WisdomTree Trust - Currency/Fixed Income Pro

PROSPECTUS

December 29, 2011

as revised March 6, 2012

 

Income Funds

 

LOGO

 

WisdomTree Trust

 

WisdomTree Currency Income Funds  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund (BZF)  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund (CYB)  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund (CCX)  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund (CEW)  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Indian Rupee Fund (ICN)  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese Yen Fund (JYF)  
WisdomTree Dreyfus South African Rand Fund (SZR)  
WisdomTree Fixed Income Funds  
WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund (ALD)  

WisdomTree Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund (AUNZ) (Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund (BNZ))

 
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund (ELD)  

WisdomTree Euro Debt Fund (EU)
(Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus Euro Fund)

 
Principal U.S. Listing Exchange: NYSE Arca, Inc.  

THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (“SEC”) HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.


WisdomTree Trust

 

Table of Contents

 

 

Currency Income Funds   

WisdomTree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund

     2   

WisdomTree Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund

     6   

WisdomTree Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund

     11   

WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund

     15   

WisdomTree Dreyfus Indian Rupee Fund

     20   

WisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese Yen Fund

     24   

WisdomTree Dreyfus South African Rand Fund

     28   
Fixed Income Funds   

WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund

     32   

WisdomTree Australia & New Zealand Debt  Fund (Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund)

     36   

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund

     41   

WisdomTree Euro Debt Fund (Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus Euro Fund)

     45   

Additional Information About the Funds

     50   

Additional Investment Objective Information

     50   

Additional Information About the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund’s and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund’s Strategies

     50   

Additional Risk Information About the Funds

     50   

Portfolio Holdings Information

     53   
Management      54   

Investment Adviser

     54   

Sub-Advisers

     54   

Portfolio Managers

     55   

Additional Information on Buying and Selling Shares

     56   

Share Trading Prices

     56   

Determination of Net Asset Value

     56   

Dividends and Distributions

     56   

Book Entry

     56   

Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding

     57   

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

     57   

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

     57   
Additional Tax Information      58   

Taxes on Distributions

     58   

Taxes When Fund Shares Are Sold

     58   

Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

     59   

Foreign Investments by the Funds

     59   

Foreign Currency Investments by the Funds

     59   

Distribution

     60   

Premium/Discount Information

     60   

Additional Notices

     60   

Financial Highlights

     60   
 

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: n ARE NOT FDIC INSURED n MAY LOSE VALUE n ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED

 

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      1   


WisdomTree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve total returns reflective of both money market rates in Brazil available to foreign investors and changes in value of the Brazilian real relative to the U.S. dollar.

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

    0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.45

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 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. 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  
      $46        $144        $252        $567   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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 less than 1% 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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in short-term securities and instruments designed to provide exposure to Brazilian currency and money market rates. Because the market for money market securities in Brazil generally is less liquid and accessible to foreign investors than corresponding markets in more developed economies, the Fund intends to achieve exposure to Brazilian currency markets by investing primarily in short-term U.S. money market securities and forward currency contracts and swaps. The combination of U.S. money market securities with forward currency contracts and currency swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in Brazilian real. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations.

In order to attempt to reduce interest rate risk, the Fund generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less with respect to the money market securities in its portfolio. The Fund will not purchase any security with a remaining maturity of more than 397 calendar days. All U.S. money market securities acquired by the Fund will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality. The Fund does not seek to preserve capital in U.S. dollars.

 

2   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


The decision to secure exposure directly or indirectly will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, and tax ramifications for foreign investors. If the Fund pursues direct investment, eligible investments include short-term securities issued by the Brazilian government and its agencies or instrumentalities, bank debt obligations and time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, short-term corporate debt obligations, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to Brazil. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Capital Controls Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to intervention by the government of Brazil and the imposition of “capital controls.” Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. Capital controls may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in Brazilian real, or in securities that provide exposure to Brazilian real, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated Brazilian real. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of the Brazilian real will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, such as Brazil, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      3   


n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Geographic Concentration in Brazil. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in Brazil, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within Brazil and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The Brazilian economy is sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices and commodity markets. Additionally, the Brazilian economy generally has experienced and may continue to experience high inflation rates. While the Brazilian economy has experienced growth in recent years, there is no guarantee that this growth will continue. The Brazilian government currently imposes significant taxes on the transfer of currency. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Offshore Investor Risk. The opportunity for offshore investors, such as the Fund, to access Brazilian markets can be limited due to a variety of factors including currency convertibility issues. These limitations and restrictions may adversely affect the availability, liquidity and pricing of securities in which the Fund seeks to invest. As a result, returns achieved by offshore investors, such as the Fund, could differ from those available to domestic investors in Brazil.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

 

n  

Sovereign Debt Risk. Bonds issued by governments, sometimes referred to as “sovereign” debt, present risks not associated with investments in other types of bonds. The government or agency issuing the debt may be unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay the principal owed. In such instance, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuing government or agency. In the past, governments of emerging market countries have refused to honor their payment obligations on issued bonds.

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 each 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 JP Morgan Emerging Markets Index Plus Brazil, 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.

 

 

4   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was (6.33%).

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    20.20     2/09   

Lowest Return

    (0.68 )%      1/10   

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 Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund   1 Year     Since Inception
(5/14/2008)
 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    12.70     8.74

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    9.95     7.24

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    9.81     6.88

JP Morgan Emerging Markets Index Plus Brazil (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    13.80     10.60

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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 Trust Prospectus      5   


WisdomTree Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve total returns reflective of both money market rates in China available to foreign investors and changes in value of the Chinese yuan relative to the U.S. dollar.

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

    0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.45

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 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. 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  
    $ 46      $ 144      $ 252      $ 567   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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 less than 1% 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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in short-term securities and instruments designed to provide exposure to Chinese currency and money market rates. Because the market for money market securities in China generally is less liquid and accessible to foreign investors than corresponding markets in more developed economies, the Fund intends to achieve exposure to currency markets in China using a variety of investment techniques. For example, the Fund will invest in short-term U.S. money market securities and forward currency contracts and currency swaps that settle in U.S. dollars. The combination of U.S. money market securities and forward currency contracts and swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in Chinese yuan. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also will invest in money market securities and other instruments, including forward currency contracts and swaps, denominated in Chinese yuan that trade and settle in Hong Kong and other markets outside of mainland China. The market for these yuan-denominated instruments is sometimes referred to as the “CNH market.” Eligible yuan-denominated investments include time deposits of commercial banks, short-term corporate debt, short-term debt issued by the government of China (including its agencies and instrumentalities), as well as short-term debt issued by supranational organizations (such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations.

 

6   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


The Fund generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less with respect to the money market securities in its portfolio. Forward currency contracts and swaps generally will be kept to an average term of six months or less.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is economically tied to China. If subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly within a wide range in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Capital Controls Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention and the imposition of “capital controls.” Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. Capital controls may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

CNH Market Risk. While the CNH market is expected to continue to grow, it is relatively new and may not be as liquid as more established markets. In light of this, the Fund intends to manage its exposure to the CNH market in a prudent manner consistent with its investment objective.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in Chinese yuan, or in securities that provide exposure to Chinese yuan, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in Chinese yuan. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of the Chinese yuan will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      7   


n  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Geographic Concentration in China. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in China, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within China and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in order to achieve economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The Chinese government places strict regulation on the yuan and manages the yuan so that it has historically traded in a tight range relative to the U.S. dollar. The Chinese government has been under pressure to manage the currency in a less restrictive fashion so that it is less correlated to the U.S. dollar. It is expected that such action would increase the value of the yuan relative to the U.S. dollar. Of course, there can be no guarantee that this will occur, or that the yuan will move in relation to the U.S. dollar as expected. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Offshore Investor Risk. In addition to the general risks associated with investing in non-U.S. currencies and non-U.S. currency markets, there are special risks associated with investing in Chinese yuan or securities designed to provide exposure to Chinese yuan. The government of China maintains strict currency controls in support of economic, trade and political objectives and regularly intervenes in the currency market. The government’s actions may not be transparent or predictable. As a result, the value of the yuan, and the value of securities designed to provide exposure to the yuan, can change quickly and arbitrarily. Furthermore, it is difficult for offshore investors to directly access money market securities in China because of investment and trading restrictions. These limitations and restrictions may impact the availability, liquidity, and pricing of securities designed to provide offshore investors with exposure to Chinese markets. As a result, returns achieved by offshore investors, such as the Fund, could differ from those available to domestic investors in China.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

 

n  

Sovereign Debt Risk. Bonds issued by governments, sometimes referred to as “sovereign” debt, present risks not associated with investments in other types of bonds. The government or agency issuing the debt may be unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay the principal owed. In such instance, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuing government or agency. In the past, governments of emerging market countries have refused to honor their payment obligations on issued bonds.

 

8   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


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 each 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 JP Morgan Emerging Markets Index Plus China, 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.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was (0.28%).

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    1.64     3/10   

Lowest Return

    (0.64 )%      2/10   

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 Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund   1 Year     Since Inception
(5/14/2008)
 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    1.26     1.72

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    1.17     1.43

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    0.93     1.32

JP Morgan Emerging Markets Index Plus China (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    2.06     3.17

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      9   


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, Inc., 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.

 

10   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


WisdomTree Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve total returns reflective of money market rates in selected commodity-producing countries and changes in value of such countries’ currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This 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

    0.55

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Net Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.55

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 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. 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  
      $56        $176        $307        $689   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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, there was no portfolio turnover rate for the Fund since the Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days, which are excluded from portfolio turnover calculations.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is designed to provide exposure to both the currencies and money market rates available to foreign investors in selected commodity-producing countries. The term “commodity currency” generally is used to describe the currency of a country whose economic success is commonly identified with the production and export of commodities (such as precious metals, oil, agricultural products or other raw materials) and whose value is closely linked to the value of such commodities. As the demand for, or price of, such commodities increases, money tends to flow into the country. This generally lifts the country’s economic prospects and supports the value of its currency. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or value of, such commodities historically have contributed to declines in the relative value of these countries’ currencies.

The Fund intends to invest in commodity-producing countries, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Russia and South Africa. This list may change based on market developments. In addition to seeking broad exposure across countries and currencies, the Fund intends to seek exposure across currencies correlated to each of the key commodity groups: industrial metals, precious metals, energy, agriculture and livestock. The Fund generally will invest only in currencies that “float” relative to other currencies. The value of a floating currency is largely determined by supply and demand and prevailing market rates. In contrast, the value of a “fixed” currency generally is set by a government or central bank at an official exchange rate. The Fund generally does not intend to invest in the currencies of notable commodity producers, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, since they are fixed or otherwise closely linked to the U.S. dollar. The Fund will only invest in currencies that it deems to be sufficiently liquid and accessible.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      11   


The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve exposure to money market rates of selected commodity-producing countries by investing primarily in short-term U.S. money market securities, forward currency contracts, currency swaps and interest rate swaps. The combination of money market securities with forward currency contracts and interest rate and currency swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in a non-U.S. currency. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. An interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations.

