Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)

Registration Statement No. 333-269296

(To Prospectus dated February 13, 2023,

Prospectus Supplement dated February 13, 2023 and Product Supplement No. EQUITY MLI-1 dated March 14, 2024)

 

225,000 Units
$10 principal amount per unit
CUSIP No. 36270M231
img41213650_0.jpg 

Pricing Date
Settlement Date
Maturity Date

August 7, 2024
August 14, 2024
August 14, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

GS Finance Corp.

Medium-Term Notes, Series F

guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index

A Contingent Coupon Payment of $0.275 payable on the applicable Coupon Payment Date if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure, which will be one of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index (each an “Index,” and collectively the “Indices”), on the applicable quarterly Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to 75% of its Starting Value.
Automatically callable if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on any quarterly Call Observation Date, beginning approximately six months after the pricing date, is at or above its Starting Value. If the notes are called, you will receive the principal amount of your notes plus the Contingent Coupon Payment otherwise due on the applicable Call Payment Date. No further amounts will be payable following a call.
If not called, a maturity of approximately two years.
If not called, at maturity, if the level of the Worst-Performing Market Measure has decreased by more than 25%, 1-to-1 downside exposure to decreases in the Worst-Performing Market Measure from its Starting Value, with up to 100% of the principal amount at risk; otherwise, at maturity you will receive the principal amount. At maturity the final Contingent Coupon Payment will also be payable if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on the final Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to 75% of its Starting Value.
The notes are not linked to a basket composed of the Indices. Any depreciation in the level of any Index will not be offset by any appreciation in the level of any other Index.
All payments are subject to the credit risk of GS Finance Corp., as issuer of the notes, and the credit risk of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the notes.
Limited secondary market liquidity, with no exchange listing.

The notes are being issued by GS Finance Corp. (“GSFC”) and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (“GSG”). Investing in the notes involves a number of risks. There are important differences between the notes and a conventional debt security, including different investment risks and certain additional costs. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page TS-9 of this term sheet and page PS-7 of the accompanying product supplement, “Considerations Relating to Indexed Notes” beginning on page S-11 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Considerations Relating to Indexed Securities” beginning on page 103 of the accompanying prospectus.

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date is equal to approximately $9.86 per $10 principal amount. For a discussion of the estimated value and the price at which Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC would initially buy or sell your notes, if it makes a market in the notes, see the following page.

________________________

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this Note Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.

_________________________

 

Per Unit

Total

Public offering price

$ 10.00

$2,250,000

Underwriting discount

$ 0.10

$22,500

Proceeds, before expenses, to GSFC

$ 9.90

$2,227,500

The notes and the related guarantee:

Are Not FDIC Insured

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

May Lose Value

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

August 7, 2024


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Summary

The Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026 (the “notes”) are our senior unsecured debt securities. Payments on the notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by GSG. The notes and the related guarantee are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or secured by collateral. The notes will rank equally in right of payment with all of GSFC’s other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations, except obligations that are subject to any priorities or preferences by law, and the related guarantee will rank equally in right of payment with all of GSG’s other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations, except obligations that are subject to any priorities or preferences by law, and senior to its subordinated obligations. Any payments due on the notes, including any repayment of principal, will be subject to the credit risk of GSFC, as issuer, and GSG, as guarantor. The notes will pay a Contingent Coupon Payment of $0.275 on the applicable Coupon Payment Date if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure (as described below) on the applicable quarterly Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier. The notes will be automatically called if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on any Call Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Call Value. If your notes are called, you will receive the Call Payment on the applicable Call Payment Date, and no further amounts will be payable on the notes. If your notes are not called, at maturity, if the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is less than its Threshold Value, your notes are subject to 1-to-1 downside exposure to decreases in the Worst-Performing Market Measure from its Starting Value, with up to 100% of the principal amount at risk; otherwise you will receive the principal amount. At maturity, the final Contingent Coupon Payment will also be payable if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on the final Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier. All payments on the notes will be calculated based on the $10 principal amount per unit and will depend on the performance of the Worst-Performing Market Measure, subject to our and GSG’s credit risk. See “Terms of the Notes” below.

The economic terms of the notes are based upon certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes. These variables will influence the economic terms of the notes and the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date. In addition, the underwriting discount and costs incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes will reduce the economic terms of the notes and the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date. For more information, see “Risk Factors — Valuation- and Market-related Risks — The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by GS&Co.) is less than the public offering price of your notes.” on page TS-9 of this term sheet.

The issue price, underwriting discount and net proceeds listed above relate to the notes we sell initially. We may decide to sell additional notes after the date of this term sheet, at issue prices and with underwriting discounts and net proceeds that differ from the amounts set forth above. The return (whether positive or negative) on your investment in notes will depend in part on the issue price you pay for such notes.

GS Finance Corp. may use this Note Prospectus in the initial sale of the notes. In addition, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC or any other affiliate of GS Finance Corp. may use this Note Prospectus in a market-making transaction in a note after its initial sale. Unless GS Finance Corp. or its agent informs the purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale, this Note Prospectus is being used in a market-making transaction.

Estimated Value of Your Notes

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) and taking into account our credit spreads) is equal to approximately $9.86 per $10 principal amount, which is less than the public offering price. The value of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted; however, the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise is equal to approximately the estimated value of your notes at the time of pricing, plus an additional amount (initially equal to $0.04 per $10 principal amount).

Prior to November 7, 2024, the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) will equal approximately the sum of (a) the then-current estimated value of your notes (as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models) plus (b) any remaining additional amount (the additional amount will decline to zero on a straight-line basis from the time of pricing through November 6, 2024). On and after November 7, 2024, the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market) will equal approximately the then-current estimated value of your notes determined by reference to such pricing models.

 

Minimum Purchase Amount of Notes Offered Hereby

In connection with the initial offering of the notes, the minimum principal amount of notes that may be purchased by any investor is $250,000.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-2

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Terms of the Notes

 

Company (Issuer):

GS Finance Corp. (“GSFC”)

 

Guarantor:

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (“GSG”)

 

Term:

Approximately two years, if not called.

 

Market Measure:

The Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “SPX”), the MSCI EAFE Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “MXEA”) and the Russell 2000® Index (current Bloomberg symbol: “RTY”) (each an “Index”, and collectively the “Indices”).

 

Worst-Performing Market Measure:

The Index with the lowest Observation Value or Ending Value, as applicable, in each case as compared to its Starting Value, calculated as follows:

With respect to each Index on any Coupon Observation Date or Call Observation Date:

img41213650_1.jpg 

With respect to each Index on the Final Calculation Day:

img41213650_2.jpg 

 

Principal Amount:

$10.00 per unit; $2,250,000 in the aggregate on the settlement date; the aggregate principal amount may be increased if the Company, at its sole option, decides to sell an additional amount on a date subsequent to the pricing date.

Subject to redemption by the Company as provided under “— Automatic Call Feature” below, on the maturity date, in addition to the final Contingent Coupon Payment, if any, the Company will pay, for each $10 of the outstanding principal amount, an amount, if any, in cash equal to the Redemption Amount.

 

Redemption Amount:

If the notes are not automatically called, on the maturity date, in addition to the final Contingent Coupon Payment, if any, the Company will pay, for each $10 of the outstanding principal amount, an amount, if any, in cash equal to:

img41213650_3.jpg 

Automatic Call Feature:

If, as measured on any Call Observation Date, the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is greater than or equal to its Call Value, then the outstanding principal amount will be automatically called in whole and the Company will pay, for each $10 of the outstanding principal amount, an amount in cash on the following Call Payment Date equal to the Call Payment.

Call Payment:

The principal amount plus the Contingent Coupon Payment due on the applicable Call Payment Date.

Coupon Barrier:

S&P 500® Index: 3,899.63, which is 75% of its Starting Value (rounded to the nearest one-hundredth);

MSCI EAFE Index: 1,703.05, which is 75% of its Starting Value (rounded to the nearest one-hundredth); and

Russell 2000® Index: 1,526.333, which is 75% of its Starting Value (rounded to the nearest one-thousandth).

Threshold Value:

S&P 500® Index: 3,899.63, which is 75% of its Starting Value (rounded to the nearest one-hundredth);

MSCI EAFE Index: 1,703.05, which is 75% of its Starting Value (rounded to the nearest one-hundredth); and

Russell 2000® Index: 1,526.333, which is 75% of its Starting Value (rounded to the nearest one-thousandth).

Call Value:

S&P 500® Index: 5,199.50, which is 100% of its Starting Value;

MSCI EAFE Index: 2,270.73, which is 100% of its Starting Value; and

Russell 2000® Index: 2,035.110, which is 100% of its Starting Value.

Contingent Coupon Payments:

Subject to the automatic call feature, the Company will pay, for each $10 of the outstanding principal amount, a Contingent Coupon Payment of $0.275 on the applicable Coupon Payment Date if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on the applicable quarterly Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier.

The Contingent Coupon Payment paid on any Coupon Payment Date will be paid to the person in whose name this note is registered as of the close of business on the Record Date for such Coupon Payment Date.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-3

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

 

If the Contingent Coupon Payment is due at maturity but on a day that is not a Coupon Payment Date, the Contingent Coupon Payment will be paid to the person entitled to receive the principal of this note.

 

Starting Value:

S&P 500® Index: 5,199.50;

MSCI EAFE Index: 2,270.73; and

Russell 2000® Index: 2,035.110.

The Starting Value of each Index is the closing level of such Index on the pricing date.

Ending Value:

With respect to each Index, its closing level on the Final Calculation Day.

Observation Value:

With respect to each Index, its closing level on the applicable Coupon Observation Date or Call Observation Date.

Coupon Observation Dates:

November 7, 2024, February 7, 2025, May 7, 2025, August 7, 2025, November 7, 2025, February 9, 2026, May 7, 2026 and August 7, 2026 (the final Coupon Observation Date), which dates occur quarterly through the final Coupon Observation Date. The scheduled Coupon Observation Dates are subject to postponement in the event of Market Disruption Events and non-Market Measure Business Days, as described beginning on page PS-24 of the accompanying product supplement. For purposes of the accompanying product supplement, each Coupon Observation Date is an “Observation Date”.

Call Observation Dates:

The Coupon Observation Dates beginning on February 7, 2025 and ending on May 7, 2026, subject to adjustment as described under “— Coupon Observation Dates” above.

Final Calculation Day/Maturity Valuation Period:

August 7, 2026 (which will also be the final Coupon Observation Date), subject to postponement in the event of Market Disruption Events and non-Market Measure Business Days, as described beginning on page PS-25 of the accompanying product supplement.

Coupon Payment Dates:

The fifth business day following the applicable Coupon Observation Date, subject to postponement as described beginning on page PS-24 of the accompanying product supplement; provided however, that the Coupon Payment Date related to the final Coupon Observation Date will be the maturity date. For purposes of the accompanying product supplement, each Coupon Payment Date is a “payment date”.

Call Payment Dates:

The Coupon Payment Dates applicable to the relevant Call Observation Dates, subject to adjustment as provided under “— Coupon Payment Dates” above.

Maturity Date:

August 14, 2026, subject to postponement as described beginning on page PS-25 of the accompanying product supplement.

Record Date:

The business day immediately preceding the day on which payment is to be made (as such payment date may be adjusted).

Fees and Charges:

The underwriting discount of $0.10 per unit listed on the cover page.

Calculation Agent:

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. (“GS&Co.”), an affiliate of GSFC.

Authorized Denominations:

$10 or any integral multiple of $10 in excess thereof.

 

Overdue Principal Rate and Overdue Coupon Rate:

The effective Federal Funds rate.

 

Defeasance:

Not applicable.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-4

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Determining Payments on the Notes

Contingent Coupon Payments

The notes will pay a Contingent Coupon Payment on the applicable Coupon Payment Date if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on the applicable quarterly Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier.

Automatic Call Provision

The notes will be called automatically if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on a Call Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Call Value. If the notes are called, you will receive $10 per unit plus the Contingent Coupon Payment otherwise due on the applicable Call Payment Date and no further amounts will be payable on the notes.

img41213650_4.jpg 

 

Redemption Amount Determination

If the notes are not automatically called, on the maturity date, you will receive a cash payment per unit determined as follows:

img41213650_5.jpg 

 

You will receive per unit:

 

img41213650_6.jpg 

The final Contingent Coupon Payment will also be payable if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on the final Coupon Observation Date is greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier.

You will lose all or a significant portion of the principal amount of the notes if the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is less than its Threshold Value. Even with any Contingent Coupon Payments, the return on the notes could be negative.

 

 

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-5

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

The notes are part of the Medium-Term Notes, Series F program of GS Finance Corp. and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. This term sheet constitutes a supplement to the documents listed below, does not set forth all of the terms of your notes and therefore should be read in conjunction with such documents:

 

Product supplement no. EQUITY MLI-1 dated March 14, 2024:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886982/000095017024031710/baml_product_supplement.htm

Prospectus supplement dated February 13, 2023:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886982/000119312523036241/d407224d424b2.htm

These documents (together with this term sheet, the “Note Prospectus”) have been filed as part of a registration statement with the SEC, which may, without cost, be accessed on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”) by calling 1-800-294-1322. Before you invest, you should read the Note Prospectus, including this term sheet, for information about us, GSG and this offering. Any prior or contemporaneous oral statement and any other written materials you may have received are superseded by the Note Prospectus. Certain terms used but not defined in this term sheet have the meanings set forth in the accompanying product supplement.

The information in this term sheet supersedes any conflicting information in the documents listed above. In addition, some of the terms or features described in the listed documents may not apply to your notes.

