UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
x |
Quarterly
report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 for the quarterly
period
ended September 30, 2008.
|
OR
¨ |
Transition
report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 for the
transition
period from
to
.
|
Commission
file number: 001-33975
United
States Gasoline Fund, LP
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
|
20-8837263
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
1320
Harbor Bay Parkway, Suite 145
Alameda,
California 94502
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(510)
522-3336
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
N/A
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.
x
Yes ¨
No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company.
See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
|
|
|
Smaller
reporting company ¨
|
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting
company)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
¨
Yes x
No
UNITED
STATES GASOLINE FUND, LP
Table
of Contents
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Page
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Part
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Item
1. Condensed Financial Statements.
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1
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Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations.
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14
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Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk.
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25
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Item
4. Controls and Procedures.
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26
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Part
II. OTHER INFORMATION
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Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
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27
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Item
1A. Risk Factors.
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27
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Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
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27
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Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
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27
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Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
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27
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Item
5. Other Information.
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27
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Item
6. Exhibits.
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27
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Item
1. Condensed Financial Statements.
Index
to Condensed Financial Statements
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Page
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Documents
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Condensed
Statements
of Financial Condition at September 30, 2008 (Unaudited) and December
31,
2007
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2
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Condensed
Schedule
of Investments (Unaudited) at September 30, 2008
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3
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Condensed
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three months ended September
30, 2008 and the period from February 26, 2008 (commencement of
operations) to September 30, 2008
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4
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|
|
|
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Condensed
Statement
of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited) for the period from February
26, 2008 (commencement of operations) to
September 30, 2008
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5
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|
|
|
|
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Condensed
Statements
of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the period from February 26, 2008
(commencement of operations) to September 30, 2008 and
the period from April 12, 2007 (inception) to September 30,
2007
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|
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6
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Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements
for the period from February 26, 2008 (commencement of operations)
to
September 30, 2008 (Unaudited)
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7
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Condensed
Statements of Financial Condition
At
September 30, 2008 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2007
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September 30, 2008
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December 31, 2007
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Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Cash
and cash equivalents
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$
|
12,022,619
|
|
$
|
1,000
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|
Equity
in UBS Securities LLC trading accounts:
|
|
|
|
|
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Cash
|
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1,801,350
|
|
|
-
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Unrealized
gain on open commodity futures contracts
|
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|
1,057,795
|
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-
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Interest
receivable
|
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20,769
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-
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Receivable
from general partner
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196,148
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-
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
assets
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$
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15,098,681
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$
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1,000
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|
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Liabilities
and Partners' Capital
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General
Partner management fees (Note 3)
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$
|
8,334
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|
$
|
-
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Brokerage
commissions payable
|
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|
1,000
|
|
|
-
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Other
liabilities
|
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222,273
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|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
liabilities
|
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|
231,607
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
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Commitments
and Contingencies (Notes
3, 4 and 5)
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|
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Partners'
Capital
|
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|
|
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General
Partner
|
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-
|
|
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20
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Limited
Partners
|
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|
14,867,074
|
|
|
980
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Total
Partners' Capital
|
|
|
14,867,074
|
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|
1,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
liabilities and partners' capital
|
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$
|
15,098,681
|
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$
|
1,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Limited
Partners' units outstanding
|
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300,000
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|
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Net
asset value per unit
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$
|
49.56
|
|
|
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Market
value per unit
|
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$
|
49.74
|
|
|
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
Condensed
Schedule of Investments (Unaudited)
At
September 30, 2008
Open
Futures Contracts
|
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United
States Contracts
|
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Gasoline
Futures contracts, expire November 2008
|
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144
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$
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1,057,795
|
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7.12
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Cost
|
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|
Market Value
|
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United
States - Money Market Funds
|
|
|
|
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|
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Goldman
Sachs Financial Square Funds - Government Fund
|
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$
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8,103,646
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$
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8,103,646
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54.51
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Goldman
Sachs Financial Square Funds – Treasury Instruments Fund
|
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3,005,527
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3,005,527
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20.21
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$
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11,109,173
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11,109,173
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74.72
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Cash
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913,446
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6.14
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Total
Cash and Cash Equivalents
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|
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12,022,619
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80.86
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|
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Cash
on deposit with broker
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1,801,350
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12.12
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Liabilities,
less receivables
|
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(14,690
|
)
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|
(0.10
|
)
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Total
Partners' Capital
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14,867,074
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
Condensed
Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
For
the three months ended September 30, 2008 and the period
from
February
26, 2008 (commencement of operations) to September 30,
2008
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Three months ended
September 30, 2008
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Period from
February 26, 2008
to
September 30, 2008
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Income
|
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Gains
(losses) on trading of commodity futures contracts:
|
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|
|
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Realized
losses on closed positions
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|
$
|
(7,632,467
|
)
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$
|
(2,810,800
|
)
|
Change
in unrealized gains on open positions
|
|
|
426,560
|
|
|
1,057,795
|
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
118,162
|
|
|
247,742
|
|
Other
income
|
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|
1,000
|
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|
6,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
loss
|
|
|
(7,086,745
|
)
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|
(1,499,263
|
)
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|
|
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Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
General
Partner management fees (Note 3)
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37,889
|
|
|
81,854
|
|
Brokerage
commissions
|
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|
4,322
|
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|
10,750
|
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Other
expenses
|
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|
94,987
|
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226,340
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
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|
Total
expenses
|
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|
137,198
|
|
|
318,944
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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K-1
Tax expense waiver
|
|
|
(61,980
|
)
|
|
(150,163
|
)
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Audit
fees waiver
|
|
|
(19,074
|
)
|
|
(45,985
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Net
expenses
|
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|
56,144
|
|
|
122,796
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(7,142,889
|
)
|
$
|
(1,622,059
|
)
|
Net
loss per limited partnership unit
|
|
$
|
(15.67
|
)
|
$
|
(0.44
|
)
|
Net
loss per weighted average limited partnership
unit
|
|
$
|
(16.19
|
)
|
$
|
(4.03
|
)
|
Weighted
average limited partnership units outstanding
|
|
|
441,304
|
|
|
402,752
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
Condensed
Statement of Changes in Partners’ Capital (Unaudited)
For
the period from February 26, 2008 (commencement of operations) to September
30,
2008
|
|
General
Partner
|
|
Limited Partners
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balances,
at February 26, 2008
|
|
$
|
20
|
|
$
|
980
|
|
$
|
1,000
|
|
Addition
of 600,000 partnership units
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
32,597,025
|
|
|
32,597,025
|
|
Redemption
of 300,000 partnership units
|
|
|
(20
|
)
|
|
(16,108,872
|
)
|
|
(16,108,892
|
)
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
(1,622,059
|
)
|
|
(1,622,059
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balances,
at September 30, 2008
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
14,867,074
|
|
$
|
14,867,074
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Asset Value Per Unit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At
February 26, 2008 (commencement of operations)
|
|
$
|
50.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
At
September 30, 2008
|
|
$
|
49.56
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.
Condensed
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
For
the period from February 26, 2008 (commencement of operations) to September
30,
2008
and
the period from April 12, 2007 (inception) to September 30,
2007
|
|
Period from
|
|
Period from
|
|
|
|
February 26, 2008 to
|
|
April 12, 2007 to
|
|
|
|
September 30, 2008
|
|
September 30, 2007
|
|
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(1,622,059
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase
in commodity futures trading account – cash
|
|
|
(1,801,350
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Unrealized
gains on futures contracts
|
|
|
(1,057,795
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Increase
in interest receivable and other assets
|
|
|
(216,917
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
Increase
in management fees payable
|
|
|
8,334
|
|
|
-
|
|
Increase
in commissions payable
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
Increase
in other liabilities
|
|
|
222,273
|
|
|
-
|
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(4,466,514
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subscription
of partnership units
|
|
|
32,597,025
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
Redemption
of partnership units
|
|
|
(16,108,892
|
)
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
16,488,133
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
|
|
12,021,619
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents,
beginning of period
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
Cash
and Cash Equivalents,
end of period
|
|
$
|
12,022,619
|
|
$
|
1,000
|
|
See
accompanying notes to condensed financial
statements.
