Confirmed 2018 Annual Special Distributions For First Asset ETFs

/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA./

TORONTO, Dec. 31, 2018 /CNW/ - First Asset Investment Management Inc. ("First Asset") announces the confirmed amounts of the annual special, year-end distributions (the "Special Distributions") for the 2018 tax year for its First Asset exchange traded funds ("First Asset ETFs"), as set out in the table below.

Each of the First Asset ETFs is required to distribute any net income and capital gains that it has earned in the year.  The Special Distributions will generally consist of capital gains and/or any excess net income at year end.  The Special Distributions will not be paid in cash, but will be reinvested and the resulting units immediately consolidated so that the number of units held by each investor will not change.  Investors holding their units outside registered plans will have taxable amounts to report and an increase in the adjusted cost base of their investment. In all cases, the Special Distributions will be reinvested on or about December 31, 2018, to unitholders of record on December 28, 2018.  The ex-dividend date in each case is December 27, 2018.

These confirmed amounts are for the Special Distributions only and do not include the ongoing regular monthly or quarterly cash distribution amounts which were announced on December 12, 2018, in a separate press release.  These confirmed Special Distribution amounts replace the previous estimates announced on December 7, 2018. 

The actual taxable amounts of all distributions for the First Asset ETFs for 2018, including the tax characteristics of the distributions, will be reported to brokers (through CDS Clearing and Depository Services Inc. or "CDS") in early 2019.

Fund Name	TSX Trading Symbol	CONFIRMED Special Distributions per Fund Unit
First Asset 1-5 Year Laddered Government Strip Bond Index ETF	BXF	$0.001
First Asset Morningstar Canada Momentum Index ETF	WXM	$0.361
First Asset Morningstar National Bank Québec Index ETF	QXM	$0.342
First Asset Morningstar International Momentum Index ETF	ZXM	$0.574
	ZXM.B	$0.902
First Asset Morningstar International Value Index ETF	VXM	$0.883
	VXM.B	$1.176
First Asset Morningstar US Dividend Target 50 Index ETF	UXM	$0.717
	UXM.B	$1.438
First Asset Morningstar US Value Index ETF	XXM	$0.238
	XXM.B	$0.888
First Asset MSCI Europe Low Risk Weighted ETF	RWE	$0.401
	RWE.B	$0.266
First Asset MSCI World Low Risk Weighted ETF	RWW	$0.079
	RWW.B	$0.602
First Asset Canadian Buyback Index ETF	FBE	$0.622
First Asset U.S. Tactical Sector Allocation Index ETF	FUT	$0.067
First Asset Core U.S. Equity ETF	CES	$0.971
	CES.B	$1.911
	CES.U	$1.680
First Asset Active Utility & Infrastructure ETF	FAI	$0.448
First Asset Canadian REIT ETF	RIT	$0.027
First Asset European Bank ETF	FHB	$0.040
First Asset Preferred Share ETF	FPR	$0.043
First Asset Enhanced Government Bond ETF	FGO	$0.000
	FGO.U	$0.025
First Asset Enhanced Short Duration Bond ETF	FSB	$0.152
	FSB.U	$0.152
ETFs listed below do not have any Special Distributions for 2018:
First Asset Morningstar Canada Dividend Target 30 Index ETF	DXM	-
First Asset Morningstar Canada Value Index ETF	FXM	-
First Asset Morningstar US Momentum Index ETF	YXM	-
	YXM.B	-
First Asset MSCI Canada Low Risk Weighted ETF	RWC	-
First Asset MSCI International Low Risk Weighted ETF	RWX	-
	RWX.B	-
First Asset MSCI USA Low Risk Weighted ETF	RWU	-
	RWU.B	-
First Asset U.S. Buyback Index ETF	FBU	-
First Asset U.S. Trendleaders Index ETF	SID	-
First Asset Core Canadian Equity ETF	CED	-
First Asset Can-Materials Covered Call ETF	MXF	-
First Asset Energy Giants Covered Call ETF	NXF	-
	NXF.B	-
First Asset Health Care Giants Covered Call ETF	FHI	-
	FHI.B	-
First Asset Tech Giants Covered Call ETF	TXF	-
	TXF.B	-
First Asset Active Canadian Dividend ETF	FDV	-
First Asset Canadian Convertible Bond ETF	CXF	-
First Asset U.S. & Canada Lifeco Income ETF	FLI	-
First Asset Active Credit ETF	FAO	-
	FAO.U	-
First Asset Investment Grade Bond ETF	FIG	-
	FIG.U	-
First Asset Long Duration Fixed Income ETF	FLB	-
First Asset Global Financial Sector ETF	FSF	-
CORPORATE CLASS ETFs
First Asset CanBanc Income Class ETF	CIC	-
First Asset Core Canadian Equity Income ETF	CSY	-
First Asset Short Term Government Bond Index Class ETF	FGB	-
First Asset MSCI Canada Quality Index Class ETF	FQC	-

First Asset – Smart Solutions^TM
First Asset, a CI Financial Company, is a Canadian investment firm delivering a comprehensive suite of smart ETF solutions. Rooted in strong fundamentals, First Asset's smart solutions strive to deliver better risk-adjusted returns than the broad market, while helping investors achieve their personal financial goals.

This communication is intended for informational purposes only. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Please read the prospectus before investing. ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.  You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell units of an ETF on the TSX. If the units are purchased or sold on the TSX, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying units of the ETF and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them. 

^TMFirst Asset and its logo are trademarks of First Asset Capital Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CI Financial Corp. which is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CIX".  ®CI FINANCIAL is a registered trademark of CI Investments Inc., used under license.

SOURCE First Asset ETFs

Investor Relations, First Asset at 416-642-1289 or 1‐877‐642‐1289 or visit www.firstasset.com