In order to reduce interest rate risk, the Fund generally expects to maintain an average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less. The “average portfolio maturity” of the Fund is the average of all the current maturities of the individual securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Average portfolio maturity is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with longer portfolio maturities generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. All money market securities acquired by the Fund will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to selected commodity-producing countries. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objectives.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Commodity Country Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments designed to provide exposure to both the currencies and money market rates available to foreign investors in selected commodity-producing countries. Commodity-producing countries are vulnerable to the volatility in the demand for commodities. Declines in demand for commodities produced by a particular country may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Fund and your investment.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will

 

12   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


 

affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, developing or emerging market governments may, without prior warning, impose capital controls on the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. The Fund’s ability to access certain developing or emerging markets also may be limited due to a variety of factors, including currency convertibility issues. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, cause the Fund’s returns to differ from those available to domestic investors, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

Fund Performance

The Fund commenced operations on September 24, 2010, and therefore does not have performance history for a full calendar year. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since September 2010.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since September 2010.

 

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      13   


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, Inc., 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 purchase or redeem. Currently, Creation Units generally consist of 100,000 shares, although this may change from time to time. 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.

 

14   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve total returns reflective of both money market rates in selected emerging market countries available to foreign investors and changes to the value of these currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.

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

    0.55

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.55

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 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. 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  
    $56     $176        $307        $689   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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 less than 1% 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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in short-term securities and instruments designed to provide exposure to the currencies and money market rates of selected emerging market countries.

The Fund seeks to provide exposure to currencies and money market rates from emerging and developing economies in three regions of the world: (i) Asia, (ii) Latin America and (iii) Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Within these regions, the Fund intends to invest in a subset of the following markets: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. This list may change based on market developments. The Fund attempts to achieve exposure to the most liquid currencies within each of the three broad regions, while at the same time maintaining geographic and economic diversity across these regions. The specific set of currencies is selected on the annual assessment date each year (typically in July) and generally remains the same throughout the year. The selected currencies are equally weighted in terms of U.S. dollar value at the annual assessment date. The Fund is rebalanced quarterly in order to maintain this equal weighting. In order to maintain geographic diversity, the Fund’s exposure to each of the three broad geographic regions is limited to 45% of its total asset value on the annual assessment date and at each quarterly rebalancing. More frequent rebalancing may occur in response to significant market events. A significant event might include, for example, market conditions that significantly disrupt liquidity or result in the reclassification of a currency (from emerging to developed, for example). Currencies that generally would be considered liquid may be ineligible for investment or dropped from the Fund as a result of government action or other market events if the Fund’s adviser believes doing so would be in the best interest of the Fund.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      15   


Because the market for money market securities in the selected emerging markets generally is less liquid and accessible to foreign investors than corresponding markets in more developed countries, the Fund intends to achieve exposure to these markets by investing primarily in short-term U.S. money market securities and forward currency contracts and swaps of the constituent currencies. The combination of U.S. money market securities with forward currency contracts and currency swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in currencies of the selected markets in which the Fund invests. In aggregate, the Fund’s investments should create exposure that is economically similar to a basket of money market securities denominated in each of the selected currencies. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations.

In order to attempt to reduce interest rate risk, the Fund generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less with respect to the money market securities in its portfolio. The Fund will not purchase any security with a remaining maturity of more than 397 calendar days. All U.S. money market securities acquired by the Fund will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality. The Fund does not seek to preserve capital in U.S. dollars.

The decision to secure exposure directly or indirectly will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, and tax ramifications for foreign investors. If the Fund pursues direct investment, eligible investments include short-term securities issued by emerging market governments and their agencies or instrumentalities, bank debt obligations and time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, short-term corporate debt obligations, mortgage-backed securities, and asset-backed securities.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to selected emerging market countries. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates

 

16   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


 

denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, developing or emerging market governments may, without prior warning, impose capital controls on the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. The Fund’s ability to access certain developing or emerging markets also may be limited due to a variety of factors, including currency convertibility issues. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, cause the Fund’s returns to differ from those available to domestic investors, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      17   


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 each 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 JP Morgan Emerging Markets Index Plus, 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.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was (7.56%).

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    7.76     3/10   

Lowest Return

    (4.19 )%      2/10   

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 Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund   1 Year     Since Inception
(5/06/2009)
 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    6.64     10.43

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    5.85     9.81

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    4.88     8.72

JP Morgan Emerging Markets Index Plus (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    5.68     9.54

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

 

18   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


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, Inc., 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 Trust Prospectus      19   


WisdomTree Dreyfus Indian Rupee Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve total returns reflective of both money market rates in India available to foreign investors and changes in value of the Indian rupee relative to the U.S. dollar.

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

    0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.45

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 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. 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  
      $46        $144        $252        $567   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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 less than 1% 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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in short-term securities designed to provide exposure to Indian currency and money market rates. Because the market for money market securities in India generally is less liquid and accessible to foreign investors than corresponding markets in other countries, the Fund intends to achieve exposure to currency markets in India by investing primarily in short-term U.S. money market securities and forward currency contracts and swaps. The combination of U.S. money market securities with forward currency contracts and currency swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in Indian rupees. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations.

In order to attempt to reduce interest rate risk, the Fund generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less with respect to the money market securities in its portfolio. The Fund will not purchase any security with a remaining maturity of more than 397 calendar days. All U.S. money market securities acquired by the Fund will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality. The Fund does not seek to preserve capital in U.S. dollars.

 

20   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


The decision to secure exposure directly or indirectly will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, and tax ramifications for foreign investors. If the Fund pursues direct investment, eligible investments include short-term securities issued by the government of India and its agencies or instrumentalities, bank debt obligations and time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, short-term corporate debt obligations, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to India. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in Indian rupees, or in securities that provide exposure to Indian rupees, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in Indian rupees. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of the Indian rupee will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      21   


n  

Geographic Concentration in India. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in India, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within India and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The Indian government has exercised and continues to exercise significant influence over many aspects of the economy. While the government of India is moving to a more liberal approach, it still places restrictions on the capability and capacity of foreign investors to access and trade rupee directly. While the Indian economy generally has experienced growth in recent years, there is no guarantee that this growth will continue. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Offshore Investor Risk. In addition to the general risks associated with investing in non-U.S. currencies and non-U.S. currency markets, there are special risks associated with investing in Indian rupee or securities designed to provide exposure to Indian rupee. While the government of India is moving toward a more liberal approach, it still places restrictions on the capability and capacity of foreign investors to access and trade rupee directly. Foreign investors in India still face burdensome taxes on investments in income-producing securities. These limitations and restrictions may impact the availability, liquidity and pricing of securities designed to provide offshore investors with exposure to Indian markets. As a result, returns achieved by offshore investors, such as the Fund, could differ from those available to domestic investors in India.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

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 each 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 JPMorgan Emerging Markets Index Plus India, 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.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was (5.02%).

 

22   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    7.66     2/09   

Lowest Return

    (3.08 )%      2/10   

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 Dreyfus Indian Rupee Fund   1 Year     Since Inception
(5/14/2008)
 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    6.94     3.47

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    6.54     3.21

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    4.51     2.81

JPMorgan Emerging Markets Index Plus India (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    8.27     5.29

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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 Trust Prospectus      23   


WisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese Yen Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to earn current income reflective of money market rates in Japan available to foreign investors. The Fund also seeks to maintain liquidity and preserve capital measured in Japanese yen.

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

    0.35

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.35

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 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. 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  
      $36        $113        $197        $443   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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, there was no portfolio turnover for the Fund since the Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days, which are excluded from portfolio turnover calculations.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that intends to invest primarily in very short-term, investment grade money market securities denominated in Japanese yen. In order to attempt to reduce interest rate risk, the Fund generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 60 days or less and will not purchase any security with a remaining maturity of more than 397 calendar days. All money market securities acquired by the Fund will be rated in the upper two short-term ratings by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality.

The Fund plans to use the annualized rate on the BofA Merrill Lynch Japanese Yen One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index as a portfolio benchmark to guide its investment policy. The restrictions placed upon the quality and the maturities of eligible investments and the portfolio in aggregate will be the principal factors contributing to the Fund’s ability to preserve capital (measured in yen) and liquidity while pursuing its investment objective. The Fund does not seek to preserve capital in U.S. dollars.

Eligible investments include short-term securities issued by the Japanese government and its agencies or instrumentalities that are denominated in yen, bank debt obligations and time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, short-term corporate debt obligations, and mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. While the Fund does not intend to do so, it reserves the right to pursue its objectives by investing a portion of its assets in U.S. dollar money market securities and derivative investments, such as forward currency contracts and swaps, if this strategy is deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund. The combination of U.S. money market securities with forward currency contracts and currency swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in yen. A forward currency contract is an agreement to

 

24   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. In addition, the Fund may invest a relatively smaller portion of its assets in U.S. money market securities, principally U.S. Treasury obligations, with a remaining maturity consistent with the Fund’s next anticipated dividend payment date.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to Japan. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Capital Controls Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention and the imposition of “capital controls.” Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. Capital controls may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in Japanese yen, or in securities that provide exposure to Japanese yen, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in Japanese yen. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of Japanese yen will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      25   


n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Geographic Concentration in Japan. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in Japan, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within Japan and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Low Interest Rate Risk. Economic conditions throughout the world and in Japan have resulted, and may continue to result, in downward pressure on interest rates and returns on money market instruments and other investments. If this continues to occur, rates may decline to levels where the interest earned by the Fund’s investments limits the Fund’s ability to make distributions or becomes insufficient to cover the expenses of the Fund. In these circumstances, the Fund may need to use available cash or sell securities out of the Fund to compensate for this shortfall. These circumstances could cause a decline in the NAV of the Fund, could have negative tax consequences and could cause investors to lose money.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

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 each 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 BofA Merrill Lynch Japanese Yen One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index, 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.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was 4.97%.

 

26   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    7.69     3/09   

Lowest Return

    (8.26 )%      1/09   

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 Dreyfus Japanese Yen Fund   1 Year    

Since Inception

(5/21/2008)

 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    14.50     9.53

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    14.50     9.50

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    9.43     8.17

BofA Merrill Lynch Japanese Yen One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index* (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    14.87     9.97
*   As a result of the merger completed on January 2, 2009 between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, all references to Merrill Lynch will now be replaced by BofA Merrill Lynch when referring to the Fund’s respective performance benchmarks.

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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 Trust Prospectus      27   


WisdomTree Dreyfus South African Rand Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks to achieve total returns reflective of both money market rates in South Africa available to foreign investors and changes in value of the South African rand relative to the U.S. dollar.

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

    0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.45

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 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. 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  
    $ 46      $ 144      $ 252      $ 567   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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 less than 1% 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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in short-term securities designed to provide exposure to South African currency and money market rates. Because the market for money market securities in South Africa generally is less liquid and accessible to foreign investors than corresponding markets in other countries, the Fund intends to achieve exposure to currency markets in South Africa by investing primarily in short-term U.S. money market securities and also in forward currency contracts and swaps. The combination of U.S. money market securities with forward currency contracts and currency swaps is designed to provide exposure equivalent to money market securities denominated in South African rand. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations.

In order to attempt to reduce interest rate risk, the Fund generally will maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of 90 days or less with respect to the money market securities in its portfolio. The Fund will not purchase any security with a remaining maturity of more than 397 calendar days. All U.S. money market securities acquired by the Fund will be rated in

 

28   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


the upper two short-term ratings by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) or, if unrated, deemed to be of equivalent quality. The Fund does not seek to preserve capital in U.S. dollars.