Notes
to Condensed Financial Statements
For
the period from February 26, 2008 (commencement of operations) to September
30,
2008 (Unaudited)
NOTE
1 - ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS
The
United States Gasoline Fund, LP (“USG”) was organized as a limited partnership
under the laws of the state of Delaware on April 12, 2007. USG is a commodity
pool that issues units that may be purchased and sold on the American Stock
Exchange (the “AMEX”). USG will continue in perpetuity, unless terminated sooner
upon the occurrence of one or more events as described in its Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership dated as of February 11, 2008 (the
“LP
Agreement”). The investment objective of USG is for the changes in percentage
terms of its net asset value to reflect the changes in percentage terms of
the
price of gasoline (also known as reformulated gasoline blendstock for oxygen
blending, or “RBOB”) for delivery to the New York harbor as measured by the
changes in the price of the futures contract on gasoline as traded on the New
York Mercantile Exchange (the “NYMEX”) that is the near month contract to
expire, except when the near month contract is within two weeks of expiration,
in which case the futures contract will be the next month contract to expire,
less USG’s expenses. USG accomplishes its objective through investments in
futures contracts for gasoline, crude oil, natural gas, heating oil and other
petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the NYMEX, ICE Futures or other U.S.
and foreign exchanges (collectively, “Futures Contracts”) and other
gasoline-related investments such as cash-settled options on Futures Contracts,
forward contracts for gasoline and over-the-counter transactions that are based
on the price of gasoline, crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels, Futures
Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other
Gasoline-Related Investments”). As of September 30, 2008, USG held 144 Futures
Contracts traded on the NYMEX.
USG
commenced investment operations on February 26, 2008 and has a fiscal year
ending on December 31. United States Commodity Funds LLC (formerly known as
Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC) (the “General Partner”) is responsible
for the management of USG. The General Partner is a member of the National
Futures Association (the “NFA”) and became a commodity pool operator with
the Commodity Futures Trading Commission effective December 1, 2005. The General
Partner is also the general partner of the United States Oil Fund, LP
(“USOF”), the United States Natural Gas Fund, LP (“USNG”), the United States 12
Month Oil Fund, LP (“US12OF”) and the United States Heating Oil Fund, LP
(“USHO”), which listed their limited partnership units on the AMEX under the
ticker symbols “USO” on April 10, 2006, “UNG” on April 18, 2007, “USL” on
December 6, 2007 and “UHN” on April 9, 2008, respectively.
The
accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and, therefore, do not include
all information and footnote disclosure required under accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America. The financial
information included herein is unaudited, however, such financial
information reflects all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management,
necessary for the fair presentation of the condensed financial statements
for the interim period.
USG issues
limited partnership interests (“units”) to certain authorized purchasers
(“Authorized Purchasers”) by offering baskets consisting of 100,000 units
(“Creation Baskets”) through ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the “Marketing Agent”).
The purchase price for a Creation Basket is based upon the net asset value
of
a unit determined as of the earlier of the close of the New York Stock
Exchange (the “NYSE”) or 4:00 p.m. New York time on the day the order to create
the basket is properly received. In addition, Authorized
Purchasers pay USG a $1,000 fee for each order to create one or
more Creation Baskets. Units may be purchased or sold on a nationally
recognized securities exchange in smaller increments than a Creation Basket.
Units purchased or sold on a nationally recognized securities exchange are
not
purchased or sold at the net asset value of USG but rather at market prices
quoted on such exchange.
In
February 2008, USG initially registered 30,000,000 units on Form S-1 with the
SEC. On February 26, 2008, USG listed its units on the AMEX under the ticker
symbol “UGA”. On that day, USG established its initial net asset value by
setting the price at $50.00 per unit and issued 300,000 units in exchange
for $15,001,000. USG also commenced investment operations on February 26, 2008
by purchasing Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX based on gasoline. As of
September 30, 2008, USG had registered a total of 30,000,000 units.
NOTE
2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Revenue
Recognition
Commodity
futures contracts, forward contracts, physical commodities, and related options
are recorded on the trade date. All such transactions are recorded on the
identified cost basis and marked to market daily. Unrealized gains or losses
on
open contracts are reflected in the condensed statement of financial
condition and in the difference between the original contract amount and the
market value (as determined by exchange settlement prices for futures contracts
and related options and cash dealer prices at a predetermined time for forward
contracts, physical commodities, and their related options) as of the last
business day of the year or as of the last date of the condensed financial
statements. Changes in the unrealized gains or losses between periods are
reflected in the condensed statement of operations. USG earns interest on
its assets denominated in U.S. dollars on deposit with the futures commission
merchant at the 90-day Treasury bill rate. In addition, USG earns interest
on funds held at the custodian at prevailing market rates earned on such
investments.
Brokerage
Commissions
Brokerage
commissions on all open commodity futures contracts are accrued on a full-turn
basis.
Income
Taxes
USG
is
not subject to federal income taxes; each partner reports its allocable share
of
income, gain, loss deductions or credits on its own income tax
return.
Creations
and Redemptions
Authorized
Purchasers may purchase units (“Creation Baskets”) or redeem units (“Redemption
Baskets”) only in blocks of 100,000 units equal to the net asset value of the
units determined as of the earlier of the close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New
York time on the day the order is placed.
USG
records units sold or redeemed one business day after the trade date of the
purchase or redemption. The amounts due from Authorized Purchasers are
reflected in USG’s condensed statement of financial condition as receivable
for units sold, and amounts payable to Authorized Purchasers upon redemption
are
reflected as payable for units redeemed.
Partnership
Capital and Allocation of Partnership Income and Losses
Profit
or
loss is allocated among the partners of USG in proportion to the number of
units
each partner holds as of the close of each month. The General Partner may
revise, alter or otherwise modify this method of allocation as described in
the
LP Agreement.
Calculation
of Net Asset Value
USG calculates
its net asset value on each trading day by taking the current market value
of
its total assets, subtracting any liabilities and dividing the amount by the
total number of units issued and outstanding. USG uses the closing price for
the
contracts on the relevant exchange on that day to determine the value of
contracts held on such exchange.
Net
Income (Loss) per Unit
Net
income (loss) per unit is the difference between the net asset value per
unit at the beginning of each period and at the end of each period. The
weighted average number of units outstanding was computed for purposes of
disclosing net income (loss) per weighted average unit. The weighted average
units are equal to the number of units outstanding at the end of the period,
adjusted proportionately for units redeemed based on the amount of time the
units were outstanding during such period. There were no units held by the
General Partner at September 30, 2008.
Offering
Costs
Offering
costs incurred in connection with the registration of additional units after
the
initial registration of units are borne by USG. These costs include
registration fees paid to regulatory agencies and all legal, accounting,
printing and other expenses associated therewith. These costs will be accounted
for as a deferred charge and thereafter amortized to expense over twelve months
on a straight line basis or a shorter period if warranted.
Cash
Equivalents
Cash
and
cash equivalents include money market funds and overnight deposits or time
deposits with original maturity dates of three months or less.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of condensed financial statements in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires USG’s
management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount
of
assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at
the date of the condensed financial statements, and the reported amounts of
the revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could
differ from those estimates and assumptions.
NOTE 3
- FEES PAID BY USG AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
General
Partner Management Fee
Under
the LP Agreement, the General Partner is responsible for investing the
assets of USG in accordance with the objectives and policies of USG. In
addition, the General Partner has arranged for one or more third parties to
provide administrative, custody, accounting, transfer agency and other necessary
services to USG. For these services, USG is contractually obligated to pay
the
General Partner a fee, which is paid monthly and based on average daily net
assets, that is equal to 0.60% per annum on average daily net assets.
Ongoing
Registration Fees and Other Offering Expenses
USG
pays
all costs and expenses associated with the ongoing registration
of units subsequent to the initial offering. These costs include
registration or other fees paid to regulatory agencies in connection with the
offer and sale of units, and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses
associated with such offer and sale. For the period from February 26, 2008
to September 30, 2008, USG did not incur registration fees or other offering
expenses.
Directors’
Fees
USG
is
responsible for paying the fees and expenses, including directors’ and officers’
liability insurance, of the independent directors of the General Partner who
are
also audit committee members. USG shares these fees with USOF, USNG,
US12OF and USHO based on the relative assets of each fund, computed on a daily
basis. These fees for the calendar year 2008 are estimated to be a total of
$286,000 for all five funds.
Licensing
Fees
As
discussed in Note 4, USG entered into a licensing agreement with the NYMEX
on May 30, 2007. The agreement has an effective date of April 10, 2006. Pursuant
to the agreement, USG and the affiliated funds managed by the General Partner
pay a licensing fee that is equal to 0.04% for the first $1,000,000,000 of
combined assets of the funds and 0.02% for combined assets above $1,000,000,000.
During the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, USG incurred
$4,403 under this arrangement.
Investor
Tax Reporting Cost
The
fees
and expenses associated with USG’s tax accounting and reporting requirements,
with the exception of certain initial implementation service fees and base
service fees which were borne by the General Partner, are paid by
USG.
