Guggenheim Macro Opportunities Fund Class C (GIOCX) N-CSRCertified annual shareholder report (management investment company)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811- 01136

Guggenheim Funds Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

702 King Farm Boulevard, Suite 200
Rockville, Maryland 20850

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Amy J. Lee

Guggenheim Funds Trust
702 King Farm Boulevard, Suite 200
Rockville, Maryland 20850

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 1-301-296-5100

Date of fiscal year end: September 30

Date of reporting period: October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. §3507.

The registrant’s annual report transmitted to shareholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), is as follows:

9.30.2022

Guggenheim Funds Annual Report

Dear Shareholder:

Security Investors, LLC and Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC (the “Investment Advisers”) are pleased to present the shareholder report for a selection of our Funds (the “Funds”) for the annual fiscal period ended September 30, 2022.

The Investment Advisers are part of Guggenheim Investments, which represents the investment management businesses of Guggenheim Partners, LLC (“Guggenheim”), a global, diversified financial services firm.

Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC is the distributor of the Funds. Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC is affiliated with Guggenheim and the Investment Advisers.

We encourage you to read the Economic and Market Overview section of the report, which follows this letter, and then the Managers’ Commentary for each Fund.

We are committed to providing innovative investment solutions and appreciate the trust you place in us.

Sincerely,

Security Investors, LLC,

Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC,

October 31, 2022

Read a prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) carefully before investing. It contains the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information, which should be considered carefully before investing. Obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) at guggenheiminvestments.com or call 800.820.0888.

This material is not intended as a recommendation or as investment advice of any kind, including in connection with rollovers, transfers, and distributions. Such material is not provided in a fiduciary capacity, may not be relied upon for or in connection with the making of investment decisions, and does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities. All content has been provided for informational or educational purposes only and is not intended to be and should not be construed as legal or tax advice and/or a legal opinion. Always consult a financial, tax and/ or legal professional regarding your specific situation.

Alpha Opportunity Fund is subject to a number of risks and is not suitable for all investors. ● Investments in securities and derivatives, in general, are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. An investment in the Fund may lose money. There can be no guarantee the Fund will achieve it investment objective. ●The Fund’s use of derivatives such as futures, options and swap agreements may expose the Fund to additional risks that it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. ● Certain of the derivative instruments, such as swaps and structured notes, are also subject to the risks of counterparty default and adverse tax treatment. ●The more the Fund invests in leveraged instruments, the more the leverage will magnify any gains or losses on those investments. ● The Fund’s use of short selling involves increased risk and costs, including paying more for a security than it received from its sale and the risk of unlimited losses. ●In certain circumstances the Fund may be subject to liquidity risk and it may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price. ●In certain circumstances, it may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a fair price. ●The Fund’s fixed income investments will change in value in response to interest rate changes and other factors. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. Government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

Large Cap Value Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ● An investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means an investor could lose money. ● The intrinsic value of the underlying stocks may never be realized, or the stock may decline in value. The Fund is subject to risk that large-capitalization stocks may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity markets as a whole. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. Government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

Market Neutral Real Estate Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ● Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. ● There are no assurances that any fund will achieve its objective and/or strategy. ● The Fund’s investments in real estate securities subject the Fund to the same risks as direct investments in real estate, which is particularly sensitive to economic downturns. ● The Fund’s use of derivatives such as futures, options, and swap agreements may expose the Fund to additional risks that it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. ● When market conditions are deemed appropriate, the Fund will leverage to the full extent permitted by its investment policies and restrictions and applicable law. Leveraging will exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. ● The more the Fund invests in leveraged instruments, the more the leverage will magnify any gains or losses on those investments. ● The Fund’s use of short selling involves increased risk and costs. The Fund risks paying more for a security than it received from its sale. ● The Fund’s investments in other investment vehicles subject the Fund to those risks and expenses affecting the investment vehicle. ● The Fund’s investments in foreign securities carry additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, due to the impact of diplomatic, political, or economic developments in the country in question (investments in emerging markets securities are generally subject to an even greater level of risk). ● The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, which may be more volatile and less liquid, increasing the risk of loss when compared to traditional securities. Certain of the derivative instruments are also subject to the risks of counterparty default and adverse tax treatment. ● Investing in sector funds is more volatile than investing in broadly diversified funds, as there is a greater risk due to the concentration of the funds’ holdings in issuers of the same or similar offerings. ● Short selling involves increased risks and costs. You risk paying more for a security than you received from its sale. This strategy may not be suitable for all investors. ● The Fund is subject to active trading risks that may increase volatility and impact its ability to achieve its investment objective. ● You may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