The decision to secure exposure directly or indirectly will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, and tax ramifications for foreign investors. If the Fund pursues direct investment, eligible investments include short-term securities issued by the government of South Africa and its agencies or instrumentalities, bank debt obligations and time deposits, bankers’ acceptances, commercial paper, short-term corporate debt obligations, mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities.

The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in investments whose combined performance is tied economically to South Africa. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in South African rand, or in securities that provide exposure to South African rand, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in South African rand. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of South African rand will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, developing or emerging market governments may, without prior warning, impose capital controls on the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. The Fund’s ability to access certain developing or emerging markets also may be limited due to a variety of factors, including currency convertibility issues.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      29   


 

Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, cause the Fund’s returns to differ from those available to domestic investors, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Geographic Concentration in South Africa. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in South Africa, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within South Africa and will be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. Although South Africa is a developing country with a solid economic infrastructure, certain issues, such as unemployment, access to health care, limited economic opportunity, and other financial constraints, continue to present obstacles to full economic development. Additionally, the South African economy is sensitive to fluctuations in commodity prices and commodity markets. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

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 each 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 JPMorgan Emerging Markets Index Plus South Africa, 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.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was (14.62)%.

 

30   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    25.39     2/09   

Lowest Return

    (2.83 )%      2/10   

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 Dreyfus South African Rand Fund   1 Year     Since Inception
(6/25/2008)
 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    18.22     16.07

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    15.19     13.77

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    13.65     12.86

JPMorgan Emerging Markets Index Plus South Africa (Reflects no deduction for fees,
expenses or taxes)

    19.21     17.24

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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 Trust Prospectus      31   


WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of both income and capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This 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

    0.55

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.55

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 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. 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  
      $56        $176        $307        $689   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective through investment in Local Debt denominated in the currencies of a broad range of Asian countries. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Local Debt. For these purposes, Local Debt includes fixed income securities, such as bonds, notes or other debt obligations, denominated in local currencies of countries in Asia, as well as certain derivatives and other instruments described herein. The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”).

The Fund intends to focus its investments on bonds and other debt instruments issued by governments (national, state, and local), government agencies and instrumentalities, and government sponsored enterprises. The Fund also may invest in Local Debt issued by supranational organizations such as the European Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or International Finance Corporation, and development agencies supported by other national governments. The Fund may invest in corporate bonds economically tied to Asian countries. The Fund also may invest in inflation-linked fixed income securities denominated in Asian currencies.

The Fund intends to provide exposure to the developing/emerging market economies in Asia. Specifically, the Fund intends to invest in Local Debt primarily from South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, Thailand, Philippines, and Taiwan. The Fund is permitted to invest in developed market economies, such as Australia and New Zealand. This list may change based on market developments. The Fund uses a structured investment approach that analyzes multiple factors. Countries are grouped into differentiated tiers based on an analysis of these factors. Subject to the Fund’s general investment requirement to provide broad country exposure within the region, the Fund generally invests a higher percentage of its assets in countries that have larger and more liquid debt markets and that the Fund’s adviser believes are pursuing sustainable fiscal and monetary policies in light of economic and market conditions. The country exposures are

 

32   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


consistently monitored from a risk perspective and may be modified, reduced or eliminated. The Fund’s exposure to any single country generally will be limited to 20% of the Fund’s assets. The percentage of Fund assets invested in a specific region, country or issuer will change from time to time.

The universe of Local Debt currently includes securities that are rated “investment grade” as well as “non-investment grade.” The Fund intends to provide a broad-based exposure to Local Debt and therefore will invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade securities. Securities rated investment grade generally are considered to be of higher credit quality and subject to lower default risk. Although securities rated below investment grade may offer the potential for higher yields, they generally are subject to a higher potential risk of loss.

The Fund attempts to limit interest rate risk by maintaining an aggregate portfolio duration of between two and eight years under normal market conditions. Aggregate portfolio duration is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. An aggregate portfolio duration of between two and eight years generally would be considered “intermediate.” The Fund’s actual portfolio duration may be longer or shorter depending on market conditions. The Fund may also invest in short-term money market securities denominated in the currencies of countries in which the Fund invests.

For purposes of the 80% investment policy described above, Local Debt includes investments in derivatives such as forward currency contracts and swaps. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps will be underpinned by investments in short-term, high-quality U.S. money market securities and is designed to provide exposure similar to investments in local currency debt. The Fund does not use derivatives to enhance leverage. A forward contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments based on a reference asset, which may be a currency or rate, but also may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements designed to result in a fixed rate of return for the Fund insulated from market fluctuations during the holding period. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement for the future sale by one party and the purchase by another of a specified security or instrument at a specified price and time. The Fund may invest in interest rate and other futures contracts listed for trading on exchanges in Asia. Assets not invested in Local Debt generally will be invested in investment grade U.S. government securities and money market instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in debt instruments denominated in U.S. dollars issued by Asian governments and government sponsored enterprises.

The decision to secure exposure through direct investment in bonds or indirectly through derivative transactions will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, tax ramifications and regulatory requirements applicable to U.S. investment companies. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund. In addition, under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 70% of its assets in “Fixed Income Securities.” Fixed Income Securities include debt instruments, such as bonds, notes and other obligations, denominated in Asian currencies or U.S. dollars; Fixed Income Securities do not include derivatives.

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 ability to meet its objectives.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      33   


n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, developing or emerging market governments may, without prior warning, impose capital controls on the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. The Fund’s ability to access certain developing or emerging markets also may be limited due to a variety of factors, including currency convertibility issues. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, cause the Fund’s returns to differ from those available to domestic investors, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Investment in Asia Risk. The Fund’s investments will have significant exposure to Asia. As a result, the Fund will be susceptible to loss due to adverse market, political, regulatory, and geographic events affecting that region. A variety of factors, including currency devaluations, may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing

 

34   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


 

in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

 

n  

Sovereign Debt Risk. Bonds issued by governments, sometimes referred to as “sovereign” debt, present risks not associated with investments in other types of bonds. The government or agency issuing the debt may be unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay the principal owed. In such instance, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuing government or agency. In the past, governments of emerging market countries have refused to honor their payment obligations on issued bonds.

Fund Performance

The Fund commenced operations on March 17, 2011, and therefore does not have performance history for a full calendar year. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Capital Management Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Lisa Mears O’Connor, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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, although this may change from time to time. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of fixed income 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 Trust Prospectus      35   


WisdomTree Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund

(Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund)

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of both income and capital appreciation.

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

    0.45

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.45

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 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. 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  
    $ 46      $ 144      $ 252      $ 567   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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 less than 1% 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. Due to the change in the Fund’s objective and style effective October 25, 2011, the Fund will likely experience portfolio turnover in the future.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund attempts to achieve its investment objective through investment in Debt Securities denominated in Australian or New Zealand dollars. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Debt Securities. For these purposes, Debt Securities include fixed income securities, such as bonds, notes or other debt obligations, denominated in Australian or New Zealand dollars, as well as certain derivatives and other instruments described herein. The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”).

The Fund intends to focus its investments on bonds and other debt instruments denominated in Australian and New Zealand dollars issued by governments (national, state and local), government agencies and instrumentalities, government-sponsored enterprises and supranational organizations. For these purposes, “supranational organizations” include entities such as the European Investment Bank, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, and other regional development banks. The Fund also may invest in Debt Securities of corporate issuers, although this is not expected to be a focus of the Fund.

The Fund is designed to provide broad exposure to Debt Securities of issuers in Australia and New Zealand. The Fund uses a structured investment approach to allocate its investments between countries (Australia and New Zealand) and sectors (government debt, semi-government debt, supranational organizations). “Government debt” refers to Debt Securities issued by the Commonwealth of Australia or New Zealand and its various agencies, instrumentalities and government-sponsored enterprises. “Semi-government debt” refers to Debt Securities issued by the local, state and territory governments of Australia

 

36   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


and New Zealand, typically to finance local infrastructure and operations. As noted, “supranational organizations” include entities such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other regional development banks. The Fund’s exposure to Australia and New Zealand is based on the relative gross domestic product, or “GDP,” of each country. Since Australia’s economy is much larger than New Zealand’s, the Fund’s exposure to Australia generally will be higher than its exposure to New Zealand. The Fund invests in three “sectors”: government debt, semi-government debt and debt of supranational organizations. For purposes of this sector analysis, corporate issuers are included within the category of supranational organizations. The Fund’s exposure to each sector is assessed relative to an equal-weighted baseline (e.g., 1/3 each). Sector exposures may be tilted within a narrow range around this baseline in order to take advantage of potential opportunities to enhance risk-adjusted return. The Fund’s exposures to each country, sector and individual issuer are monitored from a risk perspective. The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in a specific country, sector or issuer may change, depending on market conditions, as agreed upon by the investment adviser and investment sub-adviser.

The universe of Debt Securities in which the Fund may invest includes securities that are rated “investment grade” as well as “non-investment grade.” Securities rated investment grade generally are considered to be of higher credit quality and subject to lower default risk. Although securities rated below investment grade may offer the potential for higher yields, they generally are subject to a higher potential risk of loss.

The Fund attempts to limit interest rate risk by maintaining an aggregate portfolio duration of between three and seven years under normal market conditions. Aggregate portfolio duration is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. An aggregate portfolio duration of between three and seven years generally would be considered to be “intermediate.” The Fund’s actual portfolio duration may be longer or shorter depending upon market conditions. The Fund may also invest in short-term money market securities denominated in local currencies.

For purposes of the 80% investment policy described above, Debt Securities also include investments in derivatives such as forward currency contracts and swaps. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps will be underpinned by investments in short-term, high-quality U.S. money market securities and is designed to provide exposure similar to investments in locally denominated debt. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments based on a reference asset, which may be a currency or interest rate but also may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. Assets not invested in locally denominated debt generally will be invested in investment grade U.S. government securities and money market instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in debt instruments denominated in U.S. dollars issued by the Australian or New Zealand government, government agencies, corporations, regional development banks and supranational issuers.

The decision to secure exposure through direct investment in bonds or indirectly through derivative transactions will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, tax ramifications and regulatory requirements applicable to U.S. investment companies. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior written notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      37   


n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in Australian and New Zealand dollars, or in securities that provide exposure to Australian and New Zealand dollars, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in Australian and New Zealand dollars. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of Australian and New Zealand dollars will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such securities and instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Geographic Concentration in Australia and New Zealand. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in Australia and New Zealand, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within these countries and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. The economies of Australia and New Zealand are both heavily dependent on the demand for commodity exports, including agricultural products. As a result, both economies are particularly vulnerable to international commodity prices and global economic slowdowns. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

 

n  

High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

38   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


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 each 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 BofA Merrill Lynch New Zealand Dollar One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index, 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 name and objective changed effective October 25, 2011. Fund performance prior to October 25, 2011 reflects the investment objective and style of the Fund when it was the WisdomTree Dreyfus New Zealand Dollar Fund and focused on short-term, New Zealand dollar-denominated money market instruments.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was (0.46)%.