Other
Expenses and Fees and Expense Waivers
In
addition to the fees described above, USG pays all brokerage fees, taxes
and other expenses in connection with the operation of USG, excluding costs
and
expenses paid by the General Partner as outlined in Note 4. In
addition, the General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, has agreed
to pay certain expenses normally borne by USG to the extent that such expenses
exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of its NAV, on an annualized basis, until
December 31, 2008. The General Partner has no obligation to continue such
payment into subsequent years.
These
costs are estimated to be $149,390 for the year ending December 31, 2008.
For
the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, management’s estimated
portion of these expenses would be $125,975 under this arrangement.
NOTE
4 - CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS
USG
is
party to a marketing agent agreement, dated as of January 18, 2008,
with the Marketing Agent, whereby the Marketing Agent provides certain
marketing services for USG as outlined in the agreement. The fee of the
Marketing Agent, which is borne by the General Partner, is equal to 0.06% on
USG’s assets up to $3 billion; and 0.04% on USG’s assets in excess of $3
billion.
The
above
fee does not include the following expenses, which are also borne by the General
Partner: the cost of placing advertisements in various periodicals; web
construction and development; or the printing and production of various
marketing materials.
USG
is
also party to a custodian agreement, dated January 16, 2008, with Brown Brothers
Harriman & Co. (“BBH&Co.”), whereby BBH&Co. holds investments on
behalf of USG. The General Partner pays the fees of the custodian, which
are determined by the parties from time to time. In addition, USG is party
to an
administrative agency agreement, dated February 7, 2008, with the General
Partner and BBH&Co., whereby BBH&Co. acts as the administrative agent,
transfer agent and registrar for USG. The General Partner also pays the
fees of BBH&Co. for its services under this agreement and such fees are
determined by the parties from time to time.
Currently,
the General Partner pays BBH&Co. for its services, in the foregoing
capacities, the greater of a minimum of $125,000 annually or an asset-based
charge of (a) 0.06% for the first $500 million of USG’s, USOF’s, USNG’s,
US12OF’s and USHO’s combined net assets, (b) 0.0465% for USG’s, USOF’s, USNG’s,
US12OF’s and USHO’s combined net assets greater than $500 million but less than
$1 billion, and (c) 0.035% for USG’s, USOF’s, USNG’s, US12OF’s and USHO’s
combined net assets in excess of $1 billion. The General Partner also pays
a
$25,000 annual fee for the transfer agency services and transaction fees
ranging from $7.00 to $15.00 per transaction.
USG
has
entered into a brokerage agreement with UBS Securities LLC (“UBS Securities”).
The agreement requires UBS Securities to provide services to USG in connection
with the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related
Investments that may be purchased and sold by or through UBS Securities for
USG’s account. The agreement provides that UBS Securities charge USG commissions
of approximately $7 per round-turn trade, plus applicable exchange and NFA
fees
for Futures Contracts and options on Futures Contracts.
USG
invests primarily in Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX. On May 30, 2007,
USG
and the NYMEX entered into a license agreement whereby USG was granted a
non-exclusive license to use certain of the NYMEX’s settlement prices and
service marks. The agreement has an effective date of April 10, 2006. Under
the license agreement, USG and the affiliated funds managed by the General
Partner pay the NYMEX an asset-based fee for the license, the terms of which
are
described in Note 3.
USG
expressly disclaims any association with the NYMEX or endorsement of USG by
the
NYMEX and acknowledges that “NYMEX” and “New York Mercantile Exchange” are
registered trademarks of the NYMEX.
NOTE
5 - FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISKS AND
CONTINGENCIES
USG engages
in the speculative trading of futures contracts and options on futures contracts
(collectively, “derivatives”). USG is exposed to both market risk, which is the
risk arising from changes in the market value of the contracts, and credit
risk,
which is the risk of failure by another party to perform according to the terms
of a contract.
All
of
the contracts currently traded by USG are exchange-traded. The risks
associated with exchange-traded contracts are generally perceived to be less
than those associated with over-the-counter transactions since, in
over-the-counter transactions, USG must rely solely on the credit of its
respective individual counterparties. However, in the future, if USG were
to enter into non-exchange traded contracts, it would be subject to the credit
risk associated with counterparty non-performance. The credit risk from
counterparty non-performance associated with such instruments is the net
unrealized gain, if any. USG also has credit risk since the sole counterparty
to
all domestic and foreign futures contracts is the exchange on which the
relevant contracts are traded. In addition, USG bears the risk of financial
failure by the clearing broker.
The
purchase and sale of futures and options on futures contracts require margin
deposits with a futures commission merchant. Additional deposits may be
necessary for any loss on contract value. The Commodity Exchange Act requires
a
futures commission merchant to segregate all customer transactions and assets
from the futures commission merchant’s proprietary activities.
USG’s
cash and other property, such as U.S. Treasuries, deposited with a futures
commission merchant are considered commingled with all other customer funds
subject to the futures commission merchant’s segregation requirements. In the
event of a futures commission merchant’s insolvency, recovery may be limited to
a pro rata share of segregated funds available. It is possible that the
recovered amount could be less than the total of cash and other property
deposited. The insolvency of a futures commission merchant could result in
the
complete loss of USG’s assets posted with that futures commission merchant;
however, the vast majority of USG’s assets are held in Treasuries, cash and/or
cash equivalents with USG’s custodian and would not be impacted by the
insolvency of a futures commission merchant. Also, the failure or insolvency
of
USG’s custodian could result in a substantial loss of USG’s assets.
USG invests
its cash in money market funds that seek to maintain a stable net asset value.
USG is exposed to any risk of loss associated with an investment in these money
market funds. As of September 30, 2008, USG had deposits in domestic and foreign
financial institutions,
including
cash investments in money market funds, in the amount of $13,823,969. This
amount is subject to loss should these institutions cease
operations.
For
derivatives, risks arise from changes in the market value of the contracts.
Theoretically, USG is exposed to a market risk equal to the value of
futures contracts purchased and unlimited liability on such contracts sold
short. As both a buyer and a seller of options, USG pays or receives a
premium at the outset and then bears the risk of unfavorable changes in the
price of the contract underlying the option.
USG’s
policy is to continuously monitor its exposure to market and counterparty risk
through the use of a variety of financial, position and credit exposure
reporting controls and procedures. In addition, USG has a policy of
requiring review of the credit standing of each broker or counterparty with
which it conducts business.
The
financial instruments held by USG are reported in its condensed
statement of financial condition at market or fair value, or at carrying amounts
that approximate fair value, because of their highly liquid nature and
short-term maturity.
NOTE 6
- FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The
following table presents per unit performance data and other supplemental
financial data for the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008
for
the limited partners. This information has been derived from information
presented in the condensed financial statements.
|
|
For the period from
|
|
|
|
February 26, 2008
|
|
|
|
(commencement of operations)
|
|
|
|
to September 30, 2008
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Per Unit
Operating Performance:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
|
$
|
50.00
|
|
Total
loss
|
|
|
(0.14
|
)
|
Net
expenses
|
|
|
(0.30
|
)
|
Net
decrease in net asset value
|
|
|
(0.44
|
)
|
Net
asset value, end of period
|
|
$
|
49.56
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Return
|
|
|
(0.88
|
)%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ratios
to Average Net Assets
|
|
|
|
|
Total
loss
|
|
|
(6.55
|
)%
|
Expenses
excluding management fees*
|
|
|
(0.30
|
)%
|
Management
fees*
|
|
|
(0.60
|
)%
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
(7.08
|
)%
|
Total
returns are calculated based on the change in value during the period. An
individual limited partner’s total return and ratio may vary from the above
total returns and ratios based on the timing of contributions to and withdrawals
from USG.
NOTE 7
– RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Fair
Value of Financial Instruments
Effective
January 1, 2008, USG adopted FAS 157 – Fair Value Measurements (“FAS 157” or the
“Statement”). FAS 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring
fair value in generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), and expands
disclosures about fair value measurement. The changes to current practice
resulting from the application of the Statement relate to the definition of
fair
value, the methods used to measure fair value, and the expanded disclosures
about fair value measurement. The Statement establishes a fair value hierarchy
that distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based
on
market data obtained from sources independent of USG (observable inputs) and
(2)
USG’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on
the best information available under the circumstances (unobservable inputs).
The three levels defined by the FAS 157 hierarchy are as follows:
Level
I –
Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical
assets
or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the
measurement date.
Level
II
– Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level II assets
include the following: quoted prices for similar
assets
or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets
or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices
that are observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived
principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or
other means (market-corroborated inputs).
Level
III
– Unobservable pricing input at the measurement date for the asset or liability.
