WisdomTree
Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund – ELD (NYSE Arca)
Summary Prospectus
– January 1, 2018
Before you invest in the Fund, as defined below, you may want
to review the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information (“SAI”), which contain more information about the Fund and the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s current prospectus and SAI are incorporated by
reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and SAI, as well as other information about the Fund, online at www.wisdomtree.com/resource-library/prospectus-regulatory-reports. You may also obtain this information
at no charge by calling 1-866-909-9473 or by sending an e-mail request to getinfo@wisdomtree.com.
Investment Objective
The WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund (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 | 0.55% |
| 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 were to invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then
redeem all of the shares at the end of those periods. This example assumes that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain the same. This example does not include the brokerage commissions that retail investors may
pay to buy and sell shares of the Fund. 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 |
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 39% 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 seeks to achieve its investment objective through investment in
bonds and other debt instruments (“Local Debt”) denominated in the local currencies of emerging market countries. Under normal circumstances,
WisdomTree
Trust Prospectus 1
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 certain
derivatives and 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, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Within these regions, the Fund may invest in countries such as: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia,
Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, 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 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 monitored 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” (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”). 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 maintain an aggregate portfolio duration
of between two and ten 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. 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.
The Fund may invest up to 30% of its net assets in derivatives
such as forward currency contracts and swaps. The Fund’s use of forward contracts and swaps will be underpinned by investments in cash or other liquid assets (typically short-term, high- quality U.S. money market securities) and is designed to
provide exposure similar to investments in local currency debt. The Fund also may enter into repurchase agreements. 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 U.S. government securities and investment grade 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 objective. For more
information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the sections
| 2 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Additional Principal Risk
Information About the Funds” and “Additional Non-Principal Risk Information.”
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | Market Risk. The trading prices of currencies, fixed income securities and other instruments fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, such as economic, financial or political events that impact the entire market, market segments, or specific issuers. The Fund’s NAV and market price may fluctuate significantly in response to these and other factors. As a result, an investor could lose money over short or long periods of time. |
| ■ | Shares of the Fund 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. The trading prices of the Fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund’s daily NAV and there may be times when the market price of the shares is more than the NAV (premium) or less than the NAV (discount). This risk is heightened in times of market volatility or periods of steep market declines. |
| ■ | Capital Controls and Sanctions Risk. Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to foreign government intervention (including intervention by the U.S. government with respect to foreign governments, economic sectors, foreign companies and related securities and interests) and the imposition of capital controls and/or sanctions, which may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Capital controls and/or sanctions include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities or other assets, which may potentially include derivative instruments related thereto. Capital controls and/or sanctions may also impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to, foreign securities or currency, negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such instruments, adversely affect the trading market and price for shares of the Fund, and cause the Fund to decline in value. |
| ■ | Cash Redemption Risk. The Fund generally redeems shares for cash or otherwise includes cash as part of its redemption proceeds. The Fund may be required to sell or unwind portfolio investments in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have recognized if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gain distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. |
| ■ | 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 or cause such issuer or counterparty to be perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as being in such situations. The value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning in response to issuer or counterparty defaults, changes in the credit ratings of the Fund’s portfolio investments and/or perceptions related thereto. |
| ■ | Currency Exchange Rate Risk. 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. |
| ■ | Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be susceptible to operational and information security risks resulting from a breach in cyber security, including cyber-attacks. A breach in cyber security, intentional or unintentional, may adversely impact the Fund in many ways, including, but not limited to, disruption of the Fund’s operational capacity, loss of proprietary information, theft or corruption of data, denial-of-service attacks on websites or network resources, and the unauthorized release of confidential information. Cyber-attacks affecting the Fund’s third-party service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cyber security breaches. |
| ■ | Derivatives Risk. The Fund invests in derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive their performance from an underlying reference asset, such as a commodity, index, interest rate or inflation rate. The return on a derivative instrument may not correlate with the return of its underlying reference asset. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s Prospectus, such as counterparty and issuer |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 3 |
| credit risk, interest rate risk, market risk and issuer-specific risk. Derivatives can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money. In addition to the other risks associated with the use of derivatives described elsewhere in this Prospectus, there are risks associated with the Fund’s use of forward currency contracts and/or swaps. With respect to forward currency contracts, these risks include but are not limited to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. With respect to swaps, these risks include but are not limited to: (1) the success of the adviser’s and sub-adviser’s ability to predict movements in the prices of individual currencies or securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the currencies or securities and the prices of swaps; and (3) no guarantee that an active market will exist for swaps at any particular time. |
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve political, regulatory, and economic risks that may not be present in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations, political or economic instability, or geographic events that adversely impact issuers of foreign securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments and may be heightened in connection with investments in developing or emerging markets countries. |
| ■ | Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region. |
| ■ | Geopolitical Risk. Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns, war, threats of war, aggression and/or conflict, terrorism, economic uncertainty, natural and environmental disasters and/or systemic market dislocations (including due to events outside of such countries or regions) that have led, and in the future may lead, to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on the U.S. and world economies and markets generally, each of which may negatively impact the Fund’s investments. |
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates and changes to other factors, such as perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness. Funds with higher durations generally are subject to greater interest rate risk. For example, the price of a security with a ten-year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 10% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. |
| ■ | Issuer-Specific Risk. Issuer-specific events, including changes in the actual or perceived financial condition of an issuer, can have a negative impact on the value of the Fund. |
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | 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. |
| 4 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
| ■ | 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. |
| ■ | 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. This table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the Index and that of a relevant broad-based securities index. Index returns do not reflect deductions for fees, expenses
or taxes. All returns assume reinvestment of dividends and distributions. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
The Fund’s
year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2017 was 11.61%.
Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the periods reflected in
the bar chart above)
| Return | Quarter/Year | |
| Highest Return | 9.27% | 1Q/2016 |
| Lowest Return | (9.75)% | 3Q/2015 |
After-tax returns are calculated
using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold
your 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, 2016
| WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund | 1 Year | 5 Years | Since
Inception August 9, 2010 |
| Return Before Taxes Based on NAV | 9.89% | (1.84)% | (0.93)% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | 9.28% | (3.09)% | (2.24)% |
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 5.74% | (1.80)% | (1.11)% |
| JP Morgan GBI-EM Global Diversified Index Unhedged USD (Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 9.94% | (1.29)% | (0.63)% |
| WisdomTree Trust Prospectus 5 |
Management
Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser
WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. serves as investment adviser to the Fund.
Mellon Capital Management Corporation (“Mellon Capital”) serves as sub-adviser to the Fund.
Portfolio Managers
The Fund is managed by Mellon Capital's Fixed Income Portfolio Management
team. The individual members of the team jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio are described below.
Paul Benson, CFA, CAIA, Managing Director, Head of Fixed
Income Portfolio Management, has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since October 2015.
Stephanie Shu, CFA, Director, Senior Portfolio Manager, Fixed
Income, has been aportfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in 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, 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 certain institutions or large investors (typically market makers or other broker-dealers) 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 issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or U.S.
cash.
Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income
or capital gains.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other
Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a
broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), WisdomTree Asset Management or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities
that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares.
These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the
Intermediary’s website for more information.
| 6 WisdomTree Trust Prospectus |
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