424B2 1 gs-424b2.htm 424B2 gs-424b2.htm

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)

Registration Statement No. 333-239610

 

 

 

 

 

GS Finance Corp.

 

$142,000

ETF-Linked Notes due 2026

guaranteed by

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

The notes do not bear interest. The amount that you will be paid on your notes on the stated maturity date (February 26, 2026) is based on the lesser performing of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF and the SPDR® Gold Trust (each, an ETF) as measured from the trade date (February 23, 2021) to and including the determination date (February 23, 2026).

The return on your notes is linked, in part, to the performance of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, and not to that of the NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index® (the index) on which the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is based. The performance of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF may significantly diverge from that of its index.                    

If the final level of each ETF on the determination date is greater than or equal to its initial level ($33.44 with respect to the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF and $169.12 with respect to the SPDR® Gold Trust), the return on your notes will be positive or zero and will equal the ETF return of the lesser performing ETF times the participation rate of 1.05.

If the final level of any ETF is less than its initial level, but the final level of each ETF is greater than or equal to 85% of its initial level, you will receive the face amount of your notes.

If the final level of any ETF is less than 85% of its initial level, the return on your notes will be negative and will equal the ETF return of the lesser performing ETF plus 15%. You could lose a significant portion of the face amount of your notes.

The amount that you will be paid on your notes at maturity is based on the performance of the ETF with the lowest ETF return. The ETF return for each ETF is the percentage increase or decrease in the final level of such ETF from its initial level. On the stated maturity date, for each $1,000 face amount of your notes, you will receive an amount in cash equal to:

if the ETF return of each ETF is greater than or equal to 0% (the final level of each ETF is greater than or equal to its initial level), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) 1.05 times (c) the lesser performing ETF return;

if the ETF return of any ETF is less than 0%, but the ETF return of each ETF is greater than or equal to -15% (the final level of any ETF is less than its initial level but the final level of each ETF is greater than or equal to 85% of its initial level), $1,000; or

if the ETF return of any ETF is less than -15% (the final level of any ETF is less than 85% of its initial level), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) the sum of the lesser performing ETF return plus 15% times (b) $1,000. You will receive less than the face amount of your notes.

You should read the disclosure herein to better understand the terms and risks of your investment, including the credit risk of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. See page PS-12.

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date is equal to approximately $890 per $1,000 face amount. For a discussion of the estimated value and the price at which Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC would initially buy or sell your notes, if it makes a market in the notes, see the following page.

Original issue date:

February 26, 2021

Original issue price:

100% of the face amount

Underwriting discount:

3.92% of the face amount

Net proceeds to the issuer:

96.08% of the face amount

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.

 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC

Pricing Supplement No. 1,516 dated February 23, 2021.

 

 


 

 

 

The issue price, underwriting discount and net proceeds listed above relate to the notes we sell initially. We may decide to sell additional notes after the date of this pricing supplement, at issue prices and with underwriting discounts and net proceeds that differ from the amounts set forth above. The return (whether positive or negative) on your investment in notes will depend in part on the issue price you pay for such notes.

 

GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in the initial sale of the notes. In addition, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC or any other affiliate of GS Finance Corp. may use this prospectus in a market-making transaction in a note after its initial sale. Unless GS Finance Corp. or its agent informs the purchaser otherwise in the confirmation of sale, this prospectus is being used in a market-making transaction.

 

Estimated Value of Your Notes

The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) and taking into account our credit spreads) is equal to approximately $890 per $1,000 face amount, which is less than the original issue price.  The value of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted; however, the price (not including GS&Co.s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise is equal to approximately the estimated value of your notes at the time of pricing, plus an additional amount (initially equal to $74.3 per $1,000 face amount).

Prior to May 23, 2021, the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market, which it is not obligated to do) will equal approximately the sum of (a) the then-current estimated value of your notes (as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models) plus (b) any remaining additional amount (the additional amount will decline to zero on a straight-line basis from the time of pricing through May 22, 2021). On and after May 23, 2021, the price (not including GS&Co.’s customary bid and ask spreads) at which GS&Co. would buy or sell your notes (if it makes a market) will equal approximately the then-current estimated value of your notes determined by reference to such pricing models.