Unobservable inputs shall be used to measure fair value to the extent that
observable inputs are not available.
In
some
instances, the inputs used to measure fair value might fall in different levels
of the fair value hierarchy. The level in the fair value hierarchy within which
the fair value measurement in its entirety falls shall be determined based
on
the lowest input level that is significant to the fair value measurement in
its
entirety.
The
following table summarizes the valuation of USG’s securities at September 30,
2008 using the fair value hierarchy:
At September
30, 2008
|
|
Total
|
|
Level I
|
|
Level II
|
|
Level III
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investments
|
|
$
|
11,109,173
|
|
$
|
11,109,173
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Derivative
assets
|
|
|
1,057,795
|
|
|
1,057,795
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
NOTE 8
– SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On
September 18, 2008, USG announced that it would transfer the listing of its
limited partnership units that are listed on the AMEX to the NYSE Arca, Inc.
in
connection with NYSE Euronext’s acquisition of the AMEX. USG
expects
that the transfer listing will occur sometime during the fourth quarter of
2008.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed financial
statements and the notes thereto of the United States Gasoline Fund, LP (“USG”)
included elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.
Forward-Looking
Information
This
quarterly report on Form 10-Q, including this “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains
forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management
for
future operations. This information may involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause USG’s actual results, performance
or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance
or
achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe USG’s
future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by use
of
the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“believe,” “intend” or “project,” the negative of these words, other
variations on these words or comparable terminology. These forward-looking
statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and USG cannot assure
investors that the projections included in these forward-looking statements
will
come to pass. USG’s actual results could differ materially from those
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various
factors.
USG
has
based the forward-looking statements included in this quarterly report on Form
10-Q on information available to it on the date of this quarterly report on
Form 10-Q, and USG assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Although USG undertakes no obligation to revise or update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, investors are advised to consult any additional disclosures
that USG may make directly to them or through reports that USG in the
future files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”),
including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and
current reports on Form 8-K.
Introduction
USG,
a
Delaware limited partnership, is a commodity pool that issues units that
may be purchased and sold on the American Stock Exchange (the “AMEX”).
On
September 18, 2008, USG announced that it would transfer the listing of its
limited partnership units that are listed on the AMEX to the NYSE Arca, Inc.
in
connection with NYSE Euronext’s acquisition of the AMEX. USG expects that the
listing transfer will occur sometime during the fourth quarter of 2008. The
investment objective of USG is for changes in percentage terms of its units’ net
asset value (“NAV”) on a daily basis to reflect the changes in percentage terms
in the spot price of gasoline, also known as reformulated gasoline blendstock
for oxygen blending, or “RBOB”, for delivery to the New York harbor, also on a
daily basis, as measured by the changes in the price of the futures contract
on
gasoline as traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (the “NYMEX”) that is the
near month contract to expire, except when the near month contract is within
two
weeks of expiration, in which case the futures contract will be the next month
contract to expire, less USG’s expenses.
USG
seeks
to achieve its investment objective by investing in a combination of gasoline
futures contracts and other gasoline-related investments such that changes
in
its NAV, measured in percentage terms, will closely track the changes in
the price of a specified gasoline futures contract (the “Benchmark Futures
Contract”), also measured in percentage terms. USG’s general partner believes
the Benchmark Futures Contract historically has exhibited a close
correlation with the spot price of gasoline. It is not the intent of USG to
be
operated in a fashion such that the NAV will equal, in dollar terms, the spot
price of gasoline or any particular futures contract based on gasoline.
Management believes that it is not practical to manage the portfolio to achieve
such an investment goal when investing in listed gasoline futures
contracts.
On
any
valuation day, the Benchmark Futures Contract is the near
month futures contract for gasoline traded on the NYMEX unless the
near month contract will expire within two weeks of the valuation day, in which
case the Benchmark Futures Contract is the next month contract for
gasoline traded on the NYMEX. “Near month contract” means the next contract
traded on the NYMEX due to expire. “Next month contract” means the first
contract traded on the NYMEX due to expire after the near month
contract.
USG
may
also invest in futures contracts for other types of gasoline, crude oil, natural
gas, heating oil and other petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the NYMEX,
ICE Futures or other U.S. and foreign exchanges (collectively, “Futures
Contracts”) and other gasoline-related investments such as cash-settled options
on Futures Contracts, forward contracts for gasoline and over-the-counter
transactions that are based on the price of gasoline, crude oil and other
petroleum-based fuels, Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing
(collectively, “Other Gasoline-Related Investments”). For convenience and unless
otherwise specified, Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments
collectively are referred to as “Gasoline Interests” in this quarterly report on
Form 10-Q.
The
general partner of USG, United States Commodity Funds LLC (formerly, Victoria
Bay Asset Management, LLC) (the “General Partner”), which is registered as
a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading
Commission (the “CFTC”), is authorized by the Amended and Restated
Agreement of Limited Partnership of USG (the “LP Agreement”) to manage USG. The
General Partner is authorized by USG in its sole judgment to employ and
establish the terms of employment for, and termination of, commodity trading
advisors or futures commission merchants.
Valuation
of Futures Contracts and the Computation of the NAV
The
NAV
of USG units is calculated once each trading day as of the earlier of the close
of the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) or 4:00 p.m. New York time. The
NAV for a particular trading day is released after 4:15 p.m. New York
time. Trading on the NYSE typically closes at 4:00 p.m. New York time.
USG uses the NYMEX closing price (determined at the earlier of the close of
the
NYMEX or 2:30 p.m. New York time) for the contracts held on the NYMEX, but
calculates or determines the value of all other USG investments, including
ICE
Futures contracts or other futures contracts, as of the earlier of the
close of the NYSE or 4:00 p.m. New York time.
Management’s
Discussion of Results of Operations and the Gasoline
Market
Results
of Operations. On
February 26, 2008, USG listed its units on the AMEX under the ticker symbol
“UGA.” On that day, USG established its initial offering price at $50.00 per
unit and issued 300,000 units to the initial authorized purchaser, Kellogg
Capital Group, LLC, in exchange for $15,001,000 in cash. As of September 30,
2008, USG had issued 600,000 units, 300,000 of which were outstanding. As of
September 30, 2008, there were 29,400,000 units registered but not yet
issued.
More
units may have been issued by USG than are outstanding due to the redemption
of
units. Unlike funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, units that have been redeemed by USG cannot be resold by
USG.
As a result, USG contemplates that additional offerings of its units will be
registered with the SEC in the future in anticipation of additional
issuances and redemptions.
As
of
September 30, 2008, the total unrealized gain on gasoline Futures Contracts
owned or held on that day was $1,057,795 and USG established cash
deposits,
including
cash investments in money market funds, that were equal to $13,823,969. The
majority of cash assets were held in overnight deposits at USG’s custodian bank,
while 13.03% of the cash balance was held with the futures commission merchant
as margin deposits for the Futures Contracts purchased. The ending per unit
NAV on September 30, 2008 was $49.56.
Portfolio
Expenses.
USG’s
expenses consist of investment management fees, brokerage
fees and commissions, certain offering costs, licensing fees and the fees
and expenses of the independent directors of the General Partner. The management
fee that USG pays to the General Partner is calculated as a percentage of the
total net assets of USG. USG pays the General Partner a management fee of
0.60% of net assets. The fee is accrued daily.
During
the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, the daily average
total
net assets of USG were $22,904,104. During the period from February 26,
2008 to September 30, 2008, the management fee paid by USG amounted to $81,854,
and was accrued daily. Management fees as a percentage of average net assets
averaged 0.60% over the course of this period.
USG pays
for all brokerage fees, taxes and other expenses, including certain tax
reporting costs, licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, ongoing
registration or other fees paid to the SEC, the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and any other regulatory agency in
connection with offers and sales of its units subsequent to the initial offering
and all legal, accounting, printing and other expenses associated
therewith. For the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008,
USG did not incur any ongoing registration fees or other offering expenses.
In
addition, the General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, has agreed
to pay certain costs for tax reporting and audit expenses normally borne by
USG
to the extent that such expenses exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of its NAV,
on
an annualized basis, until December 31, 2008. The General Partner has no
obligation to continue such payment into subsequent years. USG
is responsible for paying the fees and expenses, including directors’ and
officers’ liability insurance, of the independent directors of the General
Partner who are also audit committee members. USG shares these fees
with USOF, USNG, US12OF and USHO based on the relative assets of each fund
computed on a daily basis. These fees for calendar year 2008 are estimated
to be
a total of $286,000 for all five funds.