We refer to the notes we are offering by this term sheet as the “offered notes” or the “notes”. Each of the offered notes has the terms described below. Please note that in this term sheet, references to GS Finance Corp.”, “we”, “our” and “us” mean only GS Finance Corp. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates, references to “The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.”, our parent company, mean only The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates and references to “Goldman Sachs” mean The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. The notes will be issued under the senior debt indenture, dated as of October 10, 2008, as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 20, 2015, each among us, as issuer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. This indenture, as so supplemented and as further supplemented thereafter, is referred to as the “GSFC 2008 indenture” in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

The notes will be issued in book-entry form and represented by master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021. References herein to “final calculation day” shall be deemed to refer to “determination date” in such master note no. 3, dated March 22, 2021.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-6

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Investor Considerations

You may wish to consider an investment in the notes if:

The notes may not be an appropriate investment for you if:

You understand that any payment on the notes will be based solely on the performance of the Worst-Performing Market Measure.
You anticipate that the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure will be greater than or equal to its Coupon Barrier on most or all of the Coupon Observation Dates.
You anticipate that the notes will be automatically called, in which case you accept an early exit from your investment, or, if not automatically called, that the Worst-Performing Market Measure will not decrease from its Starting Value to an Ending Value that is below its Threshold Value.
You accept that the return on the notes will be limited to the return represented by the Contingent Coupon Payments even if the percentage change in the level of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is significantly greater than such return.
You are willing to lose up to 100% of the principal amount if the notes are not called.
You are willing to forgo dividends or other benefits of owning the stocks included in each Index.
You are willing to accept a limited or no market for sales of the notes prior to maturity, and understand that the market prices for the notes, if any, will be affected by various factors, including our and GSG’s actual and perceived creditworthiness, our credit spreads and fees and charges on the notes.
You are willing to assume our credit risk, as issuer of the notes, and GSG’s credit risk, as guarantor of the notes, for all payments under the notes, including the Redemption Amount.
You are unwilling to accept that any payment on the notes will be based solely on the performance of the Worst-Performing Market Measure, regardless of the performance of the other Indices.
You anticipate that the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure will be less than its Coupon Barrier on each or most Coupon Observation Dates.
You wish to make an investment that cannot be automatically called prior to maturity.
You seek an uncapped return on your investment.
You seek principal repayment or preservation of capital.
You want to receive dividends or other distributions paid on the stocks included in any Index.
You seek an investment for which there will be a liquid secondary market.
You are unwilling or are unable to take market risk on the notes, to take our credit risk, as issuer of the notes, or to take GSG’s credit risk, as guarantor of the notes.

We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting, and other advisors before you invest in the notes.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-7

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Examples of Hypothetical Payments at Maturity

The following table is for purposes of illustration only. It assumes that the notes have not been called prior to maturity and is based on hypothetical values and shows hypothetical returns on the notes. The table illustrates the calculation of the Redemption Amount based on the hypothetical terms set forth below. The actual amount you receive and the resulting return will depend on the actual Starting Value, Coupon Barrier, Threshold Value, Call Value, Observation Values and Ending Value of each Index (in particular, of the Worst-Performing Market Measure), whether the notes are automatically called and the term of your investment. The following table does not take into account any tax consequences from investing in the notes. This table is based on the following hypothetical terms:

1)
a Starting Value of 100.00 for the Worst-Performing Market Measure;
2)
a Coupon Barrier of 75.00 for the Worst-Performing Market Measure;
3)
a Threshold Value of 75.00 for the Worst-Performing Market Measure;
4)
an expected term of the notes of approximately two years if the notes are not called on any Call Observation Date;
5)
a Contingent Coupon Payment of $0.275 per unit; and
6)
the Coupon Observation Dates occurring quarterly during the term of the notes.

 

 

Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure

Percentage Change from the Starting Value to the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure

Redemption Amount per Unit(3)

Return on the Notes(4)

0.00

-100.00%

$0.000

-100.00%

20.00

-80.00%

$2.000

-80.00%

30.00

-70.00%

$3.000

-70.00%

40.00

-60.00%

$4.000

-60.00%

50.00

-50.00%

$5.000

-50.00%

74.99

-25.01%

$7.499

-25.01%

75.00(1)

-25.00%

$10.275

2.75%

97.00

-3.00%

$10.275

2.75%

100.00(2)

0.00%

$10.275

2.75%

102.00

2.00%

$10.275

2.75%

105.00

5.00%

$10.275

2.75%

107.00

7.00%

$10.275

2.75%

120.00

20.00%

$10.275

2.75%

150.00

50.00%

$10.275

2.75%

200.00

100.00%

$10.275

2.75%

(1) This is the hypothetical Threshold Value and Coupon Barrier.

(2) The hypothetical Starting Value of 100.00 used in these examples has been chosen for illustrative purposes only, and does not represent a likely actual Starting Value for any Index.

(3) The Redemption Amount per Unit will not exceed the principal amount plus the final Contingent Coupon Payment.

(4) The Return on the notes is calculated based on the Redemption Amount and potential final Contingent Coupon Payment, not including any Contingent Coupon Payments paid prior to maturity.

 

For recent actual levels of the Indices, see “Indices” section below. All payments on the notes are subject to issuer and guarantor credit risk.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-8

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Risk Factors

An investment in your notes is subject to the risks described below, as well as the risks and considerations described under “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-7 of the accompanying product supplement, “Considerations Relating to Indexed Notes” beginning on page S-11 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Considerations Relating to Indexed Securities” beginning on page 103 of the accompanying prospectus. You should carefully review these risks and considerations as well as the more detailed explanation of risks described in the accompanying prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying product supplement. You should also review the terms of the notes described herein and in the accompanying prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying product supplement. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. The notes are not an appropriate investment for you if you are not knowledgeable about significant elements of the notes or financial matters in general. We also urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting, and other advisors before you invest in the notes. Also, your notes are not equivalent to investing directly in the securities included in the Indices to which your notes are linked.

Structure-related Risks

There is no fixed principal repayment amount on the notes at maturity. If the notes are not called and the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is less than its Threshold Value, you will lose up to 100% of the principal amount.
Your investment return is limited to the return represented by the Contingent Coupon Payments, if any, and may be less than a comparable investment directly in the stocks included in any Index. You will not receive a payment on the notes greater than the principal amount plus any Contingent Coupon Payments that may be payable over the term of the notes, regardless of the extent of any increase in the value of the Indices.
Payments on the notes will not reflect changes in the value of the Indices other than on the Coupon Observation Dates, the Call Observation Dates or the Final Calculation Day. As a result, even if the level of the Indices increase during the term of the notes, you will not receive any Contingent Coupon Payments over the term of the notes if the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure on each Coupon Observation Date is less than its Coupon Barrier. Similarly, you will receive a Redemption Amount that is less than the principal amount if the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is less than its Threshold Value on the Final Calculation Day, even if the level of each Index was always greater than its Threshold Value prior to such Final Calculation Day.
You may not receive any Contingent Coupon Payments. If the Observation Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is less than its Coupon Barrier on each Coupon Observation Date, you will not receive any Contingent Coupon Payments over the term of the notes and will not receive a positive return on the notes.
If the notes are called, you will be subject to reinvestment risk, and you will lose the opportunity to receive Contingent Coupon Payments, if any, that otherwise might have been payable after the date of the call.
The notes are subject to the risks of each Index, not a basket composed of the Indices, and will be negatively affected if the level of any Index decreases below its Coupon Barrier as of any Coupon Observation Date or below its Threshold Value on the Final Calculation Day, even if the levels of the other Indices are above their respective Coupon Barrier or Threshold Value as of those days. For example, even if the Observation Value of two of the Indices are greater than their respective Coupon Barriers on a Coupon Observation Date, you will not receive a Contingent Coupon Payment with respect to that Coupon Observation Date if the Observation Value of the other Index is below its Coupon Barrier on that day.
You will not benefit in any way from the performance of the better performing Indices.
Because the notes are linked to more than one Index, as opposed to only one, it is more likely that a Contingent Coupon Payment will not be payable on any given Coupon Payment Date or that the Ending Value of any Index will be less than its Threshold Value on the Final Calculation Day, and consequently, you will not receive a positive return on the notes and will lose some or all of your investment.
You will be subject to risks relating to the relationship between the Indices. The less correlated the Indices, the more likely it is that the Observation Value of one of the Indices will be below its Coupon Barrier as of each Coupon Observation Date or below its Threshold Value on the Final Calculation Day.
Your return on the notes may be less than the yield you could earn by owning a conventional fixed or floating rate debt security of comparable maturity.
Payments on the notes are subject to the credit risk of GSFC, as issuer, and the credit risk of GSG, as guarantor, and any actual or perceived changes in our or GSG’s creditworthiness are expected to affect the value of the notes. If we and GSG become insolvent or are unable to pay our respective obligations, you may lose your entire investment.

Valuation- and Market-related Risks

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by GS&Co.) is less than the public offering price of your notes. The public offering price for your notes exceeds the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date, as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models and taking into account our credit spreads. Such estimated value on the pricing date is set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”; after the pricing date, the estimated value as

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-9

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

determined by reference to these models will be affected by changes in market conditions, the creditworthiness of GSFC, as issuer, the creditworthiness of GSG, as guarantor, and other relevant factors. The price at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell your notes (if GS&Co. makes a market, which it is not obligated to do), and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise, also exceeds the estimated value of your notes as determined by reference to these models. As agreed by GS&Co. and the distribution participants, this excess (i.e., the additional amount described under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”) will decline to zero on a straight line basis over the period from the date hereof through the applicable date set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”. Thereafter, if GS&Co. buys or sells your notes it will do so at prices that reflect the estimated value determined by reference to such pricing models at that time. The price at which GS&Co. will buy or sell your notes at any time also will reflect its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes.

In estimating the value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date, as disclosed above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”, GS&Co.’s pricing models consider certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes. These pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. As a result, the actual value you would receive if you sold your notes in the secondary market, if any, to others may differ, perhaps materially, from the estimated value of your notes determined by reference to our models due to, among other things, any differences in pricing models or assumptions used by others. See “Risk Factors — Valuation- and Market-related Risks — The notes are not designed to be short-term trading instruments, and if you attempt to sell the notes prior to maturity, their market value, if any, will be affected by various factors that interrelate in complex ways, and their market value may be less than the principal amount.” on page PS-11 of the accompanying product supplement.

The difference between the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date and the public offering price is a result of certain factors, including principally the underwriting discount and commissions, the expenses incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes, and an estimate of the difference between the amounts we pay to GS&Co. and the amounts GS&Co. pays to us in connection with your notes. We pay to GS&Co. amounts based on what we would pay to holders of a non-structured note with a similar maturity. In return for such payment, GS&Co. pays to us the amounts we owe under your notes.

In addition to the factors discussed above, the value and quoted price of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted. If GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the price quoted by GS&Co. would reflect any changes in market conditions and other relevant factors, including any deterioration in our creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness or the creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness of GSG. These changes may adversely affect the value of your notes, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. To the extent that GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the quoted price will reflect the estimated value determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models at that time, plus or minus its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes (and subject to the declining excess amount described above).

Furthermore, if you sell your notes, you will likely be charged a commission for secondary market transactions, or the price will likely reflect a dealer discount. This commission or discount will further reduce the proceeds you would receive for your notes in a secondary market sale.

There is no assurance that GS&Co. or any other party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price and, in this regard, GS&Co. is not obligated to make a market in the notes. See “Risk Factors — Valuation- and Market-related Risks — Your notes may not have an active trading market.” on page PS-11 of the accompanying product supplement.

A trading market is not expected to develop for the notes. None of us, GSG, GS&Co. or MLPF&S is obligated to make a market for, or to repurchase, the notes. There is no assurance that any party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price in any secondary market.

Conflict-related Risks

Our hedging and trading activities (including trades in shares of companies included in the Indices) and any hedging and trading activities we, GSG, GS&Co., MLPF&S or our other or their affiliates engage in that are not for your account or on your behalf, may affect the market value and return of the notes and may create conflicts of interest with you.
There may be potential conflicts of interest involving the calculation agent, which is an affiliate of ours. We have the right to appoint and remove the calculation agent.

Market Measure-related Risks

An Index sponsor may adjust its applicable Index in a way that affects its level, and has no obligation to consider your interests.
You will not have any rights with respect to any Index or its underlying assets, including any voting rights or any right to receive dividends or other distributions.
While we, GSG, GS&Co., MLPF&S and our other or their affiliates may from time to time own securities of companies included in the Indices, except to the extent that GSG’s common stock is included in any Index, we, GSG, GS&Co., MLPF&S and our other or their affiliates do not control any company included in any Index, and have not verified any disclosure made by any other company.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-10

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Tax-related Risks

The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the notes are uncertain, and may be adverse to a holder of the notes. See “Summary Tax Consequences” below and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary” beginning on page PS-46 of the accompanying product supplement.

Additional Risk Factors

Additional Structure-related Risks

The return on your notes may change significantly despite only a small change in the level of the Worst-Performing Market Measure. If your notes are not automatically called and the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure is less than its Threshold Value, you will receive less than the principal amount of your notes and you could lose all or a substantial portion of your investment in the notes. This means that while a decrease in the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure to its Threshold Value will not result in a loss of principal on the notes, a decrease in the Ending Value of the Worst-Performing Market Measure to less than its Threshold Value will result in a loss of a significant portion of the principal amount of the notes despite only a small change in the level of the Worst-Performing Market Measure.
The Contingent Coupon Payment does not reflect the actual performance of any of the Indices from the pricing date to any Coupon Observation Date or from Coupon Observation Date to Coupon Observation Date. The Contingent Coupon Payment for each quarterly Coupon Payment Date is different from, and may be less than, a coupon determined based on the percentage difference of the closing levels of any of the Indices between the pricing date and any Coupon Observation Date or between two Coupon Observation Dates. Accordingly, the Contingent Coupon Payments, if any, on the notes may be less than the return you could earn on another instrument linked to the Indices that pays coupons based on the performance of any of the Indices from the pricing date to any Coupon Observation Date or from Coupon Observation Date to Coupon Observation Date.

Additional Market Measure-related Risks

The notes are subject to risks associated with small-size capitalization companies. The stocks comprising the RTY are issued by companies with small-sized market capitalization. The stock prices of small-size companies may be more volatile than stock prices of large capitalization companies. Small-size capitalization companies may be less able to withstand adverse economic, market, trade and competitive conditions relative to larger companies. Small-size capitalization companies may also be more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products or services.
The notes are subject to risks associated with foreign securities markets. The MXEA includes certain foreign equity securities. You should be aware that investments in securities linked to the value of foreign equity securities involve particular risks. The foreign securities markets comprising the MXEA may have less liquidity and may be more volatile than U.S. or other securities markets and market developments may affect foreign markets differently from U.S. or other securities markets. Direct or indirect government intervention to stabilize these foreign securities markets, as well as cross-shareholdings in foreign companies, may affect trading prices and volumes in these markets. Also, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than about those U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC, and foreign companies are subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements that differ from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies.