 

 

 

About Your Prospectus

 

The notes are part of the Medium-Term Notes, Series F program of GS Finance Corp. and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. This prospectus includes this pricing supplement and the accompanying documents listed below. This pricing supplement constitutes a supplement to the documents listed below, does not set forth all of the terms of your notes and therefore should be read in conjunction with such documents:

The information in this pricing supplement supersedes any conflicting information in the documents listed above. In addition, some of the terms or features described in the listed documents may not apply to your notes.

We refer to the notes we are offering by this pricing supplement as the “offered notes” or the “notes”. Each of the offered notes has the terms described below. Please note that in this pricing supplement, references to “GS Finance Corp.”, “we”, “our” and “us” mean only GS Finance Corp. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates, references to “The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.”, our parent company, mean only The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and do not include its subsidiaries or affiliates and references to “Goldman Sachs” mean The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates, including us. The notes will be issued under the senior debt indenture, dated as of October 10, 2008, as supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 20, 2015, each among us, as issuer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. This indenture, as so supplemented and as further supplemented thereafter, is referred to as the “GSFC 2008 indenture” in the accompanying prospectus supplement. The notes will be issued in book-entry form and represented by a master global note.


 

 

PS-2

 


 

 

Terms AND CONDITIONS

(Terms From Pricing Supplement No. 1,516 Incorporated Into Master Note No. 2)

These terms and conditions relate to pricing supplement no. 1,516 dated February 23, 2021 of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. with respect to the issuance by GS Finance Corp. of its ETF-Linked Notes due 2026 and the guarantee thereof by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

The provisions below are hereby incorporated into master note no. 2, dated July 1, 2020. References herein to “this note” shall be deemed to refer to “this security” in such master note no. 2, dated July 1, 2020. Certain defined terms may not be capitalized in these terms and conditions even if they are capitalized in master note no. 2, dated July 1, 2020. Defined terms that are not defined in these terms and conditions shall have the meanings indicated in such master note no. 2, dated July 1, 2020, unless the context otherwise requires.

CUSIP / ISIN: 40057FEB6 / US40057FEB67

Company (Issuer): GS Finance Corp.

Guarantor: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Underliers (each individually, an underlier): the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF (current Bloomberg symbol: “GDX UP Equity”), or any successor underlier, and the SPDR® Gold Trust (current Bloomberg symbol: “GLD UP Equity”), or any successor underlier, as each may be modified, replaced or adjusted from time to time as provided herein

Underlying index: with respect to the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, the NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index®

Face amount: $142,000 in the aggregate on the original issue date; the aggregate face amount may be increased if the company, at its sole option, decides to sell an additional amount on a date subsequent to the trade date

Authorized denominations: $1,000 or any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof

Principal amount:  On the stated maturity date, the company will pay, for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount, an amount in cash equal to the cash settlement amount.

Cash settlement amount:

if the final underlier level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level, the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the upside participation rate times (c) the lesser performing underlier return;

if the final underlier level of any underlier is less than its initial underlier level but the final underlier level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its buffer level, $1,000; or

if the final underlier level of any underlier is less than its buffer level, the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) the sum of the lesser performing underlier return plus the buffer amount times (b) $1,000

Initial underlier level: $33.44 with respect to the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF and $169.12 with respect to the SPDR® Gold Trust

Final underlier level: with respect to an underlier, the closing level of such underlier on the determination date, subject to adjustment as provided in “— Consequences of a market disruption event or non-trading day” and “— Discontinuance or modification of an underlier” below

 

Underlier return: with respect to an underlier, the quotient of (i) its final underlier level minus its initial underlier level divided by (ii) its initial underlier level, expressed as a percentage

Upside participation rate: 105%

Lesser performing underlier return: the underlier return of the lesser performing underlier

Lesser performing underlier: the underlier with the lowest underlier return

Buffer level: for each underlier, 85% of its initial underlier level

Buffer amount: 15%

PS-3

 


 

Trade date: February 23, 2021

Original issue date: February 26, 2021

 

