United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP 10-Q for FY2022 Q3
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (UNL)
About this 10-Q
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP filed this 10-Q on November 7, 2022, covering the quarter ended September 30, 2022 (FY2022 Q3).
Headline figures
Quarter ended September 30, 2022, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Revenue
- $8.5M
- up 84.5% from $4.61M a year earlier
- Net income
- $8.41M
- up 83.5% from net income of $4.58M a year earlier
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
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Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.).
The registrant had
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Table of Contents
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Part I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Condensed Financial Statements.
Index to Condensed Financial Statements
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United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed Statements of Financial Condition
At September 30, 2022 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2021
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| September 30, 2022 |
| December 31, 2021 | ||
Assets |
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Cash and cash equivalents (at cost $ | | $ | | | $ | |
Equity in trading accounts: | |
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Cash and cash equivalents (at cost $ | |
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Unrealized gain (loss) on open commodity futures contracts | |
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Receivable from General Partner (Note 3) | |
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Dividends receivable | |
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Interest receivable | | | | | | |
Prepaid license fees | | | | | | |
Prepaid insurance* | | | | | | |
Total Assets | | $ | | | $ | |
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Liabilities and Partners’ Capital | |
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General Partner management fees payable (Note 3) | | $ | | | $ | |
Professional fees payable | | | | | | |
Brokerage commissions payable | |
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Directors’ fees payable* | |
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Total Liabilities | |
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Commitments and Contingencies (Notes 3, 4 & 5) | |
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Partners’ Capital | |
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General Partners | |
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Limited Partners | |
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Total Partners' Capital | |
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Total Liabilities and Partners’ Capital | | $ | | | $ | |
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Limited Partners’ shares outstanding | |
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Net asset value per share | | $ | | | $ | |
Market value per share | | $ | | | $ | |
*
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
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United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed Schedule of Investments (Unaudited)
At September 30, 2022
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| | | | | | | Gain (Loss) | | | |
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| | Notional | | Number of | | Commodity | | % of Partners’ | ||
| | Amount | | Contracts | | Contracts | | Capital | ||
Open Commodity Futures Contracts - Long | | | | | | | | | | |
United States Contracts | | | | | | | | | | |
NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG November 2022 contracts, expiring October 2022 | | $ | | | | | $ | ( | | ( |
NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG December 2022 contracts, expiring November 2022 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG January 2023 contracts, expiring December 2022 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG February 2023 contracts, expiring January 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG March 2023 contracts, expiring February 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG April 2023 contracts, expiring March 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG May 2023 contracts, expiring April 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG June 2023 contracts, expiring May 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG July 2023 contracts, expiring June 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG August 2023 contracts, expiring July 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG September 2023 contracts, expiring August 2023 |
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NYMEX Natural Gas Futures NG October 2023 contracts, expiring September 2023 |
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Total Open Futures Contracts* | | $ | |
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| Shares/Principal |
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Cash Equivalents |
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United States Money Market Funds |
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Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Money Market Fund - Institutional Shares, |
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Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds - Government Portfolio - Institutional Shares, |
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Total United States Money Market Funds | | | | $ | |
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# Reflects the 7-day yield at
* Collateral amounted to $
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
5
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021
| | Three months ended | | Three months ended | | Nine months ended | | Nine months ended | ||||
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| September 30, 2021 |
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Income |
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Gain (loss) on trading of commodity futures contracts: |
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Realized gain (loss) on closed commodity futures contracts | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Change in unrealized gain (loss) on open commodity futures contracts | |
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Dividend income | |
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Interest income* | |
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ETF transaction fees | |
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Total Income (Loss) | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
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Expenses | |
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General Partner management fees (Note 3) | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Professional fees | |
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Brokerage commissions | |
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Directors’ fees and insurance | |
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License fees | |
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Total Expenses | |
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Expense waiver (Note 3) | | | ( | |
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Net Expenses | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Net Income (Loss) | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Net Income (Loss) per limited partner share | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Net Income (Loss) per weighted average limited partner share | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Weighted average limited partner shares outstanding | |
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*
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
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United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited)
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021
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| | Three months ended | | Three months ended | | Nine months ended | | Nine months ended | ||||
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Balances at beginning of period | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Addition of | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Redemption of ( | | | ( | | | | | | ( | | | ( |
Net income (loss) | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Balances at end of period | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
* General Partners’ shares outstanding and capital for the periods presented were
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
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United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021
| | Nine months ended | | Nine months ended | ||
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| September 30, 2022 |
| September 30, 2021 | ||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
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Net income (loss) | | $ | | | $ | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | |
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Change in unrealized (gain) loss on open commodity futures contracts | |
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(Increase) decrease in receivable from General Partner | |
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(Increase) decrease in dividends receivable | |
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(Increase) decrease in interest receivable | |
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(Increase) decrease in prepaid license fees | | | ( | | | ( |
(Increase) decrease in prepaid insurance* | | | ( | | | ( |
Increase (decrease) in payable due to Broker | | | | | | |
Increase (decrease) in General Partner management fees payable | |
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Increase (decrease) in professional fees payable | |
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Increase (decrease) in directors' fees payable* | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | |
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Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | |
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Addition of partnership shares | |
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Redemption of partnership shares | |
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Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | |
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Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents | |
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Total Cash, Cash Equivalents and Equity in Trading Accounts, beginning of period | |
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Total Cash, Cash Equivalents and Equity in Trading Accounts, end of period | | $ | | | $ | |
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Components of Cash and Cash Equivalents: | |
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Cash and cash equivalents | | $ | | | $ | |
Equity in Trading Accounts: | |
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Cash and cash equivalents | |
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Total Cash, Cash Equivalents and Equity in Trading Accounts | | $ | | | $ | |
* Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current presentation.
See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
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United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP
Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited)
For the period ended September 30, 2022
NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
The United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (“UNL”) was organized as a limited partnership under the laws of the state of Delaware on June 27, 2007. UNL is a commodity pool that issues limited partnership shares (“shares”) that may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”). UNL will continue in perpetuity, unless terminated sooner upon the occurrence of one or more events as described in its Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of December 15, 2017 (the “LP Agreement”).
The investment objective of UNL is for the daily changes in percentage terms of its shares’ per share net asset value (“NAV”) to reflect the daily changes in percentage terms of the price of natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub, Louisiana, as measured by the daily changes in the average of the prices of 12 futures contracts for natural gas traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (the “NYMEX”), consisting of the near month contract to expire and the contracts for the following 11 months for a total of 12 consecutive months’ contracts, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it will be measured by the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire and the contracts for the following 11 consecutive months (the “Benchmark Futures Contracts”), plus interest earned on UNL’s collateral holdings, less UNL’s expenses. UNL seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing so that the average daily percentage change in UNL’s NAV for any period of
When calculating the daily movement of the average price of the 12 contracts, each contract month is equally weighted.
UNL seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in futures contracts for natural gas that are traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures Europe and ICE Futures U.S. (together, “ICE Futures”), or other U.S. and foreign exchanges (collectively, “Futures Contracts”) and, to a lesser extent, in order to comply with regulatory requirements or in view of market conditions, other natural gas investments such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for natural gas, cleared swap contracts, and non-exchange traded (“over-the-counter” or “OTC”) transactions that are based on the price of natural gas, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, as well as futures contracts for crude oil, heating oil, gasoline, and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other Natural Gas-Related Investments”). Market conditions that USCF currently anticipates could cause UNL to invest in Other Natural Gas-Related Investments include, but are not limited to, those allowing UNL to obtain greater liquidity or to execute transactions with more favorable pricing. For convenience and unless otherwise specified, Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments collectively are referred to as “Natural Gas Interests” in the notes to the financial statements.
In addition, USCF believes that market arbitrage opportunities will cause daily changes in UNL’s share price on the NYSE Arca on a percentage basis to closely track daily changes in UNL’s per share NAV on a percentage basis. USCF further believes that the daily changes in average of the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts have historically closely tracked the daily changes in the spot price of natural gas. USCF believes that the net effect of these two expected relationships will be that the daily changes in the price of UNL’s shares on the NYSE Arca on a percentage basis will continue to closely track the daily changes in the spot price of natural gas on a percentage basis, less UNL’s expenses.
Investors should be aware that UNL’s investment objective is not for its NAV or market price of shares to equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of natural gas or any particular futures contract based on natural gas nor is UNL’s investment objective for the percentage change in its NAV to reflect the percentage change of the price of any particular futures contract as measured over a time period greater than one day. This is because natural market forces called contango and backwardation have impacted the total return on an investment in UNL’s shares during the past year relative to a hypothetical direct investment in natural gas and, in the future, it is likely that the relationship between the market price of UNL’s shares and changes in the spot prices of natural gas will continue to be so impacted by contango and backwardation. (It is important to note that the disclosure above ignores the potential costs associated with physically owning and storing natural gas, which could be substantial).
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United States Commodity Funds LLC (“USCF”), the general partner of UNL, believes that it is not practical to manage the portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in Futures Contracts (as defined below) and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments (as defined below).
As of September 30, 2022, UNL held 677 Futures Contracts for natural gas traded on the NYMEX and did not hold any Futures Contracts traded on ICE Futures US.
UNL commenced investment operations on
USCF is also the sponsor of the United States Commodity Index Funds Trust (“USCIFT”), a Delaware statutory trust and each of its series: the United States Commodity Index Fund (“USCI”) and the United States Copper Index Fund (“CPER”). USCI and CPER listed their shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbols “USCI” on August 10, 2010 and “CPER” on November 15, 2011, respectively.
UNL, USO, UNG, UGA, USL, BNO, USCI and CPER are referred to collectively herein as the “Related Public Funds.”
UNL issues shares to certain authorized purchasers (“Authorized Participants”) by offering baskets consisting of
Authorized Participants pay a transaction fee of $
In November 2009, UNL initially registered
The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC and, therefore, do not include all information and footnote disclosure required under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The financial information included herein is unaudited; however, such financial information reflects all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which are, in the opinion of USCF, necessary for the fair presentation of the condensed financial statements for the interim period.
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NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The condensed financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP as detailed in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification. UNL is an investment company for accounting purposes and follows the accounting and reporting guidance in FASB Topic 946.
Revenue Recognition
Commodity futures contracts, forward contracts, physical commodities and related options are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized gains or losses on open contracts are reflected in the condensed statements of financial condition and represent the difference between the original contract amount and the market value (as determined by exchange settlement prices for futures contracts and related options and cash dealer prices at a predetermined time for forward contracts, physical commodities, and their related options) as of the last business day of the year or as of the last date of the condensed financial statements. Changes in the unrealized gains or losses between periods are reflected in the condensed statements of operations. UNL earns income on funds held at the custodian or futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) at prevailing market rates earned on such investments.
Brokerage Commissions
Brokerage commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn basis.
Income Taxes
UNL is not subject to federal income taxes; each partner reports his/her allocable share of income, gain, loss deductions or credits on his/her own income tax return.
In accordance with U.S. GAAP, UNL is required to determine whether a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the applicable taxing authority, including resolution of any tax related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the position. UNL files an income tax return in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and may file income tax returns in various U.S. states. UNL is not subject to income tax return examinations by major taxing authorities for years before 2018. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. De-recognition of a tax benefit previously recognized results in UNL recording a tax liability that reduces net assets. However, UNL’s conclusions regarding this policy may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, on-going analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof. UNL recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax fees payable, if assessed.
Creations and Redemptions
Authorized Participants may purchase Creation Baskets or redeem Redemption Baskets only in blocks of
UNL receives or pays the proceeds from shares sold or redeemed within two business days after the trade date of the purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Participants are reflected in UNL’s condensed statements of financial condition as receivable for shares sold and amounts payable to Authorized Participants upon redemption are reflected as payable for shares redeemed.
Authorized Participants pay UNL a $
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Partnership Capital and Allocation of Partnership Income and Losses
Profit or loss shall be allocated among the partners of UNL in proportion to the number of shares each partner holds as of the close of each month. USCF may revise, alter or otherwise modify this method of allocation as described in the LP Agreement.
Calculation of Per Share NAV
UNL’s per share NAV is calculated on each NYSE Arca trading day by taking the current market value of its total assets, subtracting any liabilities and dividing that amount by the total number of shares outstanding. UNL uses the closing price for the contracts on the relevant exchange on that day to determine the value of contracts held on such exchange.
Net Income (Loss) Per Share
Net income (loss) per share is the difference between the per share NAV at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The weighted average number of shares outstanding was computed for purposes of disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average share. The weighted average shares are equal to the number of shares outstanding at the end of the period, adjusted proportionately for shares added and redeemed based on the amount of time the shares were outstanding during such period. There were no shares held by USCF at September 30, 2022.
Offering Costs
Offering costs incurred in connection with the registration of additional shares after the initial registration of shares are borne by UNL. These costs include registration fees paid to regulatory agencies and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated with such offerings. These costs are accounted for as a deferred charge and thereafter amortized to expense over twelve months on a straight-line basis or a shorter period if warranted.
Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents include money market funds and overnight deposits or time deposits with original maturity dates of six months or less.
Reclassification
Certain amounts in the accompanying condensed financial statements were reclassified to conform to the current presentation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of condensed financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires USCF to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed financial statements, and the reported amounts of the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.