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    14.19     2/09   

Lowest Return

    (2.55 )%      2/10   

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 Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund   1 Year    

Since Inception

(6/25/2008)

 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    9.94     4.67

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    8.64     3.27

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    7.10     3.50

BofA Merrill Lynch New Zealand Dollar One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index* (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    10.34     5.38
*   As a result of the merger completed on January 2, 2009 between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, all references to Merrill Lynch will now be replaced by BofA Merrill Lynch when referring to the Fund’s respective performance benchmarks.

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      39   


Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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 fixed income 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.

 

40   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of both income and capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This 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

    0.55

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.55

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 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. 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  
      $56        $176        $307        $689   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of Fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund attempts to achieve its investment objective through investment in Local Debt denominated in the currencies of emerging market countries. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Local Debt. For these purposes, Local Debt includes fixed income securities, such as bonds, notes or other debt obligations denominated in local currencies of emerging market countries, as well as other instruments described herein. The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”).

The Fund is designed to provide exposure to Local Debt of issuers from a broad range of emerging market regions and countries. The Fund intends to focus its investment on fixed income securities issued by emerging market governments, government agencies, and corporations. The Fund also may invest in fixed income securities denominated in an emerging market currency and issued by supranational organizations, such as the European Investment Bank, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, or other regional development banks. The Fund also may invest in debt securities linked to inflation rates outside the U.S., including securities or instruments linked to rates in emerging market countries.

The Fund intends to provide exposure across several geographic regions and countries. The Fund intends to invest in Local Debt from the following regions: Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Within these regions, the Fund is likely to invest in countries such as: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey. This list may change based on market developments. The Fund uses a structured investment approach that analyzes multiple factors. Countries are grouped into differentiated tiers based on an analysis of these factors. Subject to the Fund’s general investment requirement to provide broad regional and country exposure, the Fund generally invests a higher percentage of its assets in countries that have larger

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      41   


and more liquid debt markets and that the Fund’s adviser believes are pursuing sustainable fiscal and monetary policies in light of economic and market conditions. The country exposures are consistently monitored from a risk perspective and may be modified, reduced or eliminated. The Fund’s exposure to any single country generally will be limited to 20% of the Fund’s assets. The percentage of Fund assets invested in a specific region, country or issuer will change from time to time.

The universe of emerging markets local currency debt currently includes securities that are rated “investment grade” as well as “non-investment grade.” The Fund intends to provide a broad-based exposure to emerging market debt and therefore will invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade securities. Securities rated investment grade generally are considered to be of higher credit quality and subject to lower default risk. Although securities rated below investment grade may offer the potential for higher yields, they generally are subject to a higher potential risk of loss.

The Fund attempts to limit interest rate risk by maintaining an aggregate portfolio duration of between two and eight years under normal market conditions. Aggregate portfolio duration is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. An aggregate portfolio duration of between two and eight years generally would be considered to be “intermediate.” The Fund’s actual portfolio duration may be longer or shorter depending upon market conditions. The Fund may also invest in short-term money market securities denominated in the currencies of countries in which the Fund invests.

For purposes of the 80% investment policy described above, Local Debt includes investments in derivatives such as forward currency contracts and swaps. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps will be underpinned by investments in short-term, high-quality U.S. money market securities and is designed to provide exposure similar to investments in local currency debt. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments based on a reference asset, which may be a currency or interest rate but also may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. Local Debt also includes fixed income securities denominated in an emerging market currency and issued by a supranational organization or regional development bank. Assets not invested in Local Debt generally will be invested in investment grade U.S. government securities and money market instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in debt instruments denominated in U.S. dollars issued by emerging market governments, government agencies, corporations, regional development banks and supranational issuers, as well as derivatives based on such instruments.

The decision to secure exposure through direct investment in bonds or indirectly through derivative transactions will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, tax ramifications and regulatory requirements applicable to U.S. investment companies. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior notice of any change to this policy for the Fund.

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 ability to meet its objectives.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

42   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund will invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. The counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments or investments in more developed international markets. For example, developing or emerging market governments may, without prior warning, impose capital controls on the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. The Fund’s ability to access certain developing or emerging markets also may be limited due to a variety of factors, including currency convertibility issues. Such conditions may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, cause the Fund’s returns to differ from those available to domestic investors, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      43   


n  

Sovereign Debt Risk. Bonds issued by governments, sometimes referred to as “sovereign” debt, present risks not associated with investments in other types of bonds. The government or agency issuing the debt may be unable or unwilling to make interest payments and/or repay the principal owed. In such instance, the Fund may have limited recourse against the issuing government or agency. In the past, governments of emerging market countries have refused to honor their payment obligations on issued bonds.

Fund Performance

The Fund commenced operations on August 9, 2010, and therefore does not have performance history for a full calendar year. Once the Fund has completed a full calendar year of operations, a bar chart and table will be included that will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing the variability of the Fund’s return based on net assets and comparing the Fund’s performance to a broad measure of market performance.

Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Mellon Capital Management Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2010.

Lisa Mears O’Connor, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2010.

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, Inc., 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, although this may change from time to time. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of fixed income securities closely approximating the holdings of a 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.

 

44   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


WisdomTree Euro Debt Fund

(Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus Euro Fund)

 

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks a high level of total return consisting of both income and capital appreciation.

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

    0.35

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    None   

Other Expenses

    0.00
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses     0.35

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 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. 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  
      $36        $113        $197        $443   

Investors may pay brokerage commissions on their purchases and sales of fund shares, which are not reflected in the example.

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, there was no portfolio turnover for the Fund since the Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days, which are excluded from portfolio turnover calculations. Due to the change in the Fund’s objective and style effective October 19, 2011, the Fund will likely experience portfolio turnover in the future.

Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund

The Fund attempts to achieve its investment objective through investment in Debt Securities denominated in euros. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Debt Securities. For these purposes, Debt Securities consist of fixed income securities, such as bonds, notes or other debt obligations, denominated in euros, as well as certain derivatives and other instruments described herein. The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund (“ETF”).

The Fund intends to focus its investments on bonds and other debt instruments denominated in euros and issued by governments (national, state and local), government agencies and instrumentalities, government-sponsored enterprises and supranational organizations. For these purposes, “supranational organizations” include entities such as the European Investment Bank, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, or other regional development banks. The Fund also may invest in Debt Securities of corporate issuers organized in euro area countries or that have significant economic ties to euro area countries, although this is not expected to be a focus of the Fund.

The Fund is designed to provide broad exposure to Debt Securities of issuers in euro area countries. The euro area is a group of 17 members of the European Union that have adopted the euro as their common currency. The euro area currently consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. The Fund’s exposure to the euro area countries is monitored from a risk perspective and may be modified, reduced or eliminated at any time. Initially, the Fund does not intend to invest in national, state or local debt of Ireland, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Estonia, Cyprus or Malta.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      45   


The Fund will seek to concentrate its investments in higher-quality Debt Securities of issuers within the region. This currently includes sizable positions in the sovereign debt of Germany and France with attempted balanced allocations to the sovereign debt of other euro area countries as well as supranational issuers. Subject to the Fund’s general investment requirement to provide broad regional and country exposure, the Fund generally invests a higher percentage of its assets in countries that have larger and more liquid debt markets. The Fund’s exposure to any single country generally will be limited to 20% of the Fund’s assets. The euro area countries in which the Fund invests and the percentage of Fund assets invested in a particular euro area country or issuer will change from time to time, depending on market conditions, as agreed upon by the investment adviser and investment sub-adviser.

The universe of Debt Securities in which the Fund may invest includes securities that are rated “investment grade” as well as “non-investment grade.” The Fund, however, will focus its investments on investment grade securities. Securities rated investment grade generally are considered to be of higher credit quality and subject to lower default risk. Although securities rated below investment grade may offer the potential for higher yields, they generally are subject to a higher potential risk of loss.

The Fund attempts to limit interest rate risk by maintaining an aggregate portfolio duration of between three and seven years under normal market conditions. Aggregate portfolio duration is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. An aggregate portfolio duration of between three and seven years generally would be considered to be “intermediate.” The Fund’s actual portfolio duration may be longer or shorter depending upon market conditions. The Fund may also invest in short-term money market securities denominated in euros.

For purposes of the 80% investment policy described above, Debt Securities includes investments in derivatives such as forward currency contracts and swaps. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps will be underpinned by investments in short-term, high-quality U.S. money market securities and is designed to provide exposure similar to investments in euro-denominated debt. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments based on a reference asset, which may be a currency or interest rate but also may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks. A repurchase agreement is a transaction in which the Fund purchases securities or other obligations from a bank or securities dealer and simultaneously commits to resell them to a counterparty at an agreed-upon date or upon demand and at a price reflecting a market rate of interest unrelated to the coupon rate or maturity of the purchased obligations. Assets not invested in euro-denominated debt generally will be invested in investment grade U.S. government securities and money market instruments. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in debt instruments denominated in U.S. dollars issued by EU governments, government agencies, corporations, regional development banks and supranational issuers.

The decision to secure exposure through direct investment in bonds or indirectly through derivative transactions will be a function of, among other things, market accessibility, credit exposure, tax ramifications and regulatory requirements applicable to U.S. investment companies. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund’s future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy. The Trust will provide shareholders with sixty (60) days’ prior written notice of any change to this policy for the Fund. In addition, under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in “Fixed Income Securities.” Fixed Income Securities include debt instruments, such as bonds, notes and other obligations, denominated in euros or U.S. dollars; Fixed Income Securities do not include derivatives.

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 ability to meet its objective.

 

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 long periods of time.

 

n  

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

 

n  

Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Although it is expected that the market price of the shares of the Fund will approximate the Fund’s NAV when purchased and sold in the secondary market, there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines.

 

46   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


n  

Cash Redemption Risk. Unlike most ETFs, the Fund’s investment strategy will require it to effect redemptions, in whole or in part, for cash. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used exclusively.

 

n  

Counterparty and Issuer Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other instrument or a counterparty to a derivative or other contract may cause such issuer or counterparty to default, become unable to pay interest or principal due or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. While the Fund attempts to limit credit and counterparty exposure in a manner consistent with its investment objective, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

n  

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in euros, or in securities that provide exposure to euros, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in euros. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of the euro will affect the value of the Fund’s investment and the value of your Fund shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

 

n  

Derivatives Investment Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as interest rate risk, market risk, and credit risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, or that the counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. 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  

Euro Investment Risk. The Fund invests primarily in securities denominated in euros and thus has significant exposure to the euro and events affecting the euro. Recent market events affecting several of the EU member countries have adversely affected the sovereign debt issued by those countries, and ultimately may lead to a decline in the value of the euro.

 

n  

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such securities and instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities, including the risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability.

 

n  

Geographic Concentration in Europe. Because the Fund concentrates its investments in Europe, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within Europe and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. Most developed countries in Western Europe are members of the European Union (EU), and many are also members of the European Monetary Union (EMU), which requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, and debt levels. Unemployment in certain European nations is historically high. In addition, the tight fiscal and monetary controls necessary to join the EMU can significantly affect every country in Europe. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

 

n  

High Yield Securities Risk. Higher yielding, high risk debt securities, sometimes referred to as junk bonds, may present additional risk because these securities may be less liquid and present more credit risk than investment grade bonds. The price of high yield securities tends to be more susceptible to issuer-specific operating results and outlook and to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions.