Determination date: February 23, 2026, unless the calculation agent determines that, with respect to any underlier, a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on that day or that day is not otherwise a trading day. In the event the originally scheduled determination date is a non-trading day with respect to any underlier, the determination date will be the first day thereafter that is a trading day for all underliers (the “first qualified trading day”) provided that no market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to an underlier on that day. If a market disruption event with respect to an underlier occurs or is continuing on the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day, the determination date will be the first following trading day on which the calculation agent determines that each underlier has had at least one trading day (from and including the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day, as applicable) on which no market disruption event has occurred or is continuing and the closing level of each underlier will be determined on or prior to the postponed determination date as set forth under “— Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day” below. (In such case, the determination date may differ from the date on which the level of an underlier is determined for the purpose of the calculations to be performed on the determination date.) In no event, however, will the determination date be postponed to a date later than the originally scheduled stated maturity date or, if the originally scheduled stated maturity date is not a business day, later than the first business day after the originally scheduled stated maturity date, either due to the occurrence of serial non-trading days or due to the occurrence of one or more market disruption events. On such last possible determination date, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing with respect to an underlier that has not yet had such a trading day on which no market disruption event has occurred or is continuing or if such last possible day is not a trading day with respect to such underlier, that day will nevertheless be the determination date.

Stated maturity date: February 26, 2026, unless that day is not a business day, in which case the stated maturity date will be postponed to the next following business day.  The stated maturity date will also be postponed if the determination date is postponed as described under “— Determination date” above. In such a case, the stated maturity date will be postponed by the same number of business day(s) from but excluding the originally scheduled determination date to and including the actual determination date.

 

Closing level: on any trading day, with respect to an underlier, the closing sale price or last reported sale price, regular way, for such underlier, on a per-share or other unit basis:

on the principal national securities exchange on which such underlier is listed for trading on that day, or

if such underlier is not listed on any national securities exchange on that day, on any other U.S. national market system that is the primary market for the trading of such underlier.  

If an underlier is not listed or traded as described above, then the closing level for such underlier on any day will be the average, as determined by the calculation agent, of the bid prices for such underlier obtained from as many dealers in such underlier selected by the calculation agent as will make those bid prices available to the calculation agent.  The number of dealers need not exceed three and may include the calculation agent or any of its or the company’s affiliates.

The closing level of an underlier is subject to adjustment as described under “— Anti-dilution adjustments” below.

Trading day: with respect to an underlier, a day on which (a) the exchange on which such underlier has its primary listing is open for trading and (b) the price of one share of such underlier is quoted by the exchange on which such underlier has its primary listing

Successor underlier: with respect to an underlier, any substitute underlier approved by the calculation agent as a successor as provided under “— Discontinuance or modification of an underlier” below

Underlier investment advisor: with respect to an underlier, at any time, the person or entity, including any successor investment advisor, that serves as an investment advisor to such underlier as then in effect

PS-4

 


 

Underlier stocks: with respect to the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, at any time, the stocks that comprise such underlier as then in effect, after giving effect to any additions, deletions or substitutions

Market disruption event: With respect to any given trading day, any of the following will be a market disruption event with respect to an underlier:

a suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in such underlier on its primary market for more than two consecutive hours of trading or during the one-half hour before the close of trading in that market, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion,

a suspension, absence or material limitation of trading in option or futures contracts relating to such underlier in the primary market for those contracts for more than two consecutive hours of trading or during the one-half hour before the close of trading in that market, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion, or

such underlier does not trade on what was the primary market for such underlier, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion,

and, in the case of any of these events, the calculation agent determines in its sole discretion that the event could materially interfere with the ability of the company or any of its affiliates or a similarly situated person to unwind all or a material portion of a hedge that could be effected with respect to this note.

The following events will not be market disruption events:

a limitation on the hours or numbers of days of trading, but only if the limitation results from an announced change in the regular business hours of the relevant market, and

a decision to permanently discontinue trading in option or futures contracts relating to such underlier.

For this purpose, an “absence of trading” in the primary securities market on which shares of such underlier are traded, or on which option or futures contracts, if available, relating to such underlier are traded, will not include any time when that market is itself closed for trading under ordinary circumstances.  In contrast, a suspension or limitation of trading in shares of such underlier or in option or futures contracts, if available, relating to such underlier in the primary market for such underlier or those contracts, by reason of:

a price change exceeding limits set by that market,

an imbalance of orders relating to the shares of such underlier or those contracts, or

a disparity in bid and ask quotes relating to the shares of such underlier or those contracts,

will constitute a suspension or material limitation of trading in shares of such underlier or those contracts in that market.

A market disruption event with respect to one underlier will not, by itself, constitute a market disruption event for any other unaffected underlier.

Consequences of a market disruption event or a non-trading day: With respect to any underlier, if a market disruption event occurs or is continuing on a day that would otherwise be the determination date, or such day is not a trading day, then the determination date will be postponed as described under “— Determination date” above. If the determination date is postponed to the last possible date due to the occurrence of serial non-trading days, the level of each underlier will be the calculation agent’s assessment of such level, in its sole discretion, on such last possible postponed determination date. If the determination date is postponed due to a market disruption event with respect to any underlier, the final underlier level with respect to the determination date will be calculated based on (i) for any underlier that is not affected by a market disruption event on the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day thereafter (if applicable), the closing level of the underlier on that date, (ii) for any underlier that is affected by a market disruption event on the originally scheduled determination date or the first qualified trading day thereafter (if applicable), the closing level of the underlier on the first following trading day on which no market disruption event exists for such underlier and (iii) the calculation agent’s assessment, in its sole discretion, of the level of any underlier on the last possible postponed determination date with respect to such underlier as to which a market disruption event continues through the last possible postponed determination date. As a result, this could result in the final underlier level on the determination date of each underlier being determined on different calendar dates. For the avoidance of doubt, once the closing level for an underlier is determined for the determination date, the occurrence of a later market disruption event or non-trading day will not alter such calculation.

Discontinuance or modification of an underlier: If an underlier is delisted from the exchange on which the underlier has its primary listing and its underlier investment advisor or anyone else publishes a

PS-5

 


 

substitute underlier that the calculation agent determines is comparable to such underlier and approves as a successor underlier, or if the calculation agent designates a substitute underlier, then the calculation agent will determine the cash settlement amount on the stated maturity date by reference to such successor underlier.

If the calculation agent determines that an underlier is delisted or withdrawn from the exchange on which the underlier has its primary listing and there is no successor underlier, the calculation agent will determine the cash settlement amount on the stated maturity date by a computation methodology that the calculation agent determines will as closely as reasonably possible replicate such underlier.

If the calculation agent determines that an underlier, the underlier stocks comprising such underlier or the method of calculating such underlier is changed at any time in any respect — including any split or reverse split of the underlier, a material change in the investment objective of the underlier and any addition, deletion or substitution and any reweighting or rebalancing of such underlier or the underlier stocks and whether the change is made by the underlier investment advisor under its existing policies or following a modification of those policies, is due to the publication of a successor underlier, is due to events affecting one or more of the underlier stocks or their issuers or is due to any other reason — then the calculation agent will be permitted (but not required) to make such adjustments in such underlier or the method of its calculation as it believes are appropriate to ensure that the levels of such underlier used to determine the cash settlement amount on the stated maturity date is equitable.

All determinations and adjustments to be made by the calculation agent with respect to an underlier may be made by the calculation agent in its sole discretion. The calculation agent is not obligated to make any such adjustments.

Anti-dilution adjustments: the calculation agent will have discretion to adjust the closing level of an underlier if certain events occur (including those described above under “— Discontinuance or modification of an underlier”). In the event that any event other than a delisting or withdrawal from the relevant exchange occurs, the calculation agent shall determine whether and to what extent an adjustment should be made to the level of such underlier or any other term. The calculation agent shall have no obligation to make an adjustment for any such event.

Calculation agent: Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”)

Tax characterization: The holder, on behalf of itself and any other person having a beneficial interest in this note, hereby agrees with the company (in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary) to characterize this note for all U.S. federal income tax purposes as a pre-paid derivative contract in respect of the underliers.

Overdue principal rate: the effective Federal Funds rate


PS-6

 


 

LIMITED EVENTS OF DEFAULT

The only events of default for the notes are (i) payment defaults that continue for a 30 day-grace period and (ii) certain insolvency events. No other breach or default under our senior debt indenture or the notes will result in an event of default for the notes or permit the trustee or holders to accelerate the maturity of the notes - that is, they will not be entitled to declare the face or principal amount of any notes to be immediately due and payable. See “Risks Relating to Regulatory Resolution Strategies and Long-Term Debt Requirements” and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Default, Remedies and Waiver of Default — Securities Issued Under the 2008 GSFC Indenture” in the accompanying prospectus for further details.

 

 

 

PS-7

 


 

 

Hypothetical ExampleS

 

The following examples are provided for purposes of illustration only. They should not be taken as an indication or prediction of future investment results and are intended merely to illustrate the impact that various hypothetical closing levels of the underliers on the determination date could have on the cash settlement amount at maturity assuming all other variables remain constant.

