Derivative warrants are an instrument which gives investors the right - but not the obligation - to buy or sell the underlying asset (e.g. a stock) at a pre-set price on or before a specified date. Derivative warrants are generally divided into two types: calls and puts. Derivative warrants can be linked with a single stock, a basket of stocks, an index, a currency, a commodity or a futures contract. Derivative warrants are usually settled in cash when they are exercised at expiry. Holder of call warrants have the right, but not obligation, to purchase from the issuer a given amount of the underlying asset at a predetermined price (also known as the “Exercise Price”) within a certain time period. Conversely, holders of put warrant have the right, but not obligation, to sell to the issuer a given amount of the underlying asset at a predetermined price within a certain time period. Investor should be aware that other factors being equal the value of derivative warrant will decrease over time. Derivative warrants should never be viewed as products that are brought and held as long term investments.

Callable Bull/Bear Contracts (“CBBC”) are a type of derivative product that tracks the performance of an underlying asset without requiring investors to pay the full price required to own the actual asset. They are issued either as Bull or Bear contracts with a fixed expiry date, allowing investors to take bullish or bearish positions on the underlying asset. CBBC are issued with the condition that during their lifespan they will be called by the issuers when the price of the underlying asset reaches a level (known as the “Call Price”) specified in the listing document. If the Call Price is reached before expiry, the CBBC will expire early and the trading of that CBBC will be terminated immediately. Once the CBBC is called, even though the underlying asset may bounce back in the right direction, the CBBC which has been called will not be revived and investors will not be able to profit from the bounce-back.

Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”) are passively-managed and open-ended funds, which are traded on the securities market of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx). All listed ETFs are authorised by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) as collective investment schemes. Most ETFs track a portfolio of assets to provide diversified exposure to selected market themes. However, ETFs may also track a single underlying asset.

ETFs can be broadly grouped into Physical ETFs and Synthetic ETFs. Many of Physical ETFs directly buy all the assets needed to replicate the composition and weighting of their benchmark (e.g. constituents of a stock index). However, some only buy a portion of the assets needed to replicate the benchmark or assets which have a high degree of correlation with the underlying benchmark but are not part of it. Some physical ETFs with underlying equity-based indices may also invest partially in futures and options contracts. Lending the shares they own is another strategy used by some physical ETFs. On the other hand, Synthetic ETFs do not buy the assets in their benchmark. Instead, they typically invest in financial derivative instruments to replicate the benchmark’s performance. Synthetic ETFs are subject to counterparty risk associated with the derivatives issuers and may suffer losses if the derivatives issuers default or fail to honour their contractual commitments. Investors should read the ETF prospectus carefully to ensure they understand how the fund operates.