NOTE 3 — FEES PAID BY THE FUND AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
USCF Management Fee
Under the LP Agreement, USCF is responsible for investing the assets of UNL in accordance with the objectives and policies of UNL. In addition, USCF has arranged for one or more third parties to provide administrative, custody, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary services to UNL. For these services, UNL is contractually obligated to pay USCF a fee, which is paid monthly, equal to
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Ongoing Registration Fees and Other Offering Expenses
UNL pays all costs and expenses associated with the ongoing registration of its shares subsequent to the initial offering. These costs include registration or other fees paid to regulatory agencies in connection with the offer and sale of shares, and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated with such offer and sale. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, UNL did not incur registration fees and other offering expenses.
Independent Directors’ and Officers’ Expenses
UNL is responsible for paying its portion of the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for UNL and the other Related Public Funds and the fees and expenses of the independent directors who also serve as audit committee members of UNL and the other Related Public Funds. UNL shares the fees and expenses on a pro rata basis with each other Related Public Fund, as described above, based on the relative assets of each Related Public Fund computed on a daily basis. These fees and expenses for the year ending December 31, 2022 are estimated to be a total of $
Licensing Fees
As discussed in Note 4 below, UNL entered into a licensing agreement with the NYMEX on December 4, 2007, as amended on October 20, 2011. Pursuant to the agreement, UNL and the other Related Public Funds, other than BNO, USCI and CPER, pay a licensing fee that is equal to
Investor Tax Reporting Cost
The fees and expenses associated with UNL’s audit expenses and tax accounting and reporting requirements are paid by UNL. These costs are estimated to be $
Other Expenses and Fees and Expense Waivers
In addition to the fees described above, UNL pays all brokerage fees and other expenses in connection with the operation of UNL, excluding costs and expenses paid by USCF as outlined in Note 4 - Contracts and Agreements below. USCF previously paid certain expenses on a discretionary basis typically borne by UNL, where expenses exceed
NOTE 4 — CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS
Marketing Agent Agreement
UNL is party to a marketing agent agreement, dated as of October 30, 2009, as amended from time to time, with the Marketing Agent and USCF, whereby the Marketing Agent provides certain marketing services for UNL as outlined in the agreement. The fee of the Marketing Agent through September 30, 2022, which is borne by USCF, was
The above fee does not include website construction and development, which are also borne by USCF.
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Custody, Transfer Agency and Fund Administration and Accounting Services Agreements
USCF engaged The Bank of New York Mellon, a New York corporation authorized to do a banking business (“BNY Mellon”), to provide UNL and each of the other Related Public Funds with certain custodial, administrative and accounting, and transfer agency services, pursuant to the following agreements with BNY Mellon dated as of March 20, 2020 (together, the “BNY Mellon Agreements”), which were effective as of April 1, 2020: (i) a Custody Agreement; (ii) a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement; and (iii) a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement. USCF pays the fees of BNY Mellon for its services under the BNY Mellon Agreements and such fees are determined by the parties from time to time.
Brokerage and Futures Commission Merchant Agreements
UNL entered into a brokerage agreement with RBC Capital Markets LLC (“RBC”) to serve as UNL’s FCM effective October 10, 2013. UNL has engaged each of RCG Division of Marex Spectron (“RCG”), E D & F Man Capital Markets Inc. (“MCM”) and Macquarie Futures USA LLC (“MFUSA”) to serve as additional FCMs to UNL effective on May 28, 2020, June 5, 2020, and December 3, 2020, respectively. The agreements with UNL’s FCMs require the FCMs to provide services to UNL in connection with the purchase and sale of Natural Gas Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments that may be purchased and sold by or through the applicable FCM for UNL’s account. In accordance with the FCM agreements, UNL pays each FCM commissions of approximately $
| | Nine months ended | | Nine months ended |
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| September 30, 2022 |
| September 30, 2021 |
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Total commissions accrued to brokers | | $ | | | $ | | |
Total commissions as annualized percentage of average total net assets | |
| | % |
| | % |
Commissions accrued as a result of rebalancing | | $ | | | $ | | |
Percentage of commissions accrued as a result of rebalancing | |
| | % |
| | % |
Commissions accrued as a result of creation and redemption activity | | $ | | | $ | | |
Percentage of commissions accrued as a result of creation and redemption activity | |
| | % |
| | % |
The increase in total commissions accrued to brokers for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, was due primarily to a higher number of natural gas futures contracts being held and traded.
NYMEX Licensing Agreement
UNL and NYMEX entered into a licensing agreement on December 4, 2007, as amended on October 20, 2011, whereby UNL was granted a non-exclusive license to use certain of the NYMEX’s settlement prices and service marks. Under the licensing agreement, UNL and the other Related Public Funds, other than BNO, USCI, and CPER, pay the NYMEX an asset-based fee for the license, the terms of which are described in Note 3. UNL expressly disclaims any association with the NYMEX or endorsement of UNL by the NYMEX and acknowledges that “NYMEX” and “New York Mercantile Exchange” are registered trademarks of the NYMEX.
NOTE 5 — FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISKS AND CONTINGENCIES
UNL may engage in the trading of futures contracts, options on futures contracts, cleared swaps and OTC-swaps (collectively, “derivatives”). UNL is exposed to both market risk, which is the risk arising from changes in the market value of the contracts, and credit risk, which is the risk of failure by another party to perform according to the terms of a contract.
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UNL may enter into futures contracts, options on futures contracts, cleared swaps, and OTC swaps to gain exposure to changes in the value of an underlying commodity. A futures contract obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to accept) the future delivery of a specified quantity and type of a commodity at a specified time and place. Some futures contracts may call for physical delivery of the asset, while others are settled in cash. The contractual obligations of a buyer or seller may generally be satisfied by taking or making physical delivery of the underlying commodity or by making an offsetting sale or purchase of an identical futures contract on the same or linked exchange before the designated date of delivery. Cleared swaps are agreements that are eligible to be cleared by a clearinghouse, e.g., ICE Clear Europe, and provide the efficiencies and benefits that centralized clearing on an exchange offers to traders of futures contracts, including credit risk intermediation and the ability to offset positions initiated with different counterparties. OTC swaps are entered into between two parties in private contracts. In an OTC swap, each party bears credit risk to the other party, i.e., the risk that the other party may not be able to perform its obligations under the OTC swap.
The purchase and sale of futures contracts, options on futures contracts and cleared swaps require margin deposits with an FCM. Additional deposits may be necessary for any loss on contract value. The Commodity Exchange Act requires FCMs to segregate all customer transactions and assets from the FCM’s proprietary transactions and assets. To reduce the credit risk that arises in connection with OTC swaps, UNL will generally enter into an agreement with each counterparty based on the Master Agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., which provides for the netting of its overall exposure to its counterparty. The Master Agreement is negotiated as between the parties and would address, among other things, the exchange of margin between the parties.
Futures contracts, options on futures contracts and cleared swaps involve, to varying degrees, elements of market risk (specifically commodity price risk) and exposure to loss in excess of the amount of variation margin. The face or contract amounts reflect the extent of the total exposure UNL has in the particular classes of instruments. Additional risks associated with the use of futures contracts are an imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contracts and the market value of the underlying securities and the possibility of an illiquid market for a futures contract. Buying and selling options on futures contracts exposes investors to the risks of purchasing or selling futures contracts.
As to OTC swaps, valuing OTC derivatives is less certain than valuing actively traded financial instruments such as exchange-traded futures contracts and securities or cleared swaps, because the price and terms on which such OTC derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually negotiated, and those prices and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available from other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers generally quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or terminating OTC contracts, they typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if they are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives transaction.
Significant market volatility has recently occurred in the natural gas markets and the natural gas futures markets. Such volatility is attributable in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, related supply chain disruptions, war, including the war between Russia and the Ukraine, and continuing disputes among natural gas-producing countries. These factors could cause continuing or increased volatility in the future, which may affect the value, pricing and liquidity of some investments or other assets, including those held by or invested in by UNL and the impact of which could limit UNL’s ability to have a substantial portion of its assets invested in the Benchmark Futures Contracts. In such a circumstance, UNL could, if it determined it appropriate to do so in light of market conditions and regulatory requirements, invest in other Futures Contracts and/or Other Natural-Gas Related Investments.
All of the futures contracts held by UNL through September 30, 2022 were exchange-traded. The risks associated with exchange-traded contracts are generally perceived to be less than those associated with OTC swaps since, in OTC swaps, a party must rely solely on the credit of its respective individual counterparties. However, in the future, if UNL were to enter into non-exchange traded contracts, it would be subject to the credit risk associated with counterparty non-performance. The credit risk from counterparty non-performance associated with such instruments is the net unrealized gain, if any, on the transaction. UNL has credit risk under its futures contracts since the sole counterparty to all domestic and foreign futures contracts is the clearinghouse for the exchange on which the relevant contracts are traded. In addition, UNL bears the risk of financial failure by the clearing broker.
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UNL’s cash and other property, such as Treasuries, deposited with its FCMs are considered commingled with all other customer funds, subject to such FCM’s segregation requirements. In the event of an FCM’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to a pro rata share of segregated funds available. It is possible that the recovered amount could be less than the total of cash and other property deposited. The insolvency of an FCM could result in the complete loss of UNL’s assets posted with that FCM; however, the majority of UNL’s assets are held in investments in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents with UNL’s custodian and would not be impacted by the insolvency of an FCM. The failure or insolvency of UNL’s custodian, however, could result in a substantial loss of UNL’s assets.
USCF invests a portion of UNL’s cash in money market funds that seek to maintain a stable per share NAV. UNL is exposed to any risk of loss associated with an investment in such money market funds. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, UNL held investments in money market funds in the amounts of $
For derivatives, risks arise from changes in the market value of the contracts. Theoretically, UNL is exposed to market risk equal to the value of futures contracts purchased and unlimited liability on such contracts sold short or that the value of the futures contract could fall below zero. As both a buyer and a seller of options, UNL pays or receives a premium at the outset and then bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the contract underlying the option.
UNL’s policy is to continuously monitor its exposure to market and counterparty risk through the use of a variety of financial, position and credit exposure reporting controls and procedures. In addition, UNL has a policy of requiring review of the credit standing of each broker or counterparty with which it conducts business.
The financial instruments held by UNL are reported in its condensed statements of financial condition at market or fair value, or at carrying amounts that approximate fair value, because of their highly liquid nature and short-term maturity.
NOTE 6 — FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following table presents per share performance data and other supplemental financial data for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 for the shareholders. This information has been derived from information presented in the condensed financial statements.
| | Three months ended | | Three months ended |
| Nine months ended | | Nine months ended | | ||||
| | September 30, 2022 | | September 30, 2021 |
| September 30, 2022 | | September 30, 2021 | | ||||
|
| (Unaudited) |
| (Unaudited) |
| (Unaudited) |
| (Unaudited) | | ||||
Per Share Operating Performance: |
| |
|
| |
| | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | |
Total income (loss) | |
| | |
| | | | | | | | |
Total expenses | |
| ( | |
| ( | | | ( | | | ( | |
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value | |
| | |
| | | | | | | | |
Net asset value, end of period | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | | |
| |
| | |
|
| | | | | | | |
Total Return | |
| | % |
| | % | | | % | | | % |
| |
| | |
|
| | | | | | | |
Ratios to Average Net Assets | |
| | |
|
| | | | | | | |
Total income (loss) | | | | % |
| | % | | | % | | | % |
Management fees# | |
| | % |
| | % | | | % | | | % |
Total expenses excluding management fees# | |
| | % |
| | % | | | % | | | % |
Expense waived# | |
| ( | % |
| ( | % | | ( | % | | ( | % |
Net expense excluding management fees# | |
| | % |
| | % | | | % | | | % |
Net income (loss) | |
| | % |
| | % | | | % | | | % |
# Annualized.
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Total returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An individual shareholder’s total return and ratio may vary from the above total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals from UNL.
NOTE 7 — FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
UNL values its investments in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 820 – Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurement. The changes to past practice resulting from the application of ASC 820 relate to the definition of fair value, the methods used to measure fair value, and the expanded disclosures about fair value measurement. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between: (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of UNL (observable inputs) and (2) UNL’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available under the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The three levels defined by the ASC 820 hierarchy are as follows:
Level I – Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date.
Level II – Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level I that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.
Level II assets include the following: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means (market-corroborated inputs).
Level III – Unobservable pricing input at the measurement date for the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs shall be used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available.
In some instances, the inputs used to measure fair value might fall within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls shall be determined based on the lowest input level that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.
The following table summarizes the valuation of UNL’s securities at September 30, 2022 using the fair value hierarchy:
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
At September 30, 2022 | | Total |
| Level I |
| Level II |
| Level III | ||||
Short-Term Investments |
| $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Exchange-Traded Futures Contracts | |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
United States Contracts | | | ( | | | ( | | | | | | |
The following table summarizes the valuation of UNL’s securities at December 31, 2021 using the fair value hierarchy:
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
At December 31, 2021 |
| Total |
| Level I |
| Level II |
| Level III | ||||
Short-Term Investments |
| $ | | | $ | | | $ | | | $ | |
Exchange-Traded Futures Contracts | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
United States Contracts | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Effective January 1, 2009, UNL adopted the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 815 — Derivatives and Hedging, which require presentation of qualitative disclosures about objectives and strategies for using derivatives, quantitative disclosures about fair value amounts and gains and losses on derivatives.
