Key Risks
An investment in the Securities involves significant risks. Investing in the Securities is not equivalent to a hypothetical investment in the underlying asset. Some of the key risks that apply to the Securities are summarized below, but we urge you to read the more detailed explanation of risks relating to the Securities in the “Risk Factors” section of the accompanying product supplement. We also urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisors concerning an investment in the Securities.
Risks Relating to Return Characteristics
♦Risk of loss at maturity — The Securities differ from ordinary debt securities in that UBS will not necessarily repay the principal amount of the Securities at maturity. If the Securities are not subject to an automatic call, the underlying return is negative and the final level is less than the downside threshold, you will lose a percentage of your principal amount equal to the percentage that the final level is less than the initial level in excess of the buffer and, in extreme situations, you could lose almost all of your initial investment.
♦The contingent repayment of principal applies only if you hold your Securities to maturity — You should be willing to hold your Securities to maturity. If you are able to sell your Securities prior to an automatic call or maturity in the secondary market, you may have to sell them at a loss relative to your initial investment even if the level of the underlying asset at such time is equal to or greater than the downside threshold.
♦The call return and upside gearing apply only upon an automatic call and at maturity, respectively — You should be willing to hold your Securities to maturity. If you are able to sell your Securities prior to an automatic call or maturity in the secondary market, the price you receive will likely not reflect the full economic value of the call return and/or upside gearing and the percentage return you realize may be less than the then-current call return and/or underlying return multiplied by the upside gearing, even if such return is positive. You can receive the full benefit of the Securities only if you hold your Securities to automatic call or maturity.
♦No interest payments — UBS will not pay any interest with respect to the Securities.
♦If the Securities are subject to an automatic call, your potential return on the Securities will be limited to the call return and you will not participate in any appreciation of the underlying asset or any underlying constituent — The Securities will be subject to an automatic call if the closing level of the underlying asset is equal to or greater than the autocall barrier on the observation date. If the Securities are subject to an automatic call, the return potential of the Securities will be limited to the pre-specified call return regardless of any appreciation of the underlying asset, and you will not participate in any appreciation in the closing level of the underlying asset from its initial level and you will not benefit from the upside gearing. As a result, the return on an investment in the Securities could be less than the return on a hypothetical direct investment in the underlying asset or underlying constituents.
♦A higher call return rate or lower downside threshold may reflect greater expected volatility of the underlying asset, and greater expected volatility generally indicates an increased risk of loss at maturity — The economic terms for the Securities, including the call return rate and downside threshold, are based, in part, on the expected volatility of the underlying asset at the time the terms of the Securities are set. “Volatility” refers to the frequency and magnitude of changes in the level of the underlying asset. The greater the expected volatility of the underlying asset as of the trade date, the greater the expectation is as of that date that the final level could be less than the downside threshold and, as a consequence, indicates an increased risk of loss. All things being equal, this greater expected volatility will generally be reflected in a higher call return rate than the yield payable on our conventional debt securities with a similar maturity or on otherwise comparable securities, and/or a lower downside threshold than those terms on otherwise comparable securities. Therefore, a relatively higher call return rate may indicate an increased risk of loss. However, the underlying asset's volatility can change significantly over the term of the Securities, and a relatively lower downside threshold may not necessarily indicate that the Securities have a greater likelihood of a return of principal at maturity. You should be willing to accept the downside market risk of the underlying asset and the potential to lose some or almost all of your initial investment.
♦Reinvestment risk — The Securities will be subject to an automatic call if the closing level of the underlying asset is equal to or greater than the autocall barrier on the observation date. Therefore, the term of your investment may be limited. In the event that the Securities are subject to an automatic call, there is no guarantee that you would be able to reinvest the proceeds at a comparable return and/or with a comparable call return rate for a similar level of risk. In addition, to the extent you are able to reinvest such proceeds in an investment comparable to the Securities, you may incur transaction costs such as dealer discounts and hedging costs built into the price of the new securities. Generally, however, the longer the Securities remain outstanding, the less likely the Securities will be subject to an automatic call due to the decline in the level of the underlying asset and the shorter time remaining for the level of the underlying asset to recover. Such periods generally coincide with a period of greater risk of principal loss on your Securities.
♦Owning the Securities is not the same as owning the underlying constituents — The return on your Securities may not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned the underlying constituents. For instance, if the Securities are subject to an automatic call, the return potential of the Securities will be limited to the pre-specified call return regardless of any appreciation of the underlying asset, and you will not participate in any such appreciation from its initial level. In addition, as an owner of the Securities, you will not receive or be entitled to receive any dividend payments or other distributions on the underlying constituents during the term of the Securities, and any such dividends or distributions will not be factored into the calculation of the payment at maturity on your Securities. Similarly, you will not have voting rights or any other rights of a holder of the underlying constituents.
Risks Relating to Characteristics of the Underlying Asset
♦Market risk — The return on the Securities, which may be negative, is directly linked to the performance of the underlying asset and indirectly linked to the performance of the underlying constituents and their issuers (the “underlying constituent issuers”). The level of the underlying asset can rise or fall sharply due to factors specific to the underlying asset or the underlying constituents, such as stock or commodity price volatility, earnings, financial conditions, corporate, industry and regulatory developments, management changes and decisions and other events, as well as general market factors, such as general stock and commodity market volatility and levels, interest rates and economic, political and other conditions. You, as an investor in the Securities, should conduct your own investigation into the underlying asset and underlying constituents.
♦There can be no assurance that the investment view implicit in the Securities will be successful — It is impossible to predict whether and the extent to which the level of the underlying asset will rise or fall. There can be no assurance that the closing level of the underlying asset will be equal to or greater than the autocall barrier on the observation date or, if the Securities are not subject to an automatic call, that the final level will be equal to or greater than the initial level or downside threshold. In addition, even if the Securities are not subject to an automatic call and the final level is equal to or greater than the initial level, the percentage return you receive at maturity may be less than the call return you would have otherwise received if the Securities were subject to an automatic call. The level of the underlying asset will be influenced by complex and interrelated political, economic, financial and other factors that affect the underlying constituent issuers. You should be willing to accept the downside risks associated with the underlying asset and the risk of losing some or almost all of your initial investment.