Risk Managed Real Estate Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ● Investments in securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time ● Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. ● There are no assurances that any fund will achieve its objective and/or strategy. ● The Fund’s investments in real estate securities subject the Fund to the same risks as direct investments in real estate, which is particularly sensitive to economic downturns. ● The Fund’s use of derivatives such as futures, options and swap agreements may expose the Fund to additional risks that it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. ● When market conditions are deemed appropriate, the Fund will leverage to the full extent permitted by its investment policies and restrictions and applicable law. Leveraging will exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. ● The more the Fund invests in leveraged instruments, the more the leverage will magnify any gains or losses on those investments. ● The Fund’s use of short selling involves increased risk and costs. The Fund risks paying more for a security than it received from its sale. ● The Fund’s investments in other investment vehicles subject the Fund to those risks and expenses affecting the investment vehicle. ● The Fund’s investments in foreign securities carry additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, due to the impact of diplomatic, political or economic developments in the country in question (investments in emerging markets securities are generally subject to an even greater level of risk). ● The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, which may be more volatile and less liquid, increasing the risk of loss when compared to traditional securities. Certain of the derivative instruments are also subject to the risks of counterparty default and adverse tax treatment. ● Investing in sector funds is more volatile than investing in broadly diversified funds, as there is a greater risk due to the concentration of the funds’ holdings in issuers of the same or similar offerings. ● Short selling involves increased risks and costs. You risk paying more for a security than you received from its sale. This strategy may not be suitable for all investors. ● The Fund is subject to active trading risks that may increase volatility and impact its ability to achieve its investment objective. ● You may have a gain or loss when you sell you shares. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

Small Cap Value Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ● An investment in the Fund will fluctuate and is subject to investment risks, which means investors could lose money. ● The intrinsic value of the underlying stocks may never be realized, or the stock may decline in value. ● Investing in securities of small-capitalization companies may involve a greater risk of loss and more abrupt fluctuations in market price than investments in larger-capitalization companies. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. Government.● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

StylePlus—Large Core Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ● Investments in large capitalization stocks may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. ● Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions regarding the growth potential of the issuing companies. Value stocks are subject to the risk that the intrinsic value of the stock may never be realized by the market or that the price goes down.● The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, which may be more volatile and less liquid, increasing the risk of loss when compared to traditional securities. Certain of the derivative instruments are also subject to the risks of counterparty default and adverse tax treatment. ● The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. ● The Fund’s investments in other investment vehicles subject the Fund to those risks and expenses affecting the investment vehicle. ● The Fund may invest in foreign securities which carry additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, due to the impact of diplomatic, political or economic developments in the country in question (investments in emerging markets securities are generally subject to an even greater level of risk). ● The Fund may invest in fixed income securities whose market value will change in response to interest rate changes and market conditions among other factors. In general, bond prices rise when interest rates fall and vice versa. ● The Fund’s exposure to high yield securities may subject the Fund to greater volatility. ● The Fund may invest in bank loans and asset-backed securities, including mortgage backed, which involve special types of risks. ● The Fund may invest in restricted securities which may involve financial and liquidity risk. ● You may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

StylePlus—Mid Growth Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ● Investments in mid-sized company securities may present additional risks such as less predictable earnings, higher volatility and less liquidity than larger, more established companies. ● Growth stocks may be more volatile than other stocks because they are more sensitive to investor perceptions regarding the growth potential of the issuing companies. ● The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, which may be more volatile and less liquid, increasing the risk of loss when compared to traditional securities. Certain of the derivative instruments are also subject to the risks of counterparty default and adverse tax treatment. ● The Fund’s use of leverage, through borrowings or instruments such as derivatives, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. ● The Fund’s investments in other investment vehicles subject the Fund to those risks and expenses affecting the investment vehicle. ● The Fund may invest in foreign securities which carry additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, due to the impact of diplomatic, political or economic developments in the country in question (investments in emerging markets securities are generally subject to an even greater level of risk). ● The Fund may invest in fixed income securities

whose market value will change in response to interest rate changes and market conditions, among other factors. In general, bond prices rise when interest rates fall and vice versa. ● The Fund’s exposure to high yield securities may subject the Fund to greater volatility. ● The Fund may invest in bank loans and asset-backed securities, including mortgage backed, which involve special types of risks. ● The Fund may invest in restricted securities which may involve financial and liquidity risk. ● You may have a gain or loss when you sell your shares. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

