WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund – HEDJ (NYSE Arca Ticker)
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS – July 29, 2011
Before you invest in the WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund (the “Fund”), you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the Fund and the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s current prospectus and statement of additional information are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, as well as other information about the Fund, online at www.wisdomtree.com/prospectus. You may also obtain this information at no charge by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by sending an e-mail request to getinfo@wisdomtree.com.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree DEFA International Hedged Equity Index.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The fees are expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average net assets.
| Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | None | |||
| Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
||||
| Management Fees |
0.48 | % | ||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None | |||
| Other Expenses |
1.17 | % | ||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
1.65 | % | ||
| Expense Reimbursements |
1.07 | % | ||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement* | 0.58 | % |
| * | WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. has contractually agreed to reduce fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to keep total annual operating expenses for the Fund (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.58% of the Fund’s average daily net assets through July 31, 2012. This agreement may be terminated by: (i) the Board of Trustees of the Trust, for any reason at any time, or (ii) the Adviser, upon 90 days’ prior written notice to the Trust, effective as of the close of business on the last day of the then-current one-year period. |
Example
The following example is intended to help retail investors compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It illustrates the hypothetical expenses that such investors would incur over various periods if they were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. It also does not include transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units because these fees will not be imposed on retail investors. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||||
| $59 | $416 | $796 | $1,865 | |||||||||||||
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 38% of the average value of its portfolio, excluding the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s capital shares.
| WisdomTree Prospectus 1 |
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund employs a “passive management”– or indexing – investment approach designed to track the performance of the WisdomTree DEFA International Hedged Equity Index. The Fund attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the stocks that make up the Index. The Fund generally uses a Representative Sampling strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole.
The WisdomTree DEFA International Hedged Equity Index is a dividend weighted index designed to provide exposure to developed world, non-U.S. equity securities while at the same time neutralizing exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and non-U.S. currencies reflected in the Index. Constituent stocks are of companies within the WisdomTree DEFA Index. Eligibility requirements for the WisdomTree DEFA Index include: (i) Incorporation in one of 16 developed European countries, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong or Singapore; (ii) Payment of at least $5 million in cash dividends on shares of common stock in the annual cycle prior to the annual reconstitution; (iii) Market capitalization of at least $100 million on the International Screening Point; (iv) Average daily dollar volume of at least $100,000 for three months preceding the International Screening Point; and (v) Trading of at least 250,000 shares per month for each of the six months preceding the International Screening Point for component securities.
The Index “hedges” against fluctuations in the relative value of non-U.S. currencies against the U.S. dollar. The Index is designed to have higher returns than an equivalent non-currency hedged investment when the U.S. Dollar is going up in value relative to foreign currencies. Conversely, the Index is designed to have lower returns than an equivalent non-hedged investment when the U.S. dollar is falling in value relative to foreign currencies.
Forward currency contracts or futures contracts are used to offset the Fund’s exposure to non-U.S. currencies. A forward currency contract is a contract between two parties to buy or sell a specific currency in the future at an agreed-upon rate. A currency futures contract is a contract to exchange one currency for another at a specified date in the future at an agreed upon exchange rate. The amount of forward contracts and futures contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Index to each non-U.S. currency. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, it does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts and currency futures contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in the types of investments suggested by its name. The Fund also may invest its assets in cash and cash equivalents, as well as in shares of other investment companies, forward contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, options, and swaps. WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. expects that, over time, the correlation between the Fund’s performance and that of its Index, before fees and expenses, will be 95% or better.
To the extent the Fund’s Index concentrates (i.e., holds 25% or more of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as its Index.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
You can lose money on your investment in the Fund. The Fund is subject to the risks described below. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value per share (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or its ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s prospectus titled “Additional Investment Objective, Strategy and Risk Information.”
| n | Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or even long periods of time |
| n | Market Risk. The trading prices of fixed income securities, equity securities, commodities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. These factors include events impacting the entire market or specific market segments, such as political, market and economic developments, as well as events that impact specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or even long periods. |
| n | Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), Fund shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the respective Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price and the NAV vary significantly. Thus, you may pay more (or less) than NAV when you buy shares of the Fund in the secondary market, and you may receive more (or less) than NAV when you sell those shares in the secondary market. |
| n | Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund’s investment strategy will require it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order |
| WisdomTree Prospectus 2 |
| to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. |
| n | Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s prospectus, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. |
| n | Fiscal Policy Risk. Any repeal of or failure to extend the current federal tax treatment of qualified dividend income could make dividend-paying securities less appealing to investors and could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund. |
| n | Foreign Currency Risk. The Fund uses various strategies to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in its underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These strategies may not be successful. In order to minimize transaction costs or for other reasons, the Fund’s exposure to the currencies included in the Index may not be fully hedged at all times. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in a Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money. |
| n | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments. |
| n | Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. |
| n | Mid-Capitalization Investing. The Fund invests primarily in securities of mid-capitalization companies. As a result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected if securities of mid-capitalization companies underperform securities of other capitalization ranges or the market as a whole. In addition, the securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies. |
| n | Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Fund will be considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance. |
Fund Performance
Historical Fund performance, which varies over time, can provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart that follows shows the annual total returns of the Fund for the full calendar year since the Fund commenced operations. The table that follows the bar chart shows the Fund’s average annual total returns, both before and after taxes. The table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the WisdomTree DEFA International Hedged Equity Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of June 30, 2011 was 1.89%.
| WisdomTree Prospectus 3 |
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)
| Return | Quarter/Year | |||||||
| Highest Return |
7.68 | % | 3Q/2010 | |||||
| Lowest Return |
(9.61 | )% | 2Q/2010 | |||||
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases the return after taxes may exceed the return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.
Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ending December 31, 2010
| WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund | 1 Year |
Since Inception (12/31/2009) |
||||||
| Return Before Taxes Based on NAV |
3.12 | % | 3.12 | % | ||||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions |
1.80 | % | 1.80 | % | ||||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
1.97 | % | 1.97 | % | ||||
| MSCI EAFE Local Currency Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
4.82 | % | 4.82 | % | ||||
| WisdomTree DEFA International Hedged Equity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
4.17 | % | 4.17 | % | ||||
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Capital Management Corporation serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
Karen Q. Wong, CFA, a Managing Director, Equity Index Strategies, West Coast, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since December 2009.
Richard A. Brown, CFA, a Director, Equity Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since December 2009.
Thomas J. Durante, CFA, a Director, Senior Portfolio Manager, Equity, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since December 2009.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. This means that shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange, such as NYSE Arca, and trade at market prices. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund through brokers. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (“Creation Units”), which only institutions or large investors may purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, though this may change from time to time. Creation Units are not expected to consist of less than 50,000 shares. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of money market securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund or a designated basket of non-U.S. currency and/or an amount of U.S. cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.
| WisdomTree Prospectus 4 | WIS-HEDJ-SUM-0711 |