Prices of securities in foreign countries are subject to political, economic, financial and social factors that apply in those geographical regions. These factors, which could negatively affect those securities markets, include the possibility of recent or future changes in a foreign government’s economic and fiscal policies, the possible imposition of, or changes in, currency exchange laws or other laws or restrictions applicable to foreign companies or investments in foreign equity securities and the possibility of fluctuations in the rate of exchange between currencies, the possibility of outbreaks of hostility and political instability and the possibility of natural disaster or adverse public health developments in the region. Moreover, foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in important respects such as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources and self-sufficiency.

The notes are subject to a foreign currency exchange risk. The MXEA includes securities traded outside of the United States. The level of the MXEA will depend upon the values of these securities, which will in turn depend in part upon changes in the value of the currencies in which the securities tracked by the MXEA are traded. Accordingly, investors in the notes will be exposed to currency exchange rate risk with respect to each of the currencies in which the securities tracked by the MXEA are traded. An investor’s net exposure will depend on the extent to which these currencies strengthen or weaken against the U.S. dollar. If the dollar strengthens against these currencies, the level of the MXEA will be adversely affected and the value of the MXEA may decrease.
Government regulatory action, including legislative acts and executive orders, could result in material changes to the composition of an Index comprised of securities from one or more foreign securities markets and could negatively affect your investment in the notes. Government regulatory action, including legislative acts and executive orders, could cause material changes to the composition of an Index comprised of securities from one or more foreign securities markets and could negatively affect your investment in the notes in a variety of ways, depending on the nature of such government regulatory action and the securities that are affected. For example, recent executive orders issued by the United States

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-11

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Government prohibit United States persons from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities of certain companies that are determined to operate or have operated in the defense and related materiel sector or the surveillance technology sector of the economy of the People’s Republic of China, or publicly traded securities that are derivative of, or that are designed to provide investment exposure to, those securities (including indexed notes). If the prohibitions in those executive orders (or prohibitions under other government regulatory action) become applicable to securities that are currently included in an Index or that in the future are included in an Index, such securities may be removed from an Index. If government regulatory action results in the removal of securities that have (or historically have had) significant weight in an Index, such removal could have a material and negative effect on the level of such Index and, therefore, your investment in the notes. Similarly, if securities that are subject to those executive orders or subject to other government regulatory action are not removed from an Index, the value of the notes could be materially and negatively affected, and transactions in, or holdings of, the notes may become prohibited under United States law. Any failure to remove such securities from an Index could result in the loss of a significant portion or all of your investment in the notes, including if you attempt to divest the notes at a time when the value of the notes has declined.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-12

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

The Indices

The S&P 500® Index (SPX)

The S&P 500® Index, which we also refer to in this description as the “index”:

is an equity index, and therefore cannot be invested in directly;
does not file reports with the SEC because it is not an issuer;
was first launched on March 4, 1957 based on an initial value of 10 from 1941-1943; and
is sponsored by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“S&P”).

The S&P 500® Index includes a representative sample of 500 companies in leading industries of the U.S. economy. The 500 companies are not the 500 largest companies listed on the NYSE and not all 500 companies are listed on the NYSE. S&P chooses companies for inclusion in the S&P 500® Index with an aim of achieving a distribution by broad industry groupings that approximates the distribution of these groupings in the common stock population of the U.S. domiciled equity market. Although the S&P 500® Index contains 500 constituent companies, at any one time it may contain greater than 500 constituent trading lines since some companies included in the S&P 500® Index prior to July 31, 2017 may be represented by multiple share class lines in the S&P 500® Index. The S&P 500® Index is calculated, maintained and published by S&P and is part of the S&P Dow Jones Indices family of indices. Additional information about the S&P 500® Index (including the sector weights) is available on the following websites: spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/equity/sp-500 and spglobal.com. We are not incorporating by reference the websites or any material they include in this term sheet.

S&P intends for the S&P 500® Index to provide a performance benchmark for the large-cap U.S. domiciled equity markets. Constituent changes are made on an as-needed basis and there is no schedule for constituent reviews. Index additions and deletions are announced with at least three business days advance notice. Less than three business days’ notice may be given at the discretion of the S&P Index Committee. Relevant criteria for additions to the S&P 500® Index that are employed by S&P include: the company proposed for addition should have an unadjusted company market capitalization of $18.0 billion or more and a security level float-adjusted market capitalization of at least 50% of such threshold (for spin-offs, eligibility is determined using when-issued prices, if available); the float-adjusted liquidity ratio of the stock (defined as the annual dollar value traded divided by the float-adjusted market capitalization) should be greater than or equal to 0.75 at the time of the addition to the S&P 500® Index and the stock should trade a minimum of 250,000 shares in each of the six months leading up to the evaluation date (current constituents have no minimum requirement), where the annual dollar value traded is calculated as the average closing price multiplied by the historical volume over the 365 calendar days prior to the evaluation date (reduced to the available trading period for IPOs, spin-offs or public companies considered to be U.S. domiciled for index purposes that do not have 365 calendar days of trading history on a U.S. exchange); the company must be a U.S.-domiciled company (characterized as a company that satisfies U.S. Securities Exchange Act’s periodic reporting obligations by filing certain required forms for domestic issuers (e.g., Form 10-K annual reports, Form 10-Q quarterly reports and Form 8-K current reports, among others) and with a primary listing of the common stock on the NYSE, NYSE Arca, NYSE American (formerly NYSE MKT), Nasdaq Global Select Market, Nasdaq Global Market, Nasdaq Capital Market, Cboe BZX (formerly Bats BZX), Cboe BYX (formerly Bats BYX), Cboe EDGA (formerly Bats EDGA) or Cboe EDGX (formerly Bats EDGX) (each, an “eligible exchange”)); the proposed constituent has an investable weight factor (“IWF”) of 10% or more; the inclusion of the company will contribute to sector balance in the S&P 500® Index relative to sector balance in the market in the relevant market capitalization range; financial viability (the sum of the most recent four consecutive quarters’ Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) earnings (net income excluding discontinued operations) should be positive as should the most recent quarter); and, for IPOs, the company must be traded on an eligible exchange for at least twelve months (for former SPACs, S&P considers the de-SPAC transaction to be an event equivalent to an IPO, and 12 months of trading post the de-SPAC event are required before a former SPAC can be considered for inclusion in the S&P 500® Index; spin-offs or in-specie distributions from existing constituents do not need to be traded on an eligible exchange for twelve months prior to their inclusion in the S&P 500® Index). In addition, constituents of the S&P MidCap 400® Index and the S&P SmallCap 600® Index can be added to the S&P 500® Index provided they meet the unadjusted company level market capitalization eligibility criteria for the S&P 500® Index. Migrations from the S&P MidCap 400® Index or the S&P SmallCap 600® Index do not need to meet the financial viability, liquidity, or 50% of the S&P 500® Index’s unadjusted company level minimum market capitalization threshold criteria. Further, constituents of the S&P Total Market Index Ex S&P Composite 1500 (which includes all eligible U.S. common equities except for those included in the S&P 500® Index, the S&P MidCap 400® Index and the S&P SmallCap 600® Index) that acquire a constituent of the S&P 500® Index, the S&P MidCap 400® Index or the S&P SmallCap 600® Index that do not fully meet all of the eligibility criteria may still be added to the S&P 500® Index at the discretion of the Index Committee if the merger consideration includes the acquiring company issuing stock to target company shareholders, and the Index Committee determines that the addition could minimize turnover and enhance the representativeness of the S&P 500® Index as a market benchmark. Certain types of organizational structures and securities are always excluded, including, but not limited to, business development companies (BDCs), limited partnerships, master limited partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), OTC bulletin board issues, closed-end funds, ETFs, ETNs, royalty trusts, tracking stocks, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), preferred stock and convertible preferred stock, unit trusts, equity warrants, convertible bonds, investment trusts, rights and American depositary receipts (ADRs). Stocks are deleted from the S&P 500® Index when they are involved in mergers, acquisitions or significant restructurings such that they no longer meet the inclusion criteria, and when they substantially violate one or more of the addition criteria. Stocks that are delisted or moved to the pink sheets or the bulletin board are removed, and those that experience a trading halt may be retained or removed in S&P’s discretion. S&P evaluates additions and deletions with a view to maintaining S&P 500® Index continuity.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-13

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

For constituents included in the S&P 500® Index prior to July 31, 2017, all publicly listed multiple share class lines are included separately in the S&P 500® Index, subject to, in the case of any such share class line, that share class line satisfying the liquidity and float criteria discussed above and subject to certain exceptions. It is possible that one listed share class line of a company may be included in the S&P 500® Index while a second listed share class line of the same company is excluded. For companies that issue a second publicly traded share class to index share class holders, the newly issued share class line is considered for inclusion if the event is mandatory and the market capitalization of the distributed class is not considered to be de minimis.

As of July 31, 2017, companies with multiple share class lines are no longer eligible for inclusion in the S&P 500® Index. Only common shares are considered when determining whether a company has a multiple share class structure. Constituents of the S&P 500® Index prior to July 31, 2017 with multiple share class lines will be grandfathered in and continue to be included in the S&P 500® Index. If an S&P 500® Index constituent reorganizes into a multiple share class line structure, that company will be reviewed for continued inclusion in the S&P 500® Index at the discretion of the S&P Index Committee.

Calculation of the S&P 500® Index

The S&P 500® Index is calculated using a base-weighted aggregative methodology. This discussion describes the “price return” calculation of the S&P 500® Index. The value of the S&P 500® Index on any day for which an index value is published is determined by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate of the market price of each stock in the S&P 500® Index times the number of shares of such stock included in the S&P 500® Index, and the denominator of which is the divisor, which is described more fully below. The “market value” of any index stock is the product of the market price per share of that stock times the number of the then-outstanding shares of such index stock that are then included in the S&P 500® Index.

The S&P 500® Index is also sometimes called a “base-weighted aggregative index” because of its use of a divisor. The “divisor” is a value calculated by S&P that is intended to maintain conformity in index values over time and is adjusted for all changes in the index stocks’ share capital after the “base date” as described below. The level of the S&P 500® Index reflects the total market value of all index stocks relative to the index’s base date of 1941-43.

In addition, the S&P 500® Index is float-adjusted, meaning that the share counts used in calculating the S&P 500® Index reflect only those shares available to investors rather than all of a company’s outstanding shares. S&P seeks to exclude shares held by long-term, strategic shareholders concerned with the control of a company, a group that generally includes the following: officers and directors and related individuals whose holdings are publicly disclosed, private equity, venture capital, special equity firms, asset managers and insurance companies with board of director representation, publicly traded companies that hold shares in another company, holders of restricted shares (except for shares held as part of a lock-up agreement), company-sponsored employee share plans/trusts, defined contribution plans/savings, investment plans, foundations or family trusts associated with the company, government entities at all levels (except government retirement or pension funds), sovereign wealth funds and any individual person listed as a 5% or greater stakeholder in a company as reported in regulatory filings (collectively, “strategic holders”). To this end, S&P excludes all share-holdings (other than depositary banks, pension funds (including government pension and retirement funds), mutual funds, exchange traded fund providers, investment funds, hedge funds, asset managers that do not have direct board of director representation (including stakeholders who may have the right to appoint a board of director member but choose not to do so, stakeholders who have exercised a right to appoint a board of director “observer” even if that observer is employed by the stakeholder and stakeholders who have exercised a right to appoint an independent director who is not employed by the stakeholder), investment funds of insurance companies and independent foundations not associated with the company) with a position greater than 5% of the outstanding shares of a company from the float-adjusted share count to be used in S&P 500® Index calculations.

The exclusion is accomplished by calculating an IWF for each stock that is part of the numerator of the float-adjusted index fraction described above:

IWF = (available float shares)/(total shares outstanding)

where available float shares is defined as total shares outstanding less shares held by strategic holders. In most cases, an IWF is reported to the nearest one percentage point. For companies with multiple share class lines, a separate IWF is calculated for each share class line.

Maintenance of the S&P 500® Index

In order to keep the S&P 500® Index comparable over time S&P engages in an index maintenance process. The S&P 500® Index maintenance process involves changing the constituents as discussed above, and also involves maintaining quality assurance processes and procedures, adjusting the number of shares used to calculate the S&P 500® Index, monitoring and completing the adjustments for company additions and deletions, adjusting for stock splits and stock dividends and adjusting for other corporate actions. In addition to its daily governance of indices and maintenance of the S&P 500® Index methodology, at least once within any 12 month period, the S&P Index Committee reviews the S&P 500® Index methodology to ensure the S&P 500® Index continues to achieve the stated objective, and that the data and methodology remain effective. The S&P Index Committee may at times consult with investors, market participants, security issuers included in or potentially included in the S&P 500® Index, or investment and financial experts.

Divisor Adjustments

The two types of adjustments primarily used by S&P are divisor adjustments and adjustments to the number of shares (including float adjustments) used to calculate the S&P 500® Index. Set forth below under “Adjustments for Corporate Actions” is a table of certain corporate events and their resulting effect on the divisor and the share count. If a corporate event requires an adjustment to the divisor, that event has the effect of altering the market value of the affected index stock and consequently of altering the aggregate market value of the index stocks following the event. In order that the level of the S&P 500® Index not be affected by the altered market value (which

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-14

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

could be an increase or decrease) of the affected index stock, S&P generally derives a new divisor by dividing the post-event market value of the index stocks by the pre-event index value, which has the effect of reducing the S&P 500® Index’s post-event value to the pre-event level.

Changes to the Number of Shares of a Constituent

The index maintenance process also involves tracking the changes in the number of shares included for each of the index companies. Changes as a result of mandatory events, such as mergers or acquisition driven share/IWF changes, stock splits and mandatory distributions are not subject to a minimum threshold for implementation and are implemented when the transaction occurs. At S&P’s discretion, however, de minimis merger and acquisition changes may be accumulated and implemented with the updates made with the quarterly share updates as described below. Material share/IWF changes resulting from certain non-mandatory corporate actions follow the accelerated implementation rule. Non-material share/IWF changes are implemented quarterly.

