Horizons ETFs Rebalances its Marijuana-focused Funds

TORONTO, Dec. 27, 2018 /CNW/ - Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. ("Horizons ETFs") has completed the quarterly rebalance of the constituent holdings of the ("HMMJ:TSX") and the ("HMJR:NEO").

HMMJ Rebalance

HMMJ is the world's first ETF offering direct exposure to North American-listed securities that are involved with marijuana bioengineering and production. Once again, the ETF has added additional companies to its portfolio as more firms have become eligible for inclusion in its underlying index – the North American Marijuana Index.

The HMMJ portfolio recently expanded to include the following constituents:

HMMJ is an index (or passively managed) ETF, which seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the North American Marijuana Index, net of expenses. This index is designed to provide exposure to the performance of a basket of North American publicly listed life sciences companies with significant business activities in the Marijuana industry. The North American Marijuana Index selects from a current universe of companies that have operations that may include one or more of biopharmaceuticals, medical manufacturing, distribution, bio-products and other ancillary businesses related to the Marijuana industry.

"This has been a difficult quarter for the Marijuana sector, and the slowdown in growth contributed to fewer names being added to HMMJ's portfolio" said Steve Hawkins, President and CEO of Horizons ETFs. "Long-term, we believe there are still quite a few drivers of growth for the sector, including the growth of global medical marijuana opportunity and continued liberalization of marijuana laws in the U.S. Both of these factors could help drive Marijuana stocks further in 2019".

Rebalancing of the North American Marijuana Index, and consequently HMMJ, occurs each calendar quarter. At that point, all stocks eligible for inclusion are weighted by their respective market capitalization. However, no single stock can exceed a 10% weight of the North American Marijuana Index at the rebalance date. The holdings of HMMJ and its current portfolio weights are regularly updated and available at .

HMJR Rebalance

Horizons ETFs also completed the rebalance of the portfolio of HMJR. HMJR seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the Emerging Marijuana Growers Index, net of expenses. The Emerging Marijuana Growers Index is designed to provide exposure to the performance of a basket of primarily North American publicly listed small-capitalization companies primarily involved in the cultivation, production and/or distribution of marijuana.

In addition to tracking a separate index, HMJR has four key differences compared to HMMJ. HMJR invests in smaller market-capitalization companies than HMMJ, its portfolio is 100% invested in marijuana producers and distributors, and it can have exposure to companies outside of North America. In addition, HMMJ is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, while HMJR is listed on the NEO Exchange.

The HMJR portfolio recently expanded to include the following constituents:

The holdings of HMJR and its current portfolio weights are regularly updated and available at . It is important to note that both HMMJ and HMJR may not hold all of the constituent names in their respective indices. The manager of the ETFs, through the use of a stratified sampling strategy, may invest in securities that closely match the investment characteristics of the ETFs' respective indices, provided they are consistent with the ETFs' investment objectives and strategies.

About Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. ()

Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. is an innovative financial services company and offers one of the largest suites of exchange traded funds in Canada. The Horizons ETFs product family includes a broadly diversified range of solutions for investors of all experience levels to meet their investment objectives in a variety of market conditions. Horizons ETFs has more than $9.5 billion of assets under management and 85 ETFs listed on major Canadian stock exchanges. Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. is a member of the Mirae Asset Global Investments Group.

Horizons ETFs is a member of Mirae Asset Global Investments. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with an investment in exchange traded products managed by Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. (the "Horizons Exchange Traded Products"). The Horizons Exchange Traded Products are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. The prospectus contains important detailed information about the Horizons Exchange Traded Products. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing.

SOURCE Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc.