Cancer Immunotherapy ETF Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF (Nasdaq: CNCR) celebrates its one-year anniversary of trading.

“We are proud to be a small part of that through our fund and thank all investors who have participated in it since it began trading.”

The first and only exchange-traded fund (ETF) to exclusively hold shares of public companies that are dedicated to immunotherapy research and development, CNCR is based on the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index, an innovative index developed by biotechnology investor and Loncar Investments CEO Brad Loncar.

“Cancer immunotherapy is an important sector in biotechnology that is transforming how many cancers are treated,” Loncar said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to support companies and researchers that work hard every day to improve the lives of courageous patients who battle cancer disease.”

As of quarter end on 9/30/2016, CNCR had $23,176,170 in assets and there were 900,000 shares outstanding. Below is the standardized performance versus its benchmark (Nasdaq Biotechnology Index) since the fund’s inception.

Performance data quoted represents past performance; past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance of the Fund may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Performance data current to the most recent month end may be obtained by calling 800-617-0004. Gross Expense Ratio: 0.79 percent.

The fund includes both large pharmaceutical and growth-oriented biotechnology companies that are leading in this disruptive approach to cancer treatment. Its top 10 holdings are: Agenus (5.13 percent weighting, ticker: AGEN), bluebird bio (5.05 percent weighting, ticker: BLUE), Xencor (4.77 percent weighting, ticker: XNCR), Newlink Genetics (4.62 percent weighting, ticker: NLNK), Bellicum (4.44 percent weighting, ticker: BLCM), CytomX Therapeutics (4.14 percent weighting, ticker: CTMX), Five Prime Therapeutics (3.75 percent weighting, ticker: FPRX), Advaxis (3.69 percent weighting, ticker: ADXS), Incyte (3.55 percent weighting, ticker: INCY), AstraZeneca (3.52 percent weighting, ticker: AZN). Twenty-three of the holdings are growth companies, while the remaining seven are large-cap, value equities.

“Over the last year, cancer immunotherapy research has received meaningful investment from government, philanthropy, and the private sector,” said J. Garrett Stevens, CEO of Exchange Traded Concepts. “We are proud to be a small part of that through our fund and thank all investors who have participated in it since it began trading.”

Loncar Investments is an official partner of the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), the world’s only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to harnessing the immune system’s power to conquer all cancers. To learn about how to give to CRI, please visit here.

About Exchange Traded Concepts: ETC is carving out a niche as a portal to launch new, custom exchange-traded funds efficiently and cost-effectively through a complete turnkey solution. ETC is a private-label ETF advisor with passive and active exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch both domestic and international equity exchange traded funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940. For more information, please go to www.exchangetradedconcepts.com.

About Loncar Investments: Loncar Investments, LLC, the provider of the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index, is committed to making the biotechnology space more approachable to a wider range of investors. The company is principally owned by biotech investor and analyst Brad Loncar. Mr. Loncar manages a biotech-focused family portfolio from his Lenexa, Kansas office. He can be followed on Twitter at @bradloncar and his commentary is available at www.loncarblog.com.

Opinions expressed are those of ETC, Loncar Investments and their partners and are subject to change, not guaranteed, and should not be considered investment advice.

Investing involves risk; Principal loss is possible. The Fund will invest in immunotherapy companies which are highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs and the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights. A company’s valuation can also be greatly affected if one of its products is proven or alleged to be unsafe, ineffective or unprofitable. The costs associated with developing new drugs can be significant, and the results are unpredictable. The process for obtaining regulatory approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other governmental regulatory authorities is long and costly and there can be no assurance that the necessary approvals with be obtained and maintained. The Fund may invest in foreign securities, which involve political, economic, currency risk, greater volatility, and differences in accounting methods. The Fund is non-diversified meaning it may concentrate its assets in fewer individual holdings than a diversified fund. Therefore, the Fund is more exposed to individual stock volatility than a diversified fund. The Fund invests in smaller companies which may have more limited liquidity and greater volatility compared to larger companies. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the index. The fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in, the index, regardless of their investment merits . The performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Index and may experience tracking error to a greater extent than a fund that seeks to replicate an index.

The Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The summary and statutory prospectuses contain this and other important information about the investment company, and may be obtained by calling 800.617.0004 or visiting www.loncarfunds.com. Read it carefully before investing.

Fund holdings are subject to change and should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

The Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index is an index of 30 securities that have a strategic focus on the area of cancer immunotherapy, or harnessing the immune system to fight cancer. Quotes for the index can be found under the symbol “LCINDX” on the Bloomberg Professional service and other financial data providers.

The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index contains 183 securities of NASDAQ-listed companies classified according to the Industry Classification Benchmark as either Biotechnology or Pharmaceuticals which also meet other eligibility criteria. The NASDAQ Biotechnology Index is calculated under a modified capitalization-weighted methodology.

One may not directly invest in an index.

Diversification does not assure a profit nor protect against loss in a declining market.

The SEC does not approve or disapprove of any investment. (www.sec.gov).

Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC serves as the investment advisor to the Fund. The Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC, which is not affiliated with Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC or any of its affiliates.