USG
also
incurs commissions to brokers for the purchase and sale of Futures Contracts,
Other Gasoline-Related Investments or short-term obligations of the United
States of two years or less (“Treasuries”). During the period from February 26,
2008 to September 30, 2008, total commissions paid to brokers amounted to
$10,750. Prior to the initial offering of its units, USG had estimated that
its
annual level of such commissions was expected to be 0.17% of total net
assets. As an annualized percentage of average net assets, the figure for
the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008 represented
approximately 0.08% of average net assets. However, there can be no assurance
that commission costs and portfolio turnover will not cause commission expenses
to rise in future quarters.
Interest
Income.
USG
seeks to invest its assets such that it holds Futures Contracts and Other
Gasoline-Related Investments in an amount equal to the total net assets of
the
portfolio. Typically, such investments do not require USG to pay the full amount
of the contract value at the time of purchase, but rather require USG to post
an
amount as a margin deposit against the eventual settlement of the contract.
As a
result, USG retains an amount that is approximately equal to its total net
assets, which USG invests in Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents. This
includes both the amount on deposit with the futures commission merchant as
margin, as well as unrestricted cash held with USG’s custodian bank.
The Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents earn interest that
accrues on a daily basis. For the period from February 26, 2008 to September
30,
2008, USG earned $247,742 in interest income on such cash holdings. Based on
USG’s average daily total net assets during this time period, this is equivalent
to an annualized yield of 1.82%. USG did not purchase Treasuries during the
period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008 and held all of its funds
in
cash and/or cash equivalents during this time period.
Tracking
USG’s Benchmark.
USG
seeks to manage its portfolio such that changes in its average daily NAV, on
a
percentage basis, closely track changes in the average of the daily price of
the
Benchmark Futures Contract, also on a percentage basis. Specifically, USG
seeks to manage the portfolio such that over any rolling period of 30 valuation
days, the average daily change in the NAV is within a range of 90% to 110%
(0.9
to 1.1) of the average daily change of the Benchmark Futures Contract. As
an example, if the average daily movement of the Benchmark Futures Contract
for
a particular 30-day time period was 0.5% per day, USG’s management would attempt
to manage the portfolio such that the average daily movement of the NAV during
that same time period fell between 0.45% and 0.55% (i.e.,
between 0.9 and 1.1 of the benchmark’s results). USG’s portfolio management
goals do not include trying to make the nominal price of USG’s NAV equal to the
nominal price of the current Benchmark Futures Contract or the spot price
for gasoline. Management believes that it is not practical to manage the
portfolio to achieve such an investment goal when investing in listed gasoline
Futures Contracts.
For
the
30 valuation days ended September
30,
2008,
the simple average daily change in the Benchmark Futures Contract was (0.105)%,
while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USG over the same time
period was (0.101)%. The average daily difference was 0.004% (or 0.4 basis
points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily
movement of the Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in daily tracking
by the NAV was 0.256%, meaning that over this time period USG’s tracking error
was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark tracking
goal.
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
Since
the
offering of USG units to the public on February 26, 2008 to September 30,
2008, the simple average daily change in the Benchmark Futures Contract was
0.026%, while the simple average daily change in the NAV of USG over the same
time period was 0.030%. The average daily difference was 0.003% (or 0.3 basis
points, where 1 basis point equals 1/100 of 1%). As a percentage of the daily
movement of the Benchmark Futures Contract, the average error in daily
tracking by the NAV was 0.589, meaning that over this time period USG’s tracking
error was within the plus or minus 10% range established as its benchmark
tracking goal.
*PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
An
alternative tracking measurement of the return performance of USG versus the
return of its Benchmark Futures Contract can be calculated by comparing the
actual return of USG, measured by changes in its NAV, versus the
expected
changes
in its NAV under the assumption that USG’s returns had been exactly the same as
the daily changes in its Benchmark Futures Contract.
For
the
period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, the actual total return
of
USG as measured by changes in its NAV was (0.88)%. This is based on an initial
NAV of $50.00 on February 26, 2008 and an ending NAV as of September
30, 2008 of $49.56. During this time period, USG made no distributions to
its unitholders. However, if USG’s daily changes in its NAV had instead exactly
tracked the changes in the daily return of the Benchmark Futures Contract,
USG
would have ended the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated NAV of $49.30,
for a total return over the relevant time period of (1.40)%. The difference
between the actual NAV total return of USG of (0.88)% and the expected total
return based on the Benchmark Futures Contract of (1.40)% was an error over
the
time period of 0.52%, which is to say that USG’s actual total return exceeded
the benchmark result by that percentage. Management believes that a portion
of
the difference between the actual return and the expected benchmark return
can
be attributed to the impact of the interest that USG collects on its cash and
cash equivalent holdings. In addition, during the period from February 26,
2008
to September 30, 2008, USG also collected fees from brokerage firms creating
or
redeeming baskets of units. This income also contributed to USG’s actual return
exceeding the benchmark results. However, if the total assets of USG continue
to
increase, management believes that the impact on total returns of these fees
from creations and redemptions will diminish as a percentage of the total
return.
There
are
currently three factors that have impacted, during the latest period, or
are most likely to impact, USG’s ability to accurately track its
Benchmark Futures Contract.
First,
USG may buy or sell its holdings in the then current Benchmark Futures Contract
at a price other than the closing settlement price of that contract on the
day
in which USG executes the trade. In that case, USG may get a price that is
higher, or lower, than that of the Benchmark Futures Contract,
which could cause the changes in the daily NAV of USG to either be too high
or too low relative to the changes in the daily benchmark. During the period
from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, management attempted to minimize
the effect of these transactions by seeking to execute its purchases or sales
of
the Benchmark Futures Contracts at, or as close as possible to, the end of
the day settlement price. However, it may not always be possible for USG to
obtain the closing settlement price and there is no assurance that failure
to
obtain the closing settlement price in the future will not adversely impact
USG’s attempt to track its benchmark over time.
Second,
USG earns interest on its cash, cash equivalents and Treasury
holdings. USG is not required to distribute any portion of its income to its
unitholders and did not make any distributions to unitholders during the period
from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008. Interest payments, and any other
income, were retained within the portfolio and added to USG’s NAV. When this
income exceeds the level of USG’s expenses for its management fee, brokerage
commissions and other expenses (including ongoing registration fees, licensing
fees and the fees and expenses of the independent directors of the General
Partner), USG will realize a net yield that will tend to cause daily
changes in the NAV of USG to track slightly higher than daily changes in the
Benchmark Futures Contract. During the period from February 26, 2008 to
September 30, 2008, USG earned, on an annualized basis, approximately 1.82%
on
its cash holdings. It also incurred cash expenses on an annualized basis of
0.60% for management fees and approximately 0.08% in brokerage commission costs
related to the purchase and sale of futures contracts, and 0.22% for other
expenses. The foregoing fees and expenses resulted in a net yield on an
annualized basis of approximately 0.92% and affected USG’s ability to track its
benchmark. If short-term interest rates rise above the current levels, the
level
of deviation created by the yield would increase. Conversely, if short-term
interest rates were to decline, the amount of error created by the yield would
decrease. If short-term yields drop to a level lower than the combined expenses
of the management fee and the brokerage commissions, then the tracking error
would become a negative number and would tend to cause the daily returns of
the
NAV to underperform the daily returns of the Benchmark Futures
Contract.
Third,
USG may hold Other Gasoline-Related Investments in its portfolio that may
fail to closely track the Benchmark Futures Contract’s total return
movements. In that case, the error in tracking the benchmark could result in
daily changes in the NAV of USG that are either too high, or too low, relative
to the daily changes in the benchmark. During the period from February 26,
2008
to September 30, 2008, USG did not hold any Other Gasoline-Related Investments.
However, there can be no assurance that in future quarters USG will not make
use
of such Other Gasoline-Related Investments.
Term
Structure of Gasoline Futures Prices and the Impact on Total Returns.
Several
factors determine the total return from investing in a futures contract
position. One factor that impacts the total return that will result from
investing in near month gasoline futures contracts and “rolling” those
contracts forward each month is the price relationship between the current
near
month contract and the later month contracts. For example, if the price of
the
near month contract is higher than the next month contract (a situation referred
to as “backwardation” in the futures market), then absent any other change there
is a tendency for the price of a next month contract to rise in value as it
becomes the near month contract and approaches expiration. Conversely, if the
price of a near month contract is lower than the next month contract (a
situation referred to as “contango” in the futures market), then absent any
other change there is a tendency for the price of a next month contract to
decline in value as it becomes the near month contract and approaches
expiration.