 

n  

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates and other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness.

 

n  

Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund.

 

n  

Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will be successful or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

n  

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is 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. To the extent the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in those few issuers, and may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence. As a result, changes in the market value of a single security could cause greater fluctuations in the value of Fund shares than would occur in a diversified fund.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      47   


n  

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund’s investment in repurchase agreements may be subject to market and credit risk with respect to the collateral securing the repurchase agreements. Investments in repurchase agreements also may be subject to the risk that the market value of the underlying obligations may decline prior to the expiration of the repurchase agreement term.

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 each 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 BofA Merrill Lynch Euro Currency One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index, 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 name and objective changed effective October 19, 2011. Fund performance prior to October 19, 2011 reflects the investment objective and style of the Fund when it was the WisdomTree Dreyfus Euro Fund and focused on short-term, euro-denominated money market instruments.

 

LOGO

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2011 was 0.23%.

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

     Return     Quarter/Year  

Highest Return

    11.41     3/10   

Lowest Return

    (9.47 )%      2/10   

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 Euro Debt Fund   1 Year     Since Inception
(5/14/2008)
 

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV

    (6.47 )%      (4.39 )% 

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    (6.47 )%      (4.72 )% 

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

    (4.21 )%      (3.89 )% 

BofA Merrill Lynch Euro Currency One-Month LIBID Constant Maturity Index* (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

    (6.10 )%      (3.73 )% 
*   As a result of the merger completed on January 2, 2009 between Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, all references to Merrill Lynch will now be replaced by BofA Merrill Lynch when referring to the Fund’s respective performance benchmarks.

 

48   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Management

Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Dreyfus Corporation serves as the sub-adviser to the Fund.

Portfolio Managers

David C. Kwan, a Managing Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, a Director, Fixed Income, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception.

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, Inc., 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 fixed income 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 Trust Prospectus      49   


Additional Information About the Funds

Additional Investment Objective Information. Each Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without a vote of shareholders upon at least 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders.

Additional Information About the Funds’ Strategies. The Funds may invest in a variety of swap agreements, including interest rate swaps, inflation-linked swaps, total return swaps, and currency swaps. A swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments based on a reference asset, which may be a currency or interest rate, but also may be a single asset, a pool of assets or an index of assets. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. An interest rate swap typically involves the exchange of one interest rate payment for another, such as a floating interest rate payment for a fixed payment. An inflation-linked swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange payments at a future date based on the difference between a fixed payment and a payment linked to the inflation rate at a future date. A total return swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return of a reference asset in return for payments equal to a rate of interest on another reference asset.

Additional Information About the Asia Local Debt Fund’s, Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund’s Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund’s and Euro Debt Fund’s Strategies. The Funds intend to provide a broad-based exposure to local currency debt and therefore will invest in both investment grade and non-investment grade securities. The degree of credit risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. Debt instruments rated investment grade generally are subject to less credit risk than non-investment grade instruments. The Funds generally do not expect to have more than 25% of their assets invested in non-investment grade securities. Within the non-investment grade category, some issuers and instruments are considered to be of lower credit quality and at higher risk of default. Although these instruments offer the potential for higher yields, they are considered “speculative” and generally are subject to a higher potential risk of loss. The Funds will limit their exposure to speculative issuers and securities to no more than 15% of its assets. For these purposes, speculative securities are securities rated B or below by Moody’s, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by WisdomTree Asset Management to be of comparable quality. However, this may change from time to time based on market conditions and the condition of specific issuers and securities.

Additional Risk Information About the Funds

This section provides additional information regarding the principal risks described under “Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund” in the Fund Summaries. Risk information may not be applicable to each Fund. Please consult the Fund Summaries sections to determine which risks are applicable to a particular Fund.

Capital Controls Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to intervention by non-U.S. governments and the imposition of “capital controls.” Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign entities (such as the Fund). Capital controls may impact the ability of a Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

Counterparty Risk. Each Fund intends to engage in investment transactions or enter into derivative or other contracts with third parties (i.e., “counterparties”). For example, the Funds intend to enter into forward currency contracts and swap transactions. A Fund bears the risk that the counterparty to such contracts may default on its obligations or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. If a counterparty defaults on its payment obligations the Fund will lose money and the value of an investment in Fund shares may decrease. In addition, the Funds may engage in such investment transactions with a limited number of counterparties, which may increase the Funds’ exposure to counterparty credit risk. Listed futures contracts can be traded on futures exchanges without material counterparty credit. After a trade is cleared, the exchange is the ultimate counterparty for all contracts, so the counterparty risk on a listed futures contract ultimately is the creditworthiness of the exchange’s clearing corporation.

Cash Redemption Risk. Each Fund’s investment strategy will require it to redeem shares for cash or to otherwise include cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Funds may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize capital gains that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Funds may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

Commodity Country Risk. The Commodity Currency Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments designed to provide exposure to both the currencies and money market rates available to foreign investors in selected commodity-producing countries. As the demand for, or price of, such commodities increases, money tends to flow into the country. This generally lifts the country’s economic prospects and supports the value of its currency. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or value of, such commodities historically have contributed to declines in the relative value of these countries’ currencies. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Commodity Currency Fund and your investment.

 

50   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Credit Risk. The financial condition of an issuer of a debt security or other issuer may cause it to default or become unable to pay interest or principal due on the security. A Fund cannot collect interest and principal payments on a security if the issuer defaults. Recent events in the financial sector have resulted in increased concerns about credit risk and exposure. Well-known financial institutions have experienced significant liquidity and other problems and have defaulted on their debt. The degree of credit risk for a particular debt security or other issuer may be reflected in its credit rating. A credit rating is a measure of a bond issuer’s ability to make timely payments of interest and principal. Rating agencies (such as Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Standard & Poor’s Corporation, or Fitch) assign letter designations typically ranging from AAA to A- (lower default risk) through CCC to C (higher default risk) or D (in default). A credit rating of BBB or higher generally is considered “investment grade.” Credit ratings are subjective, do not remove market risk, and represent the opinions of the rating agencies as to the quality of the securities they rate. Credit ratings can change quickly and may not accurately reflect the risk of an issuer. Generally, investment risk and price volatility increase as the credit rating of a security declines. While each Fund attempts to limit credit exposure in a manner consistent with its respective investment objective, the value of an investment in a Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer defaults and changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

Currency Exchange Rate Risk. Each Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies, or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies, currency exchange rates or interest rates denominated in such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of a Fund’s investment and the value of the Fund shares. Because a Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in a Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in a Fund’s holdings goes up. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in a Fund may go up if the value of the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar.

The value of the U.S. dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade, domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a country’s currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a country’s government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in a Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

Derivatives Investment Risk. Each Fund may invest in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying asset, index, interest rate or currency exchange rate, such as forward currency contracts, futures contracts and currency, interest rate swaps, total return swaps, and credit-linked notes. A forward currency contract is an agreement to buy or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. A non-deliverable forward currency contract is a contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. Rather, based on the movement of the currencies, a net cash settlement will be made by one party to the other. A futures contract is a standardized contract traded on a recognized exchange in which two parties agree to exchange either a specified financial asset or the cash equivalent of said asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed upon today (the future price or the strike price) with delivery occurring at a specified future date. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange one currency for another at a future rate. An interest rate swap involves the exchange of a floating interest rate payment for a fixed interest payment. A total return swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return of a reference asset in return for payments equal to a rate of interest on another reference asset. A credit-linked note is a type of structured note whose value is linked to an underlying reference asset or entity. Credit-linked notes typically provide periodic payments of interest as well as payment of principal upon maturity. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this Prospectus, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and market risk. They also involve the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. The counterparty to a derivative contract might default on its obligations. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in a Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.

Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments. For example, developing and emerging markets may be subject to (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume and liquidity, (iii) greater social, political and economic uncertainty, (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital, (v) lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards, (vi) fewer protections of property rights, (vii) restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency, and (viii) settlement and trading practices that differ from U.S. markets. Each of these factors may impact the ability of each Fund (except for the Japanese Yen Fund, Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund, and Euro Debt Fund) to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares, and cause the Fund to decline in value.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      51   


Euro Investment Risk. The Euro Debt Fund invests primarily in securities denominated in euros, the official currency of the European Union (EU), and thus has significant exposure to the euro and events affecting the euro. Recent market events affecting several of the EU member countries have adversely affected the sovereign debt issued by those countries, and ultimately may lead to a decline in the value of the euro. A significant decline in the value of the euro may produce unpredictable effects on trade and commerce generally and could lead to increased volatility in financial markets worldwide. The adviser and sub-adviser closely monitor the value of the euro and events that may adversely affect the value of the euro, and will make changes to the Fund’s investment program to the extent necessary to seek to mitigate any adverse effects on the Fund.

Foreign Securities Risk. Each Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in non-U.S. securities and instruments, or in securities that provide exposure to such securities and instruments. Investments in non-U.S. securities and instruments 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. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. With respect to certain countries, there is the possibility of government intervention and expropriation or nationalization of assets. Because legal systems differ, there is also the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments in certain countries.

High Yield Securities Risk. Each Fixed Income Fund may invest a limited portion of its assets in securities rated lower than Baa by Moody’s, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch. Such securities are sometimes referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds.” Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated fixed income securities. While offering a greater potential for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield securities typically entail higher price volatility and may be less liquid than securities with higher ratings. High yield securities may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Funds may lose their entire investment.

Geographic Concentration in Japan. Because the Japanese Yen Fund concentrates its investments in Japan, the Fund’s performance is expected to be closely tied to social, political, and economic conditions within Japan and to be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. Economic growth in Japan is heavily dependent on international trade, government support, and consistent government policy. Slowdowns in the economies of key trading partners such as the United States, China and countries in Southeast Asia could have a negative impact on the Japanese economy as a whole. These and other factors could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance and increase the volatility of an investment in the Fund.

Investment in Asia Risk. The Asia Local Debt Fund’s investments will have significant exposure to Asia. The Commodity Currency Fund, Emerging Currency Fund, and Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund also may have significant exposure to Asia. As a result, the Funds will be susceptible to loss due to adverse market, political, regulatory, and geographic events affecting that region. While certain Asian economies are exemplars of growth and development others have been and continue to be subject, to some extent, to over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Each of these factors may impact the ability of the Funds to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Fund shares and cause the Funds to decline in value.

Interest Rate Risk. The market value of fixed income securities, and financial instruments related to fixed income securities, will change in response to changes in interest rates and may change in response to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. As interest rates rise, the value of certain fixed income securities is likely to decrease. Similarly, if interest rates decline, the value of fixed income securities is likely to increase. While securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, the prices of longer maturity securities tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and thus subject to greater volatility than securities with shorter maturities. The “average portfolio maturity” of a Fund is the average of all the current maturities of the individual securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Average portfolio maturity is important to investors as an indication of the Fund’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Funds with longer portfolio maturities generally are subject to greater interest rate risk.

Investment Risk. As with all investments, an investment in the Funds is subject to investment risk. Investors in the Funds could lose money, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of time. An investment in the Funds is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Issuer-Specific Risk. Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or issuer, and changes in general economic or political conditions can affect a security’s or instrument’s value. The value of securities of smaller, less well-known issuers can be more volatile than that of larger issuers. Issuer-specific events can have a negative impact on the value of the Funds.