Accelerated Implementation Rule

1. Public offerings. Public offerings of new company-issued shares and/or existing shares offered by selling shareholders, including block sales and spot secondaries, will be eligible for accelerated implementation treatment if the size of the event meets the materiality threshold criteria:

(a)
at least US $150 million, and
(b)
at least 5% of the pre-event total shares.

In addition to the materiality threshold, public offerings must satisfy the following conditions:

be underwritten.
have a publicly available prospectus, offering document, or prospectus summary filed with the relevant authorities.
have a publicly available confirmation from an official source that the offering has been completed.

For public offerings that involve a concurrent combination of new company shares and existing shares offered by selling shareholders, both events are implemented if either of the public offerings represent at least 5% of total shares and $150 million. Any concurrent share repurchase by the affected company will also be included in the implementation.

2. Dutch Auctions, self-tender offer buybacks, and split-off exchange offers. These nonmandatory corporate action types will be eligible for accelerated implementation treatment regardless of size once the final results are publicly announced and verified by S&P.

For companies with multiple share class lines, the criteria specified above apply to each individual multiple share class line rather than total company shares.

Exception to the Accelerated Implementation Rule

For non-mandatory corporate actions subject to the accelerated implementation rule with a size of at least US $1 billion, S&P will apply the share change, and any resulting IWF change, using the latest share and ownership information publicly available at the time of the announcement, even if the offering size is below the 5% threshold. This exception ensures that very large events are recognized in a timely manner using the latest available information.

Any non-fully paid or non-fully settled offering such as forward sales agreements are not eligible for accelerated implementation. Share updates resulting from completion of subscription receipts terms or the settlement of forward sale agreements are updated at a future quarterly share rebalancing.

All non-mandatory events not covered by the accelerated implementation rule (including but not limited to private placements, acquisition of private companies, and conversion of non-index share lines) will be implemented quarterly coinciding with the third Friday of the third month in each calendar quarter. In addition, events that were not implemented under the accelerated implementation rule but were found to have been eligible, (e.g. due to lack of publicly available information at the time of the event) are implemented as part of a quarterly rebalancing.

Announcement Policy

For accelerated implementation, S&P will generally provide two (2) business days’ notice for all non-U.S. listed stocks and U.S. listed depositary receipts, and one (1) business days’ notice for all non-depositary receipt U.S. listed stocks.

IWF Updates

Accelerated implementation for events less than $1 billion will include an adjustment to the company’s IWF only to the extent that such an IWF change helps the new float share total mimic the shares available in the offering. To minimize unnecessary turnover, these IWF changes do not need to meet any minimum threshold requirement for implementation. Any IWF change resulting in an IWF of 0.96 or greater is rounded up to 1.00 at the next annual IWF review.

IWF changes will only be made at the quarterly review if the change represents at least 5% of total current shares outstanding and is related to a single corporate action that did not qualify for the accelerated implementation rule, regardless of whether there is an associated share change.

Quarterly share change events resulting from the conversion of derivative securities, acquisitions of private companies, or acquisitions of non-index companies that do not trade on a major exchange are considered to be available to investors unless there is explicit information stating that the new owner is a strategic holder.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-15

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Other than the situations described above, please note that IWF changes are only made at the annual IWF review.

Rebalancing Guidelines – Share/IWF Reference Date & Freeze Period

A reference date, after the market close five weeks prior to the third Friday in March, June, September, and December, is the cutoff for publicly available information used for quarterly shares outstanding and IWF changes. All shares outstanding and ownership information contained in public filings and/or official sources dated on or before the reference date are included in that quarter’s update. In addition, there is a freeze period on a quarterly basis for any changes that result from the accelerated implementation rules.

Pro-forma files for float-adjusted market capitalization indices are generally released after the market close on the first Friday, two weeks prior to the rebalancing effective date. Pro-forma files for capped and alternatively weighted indices are generally released after the market close on the second Friday, one week prior to the rebalancing effective date. For illustration purposes, if rebalancing pro-forma files are scheduled to be released on Friday, March 5, the share/IWF freeze period will begin after the close of trading on Tuesday, March 9 and will end after the close of trading the following Friday, March 19 (i.e. the third Friday of the rebalancing month).

During the share/IWF freeze period, shares and IWFs are not changed and the accelerated implementation rule is suspended, except for mandatory corporate action events (such as merger activity, stock splits, and rights offerings). The suspension includes all changes that qualify for accelerated implementation and would typically be announced or effective during the share/IWF freeze period. At the end of the freeze period all suspended changes will be announced on the third Friday of the rebalancing month and implemented five business days after the quarterly rebalancing effective date.

Adjustments for Corporate Actions

There is a large range of corporate actions that may affect companies included in the S&P 500® Index. Certain corporate actions require S&P to recalculate the share count or the float adjustment or to make an adjustment to the divisor to prevent the value of the S&P 500® Index from changing as a result of the corporate action. This helps ensure that the movement of the S&P 500® Index does not reflect the corporate actions of individual companies in the S&P 500® Index.

Spin-Offs

As a general policy, a spin-off security is added to the S&P 500® Index on the ex-date at a price of zero (with no divisor adjustment) and will remain in the S&P 500® Index for at least one trading day. The spin-off security will remain in the S&P 500® Index if it meets all eligibility criteria. If the spin-off security is determined ineligible to remain in the S&P 500® Index, it will generally be removed after at least one day of regular way trading (with a divisor adjustment). The weight of the spin-off being deleted is reinvested across all the index components proportionately such that the relative weights of all index components are unchanged. The net change in index market capitalization will cause a divisor change.

Companies that are spun off from a constituent of the S&P 500® Index do not need to meet the eligibility criteria for new constituents, but they should be considered U.S. domiciled for index purposes. At the discretion of the Index Committee, a spin-off company may be retained in the S&P 500® Index if the Index Committee determines it has a total market capitalization representative of the S&P 500® Index. If the spin-off company’s estimated market capitalization is below the minimum unadjusted company market capitalization for the S&P 500® Index but there are other constituent companies in the S&P 500® Index that have a significantly lower total market capitalization than the spin-off company, the Index Committee may decide to retain the spin-off company in the S&P 500® Index.

Several additional types of corporate actions, and their related treatment, are listed in the table below.

Corporate Action

Treatment

Company addition/deletion

Addition

Companies are added at the float market capitalization weight. The net change to the index market capitalization causes a divisor adjustment.

Deletion

The weights of all stocks in the index will proportionally change. Relative weights will stay the same. The index divisor will change due to the net change in the index market capitalization

Change in shares outstanding

Increasing (decreasing) the shares outstanding increases (decreases) the market capitalization of the index. The change to the index market capitalization causes a divisor adjustment.

Split/reverse split

Shares outstanding are adjusted by split ratio. Stock price is adjusted by split ratio. There is no change to the index market capitalization and no divisor adjustment.

Change in IWF

Increasing (decreasing) the IWF increases (decreases) the market capitalization of the index. A net change to the index market capitalization causes a divisor adjustment.

Ordinary dividend

When a company pays an ordinary cash dividend, the index does not make any adjustments to the price or shares of the stock. As a result there are no divisor adjustments to the index.

Special dividend

The stock price is adjusted by the amount of the dividend. The net change to the index market capitalization causes a divisor adjustment

Rights offering

All rights offerings that are in the money on the ex-date are applied under the assumption the rights are fully subscribed. The stock price is adjusted by the value of the rights and the shares outstanding are increased by the rights ratio. The net change in market capitalization causes a divisor adjustment.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-16

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Any company that is removed from the S&P 500® Index, the S&P MidCap 400® Index or the S&P SmallCap 600® Index must wait a minimum of one year from its removal date before being reconsidered as a replacement candidate for the S&P 500® Index.

Recalculation Policy

S&P reserves the right to recalculate and republish the S&P 500® Index at its discretion in the event one of the following issues has occurred: (1) incorrect or revised closing price of one or more constituent securities; (2) missed or misapplied corporate action; (3) incorrect application of an index methodology; (4) late announcement of a corporate action; or (5) incorrect calculation or data entry error. The decision to recalculate the S&P 500® Index is made at the discretion of the index manager and/or index committee, as further discussed below. The potential market impact or disruption resulting from a recalculation is considered when making any such decision. In the event of an incorrect closing price, a missed or misapplied corporate action, a late announcement of a corporate action, or an incorrect calculation or data entry error that is discovered within two trading days of its occurrence, generally the S&P 500® Index is recalculated. In the event any such event is discovered beyond the two trading day period, the index committee shall decide whether the S&P 500® Index should be recalculated. In the event of an incorrect application of the methodology that results in the incorrect composition and/or weighting of index constituents, the index committee shall determine whether or not to recalculate the S&P 500® Index following specified guidelines. In the event that the S&P 500® Index is recalculated, it shall be done within a reasonable timeframe following the detection and review of the issue.

Calculations and Pricing Disruptions

Closing levels for the S&P 500® Index are calculated by S&P based on the closing price of the individual constituents of the S&P 500® Index as set by their primary exchange. Closing prices are received by S&P from one of its third party vendors and verified by comparing them with prices from an alternative vendor. The vendors receive the closing price from the primary exchanges. Real-time intraday prices are calculated similarly without a second verification. Official end-of-day calculations are based on each stock’s primary market closing price. Prices used for the calculation of real time index values are based on the “Consolidated Tape”. The Consolidated Tape is an aggregation of trades for each constituent over all regional exchanges and trading venues and includes the primary exchange. If there is a failure or interruption on one or more exchanges, real-time calculations will continue as long as the “Consolidated Tape” is operational.

If an interruption is not resolved prior to the market close, official closing prices will be determined by following the hierarchy set out in NYSE Rule 123C. A notice is published on the S&P website at spglobal.com indicating any changes to the prices used in S&P 500® Index calculations. In extreme circumstances, S&P may decide to delay index adjustments or not publish the S&P 500® Index. Real-time indices are not restated.

Unexpected Exchange Closures

An unexpected market/exchange closure occurs when a market/exchange fully or partially fails to open or trading is temporarily halted. This can apply to a single exchange or to a market as a whole, when all of the primary exchanges are closed and/or not trading. Unexpected market/exchange closures are usually due to unforeseen circumstances, such as natural disasters, inclement weather, outages, or other events.

To a large degree, S&P is dependent on the exchanges to provide guidance in the event of an unexpected exchange closure. S&P’s decision making is dependent on exchange guidance regarding pricing and mandatory corporate actions.

NYSE Rule 123C provides closing contingency procedures for determining an official closing price for listed securities if the exchange is unable to conduct a closing transaction in one or more securities due to a system or technical issue.

3:00 PM ET is the deadline for an exchange to determine its plan of action regarding an outage scenario. As such, S&P also uses 3:00 PM ET as the cutoff.

If all major exchanges fail to open or unexpectedly halt trading intraday due to unforeseen circumstances, S&P will take the following actions:

Market Disruption Prior to Open of Trading:

(i)
If all exchanges indicate that trading will not open for a given day, S&P will treat the day as an unscheduled market holiday. The decision will be communicated to clients as soon as possible through the normal channels. Indices containing multiple markets will be calculated as normal, provided that at least one market is open that day. Indices which only contain closed markets will not be calculated.
(ii)
If exchanges indicate that trading, although delayed, will open for a given day, S&P will begin index calculation when the exchanges open.

Market Disruption Intraday:

(i)
If exchanges indicate that trading will not resume for a given day, the S&P 500® Index level will be calculated using prices determined by the exchanges based on NYSE Rule 123C. Intraday S&P 500® Index values will continue to use the last traded composite price until the primary exchange publishes official closing prices.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-17

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Historical Closing Levels of the SPX

The closing level of the SPX has fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. In particular, the SPX has recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of the SPX during the period shown below is not an indication that the SPX is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.

You should not take the historical levels of the SPX as an indication of the future performance of the SPX, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of the SPX or the stocks included in SPX will result in you receiving any Contingent Coupon Payments or receiving the outstanding principal amount of your notes on the maturity date.

Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the SPX. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the SPX between the date of this term sheet and the date of your purchase of the offered notes and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent levels of the SPX. The actual performance of the SPX over the life of the offered notes, as well as the Redemption Amount, may bear little relation to the historical closing levels shown below.

The graph below shows the daily historical closing levels of the SPX from January 1, 2014 through August 7, 2024. As a result, the following graph does not reflect the global financial crisis which began in 2008, which had a materially negative impact on the price of most equity securities and, as a result, the level of most equity indices. We obtained the closing levels in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. On August 7, 2024, the closing level of the SPX was 5,199.50.

Historical Performance of the SPX

img41213650_7.jpg 

 

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-18

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

License Agreement

The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, and has been licensed for use by GS Finance Corp. (“Goldman”). Standard & Poor’s® and S&P® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”) and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and sublicensed for certain purposes by Goldman. Goldman’s securities are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC or any of their respective affiliates (collectively, “S&P Dow Jones Indices”). S&P Dow Jones Indices makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the securities or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the securities particularly or the ability of the S&P 500® Index to track general market performance. S&P Dow Jones Indices’ only relationship to Goldman with respect to the S&P 500® Index is the licensing of the S&P 500® Index and certain trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of S&P Dow Jones Indices and/or its licensors. The S&P 500® Index is determined, composed and calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices without regard to Goldman or the securities. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation to take the needs of Goldman or the owners of the securities into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the S&P 500® Index. S&P Dow Jones Indices are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the prices, and amount of the securities or the timing of the issuance or sale of the securities or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the securities are to be converted into cash. S&P Dow Jones Indices have no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the securities. There is no assurance that investment products based on the S&P 500® Index will accurately track index performance or provide positive investment returns. S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is not an investment advisor. Inclusion of a security within an index is not a recommendation by S&P Dow Jones Indices to buy, sell, or hold such security, nor is it considered to be investment advice.