As
an
example, assume that the price of gasoline for immediate delivery (the “spot”
price), was $2.00 per gallon, and the value of a position in the near month
futures contract was also $2.00. Over time, the price of a gallon of gasoline
will fluctuate based on a number of market factors, including demand for
gasoline relative to its supply. The value of the near month contract will
likewise fluctuate in reaction to a number of market factors. If investors
seek to maintain their position in a near month contract and not take delivery
of the gasoline, every month they must sell their current near month contract
as
it approaches expiration and invest in the next month contract.
If
the
futures market is in backwardation, e.g.,
when
the expected price of gasoline in the future would be less, the investor would
be buying a next month contract for a lower price than the current near month
contract. Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing
gasoline prices or the price relationship between the spot price, the near
month
contract and the next month contract (and ignoring the impact of commission
costs and the interest earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents),
the
value of the next month contract would rise as it approaches expiration and
becomes the new near month contract. In this example, the value of the $2.00
investment would tend to rise faster than the spot price of gasoline, or fall
slower. As a result, it would be possible in this hypothetical example for
the
price of spot gasoline to have risen to $2.50 after some period of time, while
the value of the investment in the futures contract would have risen to $2.60,
assuming backwardation is large enough or enough time has elapsed. Similarly,
the spot price of gasoline could have fallen to $1.50 while the value of an
investment in the futures contract could have fallen to only $1.60. Over time,
if backwardation remained constant, the difference would continue to
increase.
If
the
futures market is in contango, the investor would be buying a next month
contract for a higher price than the current near month contract.
Hypothetically, and assuming no other changes to either prevailing gasoline
prices or the price relationship between the spot price, the near month contract
and the next month contract (and ignoring the impact of commission costs and
the
interest earned on cash), the value of the next month contract would fall as
it
approaches expiration and becomes the new near month contract. In this example,
it would mean that the value of the $2.00 investment would tend to rise slower
than the spot price of gasoline, or fall faster. As a result, it would be
possible in this hypothetical example for the spot price of gasoline to
have risen to $2.50 after some period of time, while the value of the investment
in the futures contract will have risen to only $2.40, assuming contango is
large enough or enough time has elapsed. Similarly, the spot price of gasoline
could have fallen to $1.50 while the value of an investment in the futures
contract could have fallen to $1.40. Over time, if contango remained constant,
the difference would continue to increase.
Periods
of contango or backwardation do not meaningfully impact USG’s investment
objective of having percentage changes in its per unit NAV track percentage
changes in the price of the Benchmark Futures Contract since the impact of
backwardation and contango tended to equally impact the percentage changes
in
price of both USG’s units and the Benchmark Futures Contract. It is
impossible to predict with any degree of certainty whether backwardation or
contango will occur in the future. It is likely that both conditions will occur
during different periods.
Gasoline
Market.
During
the period of approximately eight months from commencement of operations,
February 26, 2008, and ended September 30, 2008, the price of unleaded gasoline
in the United States intended for delivery to New York harbor, as measured
by
changes in the price of the futures contract traded on the NYMEX that was
closest to expiration, fell 9.6% from approximately $2.71 a gallon to $2.45
a
gallon. However, during the quarter ended September 30, 2008, prices fluctuated
and reached a high of $3.57 a gallon and a low of $2.45 a gallon (investors
are
cautioned that these represent prices for gasoline on a wholesale basis and
should not be directly compared to retail prices at a gasoline service
station).
During
the period of approximately eight months from commencement of operations,
February 26, 2008, and ended September 30, 2008, the price of crude oil, the
raw
material from which gasoline is refined, fell 0.2% from approximately $100.88
to
$100.64. The price of crude oil was influenced by several factors, including
ongoing strong demand for crude oil globally, modest increases in the production
levels of crude oil, a weakening U.S. dollar which tends to make crude oil
more
expensive in U.S. dollar terms, and continuing political uncertainty in certain
key oil producing countries. Crude oil peaked in price in mid-July 2008, having
reached a price of over $145 a barrel. However, sharply declining U.S. demand
for crude oil as well as a slow-down in demand outside of the U.S. contributed
to a very large drop in the price of crude oil.
Management
believes that over both the medium-term and the long-term, changes in the price
of crude oil will exert the greatest influence on the price of refined petroleum
products such as gasoline. At the same time, there can be other factors that,
particularly in the short term, cause the price of gasoline to rise (or fall),
more (or less) than the price of crude oil. For example, higher gasoline prices
cause American consumers to reduce their gasoline consumption, particularly
during the high demand period of the summer driving season and gasoline prices
are impacted by the availability of refining capacity. Furthermore, a slowdown
or recession in the U.S. economy may have a greater impact on U.S. gasoline
prices than on global crude oil prices. As a result, it is possible that changes
in gasoline prices may not match the changes in crude oil prices.
Unleaded
Gasoline Price Movements in Comparison to other Energy Commodities and
Investment Categories.
The
General Partner believes that investors frequently measure the degree to
which
prices or total returns of one investment or asset class move up or down
in
value in concert with another investment or asset class. Statistically, such
a
measure is usually done by measuring the correlation of the price movements
of
the two different investments or asset classes over some period of time.
The
correlation is scaled between 1 and -1, where 1 indicates that the two
investment options move up or down in price or value together, known as
“positive correlation,” and -1 indicating that they move in completely opposite
directions, known as “negative correlation.” A correlation of 0 would mean that
the movements of the two are neither positively or negatively correlated,
known
as “non-correlation.” That is, the investment options sometimes move up and down
together and other times move in opposite directions.
For
the
ten year time period between 1997 and 2007, the chart below compares the
monthly
movements of unleaded gasoline versus the monthly movements of several other
energy commodities, natural gas, crude oil and heating oil, as well as several
major non-commodity investment asset classes such as large cap U.S. equities,
U.S. government bonds and global equities. It can be seen that over this
particular time period, the movement of unleaded gasoline on a monthly basis
was
NOT strongly correlated, positively or negatively, with the movements of
large
cap U.S. equities, U.S. government bonds or global equities. However, movements
in unleaded gasoline had a strong positive correlation to movements in crude
oil
and heating oil. Finally, unleaded gasoline had a positive, but weaker,
correlation with natural gas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10
Year Correlation Matrix 1997-2007
|
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
U.S.
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
Crude
Oil
|
Natural
Gas
|
Heating
Oil
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
1
|
-0.237
|
0.949
|
-0.037
|
-0.008
|
-0.065
|
-0.087
|
US
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
|
1
|
-0.259
|
0.033
|
0.197
|
0.065
|
-0.175
|
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
|
|
1
|
0.040
|
0.029
|
-0.003
|
0.124
|
Crude
Oil
|
|
|
|
1
|
0.344
|
0.802
|
0.634
|
Natural
Gas
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
0.480
|
0.267
|
Heating
Oil
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
0.663
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
source:
Bloomberg, NYMEX
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
Investors
are cautioned that the historical price relationships between unleaded gasoline
and various other energy commodities, as well as other investment asset classes,
as measured by correlation may not be reliable predictors of future price
movements and correlation results. The results pictured above would have
been
different if a different range of dates had been selected. The General Partner
believes that unleaded gasoline has historically not demonstrated a strong
correlation with equities or bonds over long periods of time. However, the
General Partner also believes that in the future it is possible that unleaded
gasoline could have long term correlation results that indicate prices of
unleaded gasoline more closely track the movements of equities or bonds.
In
addition, the General Partner believes that, when measured over time periods
shorter than ten years, there will always be some periods where the correlation
of unleaded gasoline to equities and bonds will be either more strongly
positively correlated or more strongly negatively correlated than the long
term
historical results suggest.
The
chart
below covers a more recent, but much shorter, range of dates than the above
chart. Over the nine months ended September 30, 2008, unleaded gasoline
continued to have a strong positive correlation with crude oil and heating
oil.
During this period it also had a stronger correlation with the movements
of
natural gas than it had displayed over the prior ten year period. Notably,
the
correlation between unleaded gasoline and both large cap U.S. equities and
global equities, which had been essentially non-correlated over the prior
ten
years, displayed results that indicated that they had a moderate to strong
positive correlation over this shorter time period, particularly due to the
recent downturn in the U.S. economy. Finally, the results showed that unleaded
gasoline and U.S. government bonds, which had essentially been non-correlated
for the prior ten year period, were negatively correlated over this more
recent
time period.
Correlation
Matrix 2008 YTD (9 months)
|
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
U.S.
