United States 12 Month Oil Fund (USL) risk factors, FY2025 10-K

United States 12 Month Oil Fund's FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 27, 2026, lists 48 risk factors in 2 groups. Against the prior year's 48: 2 new, 2 dropped, 10 substantially reworded.

Risk factors listed
482 groups
New this year
2vs 48 last year
Dropped
2since the prior 10-K
Substantially reworded
10of those kept
Section length
13k wordsItem 1A

What the changes say

  • USL added risks regarding third-party intellectual property claims and diverse state tax liabilities for shareholders.
  • Tax risks were updated to reflect Trump Administration proposals and potential cashless income allocations.
  • Market volatility disclosures now explicitly cite tariffs, trade wars, and alternative investment options.

What changed since the prior 10-K

New

  • NewTax Risk

    distribution with which to pay the tax liability resulting from the allocation, or may receive a distribution that is insufficient to pay such liability

    Shareholders may face state, local, or foreign taxes and filing responsibilities where USL operates or owns property, alongside potential cashless tax liabilities.

  • NewOther Risks

    Competing claims of intellectual property rights may adversely affect USL and an investment in USL’s shares

    Third parties could allege ownership of licensed intellectual property, forcing USL to incur litigation costs or potentially alter its investment objective and benchmark.

Dropped

  • Dropped

    Other factors impacting the crude oil market

  • DroppedOther Risks

    The suspension in the ability of Authorized Participants to purchase Creation Baskets could cause USL’s NAV to differ materially from its trading price

    Crude oil supply and demand impacted by interest rates, inflation, and alternative energy sources.

Reworded

  • 83% rewrittenOther Risks

    An unanticipated number of Redemption Basket requests during a short period of time could have an adverse effect on USL’s NAV

    Added discussion regarding how the suspension of Creation Basket purchases by Authorized Participants could cause USL NAV to diverge from its trading price.

  • 70% rewrittenTax Risk

    The impact of changes in U.S. federal income tax laws on USL is uncertain

    Replaced references to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 with proposed tax changes from the Trump Administration and Congress.

  • 52% rewrittenOther Risks

    USL is not leveraged, but it could become leveraged if it had insufficient assets to completely meet its margin or collateral requirements relating to its investments

    Clarified that while permitted under the LP Agreement, USL has not leveraged its assets and added that risk reduction procedures may occur on short notice.

  • 50% rewritten

    Price volatility may possibly cause the total loss of your investment

    Added tariffs, trade barriers, and trade wars to market volatility drivers and noted USL may invest in other oil futures or related investments.

  • 50% rewrittenTax Risk

    USL is organized and operated as a limited partnership in accordance with the provisions of the LP Agreement and applicable state law, and therefore, USL has a more complex tax treatment than traditional mutual funds

    Added a warning that a shareholder may be allocated taxable income or gain by USL but receive no cash distribution to pay it.

  • 34% rewritten

    Natural disasters, public health disruptions (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), and international armed conflicts could impact the price of crude oil and/or the value, pricing and liquidity of USL investments or assets which, in turn, could cause the loss of your investment in USL

    Updated the commodity impacted by disasters and pandemics from unleaded gasoline to crude oil.

    Was: Natural disasters, public health disruptions (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), and international armed conflicts could impact the price of commodities and/or the value, pricing and liquidity of BNO’s investments or assets which, in turn, could cause the loss of your investment in USL

  • 31% rewritten

    Daily percentage changes in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the spot price of crude oil

    Broadened supply and demand references from crude oil to generic Oil Futures Contracts.

  • 24% rewritten

    Daily percentage changes in USL’s NAV may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts

    Removed Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts from the list of alternative investments USL may enter when reaching position limits.

  • 23% rewritten

    Accountability levels, position limits, and daily price fluctuation limits set by the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the average of the prices of shares to substantially vary from the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts

    Was: Accountability levels, position limits, and daily price fluctuation limits set by the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the price of shares to substantially vary from the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts

  • 20% rewritten

    The following risk factors should be read in connection with the other information included in this annual report on Form 10-K, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and USL’s financial statements and the related notes

All 48 risk factors

Headings as the filing states them, in filing order.

Other

  1. 01The following risk factors should be read in connection with the other information included in this annual report on Form 10-K, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and USL’s financial statements and the related notes20% rewritten
  2. 02Price volatility may possibly cause the total loss of your investment50% rewritten
  3. 03Natural disasters, public health disruptions (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), and international armed conflicts could impact the price of crude oil and/or the value, pricing and liquidity of USL investments or assets which, in turn, could cause the loss of your investment in USL34% rewritten
  4. 04Historical performance of USL and the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts is not indicative of future performance
  5. 05An investment in USL may provide little or no diversification benefits. Thus, in a declining market, USL may have no gains to offset losses from other investments, and an investor may suffer losses on an investment in USL while incurring losses with respect to other asset classes
  6. 06The market price at which investors buy or sell shares may be significantly less or more than NAV
  7. 07Daily percentage changes in USL’s NAV may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts24% rewritten
  8. 08Daily percentage changes in the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the spot price of crude oil31% rewritten
  9. 09An investment in USL is not a proxy for investing in the oil markets, and the daily percentage changes in the price of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts, or the NAV of USL, may not correlate with daily percentage changes in the spot price of light, sweet crude oil
  10. 10Natural forces in the crude oil futures market known as “backwardation” and “contango” may increase USL’s tracking error and/or negatively impact total return
  11. 11Accountability levels, position limits, and daily price fluctuation limits set by the exchanges have the potential to cause tracking error, which could cause the average of the prices of shares to substantially vary from the average of the prices of the Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts23% rewritten