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Fair Value of Derivative Instruments
| | Condensed | | | | | | |
| | Statements of | | | | | | |
| | Financial | | Fair Value at | | Fair Value at | ||
Derivatives not Accounted for as Hedging Instruments |
| Condition Location |
| September 30, 2022 |
| December 31, 2021 | ||
Futures - Commodity Contracts |
| Assets | | $ | ( | | $ | |
The Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Condensed Statements of Operations
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | For the nine months ended | | For the nine months ended | ||||||||
| | | | September 30, 2022 | | September 30, 2021 | ||||||||
| | | | | | | Change in Unrealized | | | | | Change in Unrealized | ||
Derivatives not | | Location of Gain | | Realized Gain (Loss) | | Gain (Loss) on | | Realized Gain (Loss) | | Gain (Loss) on | ||||
Accounted for as | | (Loss) on Derivatives | | on Derivatives | | Derivatives | | on Derivatives | | Derivatives | ||||
Hedging Instruments |
| Recognized in Income |
| Recognized in Income |
| Recognized in Income |
| Recognized in Income |
| Recognized in Income | ||||
Futures - Commodity Contracts |
| Realized gain (loss) on closed positions | | $ | |
| | | | $ | |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Change in unrealized gain (loss) on open positions | |
| | | $ | ( | |
|
| | $ | |
NOTE 8 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
UNL has performed an evaluation of subsequent events through the date the condensed financial statements were issued. This evaluation did not result in any subsequent events that necessitated disclosures and/or adjustments.
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed financial statements and the notes thereto of the United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (“UNL”) included elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q:
Forward-Looking Information
This quarterly report on Form 10-Q, including this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations. This information may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause UNL’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. UNL believes these factors include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in inflation in the United States; movements in U.S. and foreign currencies; market volatility in the natural gas markets and futures markets, in part attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in February 2020 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe UNL’s future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use of the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend” or “project,” the negative of these words, other variations on these words or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and UNL cannot assure investors that the projections included in these forward-looking statements will come to pass. UNL’s actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.
UNL has based the forward-looking statements included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q on information available to it on the date of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and UNL assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Although UNL undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, investors are advised to consult any additional disclosures that UNL may make directly to them or through reports that UNL files in the future with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.
Introduction
UNL, a Delaware limited partnership, is a commodity pool that issues shares that may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca. The investment objective of UNL is for the daily changes in percentage terms of its shares’ per share NAV to reflect the daily changes, in percentage terms, of the price of natural gas delivered at the Henry Hub, Louisiana, as measured by the daily changes in the average of the prices of 12 futures contracts for natural gas traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (the “NYMEX”), consisting of the near month contract to expire and the contracts for the following 11 months, for a total of 12 consecutive months’ contracts, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, in which case it will be measured by the futures contract that is the next month contract to expire and the contracts for the following 11 consecutive months (the “Benchmark Futures Contracts”), plus interest earned on UNL’s collateral holdings less UNL’s expenses. “Near month contract” means the next contract traded on the NYMEX due to expire. “Next month contract” means the first contract traded on the NYMEX due to expire after the near month contract. When calculating the daily movement of the average price of the 12 contracts, each contract month is equally weighted. UNL seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing so that the average daily percentage change in UNL’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days will be within plus/minus ten percent (10%) of the average daily percentage change in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts over the same period.
UNL’s investment objective is not for its NAV or market price of shares to equal, in dollar terms, the spot price of natural gas or any particular futures contract based on natural gas nor is UNL’s investment objective for the percentage change in its NAV to reflect the percentage change of the price of any particular futures contract as measured over a time period greater than one day. The general partner of UNL, United States Commodity Funds LLC (“USCF”), believes that it is not practical to manage the portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in Natural Gas Futures Contracts (as defined below) and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments (as defined below).
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UNL invests primarily in natural gas futures contracts that are traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures Exchange (“ICE Futures”) or other U.S. and foreign exchanges (collectively, “Natural Gas Futures Contracts”) and to a lesser extent, in order to comply with regulatory requirements or in view of market conditions, other natural gas-related investments such as cash-settled options on Natural Gas Futures Contracts, forward contracts for natural gas, cleared swap contracts and non-exchange traded over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps that are based on the price of natural gas, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other Natural Gas-Related Investments”). Market conditions that USCF currently anticipates could cause UNL to invest in Other Natural Gas-Related Investments include those allowing UNL to obtain greater liquidity or to execute transactions with more favorable pricing. For convenience and unless otherwise specified, Natural Gas Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments collectively are referred to as “Natural Gas Interests” in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
USCF believes that market arbitrage opportunities will cause daily changes in UNL’s share price on the NYSE Arca on a percentage basis to closely track daily changes in UNL’s per share NAV on a percentage basis. USCF further believes that daily changes in prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts have historically closely tracked the daily changes in spot price of natural gas. USCF believes that the net effect of these relationships will be that the daily changes in the price of UNL’s shares on the NYSE Arca on a percentage basis will closely track the daily changes in the spot price of a MMBtu of natural gas on a percentage basis, plus interest earned on UNL’s collateral holdings, less UNL’s expenses.
UNL seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing so that the average daily percentage change in UNL’s NAV for any period of 30 successive valuation days will be within plus/minus ten percent (10%) of the average daily percentage change in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts over the same period.
Regulatory Disclosure
The regulation of commodity interest trading in the United States and other countries is an evolving area of the law. Below are certain key regulatory requirements that are, or may be, relevant to UNL. The various statements made in this summary are subject to modification by legislative action and changes in the rules and regulations of the SEC, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), CFTC, NFA, the futures exchanges, clearing organizations and other regulatory bodies. Pending final resolution of all applicable regulatory requirements, some examples of how new rules and regulations could impact UNL are discussed in “Item 1. Business” in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Exchange Accountability Levels, Position Limits and Price Fluctuation Limits
Designated contract markets (“DCMs”), such as the NYMEX and ICE Futures, have established accountability levels and position limits on the maximum net long or net short futures contracts in commodity interests that any person or group of persons under common trading control (other than as a hedge, which an investment by UNL is not) may hold, own or control. These levels and position limits apply to the futures contracts that UNL invests in to meet its investment objective. In addition to accountability levels and position limits, the NYMEX and ICE Futures also set daily price fluctuation limits on futures contracts. The daily price fluctuation limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily price fluctuation limit has been reached in a particular futures contract, no trades may be made at a price beyond that limit.
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The accountability levels for the Benchmark Futures Contracts and other Natural Gas Futures Contracts traded on U.S.-based futures exchanges such as the NYMEX are not a fixed ceiling, but rather a threshold above which the NYMEX may exercise greater scrutiny and control over an investor’s positions. The current accountability level for investments for any one-month in the Benchmark Futures Contracts is 6,000 net contracts. In addition, the NYMEX imposes an accountability levels for all months of 12,000 net futures contracts for investments in futures contracts for natural gas. In addition, the ICE Futures maintains the same accountability levels, position limits and monitoring authority for its natural gas contracts as the NYMEX. If UNL and the other Related Public Funds exceed these accountability levels for investments in the futures contract for natural gas, the NYMEX and ICE Futures will monitor UNL’s and the other Related Public Funds’ exposure and may ask for further information on their activities, including the total size of all positions, investment and trading strategy, and the extent of liquidity resources of UNL and the other Related Public Funds. If deemed necessary by the NYMEX and/or ICE Futures, UNL and the other Related Public Funds could be ordered to reduce their aggregate net futures contracts back to the accountability level. As of September 30, 2022, UNL held 677 Natural Gas Futures NG contracts traded on the NYMEX and did not hold any ICE Natural Gas Futures contracts. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, UNL did not exceed accountability levels imposed by the NYMEX and ICE Futures, however, the aggregated total of certain of the Related Public Funds did exceed the accountability levels. No action was taken by NYMEX and UNL did not reduce the number of Natural Gas Futures Contracts held as a result.
Position limits differ from accountability levels in that they represent fixed limits on the maximum number of futures contracts that any person may hold and cannot allow such limits to be exceeded without express CFTC authority to do so. In addition to accountability levels and position limits that may apply at any time, the NYMEX and ICE Futures impose position limits on contracts held in the last few days of trading in the near month contract to expire. It is unlikely that UNL will run up against such position limits because UNL’s investment strategy is to close out its positions and “roll” from the near month contract to expire and the eleven following months to the next month contract to expire and the eleven following months during one day each month. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, UNL did not exceed any position limits imposed by the NYMEX and the ICE Futures.
Federal Position Limits
In October 2020, the CFTC adopted a rule to establish federal position limits for 25 core referenced futures contracts (comprised of agricultural, energy and metals futures contracts), futures and options linked to the core referenced futures contracts, and swaps that are economically equivalent to the core referenced futures contracts (the “Position Limits Rule”). The limits for futures conracts are currently in effect; the limits for economically equivalent swaps will become effective in 2023.
Some of the Benchmark Futures Contracts are subject to position limits under the Position Limits Rule, and UNL’s trading does not qualify for an exemption therefrom. Accordingly, the Position Limits Rule could negatively impact the ability of UNL to meet its investment objective by inhibiting USCF’s ability to effectively invest the proceeds from sales of Creation Baskets of UNL in particular amounts and types of its permitted investments.
Mandatory Trading and Clearing of Swaps
CFTC regulations require that certain swap transactions be executed on organized exchanges or “swap execution facilities” and cleared through regulated clearing organizations (“derivative clearing organizations” (“DCOs”)), if the CFTC mandates the central clearing of a particular class of swap and such swap is “made available to trade” on a swap execution facility. Currently, swap dealers, major swap participants, commodity pools, certain private funds and entities predominantly engaged in activities that are financial in nature are required to execute on a swap execution facility, and clear, certain interest rate swaps and index-based credit default swaps. As a result, if UNL enters into an interest rate or index-based credit default swap that is subject to these requirements, such swap will be required to be executed on a swap execution facility and centrally cleared. Mandatory clearing and “made available to trade” determinations with respect to additional types of swaps may be issued in the future, and, when finalized, could require UNL to electronically execute and centrally clear certain OTC instruments presently entered into and settled on a bi-lateral basis. If a swap is required to be cleared, initial and variation margin requirements are set by the relevant clearing organization, subject to certain regulatory requirements and guidelines. Additional margin may be required and held by UNL’s FCMs.
Margin for OTC Swaps
Rules put in place by U.S. federal banking regulators, the CFTC and the SEC require the daily exchange of variation margin and initial margin for swaps between swap dealers, major swap participants, security-based swap dealers, and major security-based swap
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participants (“Swap Entities”) and swaps between Swap Entities and their counterparties that are “financial end-users” (such rules, the “Margin Rules”). The Margin Rules require Swap Entities to exchange variation margin with all of their counterparties who are financial end-users. The minimum variation margin amount is the daily mark-to-market change in the value of the swap, taking into account the amount of variation margin previously posted or collected. Swap Entities are required to exchange initial margin with their financial end-users who have “material swaps exposure” (i.e., an average daily aggregate notional of $8 billion or more in non-cleared swaps calculated in accordance with the Margin Rules). The Margin Rules specify the types of collateral that may be posted or collected as initial margin or variation margin (generally cash, certain government, government-sponsored enterprise securities, certain liquid debt, certain equity securities, certain eligible publicly traded debt, and gold) and sets forth haircuts for certain collateral asset classes.
The Fund is not a Swap Entity under the Margin Rules, but it is a financial end-user. Accordingly, the Fund will be subject to the variation margin requirements of the Margin Rules for any swaps that it enters into. However, the Fund does not have material swaps exposure and, accordingly, the Fund will not be subject to the initial margin requirements of the Margin Rules.
Other Requirements for Swaps
In addition to the margin requirements described above, swaps that are not required to be cleared and executed on a SEF but that are executed bilaterally are also subject to various requirements pursuant to CFTC regulations, including, among other things, reporting and recordkeeping requirements and, depending on the status of the counterparties, trading documentation requirements and dispute resolution requirements.
Derivatives Regulations in Non-U.S. Jurisdictions
In addition to U.S. laws and regulations, UNL may be subject to non-U.S. derivatives laws and regulations if it engages in futures and/or swap transactions with non-U.S. persons. For example, UNL may be impacted by European laws and regulations to the extent that it engages in futures transactions on European exchanges or derivatives transactions with European entities. Other jurisdictions impose requirements applicable to futures and derivatives that are similar to those imposed by the U.S., including position limits, margin, clearing and trade execution requirements.
The CFTC is generally prohibited by statute from regulating trading on non-U.S. futures exchanges and markets. The CFTC, however, has adopted regulations relating to the marketing of non-U.S. futures contracts in the United States. These regulations permit certain contracts on non-U.S. exchanges to be offered and sold in the United States.
In a rising rate environment, UNL may not be able to fully invest at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasury Bills mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss.
When interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities typically falls. In a rising interest rate environment, UNL may not be able to fully invest at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasury Bills mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter term investments and higher for longer term investments. The risk to UNL of rising interest rates may be greater in the future due to the end of a long period of historically low rates, the effect of potential monetary policy initiatives, including actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other foreign equivalents to curb inflation, and resulting market reaction to those initiatives. When interest rates fall, UNL may be required to reinvest the proceeds from the sale, redemption or early prepayment of a Treasury Bill or money market security at a lower interest rate.
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UNL may lose money by investing in government money market funds.
UNL invests in government money market funds. Although such government money market funds seek to preserve the value of an investment at $1.00 per share, there is no guarantee that they will be able to do so and UNL may lose money by investing in a government money market fund. An investment in a government money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, referred to herein as the FDIC, or any other government agency. The share price of a government money market fund can fall below the $1.00 share price. UNL cannot rely on or expect a government money market fund's adviser or its affiliates to enter into support agreements or take other actions to maintain the government money market fund's $1.00 share price. The credit quality of a government money market fund's holdings can change rapidly in certain markets, and the default of a single holding could have an adverse impact on the government money market fund’s share price. Due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of securities held by a government money market fund may vary. A government money market fund's share price can also be negatively affected during periods of high redemption pressures and/or illiquid markets.
Price Movements
Natural gas futures prices were volatile during the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The average price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts started the period at $3.698 per million British thermal shares (“MMBtu”). The high of the period was on June 7, 2022 when the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts reached $8.279 per MMBtu. The low of the period was on December 31, 2021 when the price dropped to $3.698 per MMBtu. The period ended with the Benchmark Futures Contracts at $5.688 per MMBtu, an increase of approximately 53.81% over the period. UNL’s per share NAV began the period at $11.65 and ended the period at $22.02 on September 30, 2022, an increase of approximately 89.01% over the period. The Benchmark Futures Contracts prices listed above began with the February 2022 to January 2023 contracts and ended with the November 2022 to October 2023 contracts. An increase of approximately 53.81% on the Benchmark Futures Contracts listed above is a hypothetical return only and would not actually be realized by an investor holding Futures Contracts. An investment in Futures Contracts would need to be rolled forward during the time period described in order to simulate such a result. Furthermore, the change in the nominal price of these differing Futures Contracts, measured from the start of the period to the end of the period, does not represent the actual benchmark results that UNL seeks to track, which are more fully described below in the section titled “Tracking UNL’s Benchmark.”
During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the natural gas futures market experienced states of both contango and backwardation. When the market is in a state of contango, the near month natural gas futures contract is lower than the price of the next month natural gas futures contract, or contracts further away from expiration. During periods of backwardation the near month natural gas futures contract is higher than the price of the next month natural gas futures contract, or contracts further away from expiration. For a discussion of the impact of backwardation and contango on total returns, see “Term Structure of Natural Gas Futures Prices and the Impact on Total Returns” below.
Valuation of Futures Contracts and the Computation of the Per Share NAV
The per share NAV of UNL’s shares is calculated once each NYSE Arca trading day. The per share NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:00 p.m. New York time. Trading during the core trading session on the NYSE Arca typically closes at 4:00 p.m. New York time. The Administrator uses the NYMEX closing price (determined at the earlier of the close of the NYMEX or 2:30 p.m. New York time) for the contracts held on the NYMEX, but calculates or determines the value of all other UNL investments, including cleared swaps, or other futures contracts, as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE Arca or 4:00 p.m. New York time.
Results of Operations and the Natural Gas Market
Results of Operations. On November 18, 2009, UNL listed its shares on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “UNL.” On that day, UNL established its initial offering price at $50.00 per share and issued 200,000 shares to the initial Authorized Participant, Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., in exchange for $10,000,000 in cash.
As of September 30, 2022, UNL had issued 8,850,000 shares, 1,750,000 of which were outstanding. As of September 30, 2022, there were 21,150,000 shares registered and paid for but not yet issued. UNL has registered 30,000,000 shares since inception. In addition, commencing with the registration statement that went effective on April 26, 2022, UNL has an unlimited number of shares registered and available for sale.
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As of September 30, 2022, UNL had the following Authorized Participants: Citadel Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., Credit Suisse Securities USA LLC, JP Morgan Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., Morgan Stanley & Company Inc., RBC Capital Markets LLC, SG Americas Securities LLC and Virtu Americas LLC.
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 Compared to the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021
|
| Nine months ended |
| Nine months ended |
| ||
| | September 30, 2022 | | September 30, 2021 |
| ||
Average daily total net assets | | $ | 36,115,475 | | $ | 9,573,258 | |
Dividend and interest income earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents | | $ | 279,638 | | $ | 2,264 | |
Annualized yield based on average daily total net assets | | | 1.04 | % |
| 0.03 | % |
Management fee | | $ | 202,593 | | $ | 53,702 | |
Total fees and other expenses excluding management fees | | $ | 181,165 | | $ | 118,753 | |
Total amount of the expense waiver | | $ | 140,647 | | $ | 108,012 | |
Expenses before the allowance of the expense waiver | | $ | 383,758 | | $ | 172,455 | |
Expenses after the allowance of the expense waiver | | $ | 243,111 | | $ | 64,443 | |
Total commissions accrued to brokers | | $ | 7,223 | | $ | 2,181 | |
Total commissions as annualized percentage of average total net assets | |
| 0.03 | % |
| 0.03 | % |
Commissions accrued as a result of rebalancing | | $ | 3,644 | | $ | 1,525 | |
Percentage of commissions accrued as a result of rebalancing | |
| 50.45 | % |
| 69.92 | % |
Commissions accrued as a result of creation and redemption activity | | $ | 3,579 | | $ | 656 | |
Percentage of commissions accrued as a result of creation and redemption activity | |
| 49.55 | % |
| 30.08 | % |
Portfolio Expenses. UNL’s expenses consist of investment management fees, brokerage fees and commissions, certain offering costs, licensing fees, registration fees, the fees and expenses of the independent directors of USCF and expenses relating to tax accounting and reporting requirements. The management fee that UNL pays to USCF is calculated as a percentage of the total net assets of UNL. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly.
Average interest rates earned on short-term investments held by UNL, including cash, cash equivalents and Treasuries, were higher during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. As a result, the amount of income earned by UNL as a percentage of average daily total net assets was higher during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. To the degree that the aggregate yield is higher, the net expense ratio, inclusive of income, will be lower.
The increase in total fees and other expenses excluding management fees for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, was due primarily to an increase in accrued tax reporting and professional fees.
The decrease in total commissions accrued to brokers for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, was due primarily to a higher number of Natural Gas Futures Contracts being held and traded.
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For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 Compared to the Three Months Ended September 30, 2021
|
| Three months ended |
| Three months ended |
| ||
| | September 30, 2022 | | September 30, 2021 |
| ||
Average daily total net assets | | $ | 41,716,560 | | $ | 11,734,289 | |
Dividend and interest income earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents | | $ | 210,815 | | $ | 882 | |
Annualized yield based on average daily total net assets | |
| 2.00 | % |
| 0.03 | % |
Management fee | | $ | 78,862 | | $ | 22,183 | |
Total fees and other expenses excluding management fees | | $ | 86,221 | | $ | 42,765 | |
Total amount of the expense waiver | | $ | 70,448 | | $ | 38,328 | |
Expenses before the allowance of the expense waiver | | $ | 165,083 | | $ | 64,948 | |
Expenses after the allowance of the expense waiver | | $ | 94,635 | | $ | 26,620 | |
Total commissions accrued to brokers | | $ | 2,000 | | $ | 631 | |
Total commissions as annualized percentage of average total net assets | |
| 0.02 | % |
| 0.02 | % |
Commissions accrued as a result of rebalancing | | $ | 1,464 | | $ | 531 | |
Percentage of commissions accrued as a result of rebalancing | |
| 73.20 | % |
| 84.15 | % |
Commissions accrued as a result of creation and redemption activity | | $ | 536 | | $ | 100 | |
Percentage of commissions accrued as a result of creation and redemption activity | |
| 26.80 | % |
| 15.85 | % |
Portfolio Expenses. UNL’s expenses consist of investment management fees, brokerage fees and commissions, certain offering costs, licensing fees, registration fees, the fees and expenses of the independent directors of USCF and expenses relating to tax accounting and reporting requirements. The management fee that UNL pays to USCF is calculated as a percentage of the total net assets of UNL. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly.
Average interest rates earned on short-term investments held by UNL, including cash, cash equivalents and Treasuries, were higher during the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. As a result, the amount of income earned by UNL as a percentage of average daily total net assets was higher during the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. To the degree that the aggregate yield is higher, the net expense ratio, inclusive of income, will be lower.
The increase in total fees and other expenses excluding management fees for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, was due primarily to an increase in accrued tax reporting and professional fees.
The increase in total commissions accrued to brokers for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, was due primarily to a higher number of Natural Gas Futures Contracts being held and traded.
Tracking UNL’s Benchmark
USCF seeks to manage UNL’s portfolio such that changes in its average daily per share NAV, on a percentage basis, closely track the daily changes in the average price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts, also on a percentage basis. Specifically, USCF seeks to manage the portfolio such that over any rolling period of 30-valuation days, the average daily change in UNL’s per share NAV is within a range of 90% to 110% (0.9 to 1.1) of the average daily change in the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. As an example, if the average daily movement of the average of the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts for a particular 30-valuation day time period was 0.50% per day, USCF would attempt to manage the portfolio such that the average daily movement of the per share NAV during that same time period fell between 0.45% and 0.55% (i.e., between 0.9 and 1.1 of the benchmark’s results). UNL’s portfolio management goals do not include trying to make the nominal price of UNL’s per share NAV equal to the average of the nominal prices of the current Benchmark Futures Contracts or the spot price for natural gas. USCF believes that it is not practical to manage the portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments.
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For the 30-valuation days ended September 30, 2022, the average daily change in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts was (0.640)%, while the average daily change in the per share NAV of UNL over the same time period was (0.634)%. The average daily difference was 0.006% (or 0.6 basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%), meaning that over this time period UNL’s NAV performed was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
Since the commencement of the offering of UNL’s shares to the public on November 18, 2009 to September 30, 2022, the average daily change in the average price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts was (0.005)%, while the average daily change in the per share NAV of UNL over the same time period was (0.006)%. The average daily difference was (0.001)% (or (0.1) basis points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%), meaning that over this time period UNL’s NAV performed within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking goal.
The following two graphs demonstrate the correlation between the changes in UNL’s NAV and the changes in the Benchmark Futures Contracts. The first graph exhibits the daily changes in the last 30 valuation days ended September 30, 2022. The second graph measures monthly changes since September 30, 2017 through September 30, 2022.
*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
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*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
An alternative tracking measurement of the return performance of UNL versus the return of its Benchmark Futures Contracts can be calculated by comparing the actual return of UNL, measured by changes in its per share NAV, versus the expected changes in its per share NAV under the assumption that UNL’s returns had been exactly the same as the daily changes in its Benchmark Futures Contracts.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the actual total return of UNL as measured by changes in its per share NAV was 89.01%. This is based on an initial per share NAV of $11.65 as of December 31, 2021 and an ending per share NAV as of September 30, 2022 of $22.02. During this time period, UNL made no distributions to its shareholders. However, if UNL’s daily changes in its per share NAV had instead exactly tracked the changes in the daily total return of the Benchmark Futures Contracts, UNL would have had an estimated per share NAV of $22.02 as of September 30, 2022, for a total return over the relevant time period of 89.01%. The difference between the actual per share NAV total return of UNL of 89.01% and the expected total return based on the Benchmark Futures Contracts of 89.01% was a difference over the time period of 0.00%, which is to say that UNL’s actual total return equaled its benchmark by that percentage. UNL incurs expenses primarily composed of the management fee, brokerage commissions for the buying and selling of futures contracts, and other expenses. The impact of these expenses, offset by interest and dividend income, and net of positive or negative execution, tends to cause daily changes in the per share NAV of UNL to track slightly lower or higher than daily changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts.
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By comparison, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the actual total return of UNL as measured by changes in its per share NAV was 87.08%. This was based on an initial per share NAV of $7.74 as of December 31, 2020 and an ending per share NAV as of September 30, 2021 of $14.48. During this time period, UNL made no distributions to its shareholders. However, if UNL’s daily changes in its per share NAV had instead exactly tracked the changes in the daily total return of the Benchmark Futures Contracts, UNL would have had an estimated per share NAV of $14.45 as of September 30, 2021, for a total return over the relevant time period of 86.69%. The difference between the actual per share NAV total return of UNL of 87.08% and the expected total return based on the Benchmark Futures Contracts of 86.69% was a difference over the time period of 0.39%, which is to say that UNL’s actual total return outperformed its benchmark by that percentage. UNL incurred expenses primarily composed of the management fee, brokerage commissions for the buying and selling of futures contracts, and other expenses. The impact of these expenses, offset by interest and dividend income, and net of positive or negative execution, tended to cause daily changes in the per share NAV of UNL to track slightly lower or higher than daily changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts.
There are currently three factors that have impacted or are most likely to impact UNL’s ability to accurately track Benchmark Futures Contracts.