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
Crude
Oil
|
Natural
Gas
|
Heating
Oil
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
Large
Cap U.S. Equities (S&P 500)
|
1
|
-0.641
|
0.920
|
0.289
|
-0.152
|
0.214
|
0.565
|
US
Govt. Bonds (EFFAS U.S. Government Bond Index)
|
|
1
|
-0.682
|
-0.507
|
-0.045
|
-0.414
|
-0.581
|
Global
Equities (FTSE World Index)
|
|
|
1
|
0.575
|
0.108
|
0.496
|
0.760
|
Crude
Oil
|
|
|
|
1
|
0.771
|
0.914
|
0.923
|
Natural
Gas
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
0.805
|
0.650
|
Heating
Oil
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
0.900
|
Unleaded
Gasoline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
source:
Bloomberg, NYMEX
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PAST
PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE
RESULTS
Critical
Accounting Policies
Preparation
of the condensed financial statements and related disclosures in compliance
with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
requires the application of appropriate accounting rules and guidance, as well
as the use of estimates. USG’s application of these policies involves judgments
and actual results may differ from the estimates used.
The
General Partner has evaluated the nature and types of estimates that
it makes in preparing USG’s condensed financial statements and related
disclosures and has determined that the valuation of its investments which
are not traded on a United States or internationally recognized futures exchange
(such as forward contracts and over-the-counter contracts) involves a critical
accounting policy. The values which are used by USG for its forward contracts
are provided by its commodity broker who uses market prices when available,
while over-the-counter contracts are valued based on the present value of
estimated future cash flows that would be received from or paid to a third
party
in settlement of these derivative contracts prior to their delivery date and
valued on a daily basis. In addition, USG estimates interest income on a daily
basis using prevailing interest rates earned on its cash and cash equivalents.
These estimates are adjusted to the actual amount received on a monthly basis
and the difference, if any, is not considered material.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
USG
has
not made, and does not anticipate making, use of borrowings or other lines
of
credit to meet its obligations. USG has met, and it is anticipated that USG
will
continue to meet, its liquidity needs in the normal course of business from
the
proceeds of the sale of its investments or from the Treasuries, cash and/or
cash
equivalents that it intends to hold at all times. USG’s liquidity needs include:
redeeming units, providing margin deposits for its existing Futures Contracts
or
the purchase of additional Futures Contracts and posting collateral for its
over-the-counter contracts and, except as noted below, payment of its expenses,
summarized below under “Contractual Obligations.”
USG currently
generates cash primarily from (i) the sale of Creation Baskets and (ii) interest
earned on Treasuries, cash and/or cash equivalents. USG has allocated
substantially all of its net assets to trading in Gasoline Interests. USG
invests in Gasoline Interests to the fullest extent possible without being
leveraged or unable to satisfy its current or potential margin or collateral
obligations with respect to its investments in Futures Contracts and Other
Gasoline-Related Investments. A significant portion of the NAV is held in cash
and cash equivalents that are used as margin and as collateral for USG’s
trading in Gasoline Interests. The percentage that Treasuries will
bear to the total net assets will vary from period to period as the market
values of the Gasoline Interests change. The balance of the net assets is held
in USG’s Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments trading
account. Interest earned on USG’s interest-bearing funds is paid to
USG.
USG’s
investment in Gasoline Interests may be subject to periods of illiquidity
because of market conditions, regulatory considerations and other reasons.
For
example, most commodity exchanges limit the fluctuations in Futures
Contracts prices during a single day by regulations referred to as “daily
limits.” During a single day, no trades may be executed at prices beyond the
daily limit. Once the price of a Futures Contract has increased or
decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the contracts
can
neither be taken nor liquidated unless the traders are willing to effect trades
at or within the specified daily limit. Such market conditions could prevent
USG
from promptly liquidating its positions in Futures Contracts. During
the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, USG was not forced
to
purchase or liquidate any of its positions while daily limits were in effect;
however, USG cannot predict whether such an event may occur in the
future.
To
date,
all of USG’s expenses, including its organizational and offering expenses
related to the initial offering of its units, have been paid by the General
Partner. Fees and expenses associated with the registration of units with the
SEC subsequent to the initial offering will be borne by USG. In addition, fees
and expenses (including directors’ and officers’ liability insurance)
of the independent directors of the General Partner, the management fee paid
to
the General Partner, certain tax reporting fees, brokerage fees and
licensing fees will be paid directly by USG. In
addition, the General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, has agreed
to pay certain costs for tax reporting and audit expenses normally borne by
USG
to the extent that such expenses exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of its NAV,
on
an annualized basis, until December 31, 2008. The General Partner has no
obligation to continue such payment into subsequent years.
If the
General Partner and USG are unsuccessful in raising sufficient funds to cover
USG’s expenses or in locating any other source of funding, USG will terminate
and investors may lose all or part of their investment.
Market
Risk
Trading
in Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments, such as
forwards, involves USG entering into contractual commitments to purchase or
sell gasoline at a specified date in the future. The gross or face amount of
the contracts will significantly exceed USG’s future cash requirements
since USG intends to close out its open positions prior to settlement. As a
result, USG is generally only subject to the risk of loss arising
from the change in value of the contracts. USG considers the “fair value” of its
derivative instruments to be the unrealized gain or loss on the contracts.
The
market risk associated with USG’s commitments to purchase gasoline is limited to
the gross face amount of the contracts held. However, should USG enter into
a
contractual commitment to sell gasoline, it would be required to make delivery
of the gasoline at the contract price, repurchase the contract at prevailing
prices or settle in cash. Since there are no limits on the future price of
gasoline, the market risk to USG could be unlimited.
USG’s
exposure to market risk depends on a number of factors, including the
markets for gasoline, the volatility of interest rates and foreign exchange
rates, the liquidity of the Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related
Investments markets and the relationships among the contracts held by USG.
The
limited experience that USG has had in utilizing its model to trade in
Gasoline Interests in a manner intended to track the changes in the spot price
of gasoline, as well as drastic market occurrences, could ultimately lead to
the
loss of all or substantially all of an investor’s capital.
Credit
Risk
When
USG
enters into Futures Contracts and Other Gasoline-Related Investments, it is
exposed to the credit risk that the counterparty will not be able to meet its
obligations. The counterparty for the Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX
and on most other foreign futures exchanges is the clearinghouse associated
with the particular exchange. In general, clearinghouses are backed by their
members who may be required to share in the financial burden resulting from
the
nonperformance of one of their members and, therefore, this additional member
support should significantly reduce credit risk. Some foreign exchanges are
not
backed by their clearinghouse members but may be backed by a consortium of
banks
or other financial institutions. There can be no assurance that any
counterparty, clearinghouse, or their members or their financial backers will
satisfy their obligations to USG in such circumstances.
The
General Partner attempts to manage the credit risk of USG by following
various trading limitations and policies. In particular, USG generally posts
margin and/or holds liquid assets that are approximately equal to the face
amount of its obligations to counterparties under the Futures Contracts and
Other Gasoline-Related Investments it holds. The General Partner has implemented
procedures that include, but are not limited to, executing and clearing trades
only with creditworthy parties and/or requiring the posting of collateral or
margin by such parties for the benefit of USG to limit its credit exposure.
UBS
Securities LLC, USG’s commodity broker, or any other broker that may be retained
by USG in the future, when acting as USG’s futures commission merchant in
accepting orders to purchase or sell Futures Contracts on United States
exchanges, is required by CFTC regulations to separately account for
and segregate as belonging to USG, all assets of USG relating to domestic
Futures Contracts trading. These futures commission merchants are not allowed
to
commingle USG’s assets with its other assets. In addition, the CFTC requires
commodity brokers to hold in a secure account the USG assets related to
foreign Futures Contracts trading.
As
of
September 30, 2008, USG had deposits in domestic and foreign financial
institutions,
including
cash investments in money market funds, in the amount of $13,823,969. This
amount is subject to loss should these institutions cease
operations.
Off
Balance Sheet Financing
As
of
September 30, 2008, USG has no loan guarantee, credit support or other
off-balance sheet arrangements of any kind other than agreements entered into
in
the normal course of business, which may include indemnification provisions
relating to certain risks that service providers undertake in performing
services which are in the best interests of USG. While USG’s exposure under
these indemnification provisions cannot be estimated, they are not expected
to
have a material impact on USG’s financial position.
Redemption
Basket Obligation
In
order
to meet its investment objective and pay its contractual obligations described
below, USG requires liquidity to redeem units, which redemptions must be in
blocks of 100,000 units called “Redemption Baskets.” USG has to date satisfied
this obligation by paying from the cash or cash equivalents it holds or through
the sale of its Treasuries in an amount proportionate to the number of units
being redeemed.