World Equity Income Fund may not be suitable for all investors. ●Investments in securities in general are subject to market risks that may cause their prices to fluctuate over time. ●The Fund’s investments in foreign securities carry additional risks when compared to U.S. securities, due to the impact of diplomatic, political or economic developments in the country in question (investments in emerging markets are generally subject to an even greater level of risk). Additionally, the Fund’s exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar. ● The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to those associated with investing directly in securities or other investments, including illiquidity of the derivatives, imperfect correlations with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, lack of availability and counterparty risk. ●The Fund’s use of leverage, through instruments such as derivatives, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. ●The Fund’s investments in other investment vehicles subject the Fund to those risks and expenses affecting the investment vehicle. ●The Fund may have significant exposure to securities in a particular capitalization range e.g., large-, mid- or small-cap securities. As a result, the Fund may be subject to the risk that the pre-denominate capitalization range may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. ● It is important to note that the Fund is not guaranteed by the U.S. Government. ● Please read the prospectus for more detailed information regarding these and other risks.

Equity and fixed income markets declined during the 12-month period ended September 30, 2022, amid continued market volatility, Federal Reserve policy, and global economic headwinds.

The Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) has abandoned talk of a soft or even “softish” landing, with the latest Summary of Economic Projections pointing to a 90-basis-point rise in the unemployment rate, an increase never before experienced without a recession. One basis point equals 0.01%. The seemingly endless string of upside inflation surprises has cemented the Fed’s view that the labor market needs to soften and economic activity needs to weaken further, which could require interest rates heading even higher.

Signs are indicating that the economy is heading in the direction the Fed wants. While gross domestic product (“GDP”) rebounded in the third quarter of 2022 to an inflation-adjusted 2.6%, private domestic demand (consumption and fixed investment) continued to slow, growing just 0.1%. The slowdown was led by a significant contraction in housing activity, historically the first sector to be hit by rising rates, cutting about 1.4 percentage points from GDP’s growth rate. The sharp tightening in financial conditions indicates a broader economic slowdown is ahead, which may help to loosen up the labor market. Signs of a labor market slowdown are already evident, with monthly job growth at less than half the pace of early 2022, wage growth cooling, and job openings falling sharply.

Inflation remains high, but a variety of factors point to a substantial moderation in 2023. Goods prices have stopped rising, and supply chain improvement and input and import costs suggest outright deflation could lie ahead. Services inflation is now the main price stability concern, but even the Bureau of Labor Statistics and several Fed speakers have acknowledged that the lagged data on home rental prices doesn’t reflect the sharp slowdown in market rents that has taken place (and that would start to show up in the data next year).

With the economy cooling and inflation likely to fall, it is fair to expect that rate hikes are nearly coming to an end, particularly with rising strains in financial markets and overseas. But having been repeatedly burned by expectations that inflation would cool and fearing a replay of the “stop-start” rate hike campaigns of the 1970s, the Fed will likely err on the side of overdoing it with rate hikes, viewing a recession as the “least bad” outcome for the economy.

For the 12-month period ended September 30, 2022, the S&P 500^® Index* returned -15.47%. The MSCI Europe-Australasia-Far East (“EAFE”) Index* returned -25.13%. The return of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index* was -28.11%.

In the bond market, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index* posted a -14.60% return for the 12-month period, while the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index* returned -14.14%. The return of the ICE Bank of America (“BofA”) 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index* was 0.62% for the 12-month period.

The opinions and forecasts expressed may not actually come to pass. This information is subject to change at any time, based on market and other conditions, and should not be construed as a recommendation of any specific security or strategy.

*Index Definitions:

The following indices are referenced throughout this report. Indices are unmanaged and not available for direct investment. Index performance does not reflect transaction costs, fees, or expenses.

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, U.S. dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market, including U.S. Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities or “MBS” (agency fixed-rate and hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage, or “ARM”, pass-throughs), asset-backed securities (“ABS”), and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) (agency and non-agency).

Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Index measures the U.S. dollar-denominated, high yield, fixed-rate corporate bond market. Securities are classified as high yield if the middle rating of Moody’s, Fitch, and S&P is Ba1/BB +/BB + or below.

FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Total Return Index (“FNRE”) is one of the FTSE NAREIT U.S. Real Estate Index Series that contains all Equity REITs not designated as Timber REITs or Infrastructure REITs. FTSE NAREIT U.S. Real Estate Index Series is designed to present investors with a comprehensive family of REIT performance indexes that spans the commercial real estate space across the US economy. The index series provides investors with exposure to all investment and property sectors. In addition, the more narrowly focused property sector and sub-sector indexes provide the facility to concentrate commercial real estate exposure in more selected markets. The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) is the trade association for REITs and publicly traded real estate companies with an interest in the U.S. property and investment markets.

ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged market index of U.S. Treasury securities maturing in 90 days that assumes reinvestment of all income.

Morningstar Long/Short Equity Category Average is the average return of funds Morningstar places in a given category based on their portfolio statistics and compositions over the past three years. Long-short portfolios hold sizeable stakes in both long and short positions in equities, exchange traded funds, and related derivatives. Some funds that fall into this category will shift their exposure to long and short positions depending on their macro outlook or the opportunities they uncover through bottom-up research. At least 75% of the assets are in equity securities or derivatives, and funds in the category will typically have beta values to relevant benchmarks of between 0.3 and 0.8 over a three-year period.

MSCI EAFE Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the U.S. & Canada.

MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets.

MSCI World Index (Net) is calculated with net dividends reinvested. It is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets.

Russell 1000^® Value Index is a measure of the performance for the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 1000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values.

Russell 2000^® Value Index measures the performance of the small-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell 2000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values.

Russell Midcap Growth^® Index measures the performance of the mid-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell Midcap Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values.

S&P 500^® is a broad-based index, the performance of which is based on the performance of 500 widely held common stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation.

All mutual funds have operating expenses, and it is important for our shareholders to understand the impact of costs on their investments. Shareholders of a fund incur two types of costs: (i) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, reinvested dividends, other distributions, and exchange fees, and (ii) ongoing costs, including management fees, administrative services, and shareholder reports, among others. These ongoing costs, or operating expenses, are deducted from a fund’s gross income and reduce the investment return of the fund.

A fund’s expenses are expressed as a percentage of its average net assets, which is known as the expense ratio. The following examples are intended to help investors understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in a fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period and held for the entire six-month period beginning March 31, 2022 and ending September 30, 2022.

The following tables illustrate the Funds’ costs in two ways:

Table 1. Based on actual Fund return: This section helps investors estimate the actual expenses paid over the period. The “Ending Account Value” shown is derived from the Fund’s actual return, and the fifth column shows the dollar amount that would have been paid by an investor who started with $1,000 in the Fund. Investors may use the information here, together with the amount invested, to estimate the expenses paid over the period. Simply divide the Fund’s account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number provided under the heading “Expenses Paid During Period.”

Table 2. Based on hypothetical 5% return: This section is intended to help investors compare a fund’s cost with those of other mutual funds. The table provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses paid during the period. The example is useful in making comparisons because the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) requires all mutual funds to calculate expenses based on the 5% return. Investors can assess a fund’s costs by comparing this hypothetical example with the hypothetical examples that appear in shareholder reports of other funds.

The calculations illustrated above assume no shares were bought or sold during the period. Actual costs may have been higher or lower, depending on the amount of investment and the timing of any purchases or redemptions.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, and contingent deferred sales charges (“CDSC”) on redemptions, if any. Therefore, the second table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

More information about the Funds’ expenses, including annual expense ratios for periods up to five years (subject to the Fund’s inception date), can be found in the Financial Highlights section of this report. For additional information on operating expenses and other shareholder costs, please refer to the appropriate Fund prospectus.

To Our Shareholders

Security Investors, LLC (“SI”) serves as the investment adviser to Guggenheim Alpha Opportunity Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund is managed by a team of seasoned professionals, including Farhan Sharaff, Senior Managing Director and Assistant Chief Investment Officer, Equities, and Portfolio Manager; Samir Sanghani, CFA, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager; and Burak Hurmeydan, Ph.D., Director and Portfolio Manager. In the subsequent paragraphs, the investment team discusses the Fund’s performance and the market environment for the 12-month period ended September 30, 2022 (the “Reporting Period”).