The examples below are based on a range of underlier levels that are entirely hypothetical; no one can predict what the closing level of any underlier will be on any day throughout the life of your notes and what the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier will be on the determination date. The underliers have been highly volatile in the past — meaning that the underlier levels have changed substantially in relatively short periods — and their performance cannot be predicted for any future period.

The information in the following examples reflects hypothetical rates of return on the offered notes assuming that they are purchased on the original issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date. If you sell your notes in a secondary market prior to the stated maturity date, your return will depend upon the market value of your notes at the time of sale, which may be affected by a number of factors that are not reflected in the examples below, such as interest rates, the volatility of the underliers, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor. In addition, the estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date (as determined by reference to pricing models used by GS&Co.) is less than the original issue price of your notes. For more information on the estimated value of your notes, see “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Trade Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes” on page PS-12 of this pricing supplement. The information in the examples also reflects the key terms and assumptions in the box below.



Key Terms and Assumptions

Face amount

$1,000

Upside participation rate

105%

Buffer level

with respect to each underlier, 85% of its initial underlier level

Buffer amount

15%

Neither a market disruption event nor a non-trading day occurs on the originally scheduled determination date

No change in or affecting any underlier, any underlier stock, any policy of the applicable underlier investment advisor or any method by which the applicable underlying index sponsor calculates its underlying index

Notes purchased on original issue date at the face amount and held to the stated maturity date

For these reasons, the actual performance of the underliers over the life of your notes, as well as the amount payable at maturity may bear little relation to the hypothetical examples shown below or to the historical underlier levels shown elsewhere in this pricing supplement. For information about the underlier levels during recent periods, see “The Underliers — Historical Closing Levels of the Underliers” on page PS-24. Before investing in the notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the underlier levels between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the notes.

Also, the hypothetical examples shown below do not take into account the effects of applicable taxes. Because of the U.S. tax treatment applicable to your notes, tax liabilities could affect the after-tax rate of return on your notes to a comparatively greater extent than the after-tax return on the underlier stocks.

PS-8

 


 

The levels in the left column of the table below represent hypothetical final underlier levels of the lesser performing underlier and are expressed as percentages of the initial underlier level of the lesser performing underlier. The amounts in the right column represent the hypothetical cash settlement amounts, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier, and are expressed as percentages of the face amount of a note (rounded to the nearest one-thousandth of a percent). Thus, a hypothetical cash settlement amount of 100.000% means that the value of the cash payment that we would deliver for each $1,000 of the outstanding face amount of the offered notes on the stated maturity date would equal 100.000% of the face amount of a note, based on the corresponding hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier and the assumptions noted above.

 

 

 

 

Hypothetical Final Underlier Level of the Lesser Performing Underlier

Hypothetical Cash Settlement Amount at Maturity

(as Percentage of Initial Underlier Level)

(as Percentage of Face Amount)

150.000%

152.500%

130.000%

131.500%

120.000%

121.000%

110.000%

110.500%

100.000%

100.000%

95.000%

100.000%

90.000%

100.000%

85.000%

100.000%

75.000%

90.000%

50.000%

65.000%

20.000%

35.000%

0.000%

15.000%

 

 

 

If, for example, the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were determined to be 20.000% of its initial underlier level, the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 35.000% of the face amount of your notes, as shown in the table above. As a result, if you purchased your notes on the original issue date at the face amount and held them to the stated maturity date, you would lose 65.000% of your investment (if you purchased your notes at a premium to face amount you would lose a correspondingly higher percentage of your investment).

The following chart shows a graphical illustration of the hypothetical cash settlement amounts that we would pay on your notes on the stated maturity date, if the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were any of the hypothetical levels shown on the horizontal axis. The hypothetical cash settlement amounts in the chart are expressed as percentages of the face amount of your notes and the hypothetical final underlier levels of the lesser performing underlier are expressed as percentages of its initial underlier level. The chart shows that any hypothetical final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier of less than 85.000% (the section left of the 85.000% marker on the horizontal axis) would result in a hypothetical cash settlement amount of less than 100.000% of the face amount of your notes (the section below the 100.000% marker on the vertical axis) and, accordingly, in a loss of principal to the holder of the notes.


