banks earn commissions when acting as agent. They profit from the spread between the rates at which they buy and sell currency for customers when they act as principal.
Much of the foregoing information is taken from A Foreign Exchange Primer by Shani Shamah (John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2003) and Trading in the
Global Currency Markets by Cornelius Luca (New York Institute of Finance, 2d ed., 2000).
The Euro
In 1998, the European Central Bank in Frankfurt was organized by Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Portugal and Spain to establish a common currency the euro. In 2001, Greece joined as the twelfth country adopting the euro as its national currency. Unlike the U.S. Federal Reserve System, the Bank of Japan and other comparable central
banks, the European Central Bank is a central authority that conducts monetary policy for an economic area consisting of many otherwise largely autonomous states.
At its inception on January 1, 1999, the euro was launched as an electronic currency used by banks, foreign exchange dealers and stock markets. Since
that time, the euro has been the second most widely held international reserve currency after the US dollar. The euro inherited this status from the German mark, and since its introduction, it has increased its standing, mostly at the expense of the
dollar.
In 2002, the euro became cash currency for approximately 300 million citizens of 12 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain). On May 1, 2004, ten additional countries joined the European Union. By January 1, 2015, seven of those ten countries, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Estonia,
Malta, Latvia, and Lithuania, had adopted the Euro. The euro has been adopted by 19 of the European Unions 28 member states.
Although the European
countries that have adopted the euro are members of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden, as well as several other European Union members, are European Union members that have not adopted the euro as their national currency.
The United Kingdom, however, has begun the process of leaving the European Union, and therefore will no longer be eligible to adopt the euro.
Certain of
the foregoing information is taken from the European Commission Website: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/index_en.htm
Investment Attributes of the Trust
The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the price in USD of the euro. The Sponsor
believes that, for many investors, the Shares represent a cost-effective investment relative to traditional means of investing in the foreign exchange market. As the value of the Shares is tied to the value of the euro held by the Trust, it is
important in understanding the investment attributes of the Shares to first understand the investment attributes of the euro.
REASONS FOR INVESTING IN
THE EURO
All forms of investment carry some degree of risk. Although the Shares have certain unique risks described in Risk Factors,
generally these are the same risks as investing directly in the euro. Moreover, investment in the Shares may help to balance a portfolio or protect against currency swings, thereby reducing overall risk.
Investors may wish to invest in the euro in order to take advantage of short-term tactical or long-term strategic opportunities. From a tactical perspective,
an investor that believes that the USD is weakening relative to the euro may choose to buy Shares in order to capitalize on the potential movement. An investor that believes that the euro is overvalued relative to the USD may choose to sell Shares.
Sales may also include short sales that are permitted under SEC and exchange regulations.
From a strategic standpoint, since currency movements can
affect returns on cross-border investments and businesses, both individual investors and businesses may choose to hedge their currency risk through the purchase or sale of euro. For example, in the case where a U.S. investor has a portfolio
consisting of European equity and fixed income securities, the investor may decide to hedge the currency exposure that exists within the European portfolio by selling an appropriate amount of Shares. Again, such sales may include short sales in
accordance with applicable SEC regulations. In doing this, the U.S. investor may be able to mitigate the impact that changes in exchange rates have on the returns associated with European equity and fixed income components of the portfolio.
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