First, UNL may buy or sell its holdings in the then current Benchmark Futures Contracts at a price other than the closing settlement price of that contract on the day during which UNL executes the trade. In that case, UNL may pay a price that is higher, or lower, than that of the Benchmark Futures Contracts, which could cause the changes in the daily per share NAV of UNL to either be too high or too low relative to the daily changes in the average price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, USCF attempted to minimize the effect of these transactions by seeking to execute its purchase or sale of the Benchmark Futures Contracts at, or as close as possible to, the end of the day settlement price. However, it may not always be possible for UNL to obtain the closing settlement price and there is no assurance that failure to obtain the closing settlement price in the future will not adversely impact UNL’s attempt to track the Benchmark Futures Contracts.
Second, UNL incurs expenses primarily composed of the management fee, brokerage commissions for the buying and selling of futures contracts, and other expenses. The impact of these expenses tends to cause daily changes in the per share NAV of UNL to track slightly lower than daily changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. At the same time, UNL earns dividend and interest income on its cash, cash equivalents and Treasuries. UNL is not required to distribute any portion of its income to its shareholders and did not make any distributions to shareholders during the nine months ended September 30, 2022. Interest payments, and any other income, were retained within the portfolio and added to UNL’s NAV. When this income exceeds the level of UNL’s expenses for its management fee, brokerage commissions and other expenses (including ongoing registration fees, licensing fees and the fees and expenses of the independent directors of USCF), UNL will realize a net yield that will tend to cause daily changes in the per share NAV of UNL to track slightly higher than daily changes in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. If short-term interest rates rise above these levels, the level of deviation created by the yield would increase. Conversely, if short-term interest rates were to decline, the amount of error created by the yield would decrease. When short-term yields drop to a level lower than the combined expenses of the management fee and the brokerage commissions, then the tracking error becomes a negative number and would tend to cause the daily returns of the per share NAV to underperform the daily returns of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. USCF anticipates that interest rates may continue to rise over the near term from historical lows. It is anticipated that fees and expenses paid by UNL may continue to be lower than interest earned by UNL. As such, USCF anticipates that UNL could possibly outperform its benchmark so long as interest earned is higher than the fees and expenses paid by UNL.
Third, UNL may hold Other Natural Gas-Related Investments in its portfolio that may fail to closely track the Benchmark Futures Contracts total return movements. In that case, the error in tracking the Benchmark Futures Contracts could result in daily changes in the per share NAV of UNL that are either too high, or too low, relative to the daily changes in the average price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, UNL did not hold any Other Natural Gas-Related Investments. If UNL increases in size, and due to its obligations to comply with regulatory limits, UNL may invest in Other Natural Gas-Related Investments which may have the effect of increasing transaction related expenses and may result in increased tracking error.
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Term Structure of Natural Gas Futures Prices and the Impact on Total Returns. Several factors determine the total return from investing in futures contracts. One factor arises from “rolling” futures contracts that will expire at the end of the current month (the “near” or “front” month contract) forward each month prior to expiration. For a strategy that entails holding the near month contract, the price relationship between that futures contract and the next month futures contract will impact returns. For example, if the price of the near month futures contract is higher than the next futures month contract (a situation referred to as “backwardation”), then absent any other change, the price of a next month futures contract tends to rise in value as it becomes the near month futures contract and approaches expiration. Conversely, if the price of a near month futures contract is lower than the next month futures contract (a situation referred to as “contango”), then absent any other change, the price of a next month futures contract tends to decline in value as it becomes the near month futures contract and approaches expiration.
As an example, assume that the price of natural gas for immediate delivery, is $3 per MMBtu, and the value of a position in the near month futures contract is also $3. Over time, the price of natural gas will fluctuate based on a number of market factors, including demand for natural gas relative to supply. The value of the near month futures contract will likewise fluctuate in reaction to a number of market factors. If an investor seeks to maintain a position in a near month futures contract and not take delivery of physical MMBtu of natural gas, the investor must sell the current near month futures contract as it approaches expiration and invest in the next month futures contract. In order to continue holding a position in the current near month futures contract, this “roll” forward of the futures contract must be executed every month.
Contango and backwardation are natural market forces that have impacted the total return on an investment in UNL’s shares during the past year relative to a hypothetical direct investment in natural gas. In the future, it is likely that the relationship between the market price of UNL’s shares and changes in the spot prices of natural gas will continue to be impacted by contango and backwardation. It is important to note that this comparison ignores the potential costs associated with physically owning and storing natural gas, which could be substantial.
If the futures market is in backwardation, e.g., when the price of the near month futures contract is higher than the price of the next month futures contract, the investor would buy a next month futures contract for a lower price than the current near month futures contract. Assuming the price of the next month futures contract was $2.94 per MMBtu, or 2% cheaper than the $3 near month futures contract, then, hypothetically, and assuming no other changes (e.g., to either prevailing natural gas prices or the price relationship between the spot price, the near month contract and the next month contract, and, ignoring the impact of commission costs and the income earned on cash and/or cash equivalents), the value of the $2.94 next month futures contract would rise to $3 as it approaches expiration. In this example, the value of an investment in the next month futures contract would tend to outperform the spot price of natural gas. As a result, it would be possible for the new near month futures contract to rise 12% while the spot price of natural gas may have risen a lower amount, e.g., only 10%. Similarly, the spot price of natural gas could have fallen 10% while the value of an investment in the futures contract might have fallen another amount, e.g., only 8%. Over time, if backwardation remained constant, this difference between the spot price and the futures contract price would continue to increase.
If the futures market is in contango, an investor would be buying a next month futures contract for a higher price than the current near month futures contract. Again, assuming the near month futures contract is $3 per MMBtu, the price of the next month futures contract might be $3.06 per MMBtu, or 2% more expensive than the front month futures contract. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes, the value of the $3.06 next month futures contract would fall to $3 as it approaches expiration. In this example, the value of an investment in the second month would tend to underperform the spot price of natural gas. As a result, it would be possible for the new near month futures contract to rise only 10% while the spot price of natural gas may have risen a higher amount, e.g., 12%. Similarly, the spot price of natural gas could have fallen 10% while the value of an investment in the second month futures contract might have fallen another amount, e.g., 12%. Over time, if contango remained constant, this difference between the spot price and the futures contract price would continue to increase.
The chart below compares the daily price of the near month natural gas futures contract to the price of 13th month natural gas futures contract (i.e., a contract one year forward) over the last 10 years. When the price of the near month futures contract is higher than the price of the 13th month futures contract, the market would be described as being in backwardation. When the price of the near month futures contract is lower than the 13th month futures contract, the market would be described as being in contango. Although the price of the near month futures contract and the price of the 13th month futures contract tend to move together, it can be seen that at times the near month futures contract prices are higher than the 13th month futures contract prices (backwardation) and, at other times, the near month futures contract prices are lower than the 13th month futures contract prices (contango).
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*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
An alternative way to view the same data is to subtract the dollar price of the 13th month natural gas futures contract from the dollar price of the near month natural gas futures contract, as shown in the chart below. When the difference is positive, the market is in backwardation. When the difference is negative, the market is in contango. The natural gas market spent time in both backwardation and contango during the last ten years. The chart below shows the results from subtracting the average dollar price of the near 12-month contracts from the near month price for the 10-year period between September 30, 2012 and September 30, 2022. Investors will note that the natural gas market spent time in both backwardation and contango.
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*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
An investment in a portfolio that owned only the near month natural gas futures contract would likely produce a different result than an investment in a portfolio that owned an equal number of each of the near 12 months of natural gas futures contracts. Generally speaking, when the natural gas futures market is in backwardation, a portfolio of only the near month natural gas futures contract may tend to have a higher total return than a portfolio of 12 months of the natural gas futures contract. Conversely, if the natural gas futures market was in contango, the portfolio containing only 12 months of natural gas futures contracts may tend to outperform the portfolio holding only the near month natural gas futures contract.
Historically, the natural gas futures markets have experienced periods of contango and backwardation. Because natural gas demand is seasonal, it is possible for the price of natural gas futures contracts for delivery within one or two months to rapidly move from backwardation into contango and back again within the relatively short period of time of less than one year. The Russian invasion and related developments have placed upward pressure on the price of the front month natural gas futures contract. As a result, near to expire
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contracts trade at a higher price than longer to expire contracts, a situation referred to as “backwardation.” There can be no assurance that the current period of backwardation will continue or how long it may continue.
Periods of contango or backwardation do not materially impact UNL’s investment objective of having the daily percentage changes in its per share NAV track the daily percentage changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contracts since the impact of backwardation and contango tend to equally impact the daily percentage changes in price of both UNL’s shares and the Benchmark Futures Contracts. It is impossible to predict with any degree of certainty whether backwardation or contango will occur in the future. It is likely that both conditions will occur during different periods and, because of the seasonal nature of natural gas demand, both may occur within a single year’s time.
Natural Gas Market. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Benchmark Natural Gas Futures Contracts traded in a range between $3.698 and $8.279. The Benchmark Natrural Gas Futures Contracts increased 53.81% from December 31, 2021 through September 30, 2022, finishing the quarter at $5.688. The number of rigs dedicated to natural gas production rose from 106 at the start of the year to 159 by the end of the quarter. Natural Gas stored in the United States stood at 3,106 billion cubic feet as of September 30, 2022, about two percent lower than the same time last year. Both domestic demand and U.S. exports of natural gas have increased over the last five years and rising demand relative to gas in storage led to the best returns for the commodity in more than a decade.
Natural gas prices in the United States have historically been driven by domestic supply and demand. Natural gas also exhibits seasonal patterns whereby both production and end-user demand increase in autumn and winter months. The U.S. possesses abundant sources of natural gas. The robust ability of the U.S. energy industry to meet demand constrained natural gas prices over the previous decade and could lead to price constraints again in the future except during periods of extreme temperatures. In recent years, natural gas exports have increased, including liquid natural gas (LNG) exported to Europe. Rising international demand has had and will continue to have a growing impact on natural gas prices in the United States. This is especially true given that the United States is rapidly building, but does not currently possess, the infrastructure necessary to meet all international demand. While domestic supply and demand are likely to remain the dominant influence on prices in the long term, international demand and extraordinary international events will have a growing influence on price volatility and price direction.
USCF believes that the war in Ukraine has raised concerns among investors that a global natural gas supply shortage is possible, particularly if Russia reduces or cuts supply to Europe. This has put upward pressure on natural gas prices globally, beyond the impact of bullish fundamentals that were already in place. Should the war continue or escalate, or if sanctions or retaliation lead to a reduction in the supply of natural gas from Russia to Europe, then natural gas prices could rise further and prices could become more volatile. Conversely, should concerns about a natural gas shortage resulting from the war in Ukraine ebb due to an expected or actual resolution of the war, then natural gas prices could decline.
Of course, many factors impact natural gas prices, and the impact of the war in Ukraine must be balanced with other potential events, such as extreme weather or the potential for further outbreaks of COVID-19 and responses to the pandemic.
Mitigation measures taken in the United States to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 led to a decline in natural gas consumption in the industrial sector and by some commercial users. Simultaneously, natural gas production fell as a result of reduced drilling activity and shut-ins of crude oil wells where natural gas is a byproduct. Seasonal peak demand and peak production over the 2020 and 2021 pandemic winters fell somewhat below their five year averages, though not dramatically.
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While natural gas prices declined steadily during the first half of 2020, prices were not as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as other energy commodities. Lower prices were at least in part due to the ongoing surplus of natural gas in storage and lower demand resulting from warm weather in the United States. Additionally, crude oil and petroleum products are more sensitive to changes in commuter and air miles as well as manufacturing and industrial production, all of which dropped dramatically during first half of 2020.
The 30-day annualized volatility of natural gas prices rose notably from late February to late May of 2020 and averaged about 69% during the second quarter, considerably higher than five-year average volatility of approximately 44%. However, natural gas price volatility during the rest of 2020 was similar to prior years. Natural gas price volatility in 2020 never reached the extreme level that occurred during the 2018-2019 winter. Likewise, natural gas price volatility remained well below the levels of volatility seen in crude oil markets. While some uncertainty in natural gas prices was likely a result of COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the effects from the COVID-19 pandemic were more muted as compared to the impact on crude oil markets.
Natural Gas Price Movements in Comparison to Other Energy Commodities and Investment Categories. USCF believes that investors frequently measure the degree to which prices or total returns of one investment or asset class move up or down in value in concert with another investment or asset class. Statistically, such a measure is usually done by measuring the correlation of the price movements of the two different investments or asset classes over some period of time. The correlation is scaled between 1 and -1, where 1 indicates that the two investment options move up or down in price or value together, known as “positive correlation,” and -1 indicates that they move in completely opposite directions, known as “negative correlation.” A correlation of 0 would mean that the movements of the two are neither positively nor negatively correlated, known as “non-correlation.” That is, the investment options sometimes move up and down together and other times move in opposite directions.
For the ten-year time period between September 30, 2012 and September 30, 2022, the table below compares the monthly movements of natural gas prices versus the monthly movements of the prices of several other energy commodities, such as crude oil, diesel-heating oil, and unleaded gasoline, as well as several major non-commodity investment asset classes, such as large cap U.S. equities, U.S. government bonds and global equities.