PS-9

 


 

The cash settlement amounts shown above are entirely hypothetical; they are based on market prices for the underlier stocks that may not be achieved on the determination date and on assumptions that may prove to be erroneous. The actual market value of your notes on the stated maturity date or at any other time, including any time you may wish to sell your notes, may bear little relation to the hypothetical cash settlement amounts shown above, and these amounts should not be viewed as an indication of the financial return on an investment in the offered notes. The hypothetical cash settlement amounts on notes held to the stated maturity date in the examples above assume you purchased your notes at their face amount and have not been adjusted to reflect the actual issue price you pay for your notes. The return on your investment (whether positive or negative) in your notes will be affected by the amount you pay for your notes. If you purchase your notes for a price other than the face amount, the return on your investment will differ from, and may be significantly lower than, the hypothetical returns suggested by the above examples. Please read “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” on page PS-14.

Payments on the notes are economically equivalent to the amounts that would be paid on a combination of other instruments. For example, payments on the notes are economically equivalent to a combination of an interest-bearing bond bought by the holder and one or more options entered into between the holder and us (with one or more implicit option premiums paid over time). The discussion in this paragraph does not modify or affect the terms of the notes or the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the notes, as described elsewhere in this pricing supplement.

 

PS-10

 


 

 

 

 

We cannot predict the actual final underlier levels or what the market value of your notes will be on any particular trading day, nor can we predict the relationship between the closing levels of the underliers and the market value of your notes at any time prior to the stated maturity date.  The actual amount that you will receive at maturity and the rate of return on the offered notes will depend on the actual final underlier levels determined by the calculation agent as described above.  Moreover, the assumptions on which the hypothetical returns are based may turn out to be inaccurate.  Consequently, the amount of cash to be paid in respect of your notes on the stated maturity date may be very different from the information reflected in the examples above.

 

PS-11

 


 

 

ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS SPECIFIC TO YOUR NOTES

An investment in your notes is subject to the risks described below, as well as the risks and considerations described in the accompanying prospectus, in the accompanying prospectus supplement and under “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes” in the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671. You should carefully review these risks and considerations as well as the terms of the notes described herein and in the accompanying prospectus, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. You should carefully consider whether the offered notes are appropriate given your particular circumstances.

 

Risks Related to Structure, Valuation and Secondary Market Sales

The Estimated Value of Your Notes At the Time the Terms of Your Notes Are Set On the Trade Date (as Determined By Reference to Pricing Models Used By GS&Co.) Is Less Than the Original Issue Price Of Your Notes

The original issue price for your notes exceeds the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date, as determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models and taking into account our credit spreads. Such estimated value on the trade date is set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”; after the trade date, the estimated value as determined by reference to these models will be affected by changes in market conditions, the creditworthiness of GS Finance Corp., as issuer, the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor, and other relevant factors.  The price at which GS&Co. would initially buy or sell your notes (if GS&Co. makes a market, which it is not obligated to do), and the value that GS&Co. will initially use for account statements and otherwise, also exceeds the estimated value of your notes as determined by reference to these models.  As agreed by GS&Co. and the distribution participants, this excess (i.e., the additional amount described under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”) will decline to zero on a straight line basis over the period from the date hereof through the applicable date set forth above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”. Thereafter, if GS&Co. buys or sells your notes it will do so at prices that reflect the estimated value determined by reference to such pricing models at that time. The price at which GS&Co. will buy or sell your notes at any time also will reflect its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes.

In estimating the value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date, as disclosed above under “Estimated Value of Your Notes”, GS&Co.’s pricing models consider certain variables, including principally our credit spreads, interest rates (forecasted, current and historical rates), volatility, price-sensitivity analysis and the time to maturity of the notes.  These pricing models are proprietary and rely in part on certain assumptions about future events, which may prove to be incorrect. As a result, the actual value you would receive if you sold your notes in the secondary market, if any, to others may differ, perhaps materially, from the estimated value of your notes determined by reference to our models due to, among other things, any differences in pricing models or assumptions used by others. See “— The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” below.

The difference between the estimated value of your notes as of the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date and the original issue price is a result of certain factors, including principally the underwriting discount and commissions, the expenses incurred in creating, documenting and marketing the notes, and an estimate of the difference between the amounts we pay to GS&Co. and the amounts GS&Co. pays to us in connection with your notes. We pay to GS&Co. amounts based on what we would pay to holders of a non-structured note with a similar maturity.  In return for such payment, GS&Co. pays to us the amounts we owe under your notes.  