S&P DOW JONES INDICES DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ADEQUACY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE S&P 500® INDEX OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO OR ANY COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ORAL OR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) WITH RESPECT THERETO. S&P DOW JONES INDICES SHALL NOT BE SUBJECT TO ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR DELAYS THEREIN. S&P DOW JONES INDICES MAKE NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE OR AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY GOLDMAN, OWNERS OF THE SECURITIES, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE S&P 500® INDEX OR WITH RESPECT TO ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT WHATSOEVER SHALL S&P DOW JONES INDICES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, TRADING LOSSES, LOST TIME OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. THERE ARE NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARIES OF ANY AGREEMENTS OR ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN S&P DOW JONES INDICES AND GOLDMAN, OTHER THAN THE LICENSORS OF S&P DOW JONES INDICES.

 

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-19

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

The MSCI EAFE Index (MXEA)

The MSCI EAFE Index, which we also refer to in this description as the “index”:

is an equity index, and therefore cannot be invested in directly;
does not file reports with the SEC because it is not an issuer;
has a base date of December 31, 1969; and
is sponsored, calculated, published and disseminated daily by MSCI Inc., which we refer to as “MSCI”, through numerous data vendors, on the MSCI website and in real time on Bloomberg Financial Markets and Reuters Limited..

The MSCI EAFE Index is intended to provide performance benchmarks for the developed equity markets in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The constituent stocks of the MSCI EAFE Index are derived from the constituent stocks in the 21 MSCI standard single country indices for the developed market countries listed above.

Construction of the MSCI EAFE Index

MSCI undertakes an index construction process at an individual market level, which involves: (i) defining the equity universe for each market; (ii) determining the market investable equity universe for each market; (iii) determining market capitalization size segments for each market; (iv) applying index continuity rules for the standard index; and (v) classifying securities under the Global Industry Classification Standard. The MSCI EAFE Index is a developed market index. All of the MSCI Indices are standard indices, meaning that only securities that would qualify for inclusion in a large cap index or a mid cap index will be included as described below.

Defining the Equity Universe

(i)
Identifying Eligible Equity Securities: The equity universe initially looks at securities listed in any of the countries in the MSCI global index series, which will be classified as either “developed markets” or “emerging markets”. All listed equity securities, including real estate investment trusts and certain income trusts in Canada are eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Limited partnerships, limited liability companies and business trusts, which are listed in the U.S. and are not structured to be taxed as limited partnerships, are likewise eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Conversely, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, equity derivatives and most investment trusts are not eligible for inclusion in the equity universe. Preferred shares that exhibit characteristics of equity securities are eligible. Securities for which the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has issued high shareholding concentration notices are not eligible.
(ii)
Country Classification of Eligible Securities: Each company and its securities (i.e., share classes) are classified in one and only one country, which allows for a distinctive sorting of each company by its respective country.

Determining the Market Investable Equity Universes

A market investable equity universe for a market is derived by (i) identifying eligible listings for each security in the equity universe; and (ii) applying investability screens to individual companies and securities in the equity universe that are classified in that market. A market is generally equivalent to a single country. The global investable equity universe is the aggregation of all market investable equity universes.

(i)
Identifying Eligible Listings: A security may have a listing in the country where it is classified (a “local listing”) and/or in a different country (a “foreign listing”). A security may be represented by either a local listing or a foreign listing (including a depositary receipt) in the global investable equity universe. A security may be represented by a foreign listing only if the security is classified in a country that meets the foreign listing materiality requirement (as described below), and the security’s foreign listing is traded on an eligible stock exchange of a developed market country if the security is classified in a developed market country or, if the security is classified in an emerging market country, an eligible stock exchange of a developed market country or an emerging market country.

In order for a country to meet the foreign listing materiality requirement, the following is determined: all securities represented by a foreign listing that would be included in the country’s MSCI Country Investable Market Index if foreign listings were eligible from that country. The aggregate free-float adjusted market capitalization for all such securities should represent at least (i) 5% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the relevant MSCI Country Investable Market Index and (ii) 0.05% of the free-float adjusted market capitalization of the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index. If a country does not meet the foreign listing materiality requirement, then securities in that country may not be represented by a foreign listing in the global investable equity universe.

(ii)
Applying Investability Screens: The investability screens used to determine the investable equity universe in each market are:
(a)
Equity Universe Minimum Size Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the company level. In order to be included in a market investable equity universe, a company must have the required minimum full market capitalization. The equity universe minimum size requirement applies to companies in all markets and is derived as follows:
First, the companies in the developed market equity universe are sorted in descending order of full market capitalization and the cumulative coverage of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the developed market equity universe is calculated for each company. Each company’s free float-adjusted market capitalization is represented by the aggregation of the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the securities of that company in the equity universe.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-20

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Second, when the cumulative free float-adjusted market capitalization coverage of 99% of the sorted equity universe is achieved, by adding each company’s free float-adjusted market capitalization in descending order, the full market capitalization of the company that reaches the 99% threshold defines the equity universe minimum size requirement.
The rank of this company by descending order of full market capitalization within the developed market equity universe is noted, and will be used in determining the equity universe minimum size requirement at the next rebalance.

As of May 2024, the equity universe minimum size requirement was set at US$371,000,000 for the Developed and Emerging Markets. Companies with a full market capitalization below this level are not included in any market investable equity universe. The equity universe minimum size requirement is reviewed and, if necessary, revised at each quarterly index review, as described below.

(b)
Equity Universe Minimum Free Float-Adjusted Market Capitalization Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. To be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, a security must have a free float-adjusted market capitalization equal to or higher than 50% of the equity universe minimum size requirement.
(c)
Minimum Liquidity Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. To be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, a security must have at least one eligible listing that has adequate liquidity as measured by its 12-month and 3-month annualized traded value ratio (“ATVR”) and 3-month frequency of trading. The ATVR attempts to mitigate the impact of extreme daily trading volumes and takes into account the free float-adjusted market capitalization of securities. A minimum liquidity level of 20% of the 3-month ATVR and 90% of 3-month frequency of trading over the last 4 consecutive quarters, as well as 20% of the 12-month ATVR, are required for inclusion of a security in a market investable equity universe of a developed market. A minimum liquidity level of 15% of the 3-month ATVR and 80% of 3-month frequency of trading over the last 4 consecutive quarters, as well as 15% of the 12-month ATVR, are required for inclusion of a security in a market investable equity universe of an emerging market. Securities in the MSCI China equity universe will not be eligible for inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index if the security is suspended or has been suspended for 50 consecutive business days or more in the past 12 months.

Only one listing per security may be included in the market investable equity universe. In instances where a security has two or more eligible listings that meet the above liquidity requirements, then the following priority rules are used to determine which listing will be used for potential inclusion of the security in the market investable equity universe:

(1)
Local listing (if the security has two or more local listings, then the listing with the highest 3-month ATVR will be used).
(2)
Foreign listing in the same geographical region (MSCI classifies markets into three main geographical regions: EMEA, Asia Pacific and Americas. If the security has two or more foreign listings in the same geographical region, then the listing with the highest 3-month ATVR will be used).
(3)
Foreign listing in a different geographical region (if the security has two or more foreign listings in a different geographical region, then the listing with the highest 3-month ATVR will be used).

Due to liquidity concerns relating to securities trading at very high stock prices, a security that is currently not a constituent of a MSCI Global Investable Markets Index that is trading at a stock price above US$10,000 will fail the liquidity screening and will not be included in any market investable equity universe.

(d)
Global Minimum Foreign Inclusion Factor Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. To determine the free float of a security, MSCI considers the proportion of shares of such security available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. In practice, limitations on the investment opportunities for international investors include: strategic stakes in a company held by private or public shareholders whose investment objective indicates that the shares held are not likely to be available in the market; limits on the proportion of a security’s share capital authorized for purchase by non-domestic investors; or other foreign investment restrictions which materially limit the ability of foreign investors to freely invest in a particular equity market, sector or security.

MSCI will then derive a “foreign inclusion factor” for the company that reflects the proportion of shares outstanding that is available for purchase in the public equity markets by international investors. MSCI will then “float-adjust” the weight of each constituent company in an index by the company’s foreign inclusion factor.

Once the free float factor has been determined for a security, the security’s total market capitalization is then adjusted by such free float factor, resulting in the free float-adjusted market capitalization figure for the security.

(e)
Minimum Length of Trading Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. For an initial public offering to be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, the new issue must have started trading at least three months before the implementation of a quarterly index review. This requirement is applicable to small new issues in all markets. Large initial public offerings are not subject to the minimum length of trading requirement and may be included in a market investable equity universe and a standard index, such as the MSCI EAFE Index, outside of a quarterly index review.
(f)
Minimum Foreign Room Requirement: This investability screen is applied at the individual security level. For a security that is subject to a foreign ownership limit to be eligible for inclusion in a market investable equity universe, the proportion of shares still available to foreign investors relative to the maximum allowed (referred to as “foreign room”) must be at least 15%.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-21

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

(g)
Financial Reporting Requirement: For any companies classified as belonging to the United States, the company must file a Form 10-K/10-Q to be eligible for inclusion in the USA investable equity universe.

Determining Market Capitalization Size Segments for Each Market

Once a market investable equity universe is defined, it is segmented into the following size-based indices:

Investable Market Index (Large Cap + Mid Cap + Small Cap)
Standard Index (Large Cap + Mid Cap)
Large Cap Index
Mid Cap Index
Small Cap Index

Creating the size segment indices in each market involves the following steps: (i) defining the market coverage target range for each size segment; (ii) determining the global minimum size range for each size segment; (iii) determining the market size segment cutoffs and associated segment number of companies; (iv) assigning companies to the size segments; and (v) applying final size-segment investability requirements. For developed market indices, the market coverage for a standard index is 85%. As of April 2024, the global minimum size range for a developed market standard index is a full market capitalization of USD 5.10 billion to USD 11.72 billion.

Index Continuity Rules for Standard Indices

In order to achieve index continuity, as well as provide some basic level of diversification within a market index, notwithstanding the effect of other index construction rules, a minimum number of five constituents will be maintained for a developed market standard index and a minimum number of three constituents will be maintained for an emerging market standard index, and involves the following steps:

If after the application of the index construction methodology, a developed market standard index contains fewer than five securities or an emerging market standard index contains fewer than three securities, then the largest securities by free float-adjusted market capitalization are added to the MSCI EAFE Index in order to reach the minimum number of required constituents.
At subsequent quarterly MSCI EAFE Index reviews, if the minimum number of securities described above is not met, then after the market investable equity universe is identified, the securities are ranked by free float-adjusted market capitalization, however, in order to increase stability the free float-adjusted market capitalization of the existing index constituents (prior to review) is multiplied by 1.50, and securities are added until the desired minimum number of securities is reached.

Constituent index means any of the component country indices comprising the MSCI EAFE Index.

Classifying Securities under the Global Industry Classification Standard

All securities in the global investable equity universe are assigned to the industry that best describes their business activities. The GICS classification of each security is used by MSCI to construct additional indices.

Calculation Methodology for the MSCI EAFE Index

Price Return Methodology

The performance of the MSCI EAFE Index is a free float weighted average of the U.S. dollar values of its component securities.

Prices used to calculate the component securities are the official exchange closing prices or prices accepted as such in the relevant market. In the case of a market closure, or if a security does not trade on a specific day or during a specific period, MSCI carries the latest available closing price. In the event of a market outage resulting in any component security price to be unavailable, MSCI will generally use the last reported price for such component security for the purpose of performance calculation. If MSCI determines that another price is more appropriate based on the circumstances, an announcement would be sent to clients with the related information. Closing prices are converted into U.S. dollars, as applicable, using the closing spot exchange rates calculated by WM/Refinitiv at 4:00 P.M. London Time.

Maintenance of the MSCI EAFE Index

In order to maintain the representativeness of the MSCI Indices, structural changes may be made by adding or deleting component securities. Currently, such changes in the MSCI Indices may generally only be made on four dates throughout the year: after the close of the last business day of each February, May, August and November.

Each country index is maintained with the objective of reflecting, on a timely basis, the evolution of the underlying equity markets. In maintaining each component country index, emphasis is also placed on its continuity, continuous investability of constituents and replicability of the index and on index stability and minimizing turnover.

MSCI classifies index maintenance in three broad categories. The first consists of ongoing event related changes, such as mergers and acquisitions, which are generally implemented in the country indices in which they occur. The second category consists of light

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-22

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

rebalancings, aimed at promptly reflecting other significant market events under conditions of market stress. The third category consists of quarterly index reviews that systematically re-assess the various dimensions of the equity universe.

Ongoing event-related changes to the MSCI EAFE Index are the result of mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, bankruptcies, reorganizations and other similar corporate events. They can also result from capital reorganizations in the form of rights issues, stock bonus issues, public placements and other similar corporate actions that take place on a continuing basis. MSCI will remove from the index as soon as practicable securities of companies that file for bankruptcy or other protection from their creditors, that are suspended and for which a return to normal business activity and trading is unlikely in the near future, or that fail stock exchange listing requirements with a delisting announcement. Securities may also be considered for early deletion in other significant cases, such as decreases in free float and foreign ownership limits, or when a constituent company acquires or merges with a non-constituent company or spins-off another company. In practice, when a constituent company is involved in a corporate event which results in a significant decrease in the company’s free float-adjusted market capitalization or the company decreases its foreign inclusion factor to below 0.15, the securities of that constituent company are considered for early deletion from the indices simultaneously with the event unless, in either case, it is a standard index constituent with a minimum free float-adjusted market capitalization meeting at least two-thirds of 1.8 times one-half of the standard index interim size segment cut-off. Share conversions may also give rise to an early deletion. Changes in number of shares and foreign inclusion factors resulting from primary equity offerings representing at least 5% of the security’s pre-event number of shares are implemented as of the close of the first trading day of the new shares, if all necessary information is available at that time. Otherwise, the event is implemented as soon as practicable after the relevant information is made available. MSCI implements pending number of shares and/or free float updates simultaneously with the event, unless the change in number of shares is less than 1% on a post-event number of shares basis, in which case it will be implemented at a subsequent quarterly index review. Changes that do not meet the criteria for implementation at the time of the event as explained above are implemented at a subsequent quarterly index review. Secondary offerings/block sales with sizes representing at least 5% of the security’s pre-event number of shares are implemented at the time of the event. All changes resulting from corporate events are announced prior to their implementation, provided all necessary information on the event is available.

