YOLO: 4th Quarter 2021 Portfolio Manager Review
Commentary
In the 4th quarter of 2021, the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF (NYSE: YOLO) declined -17.96% on its net asset value (NAV) and -17.98% on its market price. For the full year of 2021, YOLO lost -20.24% on its NAV and -20.63% on market price, outperforming its larger sibling fund, MSOS, that gets much more investor attention. It’s feels surprising to say that the Fund was “only” down just over 20%, since we all know that cannabis stocks hit their highs back in February and have been very negative since.
While cannabis losses have been very frustrating, I would however invite investors to compare YOLO’s performance to that of any other cannabis ETFs over equal periods of time. Despite a rough past year for cannabis overall, we’re very proud of our relative results.
New Positions:
In the 4th quarter, we made some significant changes – we added affiliated ETF, MSOS, as a top holding (and waiving its fees so that shareholders would not pay for one ETF to own another) and we removed most of the Fund’s individual MSO names. We feel it’s a much more efficient way for YOLO to get most of its U.S. cannabis exposure through one simple holding. In another move, we did what I’ll call “taking out the garbage.” YOLO contained a number for comparatively small positions that I had been selling down for quite some time. In the past 3 months, we completely removed the small remaining positions in stocks like Khiron, Aleafia, Green Organic Dutchman, and Entourage Health.
Contributors | Detractors:
During the quarter, only a couple stocks gained. Once again, Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE: IIPR) gained over 14% and Power REIT (NYSE American: PW) more than 37%. Basically, all the remaining portfolio was negative.
Top Holdings
| Ticker | Security Description | Portfolio Weight % |
| MSOS | ADVISORSHARES PURE US CANN | 34.37% |
| IIPR | INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIAL PROPER | 19.18% |
| VFF | VILLAGE FARMS INTERNATIONAL | 14.63% |
| SOLCF | SOL GLOBAL INVESTMENTS CORP SWAP REC | 4.22% |
| TRSSF | TERRASCEND CORP SWAP REC | 4.14% |
| GRWG | GROWGENERATION CORP | 3.74% |
| TLRY | TILRAY INC-CLASS 2 COMMON | 3.72% |
| CGC | CANOPY GROWTH CORP | 3.18% |
| RIV | RIV CAPITAL INC | 2.98% |
| PW | POWER REIT | 1.42% |
As of 12.31.2021. Cash is not included. Subject to change.
Please see our complete Fund holdings at advisorshares.com/etfs/yolo. The holdings details are updated each market day.
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Past Manager Commentary
* Recent Fund performance is attributable to unusually favorable conditions that are likely not sustainable, and such conditions might not continue to exist.
Before investing you should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information is in the prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained by visiting www.advisorshares.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. Foreside Fund Services, LLC, distributor.
The Fund is subject to a number of risks that may affect the value of its shares. This section provides additional information about the Fund’s principal risks. The degree to which a risk applies to the Fund varies according to its investment allocation. Each investor should review the complete description of the principal risks before investing in the Fund. As with investing in other securities whose prices increase and decrease in market value, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Cannabis-Related Company Risk. Cannabis-related companies are subject to various laws and regulations that may differ at the state/local and federal level. These laws and regulations may (i) significantly affect a cannabis-related company’s ability to secure financing, (ii) impact the market for marijuana industry sales and services, and (iii) set limitations on marijuana use, production, transportation, and storage. Cannabis-related companies may also be required to secure permits and authorizations from government agencies to cultivate or research marijuana. In addition, cannabis-related companies are subject to the risks associated with the greater agricultural industry, including changes to or trends that affect commodity prices, labor costs, weather conditions, and laws and regulations related to environmental protection, health and safety. Cannabis-related companies may also be subject to risks associated with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. These risks include increased government regulation, the use and enforcement of intellectual property rights and patents, technological change and obsolescence, product liability lawsuits, and the risk that research and development may not necessarily lead to commercially successful products.
Shares are bought and sold at market price (closing price) not NAV and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Market price returns are based on the midpoint of the bid/ask spread at 4:00 pm Eastern Time (when NAV is normally determined), and do not represent the return you would receive if you traded at other times.
Holdings and allocations are subject to risks and to change.
The views in this commentary are those of the portfolio manager and may not reflect his views on the date this material is distributed or any time thereafter. These views are intended to assist shareholders in understanding their investments and do not constitute investment advice.