Low Interest Rate Risk. Financial crisis, recession, and deflation could contribute to declines in U.S. and international interest rates. Recent events in the financial sector have resulted, and may continue to result, in downward pressure on

 

52   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


interest rates and returns on money market instruments and other investments. If this continues to occur, rates may decline to levels where the interest earned by the Japanese Yen Fund’s investments limits the Fund’s ability to make distributions or becomes insufficient to cover the expenses of the Fund. In these circumstances, the Fund may need to use available cash or sell securities out of the Fund to compensate for this shortfall. In addition, in order to invest in higher quality, more liquid investments, the Fund may need to accept lower returns on investment. These circumstances could cause a decline in the NAV of the Fund, could have negative tax consequences and could cause investors to lose money.

Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities 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. A Fund’s NAV and market price, like security and commodity prices generally, may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time.

Management Risk. The Funds are actively managed using proprietary investment strategies and processes. There can be no guarantee that these strategies and processes will produce the intended results and no guarantee that the Funds will achieve their investment objective or outperform other investment strategies over the short- or long-term market cycles.

Non-Diversification Risk. Although the Funds intend to invest in a variety of securities and instruments, the Funds will be considered to be non-diversified, which means that they may invest more of their 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 Funds 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 a Fund’s volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund’s performance.

Offshore Investor Risk. The opportunity for offshore investors, such as the Funds, to access certain markets can be limited due to a variety of factors including government regulations, adverse tax treatment, and currency convertibility issues. These limitations and restrictions may impact the availability, liquidity and pricing of securities designed to provide offshore investors with exposure to such markets. As a result, returns achieved by offshore investors, such as the Funds, could differ from those available to domestic investors in the selected countries.

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Funds will enter into repurchase agreements only with counterparties that are deemed to present acceptable credit risks, and the collateral securing the repurchase agreements generally will be limited to U.S. government securities and cash. If the market value of the underlying obligations of a repurchase agreement declines, the counterparty must provide additional collateral so that at all times the value of the collateral is greater than the repurchase price of the underlying obligations. Nonetheless, should a counterparty become insolvent or otherwise default, there could be a delay before a Fund is able to liquidate the collateral, which would subject the collateral and the Fund to market risk during that period.

Shares of the Funds May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all 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 each Fund will approximate the 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 intra-day when you buy shares of a Fund in the secondary market, and you may receive more (or less) than NAV when you sell those shares in the secondary market.

Sovereign Debt Risk. The Fund’s investments in sovereign debt, which includes securities issued or guaranteed by a foreign sovereign government, present risks not associated with investments in other types of bonds. The issuer of the sovereign debt that controls the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest payments when due, and the Funds may have limited recourse against the issuing government or agency in the event of a default. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt, and a Fund’s NAV, may be more volatile than prices of U.S. bonds. In the past, governments of certain emerging market countries have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest, refused to honor their payment obligations on their sovereign debt, and restructured their indebtedness. The restructuring of sovereign debt may involve obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations and the reduction or rescheduling of payments of interest and principal. As a holder of such sovereign debt, the Funds may be asked to participate in the restructuring of such sovereign indebtedness. There can be no assurance that such restructurings will result in the full repayment of the issuer’s sovereign debt.

Portfolio Holdings Information

Information about the Funds’ daily portfolio holdings is available at www.wisdomtree.com. In addition, each Fund discloses its complete portfolio holdings as of the end of its fiscal year (August 31) and its second fiscal quarter (February 28) in its reports to shareholders. Each Fund files its complete portfolio holdings as of the end of its first and third fiscal quarters (November 30 and May 31, respectively) with the SEC on Form N-Q no later than 60 days after the relevant fiscal period. You can find the SEC filings on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. A summarized description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Trust’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      53   


Management

Investment Adviser

As investment adviser, WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WisdomTree Asset Management”) has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Trust. WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree Investments”) is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management. WisdomTree Asset Management provides an investment program for each Fund. WisdomTree Asset Management also arranges for sub-advisory, transfer agency, custody, fund administration, and all other non-distribution related services necessary for the Funds to operate.

For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2011, the Funds paid advisory fees to WisdomTree Asset Management in the following amounts:

 

Name of Fund   Management Fee  
WisdomTree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund     0.45
WisdomTree Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund     0.45
WisdomTree Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund     0.55
WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund     0.55
WisdomTree Dreyfus Indian Rupee Fund     0.45
WisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese Yen Fund     0.35
WisdomTree Dreyfus South African Rand Fund     0.45
WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund     0.55
WisdomTree Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund     0.45
WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund     0.55
WisdomTree Euro Debt Fund     0.35

Under the Investment Advisory Agreement for each Fund, WisdomTree Asset Management agrees to pay all expenses of each Fund, except compensation and expenses of the Independent Trustees, counsel to the Independent Trustees and the Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), interest expenses and taxes, brokerage expenses and other expenses connected with the execution of portfolio transactions, any distribution fees or expenses, legal fees or expenses and extraordinary expenses. Pursuant to a separate contractual arrangement, WisdomTree Asset Management arranges for the provision of CCO services with respect to each Fund, and is liable and responsible for, and administers payments to the CCO, the Independent Trustees and counsel to the Independent Trustees. WisdomTree Asset Management receives a fee of up to 0.0044% of each Fund’s assets for providing such services and paying such expenses. WisdomTree Asset Management provides CCO services to the Trust.

The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Funds’ Investment Advisory Agreement is available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ending August 31, 2011.

WisdomTree Asset Management is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017 and is a leader in ETF management.

Sub-Advisers

The sub-adviser to the Funds (except for the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund) is The Dreyfus Corporation (“Dreyfus”). Dreyfus was founded in 1947 and is located at 200 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10166. As of November 30, 2011, Dreyfus had assets under management totaling approximately $398 billion. Dreyfus is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY Mellon”).

The sub-adviser to the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund is Mellon Capital Management Corporation (“Mellon Capital”). Mellon Capital is a leading innovator in the investment industry and manages global quantitative-based investment strategies for institutional and private investors. As of November 30, 2011, Mellon Capital had assets under management totaling approximately $214 billion, including overlay strategies and assets managed as dual employees of BNY Mellon and Dreyfus. Mellon Capital is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of BNY Mellon. Mellon Capital is a registered investment adviser with offices located at 50 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.

Dreyfus is responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund (except for the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund) and Mellon Capital is responsible for the day-to-day management of the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund. The sub-advisers choose each Fund’s portfolio investments and place orders to buy and sell the Fund’s portfolio investments.

 

54   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


WisdomTree Asset Management pays Dreyfus a fee equal to one-half of the fee paid to WisdomTree Asset Management for providing advisory services to each Fund (except for the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund). WisdomTree Asset Management pays Mellon Capital a fee equal to one-half of the fee paid to WisdomTree Asset Management for providing advisory services to the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund, and a fee of up to 0.15% of the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund’s net assets for providing sub-advisory services to the Fund. This fee is reduced if certain asset thresholds are met.

The basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Funds’ Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements is available in the Trust’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the period ended August 31, 2011.

WisdomTree Asset Management, as the investment adviser for the Funds, may hire one or more sub-advisers to oversee the day-to-day activities of the Funds. The sub-advisers are subject to oversight by WisdomTree Asset Management. WisdomTree Asset Management and the Trust have obtained an exemptive order from the SEC that permits WisdomTree Asset Management, with the approval of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, to retain unaffiliated investment sub-advisers for the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund, WisdomTree Commodity Currency Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund without submitting the sub-advisory agreement to a vote of the Fund’s shareholders. The Trust will notify shareholders in the event of any change in the identity of such sub-adviser or sub-advisers. WisdomTree Asset Management has ultimate responsibility for the investment performance of the Funds due to its responsibility to oversee each sub-adviser and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. WisdomTree Asset Management is not required to disclose fees paid to any sub-adviser retained pursuant to the order.

Portfolio Managers

Each sub-adviser utilizes teams of investment professionals acting together to manage the assets of each Fund. The teams meet regularly to review portfolio holdings and to discuss purchase and sale activity. The teams adjust holdings in each Fund’s portfolio as they deem appropriate in the pursuit of the Fund’s investment objective.

The individual members of the team who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund’s portfolio (except WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund) are listed below.

David C. Kwan has been a Managing Director of Mellon Capital since 2000. He has also been the Head of the Fixed Income Management Group since 1994. Mr. Kwan has direct oversight responsibility for the management of each Fund. He received his M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990. Mr. Kwan has 20 years of investment experience.

Zandra Zelaya, CFA, has been a Director, Fixed Income, at Mellon Capital since November 2009. From November 2007 to November 2009 she was a Vice President, Fixed Income, at Mellon Capital. Ms. Zelaya joined Mellon Capital in 1997 as a fixed income associate. Throughout the years she has held various positions in the Fixed Income Management Group including Senior Portfolio Manager from 2002 to 2006 and Assistant Vice President from 2006 to November 2007. Ms. Zelaya has attained the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation. She graduated with a B.S. from California State University, Hayward. Ms. Zelaya has 15 years of investment experience.

Mr. Kwan and Ms. Zelaya manage the Funds in their capacity as dual employees of The Dreyfus Corporation. Mr. Kwan and Ms. Zelaya have been employees of Dreyfus since 2005. Each Portfolio Manager has managed each Fund since inception.

The individual members of the team who are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund are listed below.

David C. Kwan has been a Managing Director of Mellon Capital since 2000. He has also been the Head of the Fixed Income Management Group since 1994. Mr. Kwan has direct oversight responsibility for the management of the Funds. He received his M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990. Mr. Kwan has 21 years of investment experience and has been managing the Fund since its inception.

Lisa Mears O’Connor, CFA, has been a Managing Director of Mellon Capital since 2010. She manages Mellon Capital’s active fixed income team. Ms. Mears O’Connor has direct oversight responsibility for the Funds. She received her M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 2002. Ms. Mears O’Connor attained the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation in 1998. Ms. Mears O’Connor has over 18 years of investment experience and has been managing the Fund since its inception.

The Trust’s SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers, and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of shares in the Funds for which they are Portfolio Managers.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      55   


Additional Information on Buying and Selling Shares

Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Funds through brokers. Shares of the Funds trade on national securities exchanges and elsewhere during the trading day and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other shares of publicly traded securities. When buying or selling shares through a broker, most investors will incur customary brokerage commissions and charges. Shares of the Funds trade under the trading symbols listed on the cover of this Prospectus and in each Fund’s Summary section.

Share Trading Prices

As with other types of securities, the trading prices of shares in the secondary market can be affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. The price you pay or receive when you buy or sell your shares in the secondary market may be more or less than the NAV of such shares.

The approximate value of shares of each Fund is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which such Fund is listed or by other information providers. This approximate value should not be viewed as a “real time” update of the NAV, because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once per day. The approximate value generally is determined by using amortized cost for securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less, current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Funds. The Funds are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the approximate value and make no warranty as to its accuracy.

Determination of Net Asset Value

The NAV of each Fund’s shares is calculated each day the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading as of the close of regular trading, generally 4:00 p.m., New York time. NAV per share is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by the number of Fund shares outstanding.

In calculating its NAV, each Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. Debt obligations with maturities of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value.