MSCI’s light rebalancing process aims to ensure that the country indices continue to be an accurate reflection of evolving equity markets during conditions of market stress. This goal is achieved by timely reflecting significant market driven changes that were not captured in each index at the time of their actual occurrence and that should not wait until the quarterly index review due to their importance. MSCI will consider switching to a “light rebalancing” in place of the usual quarterly index review only if one of the following two conditions is met within the last ten business days of the month prior to the announcement date of a quarterly index review (the “market monitoring period”): (1) for any 3 days within the market monitoring period, the MSCI ACWI Index-weighted bid-ask spread breaches 0.19% and the MSCI ACWI Index volatility over the past 10 days breaks 0.55 or (2) there are unexpected full day or partial stock exchange closures impacting 20% of MSCI ACWI Index constituents cumulatively over the market monitoring period. The final decision of whether or not to switch to a “light rebalancing” will be taken by relevant MSCI index committee(s). These light rebalancings may result in additions and deletions of component securities from a country index (or a security being removed from one country listing and represented by a different country listing) and changes in “foreign inclusion factors” and in number of shares. Additions and deletions to component securities may result from: the addition of large companies that did not meet the minimum size criterion for inclusion at the time of their initial public offering or secondary offering; the replacement of companies which are no longer suitable industry representatives; the deletion of securities whose overall free float has fallen to less than 15% and that do not meet specified criteria; the deletion of securities that have become very small or illiquid; and the addition or deletion of securities as a result of other market events. During light rebalancings, foreign inclusion factors and number of shares will be reviewed as discussed below. MSCI has noted that consistency is a factor in maintaining each component country index.

MSCI’s quarterly index review is designed to systematically reassess the component securities of the index. During each quarterly index review, the universe of component securities is updated and the global minimum size range for the index is recalculated, which is based on the full market capitalization and the cumulative free float-adjusted market capitalization coverage of each security that is eligible to be included in the index. The following index maintenance activities, among others, are undertaken during each quarterly index review: the list of countries in which securities may be represented by foreign listings is reviewed; the component securities are updated by identifying new equity securities that were not part of the index at the time of the previous quarterly index review; the minimum size requirement for the index is updated and new companies are evaluated relative to the new minimum size requirement; existing component securities that do not meet the minimum liquidity requirements of the index may be removed (or, with respect to any such security that has other listings, a determination is made as to whether any such listing can be used to represent the security in the market investable universe); changes in “foreign inclusion factors” are implemented (provided the change in free float is greater than 1%, except in cases of correction); and changes in number of shares are updated. During a quarterly index review, component securities may be added or deleted from a country index for a range of reasons, including the reasons discussed with respect to component securities changes during quarterly index reviews as discussed above. However, no changes in foreign inclusion factors are implemented if the change in free float estimate is less than 1%, except in cases of correction. As discussed above, small changes in the number of shares are generally updated at the quarterly index review rather than at the time of the event, provided that the absolute number of shares change is at least 1,000 shares or the relative number of shares change is at least 0.02%. Foreign listings may become eligible to represent securities only from the countries that met the foreign listing materiality requirement at least two quarterly index reviews prior (this requirement is applied only to countries that do not yet include foreign listed securities). Once a country meets the foreign listing materiality requirement at a given quarterly index review, foreign listings will remain eligible for such country even if the foreign listing materiality requirements are not met in the future.

The results of the quarterly index reviews are announced at least two weeks in advance of their effective implementation dates, which are generally set at the close of the last business day of February, May, August and November.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-23

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

MSCI EAFE Index maintenance also includes monitoring and completing adjustments for share changes, stock splits, stock dividends, and stock price adjustments due to company restructurings or spin-offs as well as deleting constituents that enter ineligible alert boards.

These guidelines and the policies implementing the guidelines are the responsibility of, and, ultimately, subject to adjustment by, MSCI.

Historical Closing Levels of the MXEA

The closing level of the MXEA has fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. In particular, the MXEA has recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of the MXEA during the period shown below is not an indication that the MXEA is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.

You should not take the historical levels of the MXEA as an indication of the future performance of the MXEA, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of the MXEA or the stocks included in MXEA will result in you receiving any Contingent Coupon Payments or receiving the outstanding principal amount of your notes on the maturity date.

Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the MXEA. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the MXEA between the date of this term sheet and the date of your purchase of the offered notes and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent levels of the MXEA. The actual performance of the MXEA over the life of the offered notes, as well as the Redemption Amount, may bear little relation to the historical closing levels shown below.

The graph below shows the daily historical closing levels of the MXEA from January 1, 2014 through August 7, 2024. As a result, the following graph does not reflect the global financial crisis which began in 2008, which had a materially negative impact on the price of most equity securities and, as a result, the level of most equity indices. We obtained the closing levels in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. On August 7, 2024, the closing level of the MXEA was 2,270.73.

Historical Performance of the MXEA

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Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-24

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

License Agreement

The MSCI indices are the exclusive property of MSCI. MSCI and the MSCI index names are service mark(s) of MSCI or its affiliates and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by GS Finance Corp. Securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by MSCI, and MSCI bears no liability with respect to any such securities. No purchaser, seller or holder of securities, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any MSCI trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote securities without first contacting MSCI to determine whether MSCI’s permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with MSCI without the prior written permission of MSCI.

THE SECURITIES ARE NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, SOLD OR PROMOTED BY MSCI, ANY AFFILIATE OF MSCI INC. OR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX. THE MSCI INDEXES ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF MSCI. MSCI AND THE MSCI INDEX NAMES ARE SERVICE MARK(S) OF MSCI OR ITS AFFILIATES AND HAVE BEEN LICENSED FOR USE FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES BY GS FINANCE CORP. NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE OWNERS OF SECURITIES OR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE ADVISABILITY OF INVESTING IN FINANCIAL SECURITIES GENERALLY OR IN SECURITIES PARTICULARLY OR THE ABILITY OF ANY MSCI INDEX TO TRACK CORRESPONDING STOCK MARKET PERFORMANCE. MSCI OR ITS AFFILIATES ARE THE LICENSORS OF CERTAIN TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS AND TRADE NAMES AND OF THE MSCI INDEXES WHICH ARE DETERMINED, COMPOSED AND CALCULATED BY MSCI WITHOUT REGARD TO SECURITIES OR THE ISSUER OR OWNER OF SECURITIES. NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX HAS ANY OBLIGATION TO TAKE THE NEEDS OF THE ISSUERS OR OWNERS OF SECURITIES INTO CONSIDERATION IN DETERMINING, COMPOSING OR CALCULATING THE MSCI INDEXES. NEITHER MSCI, ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OR HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE DETERMINATION OF THE TIMING OF, PRICES AT, OR QUANTITIES OF SECURITIES TO BE ISSUED OR IN THE DETERMINATION OR CALCULATION OF THE EQUATION BY WHICH SECURITIES ARE REDEEMABLE FOR CASH. NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, THE MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX HAS ANY OBLIGATION OR LIABILITY TO THE OWNERS OF SECURITIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, MARKETING OR OFFERING OF SECURITIES.

ALTHOUGH MSCI SHALL OBTAIN INFORMATION FOR INCLUSION IN OR FOR USE IN THE CALCULATION OF THE MSCI INDEXES FROM SOURCES WHICH MSCI CONSIDERS RELIABLE, NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX WARRANTS OR GUARANTEES THE ORIGINALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF ANY MSCI INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX MAKES ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY GS FINANCE CORP., ITS CUSTOMERS OR COUNTERPARTIES, ISSUERS OF UNDERLIER LINKED-SECURITIES, OWNERS OF SECURITIES OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY, FROM THE USE OF ANY MSCI INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN IN CONNECTION WITH THE RIGHTS LICENSED HEREUNDER OR FOR ANY OTHER USE. NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR INTERRUPTIONS OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY MSCI INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. FURTHER, NEITHER MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES NOR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX MAKES ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, AND MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES AND ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO ANY MSCI INDEX AND ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL MSCI, ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES OR ANY OTHER PARTY INVOLVED IN, OR RELATED TO, MAKING OR COMPILING ANY MSCI INDEX HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-25

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

The Russell 2000® Index (RTY)

The Russell 2000® Index, which we also refer to in this description as the “index”:

is an equity index, and therefore cannot be invested in directly;
does not file reports with the SEC because it is not an issuer;
was first launched in 1984 based on an initial value of 100 as of December 31, 1978; and
is sponsored by FTSE Russell (“FTSE Russell”)

The Russell 2000® Index measures the composite price performance of stocks of 2,000 companies in the U.S. equity market. It is generally considered to be a “small-cap” index. Additional information about the Russell 2000® Index (including the top ten constituent stocks and sector weights) is available on the following website: ftse.com/analytics/factsheets/Home/Search#. We are not incorporating by reference the website or any material it includes in this term sheet.

The Russell 2000® Index includes approximately 2,000 of the smallest securities that form the Russell 3000® Index. The Russell 3000® Index is comprised of the 3,000 largest U.S. companies, or 98% based on market capitalization, of the investable U.S. equity market. The Russell 2000® Index is designed to track the performance of the small capitalization segment of the U.S. equity market.

Selection of Constituent Stocks of the Russell 2000® Index

The Russell 2000® Index is a sub-index of the Russell 3000® Index. To be eligible for inclusion in the Russell 3000® Index, and, consequently, the Russell 2000® Index, a company’s stocks must be listed on the rank day and FTSE Russell must have access to documentation verifying the company’s eligibility for inclusion. The rank day occurs on the last business day of April with membership eligibility determined using public information available on the rank day and market capitalizations calculated at market close. Eligible initial public offerings (“IPOs”) are added to Russell U.S. Indices quarterly, based on total market capitalization rankings within the market-adjusted capitalization breaks established during the most recent reconstitution. To be added to any Russell U.S. index during a quarter outside of reconstitution, IPOs must meet additional eligibility criteria.

A company is included in the U.S. equity markets and is eligible for inclusion in the Russell 3000® Index, and consequently, the Russell 2000® Index, if that company incorporates in the U.S., has its headquarters in the U.S. and also trades with the highest liquidity in the U.S. If a company does not satisfy all of the above criteria, it can still be included in the U.S. equity market if any one of the following home country indicators is in the United States: (i) country of incorporation, (ii) country of headquarters and (iii) country in which the company trades with the highest liquidity (as defined by a two-year average daily dollar trading volume from all exchanges within the country), and the primary location of that company’s assets or its revenue, based on an average of two years of assets or revenues data, is also in the United States. In addition, if there is insufficient information to assign a company to the U.S. equity markets based on its assets or revenue, the company may nonetheless be assigned to the U.S. equity markets if the headquarters of the company is located in the United States or if the headquarters of the company is located in certain “benefit-driven incorporation countries”, or “BDIs”, and that company’s most liquid stock exchange is in the United States. The BDI countries are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Cook Islands, Curaçao, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Panama, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Turks and Caicos Islands. A U.S.-listed company is not eligible for inclusion within the U.S. equity market if it has been classified by FTSE Russell as a China N share on the rank date of the index reconstitution. A company will be considered a China N share if the following criteria are satisfied: (i) the company is incorporated outside of mainland China, (ii) the company is listed on the NYSE, the Nasdaq or the NYSE American (formerly the NYSE MKT), (iii) the company has a headquarter or principal executive office or its establishment in mainland China, with the majority of its revenue or assets derived from the People’s Republic of China, and (iv) the company is controlled by a mainland Chinese entity, company or individual (if the shareholder background cannot be determined with publicly available information, FTSE Russell will consider whether the establishment and origin of the company are in mainland China and whether the company is headquartered in mainland China). An existing China N Share which fails one or more of the following criteria will cease to be classified as a China N share: (i) the company is no longer incorporated outside the People’s Republic of China, (ii) the company is no longer listed on the NYSE, the Nasdaq exchange, or the NYSE American, (iii) the percentages of revenue and assets derived from the People’s Republic of China have both fallen below 45 percent, or (iv) the company is acquired/a controlling stake is held by a non-Mainland Chinese state entity, company or individual. Only asset and revenue data from the most recent annual report is considered when evaluating whether a company should be classified a China N share (i.e., there will be no two year averaging). ADRs and ADSs are not eligible for inclusion in the Russell 2000® Index.

In addition, all securities eligible for inclusion in the Russell 3000® Index, and consequently, the Russell 2000® Index, must trade on an eligible exchange (CBOE (formerly BATS), NYSE, NYSE American (formerly NYSE MKT), NYSE Arca and Nasdaq).

Exclusions from the Russell 2000® Index

FTSE Russell specifically excludes the following companies and securities from the Russell 2000® Index: (i) preferred and convertible preferred stock, redeemable shares, participating preferred stock, warrants, rights, depositary receipts, installment receipts and trust receipts; (ii) royalty trusts, U.S. limited liability companies, closed-end investment companies, companies that are required to report Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (as defined by the SEC), including business development companies, blank check companies, special-purpose acquisition companies and limited partnerships; (iii) companies with a total market capitalization less than $30 million; (iv) companies with only a small portion of their shares available in the free-float as defined by FTSE Russell (companies with less than an absolute 5% of shares available); (v) bulletin board, pink sheets or over-the-counter traded securities, including securities for which

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

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Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

prices are displayed on the FINRA ADF; (vi) real estate investment trusts and publicly traded partnerships that generate, or have historically generated, unrelated business taxable income and have not taken steps to block their unrelated business taxable income to equity holders; and (vii) companies with less than 5% of the company’s voting rights in the hands of unrestricted shareholders.

Initial List of Eligible Securities

The primary criterion FTSE Russell uses to determine the initial list of securities eligible for the Russell 3000® Index and, consequently, the Russell 2000® Index, is total market capitalization, which is calculated by multiplying the total outstanding shares for a company by the market price as of the rank day for those securities being considered at annual reconstitution. IPOs may be added between constitutions as noted below. All common stock share classes are combined in determining a company’s total shares outstanding. If multiple share classes have been combined, the number of total shares outstanding will be multiplied by the primary exchange close price and used to determine the company’s total market capitalization. In cases where the common stock share classes act independently of each other (e.g., tracking stocks), each class is considered for inclusion separately. Stocks must have a closing price at or above $1.00 on their primary exchange or an eligible secondary exchange on the last trading day of May of each year to be eligible for inclusion in the Russell 2000® Index. In order to reduce unnecessary turnover, if an existing member’s closing price is less than $1.00 on the rank day, it will be considered eligible if the average of the daily closing prices from their primary exchange during the 30 days prior to the rank day is equal to or greater than $1.00. If an existing member does not trade on the rank day, it must price at $1.00 or above on another eligible U.S. exchange to remain eligible.

