Rafferty Asset Management Closing Nine Direxion Daily 3X Shares Funds

BOSTON, Aug. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of the Direxion Shares ETF Trust has decided to liquidate and shutter nine exchange-traded funds ("Funds") based on the recommendation of Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, the Trust's advisor.

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Due to the Funds' inability to attract sufficient investment assets, Rafferty believes they cannot continue to conduct their business and operations in an economically efficient manner. As a result, the Board concluded that liquidating and shuttering the Funds would be in the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders.

The Trust will close the following Funds: Direxion Daily Agribusiness Bull 3X Shares (COWL), Direxion Daily Agribusiness Bear 3X Shares (COWS), Direxion Daily Basic Materials Bear 3X Shares (MATS), Direxion Daily BRIC Bull 3X Shares (BRIL), Direxion Daily BRIC Bear 3X Shares (BRIS), Direxion Daily Healthcare Bear 3X Shares (SICK), Direxion Daily India Bear 3X Shares (INDZ), Direxion Daily Latin America Bear 3X Shares (LHB) and Direxion Daily Retail Bear 3X Shares (RETS).

Shares of the Funds will stop trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc., and will no longer be open to purchase by investors, at the close of regular trading on September 5, 2012. Shareholders may sell their holdings in the Funds prior to the closing date, and those transactions are subject to customary brokerage charges. Between the closing date and the liquidation date, shareholders may only be able to sell their shares to certain broker-dealers and there is no assurance that there will be a market for the Funds during that time period. 

On September 12, 2012, the Funds will liquidate their assets and distribute cash pro rata to shareholders who have not previously redeemed or exchanged their shares. These payments are taxable and will include any accrued capital gains and dividends. Each Fund's net asset value will reflect the costs of closing the Fund as calculated on the liquidation date. The Funds will close when the distributions are complete.

The process of closing down and liquidating the Funds' portfolios, scheduled to take place between September 5, 2012 and September 12, 2012, will result in the Funds not tracking their underlying indexes and experiencing an increase in cash holdings. These developments may not be consistent with each Fund's investment objective and strategy.

For more information about the liquidation and termination process, please contact Direxion at 800-851-0511.

For more information about Direxion, please contact James Doyle at 973-850-7308 or [email protected].

About Direxion

Direxion Funds and Direxion Shares, managed by Rafferty Asset Management, LLC, offer leveraged index funds, ETFs and alternative-class fund products for investment advisors and sophisticated investors who seek to effectively manage risk and return in both bull and bear markets. Founded in 1997, the company has approximately $7 billion in assets under management as of 6/30/12. The company's business model is built on continuous product innovation, exceptional customer service and a commitment to building strategic relationships with distribution partners. For more information, please visit www.direxionfunds.com or www.direxionshares.com.

There is no guarantee that the funds will achieve their objectives.

For more information on all Direxion Shares daily leveraged ETFs, go to www.direxionshares.com, or call us at 866.476.7523.

The ETFs are not suitable for all investors and should be utilized only by sophisticated investors who understand leverage risk, consequences of seeking daily leveraged investment results and intend to actively monitor and manage their investments. Due to the daily nature of the leverage employed, there is no guarantee of amplified long-term returns. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

An investor should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of Direxion Shares carefully before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contains this and other information about Direxion Shares. Download a prospectus and summary prospectus at www.direxionshares.com. The prospectus and summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Risks:
Investing in the funds may be more volatile than investing in broadly diversified funds. The use of leverage by a fund increases the risk to the fund. The more a fund invests in leveraged instruments the more the leverage will magnify gains or losses on those investments. There is no assurance that the Funds will achieve their objectives and an investment in a Fund could lose money. No single Fund is a complete investment program. The Funds are not designed to, and will not necessarily, track the underlying index or benchmark over a longer period of time. One cannot invest directly in an index.

An investment in the Funds involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Funds are non-diversified and include concentration risk that results from the Funds' investments in a particular industry or sector which can increase volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts, forward contracts, options and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. The Fund does not attempt to, and should not be expected to, provide returns which are a multiple of the return of the Index for periods other than a single day. For other risks including correlation, leverage, compounding, market volatility and specific risks regarding each sector, please read the prospectus.

Distributor: Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

SOURCE Direxion Shares