For the Reporting Period, the Fund provided a total return of -6.55%¹, underperforming the ICE BofA 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (“Index”), the Fund’s benchmark, which returned 0.62% for the same period.

What factors contributed or detracted from the Fund’s performance during the Reporting Period?

This Reporting Period, the broad market reversed its ”reopening” excitement and began a steady bear market. The economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic continued, as supply constraints and worker shortages drove inflation steadily higher. Despite rebounding demand and consumers flush with money, many industries and service companies could not keep enough parts or employees, causing shortages and driving wages higher. Exacerbating the underlying inflation was the sudden war in Ukraine and continued rolling China COVID-related shutdowns. Both were human tragedies in their own rights. And both threw supply chains into more chaos. The Federal Reserve board went completely all in with interest rate increases to halt the inflation at a pace not seen in 40 years. The rapid and steady rise in interest rates led to a corresponding drop in stocks and bonds.

In this environment, the Fund ended the year with a negative -6.55% return. The overall market decline contributed about -1.9% drag due to the Fund’s net long exposure. The realized beta (sensitivity of daily returns to broad stock benchmark moves) was about 0.20 for the year–lower than most long/short managers. The ‘Value’ names generally held up better than ‘Growth’. Our Value-style positioning paid off by about +10% of attribution for the year.

Offsetting those contributions, the Fund’s industry tilts caused about -3% drag for the year. A net short in the Energy sector during the early part of the year caused substantial damage when oil and gas prices spiked during the Ukraine war. Additionally, our larger net long sector exposure to Health Care stocks performed worse than their typical beta would suggest,partly due to recent legislation threatening government price caps.

Security selection (the impact of returns within style and industry groups) was a drag this past year. Within the Information Technology sector, the Fund was overweight semiconductor names that appeared to be cheap versus their cash generation–but began underperforming in the latter part of the year on fears of a new down-cycle coming.

How did the Fund use derivatives during the Reporting Period?

The Fund uses total return swaps to gain exposure to short positions and to attain some leverage on the long side when surpassing 100% long weights. In total, the derivatives have a net negative market exposure, creating a partial market hedge against assets that are invested in long stocks. The net performance impact of these derivatives was positive this fiscal year as the overall market had a large negative return.

How was the Fund positioned at the end of the Reporting Period?

At period end, the Fund held about 140% of assets in long securities, and 89% short, for a net-dollar exposure of 51%. Because the long side exposure holds higher quality and more defensive sectors, while the short side focuses on higher risk names, the actual expected net ‘beta’ of the Fund is in the 0.10 to 0.20 range, on the low end of positioning for the Fund during the last few years.

The Fund maintains its style bias towards cheaper valuation names. Our bias towards higher profitability and low stock-volatility remains–but at much reduced levels from last year as those factors have paid off significantly and look less underpriced than usual. The Fund’s short position in Growth names has also shrunk as those names declined rapidly last year–we are now much closer to neutral on this factor bias. The Fund remains small-size-cap biased–a shift that first began about a year ago. While small caps are generally riskier than large caps, the additional risk appears to be compensated with a much wider expected return based on fundamentals and valuations.

From an industry perspective, the Fund’s largest net long sectors are the Healthcare and Information Technology sectors, with our names mostly focused on cheaper and higher cash-flow-generating groups within those otherwise growth-oriented sectors. The largest net short exposures are the Real Estate and Communication Services sector. Notably, the Fund has flipped to a net long exposure to the Energy and Materials sectors, while cutting back on weights in Staples and Utilities. With considerable moves in relative stock prices and changing fundamentals, the dynamic industry weight reallocation was substantial this year.

Performance displayed represents past performance which is no guarantee of future results.

The opinions and forecast expressed may not actually come to pass. This information is subject to change at any time, based on market and other conditions, and should not be construed as a recommendation of any specific security or strategy.

ALPHA OPPORTUNITY FUND

OBJECTIVE: Seeks long-term growth of capital.

Holdings Diversification (Market Exposure as % of Net Assets)

“Holdings Diversification (Market Exposure as % of Net Assets)” excludes any temporary cash investments.

Cumulative Fund Performance*

Average Annual Returns*

Periods Ended September 30, 2022