Multiple Share Classes

If an eligible company trades under multiple share classes or if a company distributes shares of an additional share class to its existing shareholders through a mandatory corporate action, each share class will be reviewed independently for inclusion. Share classes in addition to the primary vehicle (the pricing vehicle) that have a total market capitalization larger than $30 million, an average daily dollar trading value that exceeds that of the global median, and a float of 5% or greater of shares available in the free-float as defined by FTSE Russell are eligible for inclusion.

The pricing vehicle will generally be designated as the share class with the highest two-year trading volume as of the rank day. In the absence of two years’ worth of data, all available data will be used for this calculation. If the difference between trading volumes for each share class is less than 20%, the share class with the most available shares outstanding will be used as the pricing vehicle. At least 100 day trading volume is necessary to consider the class as a pricing vehicle for existing members. New members will be analyzed on all available data, even if that data is for less than 100 days.

Annual Reconstitution

The Russell 2000® Index is reconstituted annually by FTSE Russell to reflect changes in the marketplace. The list of companies is ranked based on total market capitalization on the last trading day in May, with the actual reconstitution occurring on the fourth Friday of June each year. A full calendar for reconstitution is published each spring.

A company’s total shares are multiplied by the primary exchange close price of the pricing vehicle and used to determine the company’s total market capitalization for the purpose of ranking of companies and determination of index membership. If no volume exists on the primary exchange on the rank day, the last trade price from an eligible secondary exchange will be used where volume exists (using the lowest trade price above $1.00 if multiple secondary markets exist). The company’s rank will be determined based on the cumulative market capitalization. As of the June 2016 reconstitution, any share class not qualifying for eligibility independently will not be aggregated with the pricing vehicle within the available shares calculation.

For mergers and spin-offs that are effective between the rank day and the business day immediately before the index lock down takes effect ahead of the annual reconstitution in June, the market capitalizations of the impacted securities are recalculated and membership is reevaluated as of the effective date of the corporate action. For corporate events that occur during the reconstitution lock down period (which takes effect from the open on the first day of the lock down period onwards), market capitalizations and memberships will not be reevaluated. Non index members that have been considered ineligible as of rank day will not be reevaluated in the event of a subsequent corporate action that occurs between rank day and the reconstitution effective date.

Index Calculation and Capitalization Adjustments

As a capitalization-weighted index, the Russell 2000® Index reflects changes in the capitalization, or market value, of the index stocks relative to the capitalization on a base date. This discussion describes the “price return” calculation of the Russell 2000® Index. The current Russell 2000® Index value is the compounded result of the cumulative daily (or monthly) return percentages, where the starting value of the Russell 2000® Index is equal to the base value (100) and base date (December 31, 1978). Returns between any two dates can then be derived by dividing the ending period index value (IV1) by the beginning period (IV0) index value, so that the return equals [(IV1 / IV0) –1]*100.

Constituent stocks of the index are weighted in the Russell 2000® Index by their free-float market capitalization, which is calculated by multiplying the primary closing price by the number of free-float shares. Free-float shares are shares that are available to the public for purchase as determined by FTSE Russell. Adjustments to shares are reviewed quarterly (including at reconstitution) and for major corporate actions such as mergers. Total shares and adjustments for available shares are based on information recorded in SEC corporate filings.

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; shares held by directors, senior executives and managers of the company, and by their

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-27

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

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; all shares where the holder is subject to a lock-up clause (for the duration of that clause, after which free float changes resulting from the expiry of a lock-up will be implemented at the next quarterly review subject to the lock-up expiry date occurring on or prior to the share and float change information cut-off date); shares held by an investor, investment company or an investment fund that is actively participating in the management of a company or is holding shares for publicly announced strategic reasons, or has successfully placed a current member to the board of directors of a company; and shares that are subject to ongoing contractual agreements (such as swaps) where they would ordinarily be treated as restricted. In addition, while portfolio holdings such as pension funds, insurance funds or investment companies will generally not be considered as restricted from free float, where a single portfolio holding is 30% or greater it will be regarded as strategic and therefore restricted (and will remain restricted until the holding falls below 30%).

Corporate Actions Affecting the Index

FTSE Russell adjusts the Russell 2000® Index on a daily basis in response to certain corporate actions and events. Therefore, a company’s membership in the Russell 2000® Index and its weight in the Russell 2000® Index can be impacted by these corporate actions. The adjustment is applied based on sources of public information, including press releases and Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Prior to the completion of a corporate action or event, FTSE Russell estimates the effective date. FTSE Russell will then adjust the anticipated effective date based on public information until the date is considered final. Depending on the time on a given day that an action is determined to be final, FTSE Russell will generally either (1) apply the action before the open on the ex-date or (2) apply the action after providing appropriate notice. If FTSE Russell has confirmed the completion of a corporate action, scheduled to become effective subsequent to a rebalance, the event may be implemented in conjunction with the rebalance to limit turnover, provided appropriate notice can be given. FTSE Russell applies the following methodology guidelines when adjusting the Russell 2000® Index in response to corporate actions and events:

“No Replacement” Rule — Securities that are deleted from the Russell 2000® Index between reconstitution dates, for any reason (e.g., mergers, acquisitions or other similar corporate activity) are not replaced. Thus, the number of securities in the Russell 2000® Index over the past year will fluctuate according to corporate activity.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Adjustments due to mergers and acquisitions are applied to the Russell 2000® Index after the action is determined to be final. In the event that a constituent is being acquired for cash or is delisted subsequent to an index review, such constituent will be removed from the Russell 2000® Index in conjunction with the index review, assuming that the action is determined to be final and a minimum of two days’ notice can be provided.

Between constituents: When mergers and acquisitions take place between companies that are both constituents of a Russell index for cash, the target company is deleted from the Russell 2000® Index at the last traded price. When mergers and acquisitions take place between companies that are both constituents of a Russell index for stock, the target company is deleted from the Russell 2000® Index and the shares of the acquiring stock are increased according to the offer terms. When mergers and acquisitions take place between companies that are both constituents of a Russell index for cash or stock or a combination thereof, the target company is deleted from the Russell 2000® Index and the shares of the acquiring company are simultaneously increased per the merger terms.

Between a constituent and a non-constituent: If the target company is a member of the Russell 2000® Index, it is deleted from the Russell 2000® Index and the acquiring company will be included initially in the Russell 2000® Index provided it is eligible in all other respects at the time of the merger, regardless of previous eligibility screenings. If the acquiring company is deemed eligible it will be added to the Russell 2000® Index on the effective date and the opening price will be calculated using the offer terms. When the target company is a FTSE Russell Universe member, the shares of the member acquiring company will be updated to reflect the merger. Any share update will be made giving appropriate notice.

Given sufficient market hours after the confirmation of a merger or acquisition, FTSE Russell effects the action after the close on the last day of trading of the target company, or at an appropriate time once the transaction has been deemed to be final.

Rights Offerings — Rights offered to shareholders are reflected in the Russell 2000® Index only if the subscription price of the rights is at a discount to the market price of the stock. Provided that FTSE Russell has been alerted to the rights offer prior to the ex-date, it will adjust the price of the stock for the value of the rights and increased shares according to the terms of the offering before the open on the ex-date.

Spin-offs— If the spin-off entity meets the eligibility requirements for the Russell 2000® Index, the spin-off entity will be added to the Russell 2000® Index on the ex-date of the distribution. The spin-off entity will be retained in the Russell 2000® Index until the next annual reconstitution, when it will be evaluated for inclusion. If the spin-off entity does not meet the eligibility requirements for the Russell 2000® Index, the spin-off entity will be added to the Russell 2000® Index on the ex-date of the distribution. It will remain in the Russell 2000® Index until listing and settlement and then deleted at market price with notice.

Initial Public Offerings — Eligible IPOs are added to the Russell 2000® Index based on total market capitalization ranking within the market-adjusted capitalization breaks established at the most recent annual reconstitution.

An IPO of additional share classes will be considered for eligibility and must meet the same eligibility criteria for all other multiple share classes. If at the time of the IPO the additional share class does not meet the eligibility criteria for separate index membership, it will not be added to the Russell 2000® Index and will subsequently be reviewed for index membership during the next annual reconstitution.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-28

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Once IPO additions have been announced, an IPO may be added to the Russell 2000® Index prior to the previously announced schedule, if a corporate action has deemed this to be appropriate and notice can be provided (e.g. an index member automatically receives shares via a stock distribution into a projected IPO add).

Tender Offers — A company acquired as a result of a tender offer is removed when (i) (a) offer acceptances reach 90%; (b) shareholders have validly tendered and the shares have been irrevocably accepted for payment; and (c) all pertinent offer conditions have been reasonably met and the acquirer has not explicitly stated that it does not intend to acquire the remaining shares; (ii) there is reason to believe that the remaining free float is under 5% based on information available at the time; or (iii) following completion of the offer the acquirer has stated intent to finalize the acquisition via a short-form merger, squeeze-out, top-up option or any other compulsory mechanism.

Where the conditions for index deletion are not met, FTSE Russell may implement a free float change based on the reported acceptance results at the expiration of the initial, subsequent or final offer period where (i) the minimum acceptance level as stipulated by the acquiror is met; (ii) shareholders have validly tendered and the shares have been irrevocably accepted for payment; (iii) all pertinent offer conditions have been reasonably met and (iv) the change to the current float factor is greater than 3%. FTSE Russell uses the published results of the offer to determine the new free float of the target company. If no information is published in conjunction with the results from which FTSE Russell can determine which shareholders have and have not tendered, the free float change will reflect the total shares now owned by the acquiring company. A minimum T+2 notice period of the change is generally provided. . Any subsequent disclosure on the updated shareholder structure will be reviewed during the quarterly review cycle. If the offer includes a stock consideration, the acquiring company’s shares will be increased proportionate to the free float change of the target company. If the target company’s free float change is greater than 3%, the associated change to the acquiring company’s shares will be implemented regardless of size. Additionally, if the change to the target company is less than 3%, then no change will be implemented to the target or the acquiring company at the time of the event, regardless of any change to the acquiring company’s shares. The target company will then be deleted as a second-step, if the conditions for deletion are achieved at the expiration of a subsequent offer period.

In the event that a tender offer results in an additional listed and active “tendered” line prior to the tendered shares being accepted and exchanged for settlement, FTSE Russell will generally evaluate the following factors to determine whether to switch to the tendered line: (i) the objective of the offer is to fully acquire and delist the target company (and FTSE Russell is not aware of any obstacles designed to prevent this objective; e.g. there are no major shareholders who have publicly disclosed that they will not be tendering); (ii) the offer is deemed to be successful (i.e. the minimum acceptance threshold has been achieved); (iii) more than 50% of the shares subject to the offer have been tendered; (iv) there is an additional tender offer period to provide a window for index users to tender into the tendered shares’ line; and (v) there are outstanding regulatory or other substantive hurdles preventing the transaction completing immediately at the conclusion of the tender offer, with the results not expected to be known for some time. Index implementation will generally occur immediately after the opening of the additional offer period (with the provision of appropriate notice) – with an informative notice published announcing the change, to supplement the information within the applicable tracker files. In the event that the tendered line is halted prior to index implementation, its close price will be updated to reflect the deal terms until implementation. In the event that the prerequisites for deletion are not achieved and the target company is retained within the Russell 2000® Index at a reduced weight, the tendered line will be removed at deal terms (if no active market) with the ordinary line being re-added at a reduced weight at its last close price.

In exceptional circumstances, any review changes due to be effective for the companies involved in a tender offer may be retracted if FTSE Russell becomes aware of a tender offer which is due to complete on or around the effective date of such index review changes. Such exceptional circumstances may include undue price pressure being placed on the companies involved, or if proceeding with the review changes would compromise the replicability of the Russell 2000® Index.

Delisted and Suspended Stocks — A constituent will be deleted if it is delisted from all eligible exchanges. A constituent will be deleted if FTSE Russell becomes aware (in the country of assigned nationality) that the stock has become bankrupt, has filed for bankruptcy protection, enters into administration or receivership, commenced accelerated safeguarding procedures, is insolvent or is liquidated (or local equivalents); or has filed for delisting and no regulatory or shareholder approvals are outstanding, converts into an ineligible corporate structure or where evidence of a change in circumstances makes it ineligible for index inclusion. If, however, FTSE Russell becomes aware that a constituent is suspended, index treatment will be determined as follows:

unless the circumstances regarding deletions set forth below apply, a constituent will continue to be included in the Russell 2000® Index for a period of up to 20 business days at its last traded price;
if a constituent continues to be suspended at the end of that 20 business day period (the suspension period), it will be subject to review. FTSE Russell will take into account the stated reasons for the suspension. These reasons may include announcements made by the company regarding a pending acquisition or restructuring, and any stated intentions regarding a date for the resumption of trading. If following review, a decision is taken to remove the constituent, FTSE Russell will provide notice of 20 business days (the notice period) that it intends to remove the constituent, at zero value, at the conclusion of the notice period. If the security has not resumed trading at the conclusion of the notice period, it will be removed with two days’ notice. If during the notice period further details are disclosed as to the reason for a company’s suspension, those reasons (and any possible resumption of trade date) will be taken into account when determining if the company should remain on notice;
if a suspended constituent resumes trading on or before the last business day of the notice period, the deletion notice will be rescinded and the constituent will be retained in the Russell 2000® Index. However, where the constituent resumes trading after the 40th business day of suspension, the constituent will continue to be removed from the Russell 2000® Index as previously

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-29

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

announced but in these circumstance the deletion will be implemented at market value unless there are barriers that render a market value irreplicable. In this event, the company will continue to be removed at zero;
if the notice period expires in the week preceding an index review, the company will be removed in conjunction with the index review;
in certain limited circumstances where the index weight of the constituent is significant and FTSE Russell determines that a market-related value can be established for the suspended constituent, for example because similar company securities continue to trade, deletion may take place at the market-related value instead. In such circumstances, FTSE Russell will set out its rationale for the proposed treatment of the constituent at the end of the suspension period. The company would then be removed at that value at the end of the notice period;
subject to the second following paragraph, if a constituent has been removed from the Russell 2000® Index and trading is subsequently restored, the constituent will only be reconsidered for inclusion after a period of 12 months from its deletion. For the purposes of index eligibility it will be treated as a new issue.