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*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Natural Gas - 10 Years | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Large Cap US | | US Gov't Bonds | | Global Equities | | | | | | Unleaded | | |
Correlation Matrix 10 Years |
| Equities (S&P 500) |
| (BEUSG4 Index) |
| (FTSE World Index) |
| Crude Oil |
| Heating Oil |
| Gasoline |
| Natural Gas |
Large Cap US Equities (S&P 500) | | 1.000 | | 0.894 | | 0.996 | | 0.650 | | 0.657 | | 0.690 | | 0.558 |
US Gov't Bonds (BEUSG4 Index) | |
| | 1.000 | | 0.896 | | 0.520 | | 0.579 | | 0.535 | | 0.529 |
Global Equities (FTSE World Index) | |
| |
| | 1.000 | | 0.669 | | 0.678 | | 0.706 | | 0.549 |
Crude Oil | |
| |
| |
| | 1.000 | | 0.839 | | 0.842 | | 0.353 |
Heating Oil |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.000 |
| 0.779 |
| 0.437 |
Unleaded Gasoline |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.000 |
| 0.412 |
Natural Gas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.000 |
Source: Bloomberg, NYMEX |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The table below covers a more recent, but much shorter, range of dates than the above table.
*PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS
Natural Gas - 1 Year | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Large Cap US | | US Gov't Bonds | | Global Equities | | | | | | Unleaded | | |
Correlation Matrix 1 Year |
| Equities (S&P 500) |
| (BEUSG4 Index) |
| (FTSE World Index) |
| Crude Oil |
| Heating Oil |
| Gasoline |
| Natural Gas |
Large Cap US Equities (S&P 500) | | 1.000 | | 0.985 | | 1.000 | | 0.923 | | 0.867 | | 0.900 | | 0.781 |
US Gov't Bonds (BEUSG4 Index) | |
| | 1.000 | | 0.987 | | 0.922 | | 0.872 | | 0.895 | | 0.751 |
Global Equities (FTSE World Index) | |
| |
| | 1.000 | | 0.931 | | 0.875 | | 0.906 | | 0.783 |
Crude Oil | |
| |
| |
| | 1.000 | | 0.933 | | 0.979 | | 0.757 |
Heating Oil |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.000 |
| 0.905 |
| 0.779 |
Unleaded Gasoline |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.000 |
| 0.752 |
Natural Gas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1.000 |
Source: Bloomberg, NYMEX |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investors are cautioned that the historical price relationships between natural gas and various other energy commodities, as well as other investment asset classes, as measured by correlation may not be reliable predictors of future price movements and correlation results. The results pictured above would have been different if a different range of dates had been selected. USCF believes that natural gas has historically not demonstrated a strong correlation with equities or bonds over long periods of time. However, USCF also believes that in the future it is possible that natural gas could have long-term correlation results that indicate prices of natural gas more closely track the movements of equities or bonds. In addition, USCF believes that, when measured over time periods shorter than ten years, there will always be some periods where the correlation of natural gas to equities and bonds will be either more strongly positively correlated or more strongly negatively correlated than the long term historical results suggest.
The correlations between natural gas, crude oil, diesel-heating oil and gasoline are relevant because USCF endeavors to invest UNL’s assets in natural gas Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments so that daily changes in percentage terms in UNL’s per share NAV correlate as closely as possible with daily changes in percentage terms in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts. If certain other fuel-based commodity futures contracts do not closely correlate with the natural gas Futures Contracts, then their use could lead to greater tracking error. As noted above, USCF also believes that the changes in percentage terms in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Futures Contracts will closely correlate with changes in percentage terms in the spot price of natural gas.
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Critical Accounting Policies
Preparation of the condensed financial statements and related disclosures in compliance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well as the use of estimates. UNL’s application of these policies involves judgments and actual results may differ from the estimates used.
USCF has evaluated the nature and types of estimates that it makes in preparing UNL’s condensed financial statements and related disclosures and has determined that the valuation of its investments, which are not traded on a United States or internationally recognized futures exchange (such as forward contracts and OTC swaps) involves a critical accounting policy. The values which are used by UNL for its Futures Contracts are provided by its commodity broker who uses market prices when available, while OTC swaps are valued based on the present value of estimated future cash flows that would be received from or paid to a third party in settlement of these derivative contracts prior to their delivery date and valued on a daily basis. In addition, UNL estimates interest and dividend income on a daily basis using prevailing rates earned on its cash and cash equivalents. These estimates are adjusted to the actual amount received on a monthly basis and the difference, if any, is not considered material.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
UNL has not made, and does not anticipate making, use of borrowings or other lines of credit to meet its obligations. UNL has met, and it is anticipated that UNL will continue to meet, its liquidity needs in the normal course of business from the proceeds of the sale of its investments, or from the Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents that it intends to hold at all times. UNL’s liquidity needs include: redeeming shares, providing margin deposits for its existing Futures Contracts or the purchase of additional Futures Contracts and posting collateral for its OTC swaps, if applicable, and payment of its expenses, summarized below under “Contractual Obligations.”
UNL currently generates cash primarily from: (i) the sale of baskets consisting of 50,000 shares (“Creation Baskets”) and (ii) income earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents. UNL has allocated substantially all of its net assets to trading in Natural Gas Interests. UNL invests in Natural Gas Interests to the fullest extent possible without being leveraged or unable to satisfy its current or potential margin or collateral obligations with respect to its investments in Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments. A significant portion of UNL’s NAV is held in cash and cash equivalents that are used as margin and as collateral for its trading in Natural Gas Interests. The balance of the assets is held in UNL’s account at its custodian bank and in investments in money market funds and Treasuries at the FCMs. Income received from UNL’s investments in money market funds and Treasuries is paid to UNL. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, UNL’s expenses, pre and post expense waiver, exceeded the income UNL earned and the cash earned from the sale of Creation Baskets and the redemption of Redemption Baskets. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, UNL did not use other assets to pay expenses, post expense waiver. To the extent expenses exceed income, UNL’s NAV will be negatively impacted.
USCF endeavors to have the value of UNL’s Treasuries, cash and cash equivalents, whether held by UNL or posted as margin or other collateral, at all times approximate the aggregate market value of its obligations for its investments in its Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments.
Although permitted to do so under its Limited Partnership Agreement, UNL has not and does not intend to leverage its assets and makes its investments accordingly. Consistent with the foregoing, UNL’s investment decisions will take into account the need for UNL to make permitted investments that also allow it to maintain adequate liquidity to meet its margin and collateral requirements and to avoid, to the extent reasonably possible, UNL becoming leveraged. If the market conditions require it, these risk reduction procedures may occur on short notice if they occur other than during a roll or rebalance period.
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UNL’s investments in Natural Gas Interests may be subject to periods of illiquidity because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other reasons. For example, most commodity exchanges limit the fluctuations in futures contracts prices during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. Once the price of a futures contract has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the contracts can neither be taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades at or within the specified daily limit. Such market conditions could prevent UNL from promptly liquidating its positions in Futures Contracts. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, UNL did not purchase or liquidate any of its positions while daily limits were in effect; however, UNL cannot predict whether such an event may occur in the future.
Since the initial offering of shares, UNL has been responsible for expenses relating to: (i) management fees, (ii) brokerage fees and commissions, (iii) licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, (iv) ongoing registration expenses in connection with offers and sales of its shares subsequent to the initial offering, (v) other expenses, including tax reporting costs, (vi) fees and expenses of the independent directors of USCF and (vii) other extraordinary expenses not in the ordinary course of business.
UNL may terminate at any time, regardless of whether UNL has incurred losses, subject to the terms of the LP Agreement. In particular, unforeseen circumstances, including, but not limited to, (i) market conditions, regulatory requirements, risk mitigation measures taken by UNL or third parties or otherwise that would lead UNL to determine that it could no longer foreseeably meet its investment objective or that UNL’s aggregate net assets in relation to its operating expenses or its margin or collateral requirements make the continued operation of UNL unreasonable or imprudent, or (ii) adjudication of incompetence, bankruptcy, dissolution, withdrawal or removal of USCF as the general partner of UNL could cause UNL, to terminate unless a majority interest of the limited partners within 90 days of the event elects to continue the partnership and appoints a successor general partner, or the affirmative vote of a majority in interest of the limited partners subject to certain conditions. However, no level of losses will require USCF to terminate UNL. UNL’s termination would cause the liquidation and potential loss of an investor’s investment. Termination could also negatively affect the overall maturity and timing of an investor’s investment portfolio.
Market Risk
Trading in Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments, such as forwards, involves UNL entering into contractual commitments to purchase or sell natural gas at a specified date in the future. The aggregate market value of the contracts will significantly exceed UNL’s future cash requirements since UNL intends to close out its open positions prior to settlement. As a result, UNL is generally only subject to the risk of loss arising from the change in value of the contracts. UNL considers the “fair value” of its derivative instruments to be the unrealized gain or loss on the contracts. The market risk associated with UNL’s commitments to purchase natural gas is limited to the aggregate market value of the contracts held. However, should UNL enter into a contractual commitment to sell natural gas, it would be required to make delivery of the natural gas at the contract price, repurchase the contract at prevailing prices or settle in cash. Since there are no limits on the future price of natural gas, the market risk to UNL could be unlimited.
UNL’s exposure to market risk depends on a number of factors, including the markets for natural gas, the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange rates, the liquidity of the Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments markets and the relationships among the contracts held by UNL. Drastic market occurrences could ultimately lead to the loss of all or substantially all of an investor’s capital.
Credit Risk
When UNL enters into Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments, it is exposed to the credit risk that the counterparty will not be able to meet its obligations. The counterparty for the Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX and on most other futures exchanges is the clearinghouse associated with the particular exchange. In general, in addition to margin required to be posted by the clearinghouse in connection with cleared trades, clearinghouses are backed by their members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from the nonperformance of one of their members and, therefore, this additional member support should significantly reduce credit risk. UNL is not currently a member of any clearinghouse. Some foreign exchanges are not backed by their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a consortium of banks or other financial institutions. There can be no assurance that any counterparty, clearinghouse, or their members or their financial backers will satisfy their obligations to UNL in such circumstances.
USCF attempts to manage the credit risk of UNL by following various trading limitations and policies. In particular, UNL generally posts margin and/or holds liquid assets that are approximately equal to the market value of its obligations to counterparties under the
36
Futures Contracts and Other Natural Gas-Related Investments it holds. USCF has implemented procedures that include, but are not limited to, executing and clearing trades only with creditworthy parties and/or requiring the posting of collateral or margin by such parties for the benefit of UNL to limit its credit exposure. An FCM, when acting on behalf of UNL in accepting orders to purchase or sell Futures Contracts on United States exchanges, is required by CFTC regulations to separately account for and segregate as belonging to UNL, all assets of UNL relating to domestic Futures Contracts trading. These FCMs are not allowed to commingle UNL’s assets with their other assets. In addition, the CFTC requires FCMs to hold in a secure account UNL’s assets related to foreign Futures Contracts.
In the future UNL may purchase OTC swaps, see “Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of OTC swaps.
As of September 30, 2022, UNL held cash deposits and investments in Treasuries and money market funds in the amount of $41,465,463 with the custodian and FCMs. Some or all of these amounts held by a custodian or an FCM, as applicable, may be subject to loss should UNL’s custodian or FCMs, as applicable, cease operations.
Off Balance Sheet Financing
As of September 30, 2022, UNL had no loan guarantee, credit support or other off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into in the normal course of business, which may include indemnification provisions relating to certain risks that service providers undertake in performing services which are in the best interests of UNL. While UNL’s exposure under these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, they are not expected to have a material impact on UNL’s financial position.
Redemption Basket Obligation
In order to meet its investment objective and pay its contractual obligations described below, UNL requires liquidity to redeem shares, which redemptions must be in blocks of 50,000 shares called “Redemption Baskets.” UNL has to date satisfied this obligation by paying from the cash or cash equivalents it holds or through the sale of its Treasuries in an amount proportionate to the number of shares being redeemed.
Contractual Obligations
UNL’s primary contractual obligations are with USCF. In return for its services, USCF is entitled to a management fee calculated daily and paid monthly as a fixed percentage of UNL’s NAV, currently 0.60% for a NAV of $1 billion or less, and thereafter of 0.50% for a NAV above $1 billion.
USCF agreed to pay the start-up costs associated with the formation of UNL, primarily its legal, accounting and other costs in connection with USCF’s registration with the CFTC as a CPO and the registration and listing of UNL and its shares with the SEC, FINRA and NYSE Arca (formerly, AMEX), respectively. However, since UNL’s initial offering of shares, offering costs incurred in connection with registering and listing additional shares of UNL have been directly borne on an ongoing basis by UNL, and not by USCF.
USCF pays the fees of the Marketing Agent as well as BNY Mellon’s fees for performing administrative, custodial, and transfer agency services. BNY Mellon’s fees for performing administrative services include those in connection with the preparation of UNL’s condensed financial statements and its SEC, NFA and CFTC reports. USCF and UNL have also entered into a licensing agreement with the NYMEX pursuant to which UNL and the other Related Public Funds, other than BNO, USCI and CPER, pay a licensing fee to the NYMEX. UNL also pays the fees and expenses associated with its tax accounting and reporting requirements.