Fair value pricing is used by the Funds when reliable market valuations are not readily available or are not deemed to reflect current market values. For these purposes, a price based on amortized cost is considered a market valuation. Securities that may be valued using “fair value” pricing may include, but are not limited to, securities for which there are no current market quotations or whose issuer is in default or bankruptcy, securities subject to corporate actions (such as mergers or reorganizations), securities subject to non-U.S. investment limits or currency controls, and securities affected by “significant events.” An example of a significant event is an event occurring after the close of the market in which a security trades but before a Fund’s next NAV calculation time that may materially affect the value of a Fund’s investment (e.g., government action, natural disaster, or significant market fluctuation). When fair-value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by a Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities.

Transactions in Fund shares will be priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem shares directly from a Fund in Creation Units. Fund shares are purchased or sold on a national securities exchange at market prices, which may be higher or lower than NAV.

Dividends and Distributions

The Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund and the Euro Debt Fund intend to pay out dividends on a monthly basis. The Japanese Yen Fund intends to pay out dividends on a quarterly basis. Each of the Brazilian Real Fund, Chinese Yuan Fund, Commodity Currency Fund, Emerging Currency Fund, Indian Rupee Fund, and South African Rand Fund intend to pay out dividends on an annual basis.

Each Fund intends to distribute its net realized capital gains, if any, to investors annually. The Funds may occasionally be required to make supplemental distributions at some other time during the year. Distributions in cash may be reinvested automatically in additional whole shares only if the broker through whom you purchased shares makes such option available. Your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.

Book Entry

Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of each Fund.

Investors owning shares of the Funds are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares of the Funds. Participants include DTC, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with

 

56   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any securities that you hold in book entry or “street name” form. Your broker will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information.

Delivery of Shareholder Documents – Householding

Householding is an option available to certain investors of the Funds. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Householding for the Funds is available through certain broker-dealers. If you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, please contact your broker-dealer. If you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status, please contact your broker-dealer.

Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Fund Shares

The Funds have adopted policies and procedures with respect to frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units of Fund shares. Since the Funds are ETFs, only a few institutional investors (known as “Authorized Participants”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly with the Funds. Because purchase and redemption transactions with Authorized Participants are an essential part of the ETF process and help keep ETF trading prices in line with NAV, each Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by Authorized Participants. Frequent purchases and redemptions for cash may increase portfolio transaction costs and may lead to realization of capital gains. Frequent in-kind creations and redemptions do not give rise to these concerns. Each Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order at any time. Each Fund reserves the right to impose restrictions on disruptive, excessive, or short-term trading and may reject purchase orders in such instances.

Investments by Registered Investment Companies

Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of each Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Funds beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the WisdomTree Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Funds.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      57   


Additional Tax Information

The following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Funds. Your investment in a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state and local tax laws.

Each Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company. A regulated investment company is not subject to tax at the fund level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would result in fund-level taxation, and consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to shareholders.

Unless your investment in shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when:

 

  n  

A Fund makes distributions,

 

  n  

You sell shares, and

 

  n  

You purchase or redeem Creation Units (for institutional investors only).

Taxes on Distributions

For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her Fund shares. Distributions of net capital gains (the excess of net long-term capital gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for more than one year over net short-term capital losses) that are properly designated by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains. Long-term capital gain rates have been temporarily reduced – in general, to 15% with lower rates applying to taxpayers in the 10% and 15% rate brackets – for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2013. Distributions of gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned for one year or less will be taxable as ordinary income.

For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2013, distributions of investment income designated by a Fund as derived from “qualified dividend income” are taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gains, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and the Fund level. The Funds do not, however, expect a significant portion of their distributions to be derived from qualified dividend income. Distributions are taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by a Fund before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares).

For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 if married and filing jointly), will be subject to a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on their “net investment income,” which includes interest, dividends and capital gains (including capital gains realized upon a sale or exchange of Fund shares).

Unlike many ETFs, the redemption of shares from the Funds generally incorporates a payment of cash by the Funds in addition to, or in place of, the delivery of a basket of securities. To meet this requirement, a Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize capital gains that it might not have incurred if it had completely satisfied the redemption in-kind. As a result, the Funds may be less tax efficient than if the in-kind redemption process was used.

If a shareholder is neither a lawful permanent resident nor a citizen of the United States or if a shareholder is a foreign entity, the Fund’s ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short-term capital gains) generally will be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies. However, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2012, certain distributions designated by the Fund as either interest-related dividends or short-term gain dividends and paid to a foreign shareholder would be eligible for an exemption from U.S. withholding tax.

Also, beginning in 2014, a 30% U.S. withholding tax will be imposed on dividends and on proceeds from the sale of Fund shares paid to foreign shareholders if certain disclosure requirements are not satisfied.

The Funds (or a financial intermediary such as a broker through which a shareholder owns Fund shares) generally are required to withhold and to remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and the sale or redemption proceeds paid to any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification number, who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify that he, she or it is not subject to such withholding.

Taxes When Fund Shares Are Sold

Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is

 

58   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


generally treated as a short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on a sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited depending on your circumstances.

Taxes on Creation and Redemption of Creation Units

An Authorized Participant having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal tax purposes that exchanges debt or money market securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the debt or money market securities or non-U.S. currency surrendered plus the amount of cash paid for such Creation Units. A person who redeems Creation Units for debt or money market securities or non-U.S. currency will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the securities or non-U.S. currency plus the amount of any cash received for such Creation Units. The Internal Revenue Service, however, may assert that a loss that is realized by an Authorized Participant upon an exchange of securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units cannot be currently deducted under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position.

Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for non-U.S. currency will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss. Gain or loss recognized by an Authorized Participant upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for debt or money market securities, or upon a redemption of Creation Units, may be capital or ordinary gain or loss depending on the circumstances. Any capital gain or loss realized upon an issuance of Creation Units in exchange for debt or money market securities will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the debt or money market securities have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon the redemption of a Creation Unit will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund shares comprising the Creation Unit have been held for more than one year. Otherwise, such capital gains or losses are treated as short-term capital gains or losses.

A person subject to U.S. federal income tax who receives non-U.S. currency upon a redemption of Creation Units and does not immediately convert the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars may, upon a later conversion of the non-U.S. currency into U.S. dollars, recognize as ordinary gains or losses any gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currency relative to the U.S. dollar since the date of the redemption.

Persons exchanging securities or non-U.S. currency for Creation Units should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction. If you purchase or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you purchased or redeemed and at what price.

Foreign Investments by the Funds

Interest and other income received by a Fund with respect to foreign securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If as of the close of a taxable year more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund intends to “pass through” to investors the amount of foreign income and similar taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund during that taxable year. This means that investors will be considered to have received as additional income their respective shares of such foreign taxes, but may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating federal income tax.

Foreign Currency Investments by the Funds

As described above, each Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company as defined in Section 851 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). One of the requirements that must be satisfied for a Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company is that at least 90% of the Fund’s gross income each taxable year must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock or securities or currencies and net income derived from an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership (the “90% Test”). Gains from the sale or other disposition of foreign currencies and other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from investing in stock, securities, or foreign currencies generally are included as qualifying income in applying the 90% Test. It should be noted, however, that for purposes of the 90% Test, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to issue regulations that would exclude from qualifying income foreign currency gains which are not directly related to a regulated investment company’s principal business of investing in stock or securities (or options and futures with respect to stock or securities). No regulations have been issued pursuant to this authorization. It is possible, however, that such regulations may be issued in the future and that such regulations could have a negative impact on a Fund’s ability to qualify as a regulated investment company.

Under the Code, special rules are provided for certain transactions in a foreign currency other than the taxpayer’s functional currency (i.e., unless certain special rules apply, currencies other than the U.S. dollar). In general, foreign currency gains or

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      59   


losses from forward contracts, from futures contracts that are not “regulated futures contracts,” and from unlisted options will be treated as ordinary income or loss under the Code. Also, certain foreign exchange gains derived with respect to foreign fixed-income securities are subject to special treatment. In general, any such gains or losses will increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income available to be distributed to shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of the Fund’s net capital gains. Additionally, if such losses exceed other investment company taxable income during a taxable year, the Fund would not be able to make any ordinary dividend distributions.

Distribution

ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of any Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by any Fund.

Premium/Discount Information

Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on the Listing Exchange at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the net asset value of the Fund during the past calendar year and most recent calendar quarter can be found at www.wisdomtree.com.

Additional Notices

Shares of the Trust are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by any listing exchange (the “Exchange”). The Exchange makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of any Fund. The Exchange is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the shares of any Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of any Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the shares of the Fund. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages even if notified of the possibility thereof.

WisdomTree Investments, WisdomTree Asset Management and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Funds particularly. WisdomTree Investments is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of the Funds.

Financial Highlights

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Funds’ financial performance since inception. The total return in the table represents the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the respective Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This information has been derived from the financial statements audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Funds’ financial statements, are included in the Funds’ Annual Report, which is available upon request.

 

60   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Financial Highlights

WisdomTree Currency Income Funds

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:

 

WisdomTree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
     For the Period
May 14, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ 27.65      $ 24.47      $ 26.47       $ 25.19   

Investment operations:

         

Net investment income (loss)1

     (0.10     (0.07     0.04         0.15   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

     4.68        3.53        (1.34      1.13   

Total from investment operations

     4.58        3.46        (1.30      1.28   

Dividends and distributions to shareholders:

         

Net investment income

            (0.02     (0.17        

Capital gains

     (3.24     (0.26     (0.53        

Total dividends and distributions to shareholders

     (3.24     (0.28     (0.70        

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 28.99      $ 27.65      $ 24.47       $ 26.47   

TOTAL RETURN2

     17.98     14.24     (3.92 )%       5.08

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

         

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

   $ 481,253      $ 221,177      $ 112,573       $ 121,740   

Ratios to average net assets of:

         

Net expenses

     0.45     0.45     0.45      0.45 %3  

Net investment income (loss)

     (0.36 )%      (0.28 )%      0.19      1.99 %3  

Portfolio turnover rate4

     0 %      0     0      N/A 5  
         
WisdomTree Dreyfus Chinese Yuan Fund    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
     For the Period
May 14, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ 24.84      $ 25.31      $ 25.39       $ 24.87   

Investment operations:

         

Net investment income (loss)1

     (0.09     (0.07     0.08         0.14   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

     1.21        (0.40     0.32         0.38   

Total from investment operations

     1.12        (0.47     0.40         0.52   

Dividends and distributions to shareholders:

         

Net investment income

                   (0.48        

Capital gains

     (0.15                      

Total dividends and distributions to shareholders

     (0.15            (0.48        

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 25.81      $ 24.84      $ 25.31       $ 25.39   

TOTAL RETURN2

     4.50     (1.86 )%      1.58      2.09

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

         

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

   $ 567,883      $ 586,278      $ 136,660       $ 284,393   

Ratios to average net assets of:

         

Net expenses

     0.45     0.45     0.45      0.45 %3  

Net investment income (loss)

     (0.34 )%      (0.28 )%      0.36      2.04 %3  

Portfolio turnover rate4

     0 %      8     0      N/A 5  

 

* Commencement of investment operations.

 

1 

Based on average shares outstanding.

 

2 

Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

3 

Annualized.

 

4 

Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized.