For example, if FTSE Russell becomes aware that a U.S. company has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a receiver is appointed, has filed for delisting under a Form 25, or a liquidation plan is filed, it will be removed from the Russell 2000® Index with notice. If a constituent is removed pursuant to this rule and is not trading and there is no express confirmation that shareholders will receive a fixed cash amount per share held, FTSE Russell will remove the stock at a nominal price of $0.0001. If a price on an ineligible market (e.g. OTC) is available, the constituent may be removed using this price.

A company emerging from bankruptcy protection or insolvency will be reconsidered for index inclusion at the next annual reconstitution (i.e., there will be no 12 month exclusion).

A constituent will be deleted if FTSE Russell becomes aware that the price of the constituent has reached its minimum permissible trade price. The constituent will be removed from the Russell 2000® Index in conjunction with the next index review subject to it still being at the minimum permissible trade price at the start of the quarterly review lock down period. The stock will only be reconsidered for index eligibility after a period of 12 months from its deletion. For purposes of index eligibility it will be evaluated as a new issue.

Stock Distributions and distributions in specie— A price adjustment for stock distributions is applied on the ex-date of the distribution. Where FTSE Russell is able to value a distribution in specie prior to the ex-date, a price adjustment is made to the company paying the dividend at the open on the ex-date. If no valuation of the distribution exists prior to the ex-date, no price adjustment is applied. Where the company whose holders are receiving the distribution is an index member, its shares will be increased according to the terms of the distribution. If such company is not an index member, the distributed shares will be added to the Russell 2000® Index until they have been settled and have listed, at which point they will be removed at the last traded price giving appropriate notice.

Special Cash Dividends — If a constituent pays out a special cash dividend, the price of the stock is adjusted to deduct the dividend amount before the open on the ex-date. No adjustment for regular cash dividends is made in the price return calculation of the Russell 2000® Index.

Updates to Shares Outstanding and Free Float — FTSE Russell reviews the Russell 2000® Index quarterly for updates to shares outstanding and to free floats used in calculating the Russell 2000® Index. The changes are implemented quarterly in March, June, September and December after the close on the third Friday of such month. The June reconstitution will be implemented on the fourth Friday of June.

In March, September and December shares outstanding and free floats are updated to reflect (i) cumulative share changes greater than 1%, (ii) for constituents with a free float less than or equal to 15%, cumulative free float changes greater than 1%, and (iii) for constituents with a free float greater than 15%, cumulative free float changes greater than 3%. Updates to shares outstanding and free floats will be implemented each June regardless of size (i.e., the percentage change thresholds above will not be applied). FTSE Russell implements the June updates using data sourced primarily from the companies’ publicly available information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Outside of the quarterly update cycle, outstanding shares and free float will be updated with at least two days’ notice if prompted by primary or secondary offerings if (i) there is a USD $1 billion investable market capitalization change related to a primary/secondary offering measured by multiplying the change to index shares by the subscription price or (ii) there is a resultant 5% change in index shares related to a primary or secondary offering and a USD $250 million investable market capitalization change measured by multiplying the change to index shares by the subscription price. The pricing date will serve as the trigger for implementation; i.e. once FTSE Russell is aware that an offering has priced, the update will be implemented with two days’ notice from market close (contingent on the thresholds described above being triggered). If discovery of the pricing date occurs more than two days after the pricing date, the update will be deferred until the next quarterly review.

In exceptional circumstances, FTSE Russell may defer implementation until after the new shares are listed and with the provision of two days’ notice. An offering may be deemed exceptional if implementation prior to the listing of the new shares may cause undue price pressure on the company, or if proceeding with the changes may compromise the replicability of the index.

If a company distributes shares of an additional share class to its existing shareholders through a mandatory corporate action, the additional share class will be evaluated for separate index membership. The new share class will be deemed eligible if the market capitalization of the distributed shares meets the minimum size requirement (the market capitalization of the smallest member of the

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-30

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Russell 3000E Index from the previous rebalance as adjusted for performance to date). If the additional share class is not eligible at the time of distribution, it will not be added to the Russell 2000® Index.

Historical Closing Levels of the RTY

The closing level of the RTY has fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations. In particular, the RTY has recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of the RTY during the period shown below is not an indication that the RTY is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.

You should not take the historical levels of the RTY as an indication of the future performance of the RTY, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of the RTY or the stocks included in RTY will result in you receiving any Contingent Coupon Payments or receiving the outstanding principal amount of your notes on the maturity date.

Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the RTY. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the levels of the RTY between the date of this term sheet and the date of your purchase of the offered notes and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent levels of the RTY. The actual performance of the RTY over the life of the offered notes, as well as the Redemption Amount, may bear little relation to the historical closing levels shown below.

The graph below shows the daily historical closing levels of the RTY from January 1, 2014 through August 7, 2024. As a result, the following graph does not reflect the global financial crisis which began in 2008, which had a materially negative impact on the price of most equity securities and, as a result, the level of most equity indices. We obtained the closing levels in the graph below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. On August 7, 2024, the closing level of the RTY was 2,035.110.

Historical Performance of the RTY

img41213650_9.jpg 

 

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-31

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

License Agreement

Frank Russell Company doing business as FTSE Russell (“Russell”) and Goldman Sachs International have entered into a non-exclusive license agreement, granting GS Finance Corp., in exchange for a fee, permission to use the Russell 2000® Index in connection with the offer and sale of the securities. GS Finance Corp. is not affiliated with Russell; the only relationship between Russell and GS Finance Corp. is the licensing of the use of the Russell 2000® Index (a trademark of Russell) and trademarks relating to the Russell 2000® Index.

GS Finance Corp. does not accept any responsibility for the calculation, maintenance or publication of the Russell 2000® Index or any successor index.

The securities are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Russell. Russell makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the securities or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the securities particularly or the ability of the Russell 2000® Index to track general stock market performance or a segment of the same. Russell’s publication of the Russell 2000® Index in no way suggests or implies an opinion by Russell as to the advisability of investment in any or all of the securities upon which the Russell 2000® Index is based. Russell’s only relationship to GS Finance Corp. is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Russell and of the Russell 2000® Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Russell without regard to GS Finance Corp. or the securities. Russell is not responsible for and has not reviewed the securities nor any associated literature or publications and Russell makes no representation or warranty express or implied as to their accuracy or completeness, or otherwise. Russell reserves the right, at any time and without notice, to alter, amend, terminate or in any way change the Russell 2000® Index. Russell has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the securities.

RUSSELL DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE RUSSELL 2000® INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN AND RUSSELL SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. RUSSELL MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY GS FINANCE CORP., INVESTORS, OWNERS OF THE SECURITIES, OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE RUSSELL 2000® INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. RUSSELL MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE RUSSELL 2000® INDEX OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, IN NO EVENT SHALL RUSSELL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS), EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-32

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Supplement to the Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest

See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page PS-43 of the accompanying product supplement and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” on page 127 of the accompanying prospectus. GSFC estimates that its share of the total offering expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $10,000.

GSFC will sell to GS&Co., and GS&Co. will purchase from GSFC, the aggregate principal amount of the offered notes specified on the front cover of this term sheet. MLPF&S will purchase the notes from GS&Co. for resale, and will receive a selling concession in connection with the sale of the notes in an amount up to the full amount of underwriting discount set forth on the cover of this term sheet. MLPF&S will offer the notes at the public offering price set forth on the cover page hereto. GS&Co. is an affiliate of GSFC and GSG and, as such, will have a “conflict of interest” in this offering of notes within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering of notes will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. GS&Co. will not be permitted to sell notes in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder. We will pay a fee to LFT Securities, LLC for providing certain electronic platform services with respect to this offering, which will reduce the economic terms of the notes to you. An affiliate of MLPF&S has an ownership interest in LFT Securities, LLC.

In connection with the initial offering of the notes, the minimum principal amount of notes that may be purchased by any investor is $250,000.

We will deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on the settlement date set forth on the cover page of this term sheet. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in one business day, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any date prior to one business day before delivery will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

We have been advised by GS&Co. that it intends to make a market in the notes. However, neither GS&Co. nor any of our other affiliates that makes a market is obligated to do so and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for the notes.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system. If you place an order to purchase the notes, you are consenting to MLPF&S and/or one of its affiliates acting as a principal in effecting the transaction for your account.

The value of the notes shown on your account statement will be based on GS&Co.’s estimate of the value of the notes if GS&Co. were to make a market in the notes, which they are not obligated to do. That estimate will be based upon the price that GS&Co. may pay for the notes in light of then-prevailing market conditions and other considerations as described under “Risk Factors — Valuation- and Market-related Risks — The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the pricing date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by GS&Co.) is less than the public offering price of your notes.” on page TS-9 of this term sheet.

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-33

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Structuring the Notes

The notes are our debt securities, the return on which is linked to the performance of the Worst-Performing Market Measure. The related guarantees are GSG’s obligations. As is the case for all of our debt securities, including our market-linked notes, the economic terms of the notes reflect our and GSG’s actual or perceived creditworthiness at the time of pricing. The economic terms of the notes are based upon certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes. These variables will influence the economic terms of the notes and the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date. In addition, the underwriting discount and costs incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes will reduce the economic terms of the notes and the initial estimated value of the notes on the pricing date.

At maturity, if not previously automatically called, we are required to pay the Redemption Amount to holders of the notes, which will be calculated based on the performance of the Indices and the $10 per unit principal amount. In order to meet these payment obligations, at the time we issue the notes, we have entered into, or expect to enter into, certain hedging arrangements (which may include call options, put options or other derivatives) with GS&Co. or one of our other affiliates. The terms of these hedging arrangements may take into account a number of factors, including our and GSG’s creditworthiness, interest rate movements, the volatility of the Indices, the tenor of the notes and the tenor of the hedging arrangements. See “Hedging” on page PS-22 in the accompanying product supplement for additional information.

For further information, see “Risk Factors—Valuation- and Market-related Risks” and “—Conflict-related Risks” beginning on page PS-10 and PS-13, respectively, and “Use of Proceeds” on page PS-22 of the accompanying product supplement.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

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Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Validity of the Notes and Guarantee

In the opinion of Sidley Austin LLP, as counsel to GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., when the notes offered by this term sheet have been executed and issued by GS Finance Corp., such notes have been authenticated by the trustee pursuant to the indenture, and such notes have been delivered against payment as contemplated herein, (a) such notes will be valid and binding obligations of GS Finance Corp., enforceable in accordance with their terms, 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), provided that such counsel expresses no opinion as to the effect of fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or similar provision of applicable law on the conclusions expressed above and (b) the guarantee with respect to such notes will be a valid and binding obligation of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., enforceable in accordance with its terms, 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), provided that such counsel expresses no opinion as to the effect of fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or similar provision of applicable law on the conclusions expressed above. This opinion is given as of the date hereof and is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware as in effect on the date hereof. 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 18, 2023, which has been filed as Exhibit 5.6 to the registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. on January 18, 2023

 

 

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

TS-35

 


Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes
Linked to the Worst-Performing of the S&P 500® Index, the MSCI EAFE Index and the Russell 2000® Index, due August 14, 2026

 

 

 

Summary Tax Consequences

You should consider the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the notes, including the following:

There is no statutory, judicial, or administrative authority directly addressing the characterization of the notes.
You agree with us (in the absence of an administrative determination, or judicial ruling to the contrary) to characterize and treat the notes for all tax purposes as a contingent income-bearing single financial contract with respect to the Indices.
No assurance can be given that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) or any court will agree with this characterization and tax treatment.
Under this characterization and tax treatment of the notes, we intend to take the position that the Contingent Coupon Payments constitute taxable ordinary income to a U.S. Holder (as defined in the prospectus) at the time received or accrued in accordance with the U.S. Holder’s regular method of accounting. Upon receipt of a cash payment at maturity or upon a sale, exchange or redemption of the notes prior to maturity (other than amounts representing accrued Contingent Coupon Payments), a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss. This capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if you hold the notes for more than one year.
Under current IRS guidance, withholding on “dividend equivalent” payments (as discussed in the product supplement), if any, will not apply to notes that are issued as of the date of this term sheet unless such notes are “delta-one” instruments.

You should consult your own tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of acquiring, owning, and disposing of the notes, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local, foreign, or other tax jurisdiction and the possible effects of changes in U.S. federal or other tax laws. You should review carefully the discussion under the section entitled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Summary” beginning on page PS-46 of the accompanying product supplement. Non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing in the notes.

Where You Can Find More Information

We and GSG have filed a registration statement (including a product supplement, a prospectus supplement, and a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this term sheet relates. Before you invest, you should read the Note Prospectus, including this term sheet, and the other documents relating to this offering that we and GSG have filed with the SEC, for more complete information about us, GSG and this offering. You may get these documents without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov Alternatively or calling MLPF&S toll-free at 1-800-294-1322.

Autocallable Contingent Coupon Barrier Notes

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333-269296424B2S-3The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.0000886982EX-FILING FEES00008869822024-08-092024-08-09iso4217:USD

EX-FILING FEES

The prospectus to which this Exhibit is attached is a final prospectus for the related offering. The maximum aggregate offering price for such offering is $2,250,000.

 

 


v3.24.2.u1
Submission
Aug. 09, 2024
Submission [Line Items]  
Central Index Key 0000886982
Registrant Name The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Registration File Number 333-269296
Form Type S-3
Submission Type 424B2
Fee Exhibit Type EX-FILING FEES
v3.24.2.u1
Fees Summary
Aug. 09, 2024
USD ($)
Fees Summary [Line Items]  
Narrative Disclosure

The prospectus to which this Exhibit is attached is a final prospectus for the related offering. The maximum aggregate offering price for such offering is $2,250,000.

Narrative - Max Aggregate Offering Price $ 2,250,000

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