Tax Risk

  1. 12An investor’s tax liability may exceed the amount of distributions, if any, on its shares
  2. 13An investor’s allocable share of taxable income or loss may differ from its economic income or loss on the shares
  3. 14USL could be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which may substantially reduce the value of the shares
  4. 15USL is organized and operated as a limited partnership in accordance with the provisions of the LP Agreement and applicable state law, and therefore, USL has a more complex tax treatment than traditional mutual funds50% rewritten
  5. 16distribution with which to pay the tax liability resulting from the allocation, or may receive a distribution that is insufficient to pay such liabilityNew
  6. 17If USL is required to withhold tax with respect to any non-U.S. shareholders, the cost of such withholding may be borne by all shareholders
  7. 18The impact of changes in U.S. federal income tax laws on USL is uncertain70% rewritten
  8. 19USL will be subject to credit risk with respect to counterparties to OTC contracts entered into by USL
  9. 20Valuing OTC derivatives may be less certain than valuing exchange-traded and/or cleared financial instruments

Other Risks

  1. 21USL is not leveraged, but it could become leveraged if it had insufficient assets to completely meet its margin or collateral requirements relating to its investments52% rewritten
  2. 22USL may temporarily limit the offering of Creation Baskets
  3. 23Certain of USL’s investments could be illiquid, which could cause large losses to investors at any time or from time to time
  4. 24USL may not meet the listing standards of NYSE Arca, which would adversely impact an investor’s ability to sell shares
  5. 25The NYSE Arca may halt trading in USL’s shares, which would adversely impact an investor’s ability to sell shares
  6. 26Shareholders that are not Authorized Participants may only purchase or sell their shares in secondary trading markets, and the conditions associated with trading in secondary markets may adversely affect investors’ investment in the shares
  7. 27The lack of an active trading market for USL’s shares may result in losses on an investor’s investment in USL at the time the investor sells the shares
  8. 28Limited partners and shareholders do not participate in the management of USL and do not control USCF, so they do not have any influence over basic matters that affect USL
  9. 29Under Delaware law, a limited partner might be held liable for USL’s obligations as if it were a general partner if the limited partner participates in the control of the partnership’s business and the persons who transact business with the partnership think the limited partner is the general partner
  10. 30There is a risk that USL will not earn trading gains sufficient to compensate for the fees and expenses that it must pay and as such USL may not earn any profit
  11. 31USL is subject to extensive regulatory reporting and compliance
  12. 32Regulatory changes or actions, including the implementation of new legislation are impossible to predict but may significantly and adversely affect USL
  13. 33USL is not a registered investment company so shareholders do not have the protections of the 1940 Act
  14. 34Trading in international markets could expose USL to credit and regulatory risk
  15. 35USL and USCF may have conflicts of interest, which may permit them to favor their own interests to the detriment of shareholders
  16. 36USL could terminate at any time and cause the liquidation and potential loss of an investor’s investment and could upset the overall maturity and timing of an investor’s investment portfolio
  17. 37USL does not expect to make cash distributions
  18. 38An unanticipated number of Redemption Basket requests during a short period of time could have an adverse effect on USL’s NAV83% rewritten
  19. 39USL may determine that to allow it to reinvest the proceeds from sales of its Creation Baskets in currently permitted assets in a manner that meets its investment objective it may limit its offers of Creation Baskets
  20. 40USL may be subject to interest rate risk, which may prevent USL from investing fully at prevailing rates until any current investments in Treasuries mature in order to avoid selling those investments at a loss
  21. 41Inflation is a general increase in the overall price level of goods and services in the economy. The United States Federal Reserve has a stated goal of maintaining a two percent increase in inflation over the long run, as measured by the annual change in the price index for personal consumption expenditures
  22. 42USL may potentially lose money by investing in government money market funds
  23. 43The failure or bankruptcy of a clearing broker could result in a substantial loss of USL’s assets and could impair USL in its ability to execute trades
  24. 44The failure or bankruptcy of USL’s Custodian could result in a substantial loss of USL’s assets
  25. 45Competing claims of intellectual property rights may adversely affect USL and an investment in USL’s sharesNew
  26. 46Due to the increased use of technologies, intentional and unintentional cyber-attacks pose operational and information security risks
  27. 47USL’s investment returns could be negatively affected by climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions
  28. 48USCF is the subject of class action, derivative and other litigation. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in litigation matters, an adverse outcome in this litigation could materially adversely affect USCF’s financial condition

Other United States 12 Month Oil Fund 10-Ks

  • FY2024 10-K risk factors
    48 risks

    USL aims to track light, sweet crude oil spot prices using a 12-month futures contract structure.

    Filed Feb 28, 2025

About this page

The headings are the filing's own. The one-line readings and the overview are automated and can be wrong: read Item 1A of the 10-K for the exact wording.