Contractual
Obligations
USG’s
primary contractual obligations are with the General Partner. In return for
its
services, the General Partner is entitled to a management fee calculated as
a
fixed percentage of USG’s NAV, currently 0.60% of USG’s NAV for its average net
assets.
The
General Partner agreed to pay the start-up costs associated with the
formation of USG, primarily its legal, accounting and other costs in connection
with the General Partner’s registration with the CFTC as a CPO and the
registration and listing of USG and its units with the SEC, FINRA and the
AMEX, respectively. However, offering costs incurred in connection with
registering and listing additional units of USG are directly borne on an ongoing
basis by USG, and not by the General Partner.
The
General Partner pays the fees of USG’s marketing agent, ALPS Distributors,
Inc., and the fees of the custodian and transfer agent, Brown Brothers Harriman
& Co. (“BBH&Co.”), as well as BBH&Co.’s fees for performing
administrative services, including in connection with the preparation of USG’s
condensed financial statements and its SEC and CFTC reports. The General Partner
and USG have also entered into a licensing agreement with the NYMEX
pursuant to which USG and the affiliated funds managed by the General Partner
pay a licensing fee to the NYMEX. The General Partner also pays any fees
for implementation of services and base service fees charged by the accounting
firm responsible for preparing USG’s tax reporting forms; however, USG pays the
fees and expenses associated with its tax accounting and reporting requirements.
In
addition, the General Partner, though under no obligation to do so, has agreed
to pay certain costs for tax reporting and audit expenses normally borne by
USG
to the extent that such expenses exceed 0.15% (15 basis points) of its NAV,
on
an annualized basis, until December 31, 2008. The General Partner has no
obligation to continue such payment into subsequent years.
In
addition to the General Partner’s management fee, USG pays its brokerage fees
(including fees to a futures commission merchant), over-the-counter dealer
spreads, any licensing fees for the use of intellectual property, and,
subsequent to the initial offering, registration and other fees paid to the
SEC,
FINRA, or other regulatory agencies in connection with the offer and sale of
units, as well as legal, printing, accounting and other expenses associated
therewith, and extraordinary expenses. The latter are expenses not incurred
in
the ordinary course of USG’s business, including expenses relating to the
indemnification of any person against liabilities and obligations to the extent
permitted by law and under the LP Agreement, the bringing or defending of
actions in law or in equity or otherwise conducting litigation and incurring
legal expenses and the settlement of claims and litigation. Commission payments
to a futures commission merchant are on a contract-by-contract, or round turn,
basis. USG also pays a portion of the fees and expenses of the independent
directors of the General Partner. See Note 3 to the Notes to
Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited).
The
parties cannot anticipate the amount of payments that will be required under
these arrangements for future periods, as USG’s NAVs and trading levels to meet
its investment objectives will not be known until a future date. These
agreements are effective for a specific term agreed upon by the parties with
an
option to renew, or, in some cases, are in effect for the duration of USG’s
existence. Either party may terminate these agreements earlier for certain
reasons described in the agreements.
Over-the-Counter
Derivatives (Including Spreads and Straddles)
In
the
future, USG may purchase over-the-counter contracts. Unlike most of the
exchange-traded Futures Contracts or exchange-traded options on such futures,
each party to an over-the-counter contract bears the credit risk that the other
party may not be able to perform its obligations under its
contract.
Some
gasoline-based derivatives transactions contain fairly generic terms and
conditions and are available from a wide range of participants. Other
gasoline-based derivatives have highly customized terms and conditions and
are
not as widely available. Many of these over-the-counter contracts are
cash-settled forwards for the future delivery of gasoline- or petroleum-based
fuels that have terms similar to the Futures Contracts. Others take the form
of
“swaps” in which the two parties exchange cash flows based on pre-determined
formulas tied to the spot price of gasoline, forward gasoline prices or
gasoline futures prices. For example, USG may enter into over-the-counter
derivative contracts whose value will be tied to changes in the difference
between the spot price of gasoline, the price of Futures Contracts
traded on the NYMEX and the prices of other Futures Contracts that may be
invested in by USG.
To
protect itself from the credit risk that arises in connection with such
contracts, USG may enter into agreements with each counterparty that provide
for
the netting of its overall exposure to such counterparty, such as the agreements
published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. USG
also may require that the counterparty be highly rated and/or provide
collateral or other credit support to address USG’s exposure to the
counterparty. In addition, it is also possible for USG and its counterparty
to
agree to clear their agreement through an established futures clearing house
such as those connected to the NYMEX or the ICE Futures. In that event, USG
would no longer have credit risk of its original counterparty, as the
clearinghouse would now be USG’s counterparty. USG would still retain any price
risk associated with its transaction.
The
creditworthiness of each potential counterparty is assessed by the General
Partner. The General Partner assesses or reviews, as appropriate, the
creditworthiness of each potential or existing counterparty to an
over-the-counter contract pursuant to guidelines approved by the General
Partner’s board of directors. Furthermore, the General Partner on behalf of USG
only enters into over-the-counter contracts with (a) members of the Federal
Reserve System or foreign banks with branches regulated by the Federal Reserve
Board; (b) primary dealers in U.S. government securities; (c) broker-dealers;
(d) commodity futures merchants; or (e) affiliates of the foregoing. Existing
counterparties are also reviewed periodically by the General
Partner.
USG
anticipates that the use of Other Gasoline-Related Investments together with
its
investments in Futures Contracts will produce price and total return results
that closely track the investment goals of USG.
USG
may
employ spreads or straddles in its trading to mitigate the differences in its
investment portfolio and its goal of tracking the price of the
Benchmark Futures Contract. USG would use a spread when it chooses to take
simultaneous long and short positions in futures written on the same underlying
asset, but with different delivery months. The effect of holding such combined
positions is to adjust the sensitivity of USG to changes in the price
relationship between futures contracts which will expire sooner and those that
will expire later. USG would use such a spread if the General Partner felt
that
taking such long and short positions, when combined with the rest of its
holdings, would more closely track the investment goals of USG, or if the
General Partner felt it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to
achieve a given level of economic exposure to movements in gasoline prices.
USG
would enter into a straddle when it chooses to take an option position
consisting of a long (or short) position in both a call option and put option.
The economic effect of holding certain combinations of put options and call
options can be very similar to that of owning the underlying futures contracts.
USG would make use of such a straddle approach if, in the opinion of the General
Partner, the resulting combination would more closely track the investment
goals
of USG or if it would lead to an overall lower cost of trading to achieve a
given level of economic exposure to movements in gasoline prices.
During
the period from February 26, 2008 to September 30, 2008, USG did not employ
any
hedging methods such as those identified above since all of its investments
were
made over an exchange. Therefore, USG was not exposed to counterparty risk.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
USG
maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that
material information required to be disclosed in USG’s periodic reports
filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is
recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time period specified
in
the SEC’s rules and forms.
The
duly
appointed officers of the General Partner, including its chief executive
officer and chief financial officer, who perform functions equivalent
to those of a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of
USG
if USG had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of USG’s disclosure
controls and procedures and have concluded that the disclosure controls and
procedures of USG have been effective as of the end of the period covered by
this
quarterly report.
Change
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in USG’s internal control over financial reporting during USG’s
last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely
to
materially affect, USG’s internal control over financial
reporting.
Part
II. OTHER
INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
Not
applicable.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
There
has
not been a material change from the risk factors previously disclosed in USG’s
Registration Statement on Form S-1, which was declared effective by the SEC
on
February 22, 2008.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds.
Not
applicable.
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not
applicable.
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
Not
applicable.
Item 5.
Other Information.
Monthly
Account Statements
Pursuant
to the requirement under part 4.22 of the Commodity Exchange Act, each month
USG
publishes an account statement for its unitholders, which includes a Statement
of Income (Loss) and a Statement of Changes in NAV. The account statement is
filed with the SEC on a current report on Form 8-K pursuant to Section 13 or
15(d) of the Exchange Act and posted each month on USG’s website at
www.unitedstatesgasolinefund.com.
Listed
below are the exhibits which are filed or furnished as part of this quarterly
report on Form 10-Q (according to the number assigned to them in Item 601
of Regulation S-K):
Exhibit
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Description of Document
|
31.1*
|
|
Certification by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
31.2*
|
|
Certification
by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
32.1**
|
|
Certification
by Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as
Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
32.2**
|
|
Certification
by Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as
Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
United
States Gasoline Fund, LP (Registrant)
By: |
United
States Commodity Funds LLC, its general
partner
|
|
(formerly
known as Victoria Bay Asset Management,
LLC)
|
Nicholas
D. Gerber
Chief
Executive Officer
Date: November
14, 2008
Howard
Mah
Chief
Financial Officer
Date: November
14, 2008