts of Interest” in the prospectus dated January 8, 2016.
We may use this pricing supplement in the initial sale of the Notes. In addition, RBCCM or another of our affiliates may use this pricing supplement in a market-making transaction in the Notes after their initial sale. Unless we or our agent informs the purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale, this pricing supplement is being used in a market-making transaction.
The value of the Notes shown on your account statement may be based on RBCCM’s estimate of the value of the Notes if RBCCM or another of our affiliates were to make a market in the Notes (which it is not obligated to do). That estimate will be based upon the price that RBCCM may pay for the Notes in light of then prevailing market conditions, our creditworthiness and transaction costs. For a period of approximately 3 months after the Issue Date of the Notes, the value of the Notes that may be shown on your account statement may be higher than RBCCM’s estimated value of the Notes at that time. This is because the estimated value of the Notes will not include our hedging costs and profits; however, the value of the Notes shown on your account statement during that period may be a higher amount, reflecting the addition of RBCCM’s underwriting discount and our estimated costs and profits from hedging the Notes. This excess is expected to decrease over time until the end of this period. After this period, if RBCCM repurchases your Notes, it expects to do so at prices that reflect their estimated value.
STRUCTURING THE NOTES
The Notes are our debt securities, the return on which is linked to the performance of the Basket Components. As is the case for all of our debt securities, including our structured notes, the economic terms of the Notes reflect our actual or perceived creditworthiness at the time of pricing. In addition, because structured notes result in increased operational, funding and liability management costs to us, we typically borrow the funds under these Notes at a rate that is more favorable to us than the rate that we might pay for a conventional fixed or floating rate debt security of comparable maturity. Using this relatively lower implied borrowing rate rather than the secondary market rate, is a factor that reduced the initial estimated value of the Notes at the time their terms were set. Unlike the estimated value included in this pricing supplement, any value of the Notes determined for purposes of a secondary market transaction may be based on a different funding rate, which may result in a lower value for the Notes than if our initial internal funding rate were used.
In order to satisfy our payment obligations under the Notes, we may choose to enter into certain hedging arrangements (which may include call options, put options or other derivatives) on the Issue Date with RBCCM or one of our other subsidiaries. The terms of these hedging arrangements take into account a number of factors, including our creditworthiness, interest rate movements, the volatility of the Basket Components, and the tenor of the Notes. The economic terms of the Notes and their initial estimated value depend in part on the terms of these hedging arrangements.
The lower implied borrowing rate is a factor that reduced the economic terms of the Notes to you. The initial offering price of the Notes also reflects the underwriting discount and our estimated hedging costs. These factors resulted in the initial estimated value for the Notes on the Pricing Date being less than their public offering price. See “Selected Risk Considerations—The Initial Estimated Value of the Notes Is Less than the Price to the Public” above.
VALIDITY OF THE NOTES
In the opinion of Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, the issue and sale of the Notes has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Bank in conformity with the Indenture, and when the Notes have been duly executed, authenticated and issued in accordance with the Indenture and delivered against payment therefor, the Notes will be validly issued and, to the extent validity of the Notes is a matter governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario or Québec, or the laws of Canada applicable therein, and will be valid obligations of the Bank, subject to equitable remedies which may only be granted at the discretion of a court of competent authority, subject to applicable bankruptcy, to rights to indemnity and contribution under the Notes or the Indenture which may be limited by applicable law; to insolvency and other laws of general application affecting creditors’ rights, to limitations under applicable limitations statutes, and to limitations as to the currency in which judgments in Canada may be rendered, as prescribed by the Currency Act (Canada). This opinion is given as of the date hereof and is limited to the laws of the Provinces of Ontario and Québec and the federal laws of Canada applicable thereto. In addition, this opinion is subject to customary assumptions about the Trustee’s authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture and the genuineness of signatures and certain factual matters, all as stated in the letter of such counsel dated January 8, 2016, which has been filed as Exhibit 5.1 to Royal Bank’s Form 6-K filed with the SEC dated January 8, 2016.
In the opinion of Morrison & Foerster LLP, when the Notes have been duly completed in accordance with the Indenture and issued and sold as contemplated by the prospectus supplement and the prospectus, the Notes will be valid, binding and enforceable obligations of Royal Bank, entitled to the benefits of the Indenture, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability (including, without limitation, concepts of good faith, fair dealing and the lack of bad faith). This opinion is given as of the date hereof and is limited to the laws of the State of New York. This opinion is subject to customary assumptions about the Trustee’s authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture and the genuineness of signatures and to such counsel’s reliance on the Bank and other sources as to certain factual matters, all as stated in the legal opinion dated January 8, 2016, which has been filed as Exhibit 5.2 to the Bank’s Form 6-K dated January 8, 2016.