 

5 

The Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days. SEC rules exclude such securities from portfolio turnover calculations.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      61   


Financial Highlights

WisdomTree Currency Income Funds

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:

 

WisdomTree Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund                    For the Period
September 24, 2010*
through
August 31, 2011
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

                     $ 25.10   

Investment operations:

        

Net investment loss1

           (0.13

Net realized and unrealized gain

                       2.90   

Total from investment operations

                       2.77   

Distributions to shareholders:

        

Capital gains

                       (0.09

Net asset value, end of period

                     $ 27.78   

TOTAL RETURN2

                       11.06

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

        

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

         $ 80,560   

Ratios to average net assets of:

        

Net expenses

           0.55 %3  

Net investment loss

                       (0.46 )%3 

Portfolio turnover rate4

                       N/A 5  
        
WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Currency Fund    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
     For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
     For the Period
May 6, 2009*
through
August 31, 2009
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ 21.89       $ 21.22       $ 19.98   

Investment operations:

        

Net investment loss1

     (0.10      (0.09      (0.02

Net realized and unrealized gain

     1.92         0.94         1.26   

Total from investment operations

     1.82         0.85         1.24   

Distributions to shareholders:

        

Capital gains

     (0.84      (0.18        

Total distributions to shareholders

             (0.18        

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 22.87       $ 21.89       $ 21.22   

TOTAL RETURN2

     8.44      4.01      6.21

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

        

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

   $ 585,411       $ 337,106       $ 38,200   

Ratio to average net assets of:

        

Net expenses

     0.55      0.55      0.55 %3  

Net investment loss

     (0.46 )%       (0.39 )%       (0.33 )%3 

Portfolio turnover rate4

     0      0      0

 

* Commencement of investment operations.

 

1 

Based on average shares outstanding.

 

2 

Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

3 

Annualized.

 

4 

Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized.

 

5 

The Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days. SEC rules exclude such securities from portfolio turnover calculations.

 

62   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Financial Highlights

WisdomTree Currency Income Funds

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below

 

WisdomTree Dreyfus Indian Rupee Fund    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
    For the Period
May 14, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ 25.10      $ 23.79      $ 24.47      $ 24.69   

Investment operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)1

     (0.09     (0.08     0.02        0.15   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

     2.06        1.39        (0.51     (0.37

Total from investment operations

     1.97        1.31        (0.49     (0.22

Dividends to shareholders:

        

Net investment income

                   (0.19       

Capital gains

     (0.29                     

Total dividends to shareholders

     (0.29            (0.19       

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 26.78      $ 25.10      $ 23.79      $ 24.47   

TOTAL RETURN2

     7.86     5.51     (1.97 )%      (0.89 )% 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

        

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

   $ 24,104      $ 22,586      $ 11,893      $ 9,789   

Ratios to average net assets of:

        

Net expenses

     0.45     0.45     0.45     0.45 %3 

Net investment income

     (0.34 )%      (0.29 )%      0.09     1.93 %3 

Portfolio turnover rate4

     0     0     0     N/A5   
        
WisdomTree Dreyfus Japanese Yen Fund    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
    For the Period
May 21, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ 31.14      $ 28.26      $ 24.21      $ 25.45   

Investment operations:

        

Net investment income (loss)1

     (0.09     (0.08     0.00 6       0.01   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

     3.04        2.96        4.12        (1.25

Total from investment operations

     2.95        2.88        4.12        (1.24

Dividends to shareholders:

        

Net investment income

                   (0.07       

Total dividends to shareholders

                   (0.07       

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 34.09      $ 31.14      $ 28.26      $ 24.21   

TOTAL RETURN2

     9.47     10.19     17.01     (4.87 )% 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

        

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

   $ 13,637      $ 12,455      $ 11,305      $ 19,368   

Ratio to average net assets of:

        

Net expenses

     0.35     0.35     0.35     0.35 %3 

Net investment income (loss)

     (0.28 )%      (0.27 )%      0.01     0.20 %3  

Portfolio turnover rate4

     N/A5        N/A 5      N/A 5      N/A5   

 

* Commencement of investment operations.

 

1 

Based on average shares outstanding.

 

2 

Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

3 

Annualized.

 

4 

Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized.

 

5 

The Funds invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days. SEC rules exclude such securities from portfolio turnover calculations.

 

6 

Amount represents less than $0.05.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      63   


Financial Highlights

WisdomTree Currency Income Funds

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:

 

WisdomTree Dreyfus South African Rand Fund   For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
    For the Period
June 25, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 29.20      $ 26.73      $ 26.61      $ 25.35   

Investment operations:

       

Net investment income (loss)1

    (0.10     (0.09     0.02        0.09   

Net realized and unrealized gain

    3.30        3.36        1.72        1.17   

Total from investment operations

    3.20        3.27        1.74        1.26   

Dividends and distributions to shareholders:

       

Net investment income

           (0.00 )2       (0.09       

Capital gains

    (3.86     (0.80     (1.53       

Total dividends and distributions to shareholders

    (3.86     (0.80     (1.62       

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 28.54      $ 29.20      $ 26.73      $ 26.61   

TOTAL RETURN3

    11.00     12.53     8.44     4.97

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

       

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

  $ 8,561      $ 11,680      $ 5,345      $ 2,661   

Ratio to average net assets of:

       

Net expenses

    0.45     0.45     0.45     0.45 %4 

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.34 )%      (0.31 )%      0.07     1.78 %4 

Portfolio turnover rate5

    0 %      0     0     N/A 6 

 

* Commencement of investment operations.

 

1 

Based on average shares outstanding.

 

2 

Amount represents less than $0.005

 

3 

Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

4 

Annualized.

 

5 

Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized.

 

6 

The Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days. SEC rules exclude such securities from portfolio turnover calculations.

 

 

64   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


Financial Highlights

WisdomTree Fixed Income Funds

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:

 

WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund                        For the Period
March 17, 2011*
through
August 31, 2011
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

                          $ 49.85   

Investment operations:

       

Net investment income1

          0.60   

Net realized and unrealized gain

                            3.21   

Total from investment operations

                            3.81   

Dividends to shareholders:

       

Net investment income

                            (0.43

Net asset value, end of period

                          $ 53.23   

TOTAL RETURN2

                            7.66

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

       

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

        $ 660,086   

Ratios to average net assets of:

       

Net expenses

          0.55 %3  

Net investment income

                            2.52 %3  

Portfolio turnover rate4

                            0
       
WisdomTree Australia & New Zealand Debt
Fund (Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus New
Zealand Dollar Fund)
  For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
    For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
    For the Period
June 25, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

  $ 22.24      $ 23.68      $ 23.53      $ 24.93   

Investment operations:

       

Net investment income (loss)1

    (0.08     (0.07     (0.02     0.09   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    5.40        1.08        0.30        (1.49

Total from investment operations

    5.32        1.01        0.28        (1.40

Dividends and distributions to shareholders:

       

Net investment income

                  (0.13       

Capital gains

    (1.25     (2.45              

Total dividends and distributions to shareholders

    (1.25     (2.45     (0.13       

Net asset value, end of period

  $ 26.31      $ 22.24      $ 23.68      $ 23.53   

TOTAL RETURN2

    24.85     4.32     1.30     (5.62 )% 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

       

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

  $ 52,614      $ 17,790      $ 9,471      $ 2,353   

Ratio to average net assets of:

       

Net expenses

    0.45     0.45     0.45     0.45 %3 

Net investment income (loss)

    (0.35 )%      (0.30 )%      (0.11 )%      1.96 %3 

Portfolio turnover rate4

    0     0     0     N/A 5 

 

* Commencement of investment operations.

 

1 

Based on average shares outstanding.

 

2 

Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

3 

Annualized.

 

4 

Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized.

 

5 

The Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days. SEC rules exclude such securities from portfolio turnover calculations.

 

WisdomTree Trust Prospectus      65   


Financial Highlights

WisdomTree Fixed Income Funds

Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout the period is presented below:

 

WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local
Debt Fund
                   For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
     For the Period
August 9, 2010*
through
August 31, 2010
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

                     $ 50.08       $ 50.23   

Investment operations:

           

Net investment income1

           2.40         0.10   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

                       3.79         (0.25

Total from investment operations

                       6.19         (0.15

Dividends to shareholders:

           

Net investment income

                       (2.44        

Net asset value, end of period

                     $ 53.83       $ 50.08   

TOTAL RETURN2

                       12.64      (0.30 )% 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

         $ 1,415,705       $ 195,319   

Ratios to average net assets of:

           

Net expenses

           0.55      0.55 %3  

Net investment income

                       4.65      3.31 %3  

Portfolio turnover rate4

                       30      0
           
WisdomTree Euro Debt Fund
(Formerly, WisdomTree Dreyfus
Euro Fund)
   For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2011
     For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2010
     For the
Year Ended
August 31, 2009
     For the Period
May 14, 2008*
through
August 31, 2008
 

Net asset value, beginning of period

   $ 20.54       $ 23.19       $ 24.07       $ 25.04   

Investment operations:

           

Net investment income (loss)1

     0.05         (0.01      0.35         0.29   

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

     2.73         (2.64      (0.63      (1.26

Total from investment operations

     2.78         (2.65      (0.28      (0.97

Dividends to shareholders:

           

Net investment income

                     (0.60        

Total dividends to shareholders

                     (0.60        

Net asset value, end of period

   $ 23.32       $ 20.54       $ 23.19       $ 24.07   

TOTAL RETURN2

     13.53      (11.43 )%       (1.13 )%       (3.87 )% 

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

   $ 5,246       $ 12,836       $ 9,857       $ 19,256   

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Net expenses

     0.35      0.35      0.35      0.35 %3  

Net investment income (loss)

     0.21      (0.03 )%       1.61      3.73 %3  

Portfolio turnover rate4

     N/A 5       N/A 5       N/A 5       N/A 5 

 

* Commencement of investment operations.

 

1 

Based on average shares outstanding.

 

2 

Total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

3 

Annualized.

 

4 

Portfolio turnover rate is not annualized.

 

5 

The Fund invested in short-term securities with maturities less than or equal to 365 days. SEC rules exclude such securities from portfolio turnover calculations.

 

66   WisdomTree Trust Prospectus


WisdomTree Trust

380 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor

New York, NY 10017

 

LOGO

 

JOIN YOUR FELLOW WISDOMTREE INVESTORS

Help reduce impact to environment by going paperless

Sign up for eDelivery at www.wisdomtree.com

 

 

The Trust’s current SAI provides additional detailed information about the Funds. The Trust has electronically filed the SAI with the SEC. It is incorporated by reference in this Prospectus.

Additional information about the Funds’ investments is available in the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. In the annual report you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds’ performance during the last fiscal year.

To make shareholder inquiries, for more detailed information on the Funds or to request the SAI, annual or semi-annual shareholder reports free of charge, please:

 

Call:  

1-866-909-9473

Monday through Friday

8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (Eastern time)

   Write:  

WisdomTree Trust

c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, Colorado 80203

      
Visit:   www.wisdomtree.com     

Information about the Funds (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following E-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about any Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.

©2011 WisdomTree Trust

WisdomTree Funds are distributed by

ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, Colorado 80203

“WisdomTree” is a registered mark of WisdomTree Investments, Inc.

INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT FILE NO. 811-21864

WIS-PR-001-0312