In addition to USCF’s management fee, UNL pays its brokerage fees (including fees to an FCM), OTC dealer spreads, any licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, and, subsequent to the initial offering, registration and other fees paid to the SEC, FINRA, or other regulatory agencies in connection with the offer and sale of shares, as well as legal, printing, accounting and other expenses associated therewith, and extraordinary expenses. The latter are expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of UNL’s business, including expenses relating to the indemnification of any person against liabilities and obligations to the extent permitted by law and under the LP Agreement, the bringing or defending of actions in law or in equity or otherwise conducting litigation and incurring legal expenses and the settlement of claims and litigation. Commission payments to an FCM are on a contract-by-contract, or round turn, basis. UNL also pays a portion of the fees and expenses of the independent directors of USCF. See Note 3 to the Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited) in Item 1 of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
37
The parties cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under these arrangements for future periods, as UNL’s per share NAVs and trading levels to meet its investment objective will not be known until a future date. These agreements are effective for a specific term agreed upon by the parties with an option to renew, or, in some cases, are in effect for the duration of UNL’s existence. Either party may terminate these agreements earlier for certain reasons described in the agreements.
As of September 30, 2022, UNL’s portfolio consisted of 677 Natural Gas Futures NG contracts traded on the NYMEX. As of September 30, 2022, UNL did not hold any Futures Contracts traded on the ICE Futures. For a list of UNL’s current holdings, please see UNL’s website at www.uscfinvestments.com.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
Commodity Price Risk
UNL is exposed to commodity price risk. In particular, UNL is exposed to natural gas price risk through its holdings of Futures Contracts together with any other derivatives in which it may invest, which are discussed below. As a result, fluctuations in the value of the Futures Contracts that UNL holds in its portfolio, as described in “Contractual Obligations” under “Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” above, are expected to directly affect the value of UNL’s shares.
OTC Contract Risk
UNL may purchase OTC contracts, such as forward contracts or swap or spot contracts. Unlike most exchange-traded futures contracts or exchange-traded options on such futures, each party to an OTC swap bears the credit risk that the other party may not be able to perform its obligations under its contract.
UNL may enter into certain transactions where an OTC component is exchanged for a corresponding futures contract (“Exchange for Related Position” or “EFRP” transactions). In the most common type of EFRP transaction entered into by UNL, the OTC component is the purchase or sale of one or more baskets of UNL shares. These EFRP transactions may expose UNL to counterparty risk during the interim period between the execution of the OTC component and the exchange for a corresponding futures contract. Generally, the counterparty risk from the EFRP transaction will exist only on the day of execution.
Swap transactions, like other financial transactions, involve a variety of significant risks. The specific risks presented by a particular swap transaction necessarily depend upon the terms and circumstances of the transaction. In general, however, all swap transactions involve some combination of market risk, credit risk, counterparty credit risk, funding risk, liquidity risk and operational risk.
Highly customized swap transactions in particular may increase liquidity risk, which may result in a suspension of redemptions. Highly leveraged transactions may experience substantial gains or losses in value as a result of relatively small changes in the value or level of an underlying or related market factor.
In evaluating the risks and contractual obligations associated with a particular swap transaction, it is important to consider that a swap transaction may be modified or terminated only by mutual consent of the original parties and subject to agreement on individually negotiated terms. Therefore, it may not be possible for USCF to modify, terminate or offset UNL’s obligations or its exposure to the risks associated with a transaction prior to its scheduled termination date.
To reduce the credit risk that arises in connection with such contracts, UNL will generally enter into an agreement with each counterparty based on the Master Agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association that provides for the netting of its overall exposure to its counterparty, if the counterparty is unable to meet its obligations to UNL due to the occurrence of a specified event, such as the insolvency of the counterparty.
USCF assesses or reviews, as appropriate, the creditworthiness of each potential or existing counterparty to an OTC swap pursuant to guidelines approved by the Board. Furthermore, USCF on behalf of UNL only enters into OTC swaps with counterparties who are, or are affiliates of, (a) banks regulated by a United States federal bank regulator, (b) broker-dealers regulated by the SEC, (c) insurance companies domiciled in the United States, or (d) producers, users or traders of energy, whether or not regulated by the CFTC. Any entity acting as a counterparty shall be regulated in either the United States or the United Kingdom unless otherwise approved by the Board after consultation with its legal counsel. Existing counterparties are also reviewed periodically by USCF. UNL will also require that the
38
counterparty be highly rated and/or provide collateral or other credit support. Even if collateral is used to reduce counterparty credit risk, sudden changes in the value of OTC transactions may leave a party open to financial risk due to a counterparty default since the collateral held may not cover a party’s exposure on the transaction in such situations.
In general, valuing OTC derivatives is less certain than valuing actively traded financial instruments such as exchange-traded futures contracts and securities or cleared swaps because the price and terms on which such OTC derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually negotiated, and those prices and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available from other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers generally quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or terminating OTC swaps, they typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if they are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives transaction.
During the nine month reporting period ended September 30, 2022, UNL limited its OTC activities to EFRP transactions.
UNL anticipates that the use of Other Natural Gas-Related Investments together with its investments in Futures Contracts will produce price and total return results that closely track the investment goals of UNL. However, there can be no assurance of this. OTC swaps may result in higher transaction-related expenses than the brokerage commissions paid in connection with the purchase of Futures Contracts, which may impact UNL’s ability to successfully track the Benchmark Futures Contracts.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
UNL maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in UNL’s periodic reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
The duly appointed officers of USCF, including its chief executive officer and chief financial officer, who perform functions equivalent to those of a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of UNL if UNL had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of UNL’s disclosure controls and procedures and have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures of UNL have been effective as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Change in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in UNL’s internal control over financial reporting during UNL’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, UNL’s internal control over financial reporting.
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Part II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
From time to time, UNL may be involved in legal proceedings arising primarily from the ordinary course of its business. In addition, USCF, as the general partner of UNL and the other Related Public Funds may, from time to time, be involved in litigation arising out of its operations in the ordinary course of business. Except as described herein, UNL and USCF are not currently party to any material legal proceedings.
Optimum Strategies Action
On April 6, 2022, USO and USCF were named as defendants in an action filed by Optimum Strategies Fund I, LP, a purported investor in call option contracts on USO (the “Optimum Strategies Action”). The action is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut at Civil Action No. 3:22-cv-00511.
The Optimum Strategies Action asserts claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and the Connecticut Uniform Securities Act. It purports to challenge statements in registration statements that became effective in February 2020, March 2020, and on April 20, 2020, as well as public statements between February 2020 and May 2020, in connection with certain extraordinary market conditions and the attendant risks that caused the demand for oil to fall precipitously, including the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price war. The complaint seeks damages, interest, costs, attorney's fees, and equitable relief.
USCF and USO intend to vigorously contest such claims and have moved for their dismissal.
Settlement of SEC and CFTC Investigations
On November 8, 2021, USCF and USO announced a resolution with each of the SEC and the CFTC relating to matters set forth in certain Wells Notices issued by the staffs of each of the SEC and CFTC as more fully described below. On August 17, 2020, USCF, USO, and John Love received a “Wells Notice” from the staff of the SEC (the “SEC Wells Notice”). The SEC Wells Notice stated that the SEC staff made a preliminary determination to recommend that the SEC file an enforcement action against USCF, USO, and Mr. Love alleging violations of Sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.
Subsequently, on August 19, 2020, USCF, USO, and Mr. Love received a Wells Notice from the staff of the CFTC (the “CFTC Wells Notice”). The CFTC Wells Notice stated that the CFTC staff made a preliminary determination to recommend that the CFTC file an enforcement action against USCF, USO, and Mr. Love alleging violations of Sections 4o(1)(A) and (B) and 6(c)(1) of the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, as amended (the “CEA”), 7 U.S.C. §§ 6o(1)(A) and (B) and 9(1) (2018), and CFTC Regulations 4.26, 4.41, and 180.1(a), 17 C.F.R. §§ 4.26, 4.41, 180.1(a) (2019).
On November 8, 2021, acting pursuant to an offer of settlement submitted by USCF and USO, the SEC issued an order instituting cease-and-desist proceedings, making findings, and imposing a cease-and-desist order pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act, directing USCF and USO to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations of Section 17(a)(3) of the 1933 Act, 15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)(3) (the “SEC Order”). In the SEC Order, the SEC made findings that, from April 24, 2020 to May 21, 2020, USCF and USO violated Section 17(a)(3) of 1933 Act, which provides that it is “unlawful for any person in the offer or sale of any securities to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser.” USCF and USO consented to entry of the SEC Order without admitting or denying the findings contained therein, except as to jurisdiction.
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Separately, on November 8, 2021, acting pursuant to an offer of settlement submitted by USCF, the CFTC issued an order instituting cease-and-desist proceedings, making findings, and imposing a cease-and-desist order pursuant to Section 6(c) and (d) of the CEA, directing USCF to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations of Section 4o(1)(B) of the CEA, 7 U.S.C. § 6o(1) (B), and CFTC Regulation 4.41(a)(2), 17 C.F.R. § 4.41(a)(2) (the “CFTC Order”). In the CFTC Order, the CFTC made findings that, from on or about April 22, 2020 to June 12, 2020, USCF violated Section 4o(1)(B) of the CEA and CFTC Regulation 4.41(a)(2), which make it unlawful for any commodity pool operator (“CPO”) to engage in “any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates as a fraud or deceit upon any client or participant or prospective client or participant” and prohibit a CPO from advertising in a manner which “operates as a fraud or deceit upon any client or participant or prospective client or participant,” respectively. USCF consented to entry of the CFTC Order without admitting or denying the findings contained therein, except as to jurisdiction.
Pursuant to the SEC Order and the CFTC Order, in addition to the command to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations of Section 17(a)(3) of the 1933 Act, Section 4o(1)(B) of the CEA, and CFTC Regulation 4.14(a)(2), civil monetary penalties totaling two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) in the aggregate were required to be paid to the SEC and CFTC, of which one million two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($1,250,000) was paid by USCF to each of the SEC and the CFTC, respectively, pursuant to the offsets permitted under the orders.
In re: United States Oil Fund, LP Securities Litigation
On June 19, 2020, USCF, USO, John P. Love, and Stuart P. Crumbaugh were named as defendants in a putative class action filed by purported shareholder Robert Lucas (the “Lucas Class Action”). The Court thereafter consolidated the Lucas Class Action with two related putative class actions filed on July 31, 2020 and August 13, 2020, and appointed a lead plaintiff. The consolidated class action is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under the caption In re: United States Oil Fund, LP Securities Litigation, Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-04740.
On November 30, 2020, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint (the “Amended Lucas Class Complaint”). The Amended Lucas Class Complaint asserts claims under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and Rule 10b-5. The Amended Lucas Class Complaint challenges statements in registration statements that became effective on February 25, 2020 and March 23, 2020 as well as subsequent public statements through April 2020 concerning certain extraordinary market conditions and the attendant risks that caused the demand for oil to fall precipitously, including the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price war. The Amended Lucas Class Complaint purports to have been brought by an investor in USO on behalf of a class of similarly-situated shareholders who purchased USO securities between February 25, 2020 and April 28, 2020 and pursuant to the challenged registration statements. The Amended Lucas Class Complaint seeks to certify a class and to award the class compensatory damages at an amount to be determined at trial as well as costs and attorney’s fees. The Amended Lucas Class Complaint named as defendants USCF, USO, John P. Love, Stuart P. Crumbaugh, Nicholas D. Gerber, Andrew F Ngim, Robert L. Nguyen, Peter M. Robinson, Gordon L. Ellis, and Malcolm R. Fobes III, as well as the marketing agent, ALPS Distributors, Inc., and the Authorized Participants: ABN Amro, BNP Paribas Securities Corporation, Citadel Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., Credit Suisse Securities USA LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman Sachs & Company, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corporation, Morgan Stanley & Company Inc., Nomura Securities International Inc., RBC Capital Markets LLC, SG Americas Securities LLC, UBS Securities LLC, and Virtu Financial BD LLC.
The lead plaintiff has filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of its claims against BNP Paribas Securities Corporation, Citadel Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities USA LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Morgan Stanley & Company, Inc., Nomura Securities International, Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, SG Americas Securities LLC, and UBS Securities LLC.
USCF, USO, and the individual defendants in In re: United States Oil Fund, LP Securities Litigation intend to vigorously contest such claims and have moved for their dismissal.
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Wang Class Action
On July 10, 2020, purported shareholder Momo Wang filed a putative class action complaint, individually and on behalf of others similarly situated, against defendants USO, USCF, John P. Love, Stuart P. Crumbaugh, Nicholas D. Gerber, Andrew F Ngim, Robert L. Nguyen, Peter M. Robinson, Gordon L. Ellis, Malcolm R. Fobes, III, ABN Amro, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Citadel Securities LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities USA LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman Sachs & Company, JP Morgan Securities Inc., Merrill Lynch Professional Clearing Corp., Morgan Stanley & Company Inc., Nomura Securities International Inc., RBC Capital Markets LLC, SG Americas Securities LLC, UBS Securities LLC, and Virtu Financial BD LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California as Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-4596 (the “Wang Class Action”).
The Wang Class Action asserted federal securities claims under the 1933 Act, challenging disclosures in a March 19, 2020 registration statement. It alleged that the defendants failed to disclose to investors in USO certain extraordinary market conditions and the attendant risks that caused the demand for oil to fall precipitously, including the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price war. The Wang Class Action was voluntarily dismissed on August 4, 2020.
Mehan Action
On August 10, 2020, purported shareholder Darshan Mehan filed a derivative action on behalf of nominal defendant USO, against defendants USCF, John P. Love, Stuart P. Crumbaugh, Nicholas D. Gerber, Andrew F Ngim, Robert L. Nguyen, Peter M. Robinson, Gordon L. Ellis, and Malcolm R. Fobes, III (the “Mehan Action”). The action is pending in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Alameda as Case No. RG20070732.
The Mehan Action alleges that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties to USO and failed to act in good faith in connection with a March 19, 2020 registration statement and offering and disclosures regarding certain extraordinary market conditions that caused demand for oil to fall precipitously, including the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price war. The complaint seeks, on behalf of USO, compensatory damages, restitution, equitable relief, attorney’s fees, and costs. All proceedings in the Mehan Action are stayed pending disposition of the motion(s) to dismiss in In re: United States Oil Fund, LP Securities Litigation.
USCF, USO, and the other defendants intend to vigorously contest such claims.
In re United States Oil Fund, LP Derivative Litigation
On August 27, 2020, purported shareholders Michael Cantrell and AML Pharm. Inc. DBA Golden International filed two separate derivative actions on behalf of nominal defendant USO, against defendants USCF, John P. Love, Stuart P. Crumbaugh, Andrew F Ngim, Gordon L. Ellis, Malcolm R. Fobes, III, Nicholas D. Gerber, Robert L. Nguyen, and Peter M. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York at Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-06974 (the “Cantrell Action”) and Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-06981 (the “AML Action”), respectively.
The complaints in the Cantrell and AML Actions are nearly identical. They each allege violations of Sections 10(b), 20(a) and 21D of the 1934 Act, Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and common law claims of breach of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, and waste of corporate assets. These allegations stem from USO’s disclosures and defendants’ alleged actions in light of the extraordinary market conditions in 2020 that caused demand for oil to fall precipitously, including the COVID-19 global pandemic and the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil price war. The complaints seek, on behalf of USO, compensatory damages, restitution, equitable relief, attorney’s fees, and costs. The plaintiffs in the Cantrell and AML Actions have marked their actions as related to the Lucas Class Action.
The Court consolidated the Cantrell and AML Actions under the caption In re United States Oil Fund, LP Derivative Litigation, Civil Action No. 1:20-cv-06974 and appointed co-lead counsel. All proceedings in In re United States Oil Fund, LP Derivative Litigation are stayed pending disposition of the motion(s) to dismiss in In re: United States Oil Fund, LP Securities Litigation.
USCF, USO, and the other defendants intend to vigorously contest the claims in In re United States Oil Fund, LP Derivative Litigation.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
There have been no material changes to the risk factors previously disclosed in UNL’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed on March 4, 2022 (the “Form 10-K”) except for the following:
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Price volatility may possibly cause the total loss of your investment.
Futures contracts have a high degree of price variability and are subject to occasional rapid and substantial changes. Consequently, you could lose all or substantially all of your investment in UNL.
Significant market volatility has recently occurred in the natural gas markets and the natural gas futures markets. Such volatility is attributable in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, related supply chain disruptions, war, including the war between Russian and Ukraine, and continuing disputes among natural gas-producing countries. These factors could cause continuing or increased volatility in the future, which may affect the value, pricing and liquidity of some investments or other assets, including those held by or invested in by UNL and the impact of which could limit UNL’s ability to have a substantial portion of its assets invested in the Benchmark Futures Contracts. In such a circumstance, UNL could, if it determined it appropriate to do so in light of market conditions and regulatory requirements, invest in other Futures Contract and/or Other Natural-Gas Related Investments.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and sanctions brought by the United States and other countries against Russia, have caused disruptions in many business sectors, resulting in significant market disruptions and that may lead to increased volatility in the price of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, as well as volatility in UNL's NAV or share price.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and future market or supply disruptions in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant and may have a severe adverse effect on the region.
The United States and other countries and certain international organizations have imposed broad-ranging economic sanctions on Russia and certain Russian individuals, banking entities and corporations as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On March 8, 2022, the United States announced that it would ban imports of oil, natural gas and coal from Russia. Among other things, the extent and duration of the military action, the responses of countries and political bodies to Russia's actions, including sanctions, future market or supply disruptions, and Ukraine's military response and the potential for wider conflict may increase financial market volatility generally, have severe adverse effects on regional and global economic markets, and cause volatility in the markets for commodities including the price of energy, including energy futures, and the NAV or share price of UNL.
These events illustrate the dynamics of natural gas prices. USCF believes that the war in Ukraine has raised concerns among investors that a global natural gas supply shortage is possible, particularly if Russia reduces or cuts supply to Europe. Natural gas prices in the United States have historically been driven by domestic supply and demand. In recent years, natural gas exports have increased, including liquid natural gas (LNG) exported to Europe. Rising international demand has had, and will continue to have, a growing impact on natural gas prices in the United States. Domestic supply and demand are likely to remain the dominant influence on prices, while extraordinary international events will have a growing influence on volatility and price direction at times. Many European countries have historically relied on imports of natural gas from Russia and, while only a limited number of European countries have embargoed Russian natural gas to date, the March 8, 2022 announcement by the U.S., the embargoes that have taken place, and the possibility that there will be additional embargoes, has had an impact on the spot price of natural gas and the value of the Benchmark Futures Contract. Future embargoes or damage to the pipelines that carry natural gas in Ukraine could result in additional price increases as well as increased volatility. Long term impacts resulting from occurrences such as sanctions, shipping disruptions, collateral war damage, and a potential expansion of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could further disrupt the supply of energy, particularly natural gas, because Russia is a primary supplier of natural gas to Europe. Volatility, trading volumes, and prices in global natural gas markets have risen dramatically and are expected to continue indefinitely at current elevated levels.
A rapid peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine also could impact the markets for certain commodities, such as oil and natural gas, and may have collateral impacts, including increased volatility, and cause disruptions to availability of certain commodities, commodity and futures prices and the supply chain globally. The longer-term impact on commodities and futures prices, including the spot price of natural gas and the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract is difficult to predict and depends on a number of factors that may have a negative impact on UNL in the future.
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Natural forces in the natural gas futures market known as “backwardation” and “contango” may increase UNL’s tracking error and/or negatively impact total return.
UNL’s Benchmark Futures Contracts consist of the near month contract to expire and the futures contracts for the 11 following months, until the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration, at which time the Benchmark Futures Contracts are changed over a one day period to consist of the next month contract to expire and the 11 following months of futures contracts. In the event of a natural gas futures market where near month contracts trade at a higher price than next month to expire contracts, a situation described as “backwardation” in the futures market, then absent the impact of the overall movement in natural gas prices the value of the Benchmark Futures Contracts would tend to rise as it approaches expiration. Conversely, in the event of a natural gas futures market where near month contracts trade at a lower price than next month contracts, a situation described as “contango” in the futures market, then absent the impact of the overall movement in natural gas prices the value of the benchmark contracts would tend to decline as it approaches expiration. When compared to total return of other price indices, such as the spot price of natural gas, the impact of backwardation and contango may cause the total return of UNL’s per share NAV to vary significantly. Moreover, absent the impact of rising or falling natural gas prices, a prolonged period of contango could have a significant negative impact on UNL’s per share NAV and total return and investors could lose part or all of their investment. See “Additional Information About UNL, its Investment Objective and Investments” for a discussion of the potential effects of contango and backwardation.
While contango and backwardation are consistently present in trading in the futures markets, such conditions can be exacerbated by market forces. For example, extraordinary market conditions in the crude oil markets, including “super contango” (a higher level of contango arising from the overabundance of oil being produced and the limited availability of storage for such excess supply), occurred in the crude oil futures markets in April 2020 due to over-supply of crude oil in the face of weak demand during the COVID-19 pandemic when disputes among oil-producing countries regarding limitations on the production of oil also were occurring. This resulted in a negative price for the May 2020 futures contract on light sweet crude oil as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Volatility in the natural gas market was also elevated, but it did not reach the same extreme levels as the volatility in the oil futures market did. However, increased volatility in the future could limit UNL’s ability to have a substantial portion of its assets invested in the Benchmark Futures Contracts. In addition, it is possible that the Benchmark Futures Contracts may experience periods of super contango or negative prices in the future. In any such circumstance, UNL could, if it determined it appropriate to do so in light of market conditions and regulatory requirements, invest in other Futures Contracts and/or Other Natural Gas-Related Investments.
UNL’s NAV and share price are generally highly correlated with the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract and Natural Gas Futures Contracts in months for nearby delivery and, therefore, would typically move in the same direction. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and related developments have placed upward pressure on the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract. As a result, UNL is currently in a period of backwardation. There can be no assurance that the current period of backwardation, and its impact on the performance of UNL, will continue, nor is it possible to predict how long backwardation may continue.
In a rising rate environment, UNL may not be able to fully invest at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasury Bills mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss.
When interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities typically falls. In a rising interest rate environment, UNL may not be able to fully invest at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasury Bills mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter term investments and higher for longer term investments. The risk to UNL of rising interest rates may be greater in the future due to the end of a long period of historically low rates and the effect of potential monetary policy initiatives and resulting market reaction to those initiatives. When interest rates fall, UNL may be required to reinvest the proceeds from the sale, redemption or early prepayment of a Treasury Bill or money market security at a lower interest rate.
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Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
| (a) | None. |
| (b) | Not applicable. |
| (c) | UNL does not purchase shares directly from its shareholders. In connection with its redemption of baskets held by Authorized Participants, UNL redeemed 10 baskets (comprising 500,000 shares) during the third quarter of the year ending December 31, 2022. The following table summarizes the redemptions by Authorized Participants during the three months ended September 30, 2022: |
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
| | Total | | Average | |
| | Number of | | Price Per | |
Period | | Shares Redeemed | | Share | |
7/1/22 to 7/31/22 |
| 300,000 | | $ | 19.74 |
8/1/22 to 8/31/22 |
| 200,000 | | $ | 23.70 |
9/1/22 to 9/30/22 |
| — | | $ | — |
Total |
| 500,000 | |
|
|
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
Monthly Account Statements
Pursuant to the requirement under Rule 4.22 under the Commodity Exchange Act, each month UNL publishes an account statement for its shareholders, which includes a Statement of Income (Loss) and a Statement of Changes in Net Asset Value. The account statement is furnished to the SEC on a current report on Form 8-K pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and posted each month on UNL’s website at www.uscfinvestments.com.
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Item 6. Exhibits.
Listed below are the exhibits, which are filed as part of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q (according to the number assigned to them in Item 601 of Regulation S-K):
Exhibit Number |
| Description of Document |
31.1(1) | | |
31.2(1) | | |
32.1(1) | | |
32.2(1) | | |
101.INS | | XBRL Instance Document. |
101.SCH | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema. |
101.CAL | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase. |
101.DEF | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase. |
101.LAB | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase. |
101.PRE | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase. |
104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
| (1) | Filed herewith. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (Registrant)
By: United States Commodity Funds LLC, its general partner
By: | /s/ John P. Love | |
| John P. Love | |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | |
| (Principal executive officer) | |
Date: November 7, 2022
By: | /s/ Stuart P. Crumbaugh | |
| Stuart P. Crumbaugh | |
| Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Principal financial and accounting officer) | |
| | |
Date: November 7, 2022
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Exhibit 31.1
Certification by Principal Executive Officer
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, John P. Love, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP; |
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the condensed financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of condensed financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
5.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: November 7, 2022 | By | /s/ John P. Love |
| Name: | John P. Love |
| Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer |
| | United States Commodity Funds LLC, |
| | General Partner of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP |
Exhibit 31.2
Certification by Principal Financial Officer
Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
I, Stuart P. Crumbaugh, certify that:
1. | I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP; |
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the condensed financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
(b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of condensed financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; |
(c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
(d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
5.The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
(b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: November 7, 2022 | By | /s/ Stuart P. Crumbaugh |
| Name: | Stuart P. Crumbaugh |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
| | United States Commodity Funds LLC, |
| | General Partner of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP |
Exhibit 32.1
Certification by Principal Executive Officer
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 (the “Report”) of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (the “Registrant”), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, I, John P. Love, the President and Chief Executive Officer of United States Commodity Funds LLC, General Partner of the Registrant, hereby certify, to the best of my knowledge, that:
(1) | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and |
(2) | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Registrant. |
Date: November 7, 2022 | By | /s/ John P. Love |
| Name: | John P. Love |
| Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer |
| | United States Commodity Funds LLC, |
| | General Partner of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP |
Exhibit 32.2
Certification by Principal Financial Officer
Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 (the “Report”) of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP (the “Registrant”), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof, I, Stuart P. Crumbaugh, the Chief Financial Officer of United States Commodity Funds LLC, General Partner of the Registrant, hereby certify, to the best of my knowledge, that:
(1) | The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and |
(2) | The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Registrant. |
Date: November 7, 2022 | By | /s/ Stuart P. Crumbaugh |
| Name: | Stuart P. Crumbaugh |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
| | United States Commodity Funds LLC, |
| | General Partner of United States 12 Month Natural Gas Fund, LP |