In addition to the factors discussed above, the value and quoted price of your notes at any time will reflect many factors and cannot be predicted.  If GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the price quoted by GS&Co. would reflect any changes in market conditions and other relevant factors, including any deterioration in our creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness or the creditworthiness or perceived creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. These changes may adversely affect the value of your notes, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. To the

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extent that GS&Co. makes a market in the notes, the quoted price will reflect the estimated value determined by reference to GS&Co.’s pricing models at that time, plus or minus its then current bid and ask spread for similar sized trades of structured notes (and subject to the declining excess amount described above).  

Furthermore, if you sell your notes, you will likely be charged a commission for secondary market transactions, or the price will likely reflect a dealer discount.  This commission or discount will further reduce the proceeds you would receive for your notes in a secondary market sale.

There is no assurance that GS&Co. or any other party will be willing to purchase your notes at any price and, in this regard, GS&Co. is not obligated to make a market in the notes. See “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes —Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market” on page S-10 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671.

The Notes Are Subject to the Credit Risk of the Issuer and the Guarantor

Although the return on the notes will be based on the performance of each underlier, the payment of any amount due on the notes is subject to the credit risk of GS Finance Corp., as issuer of the notes, and the credit risk of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. as guarantor of the notes. The notes are our unsecured obligations.  Investors are dependent on our ability to pay all amounts due on the notes, and therefore investors are subject to our credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of our creditworthiness.  Similarly, investors are dependent on the ability of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., as guarantor of the notes, to pay all amounts due on the notes, and therefore are also subject to its credit risk and to changes in the market’s view of its creditworthiness.  See “Description of the Notes We May Offer — Information About Our Medium-Term Notes, Series F Program — How the Notes Rank Against Other Debt” on page S-5 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Guarantee by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.” on page 68 of the accompanying prospectus.

You May Lose a Substantial Portion of Your Investment in the Notes

You can lose a substantial portion of your investment in the notes. The cash settlement amount on your notes on the stated maturity date will be based on the performance of the lesser performing of the underliers as measured from their initial underlier levels to their closing levels on the determination date. If the final underlier level of any underlier is less than its buffer level, you will have a loss for each $1,000 of the face amount of your notes equal to the product of (i) the sum of the lesser performing underlier return plus the buffer amount times (ii) $1,000. Thus, you may lose a substantial portion of your investment in the notes, which would include any premium to face amount you paid when you purchased the notes.

Also, the market price of your notes prior to the stated maturity date may be significantly lower than the purchase price you pay for your notes. Consequently, if you sell your notes before the stated maturity date, you may receive far less than the amount of your investment in the notes.

The Amount Payable on Your Notes Is Not Linked to the Levels of the Underliers at Any Time Other than the Determination Date

The final underlier level of each underlier will be based on the closing level of such underlier on the determination date (subject to adjustment as described elsewhere in this pricing supplement). Therefore, if the closing level of one underlier dropped precipitously on the determination date, the cash settlement amount for your notes may be significantly less than it would have been had the cash settlement amount been linked to the closing level of the underlier prior to such drop.  Although the actual closing levels of the underliers on the stated maturity date or at other times during the life of your notes may be higher than the closing levels of the underliers on the determination date, you will not benefit from the closing levels of the underliers at any time other than on the determination date.

The Cash Settlement Amount Will Be Based Solely on the Lesser Performing Underlier

The cash settlement amount will be based on the lesser performing underlier without regard to the performance of the other underlier. As a result, you could lose some of your initial investment if the lesser performing underlier return is negative, even if there is an increase in the level of the other underlier. This could be the case even if the other underlier increased by an amount greater than the decrease in the lesser performing underlier.

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The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors

When we refer to the market value of your notes, we mean the value that you could receive for your notes if you chose to sell them in the open market before the stated maturity date. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the market value of your notes, including:

the levels of the underliers;

the volatility – i.e., the frequency and magnitude of changes – in the closing levels of the underliers;

the dividend rates of the underlier stocks;

economic, financial, regulatory, political, military, public health and other events that affect stock markets generally and the underlier stocks, and which may affect the closing level of the underlier or underliers;

interest rates and yield rates in the market;

the time remaining until your notes mature; and

our creditworthiness and the creditworthiness of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., whether actual or perceived, and including actual or anticipated upgrades or downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. or changes in other credit measures.

These factors may influence the market value of your notes if you sell your notes before maturity, including the price you may receive for your notes in any market making transaction. If you sell your notes prior to maturity, you may receive less than the face amount of your notes. You cannot predict the future performance of the underliers based on their historical performance.

Your Notes Do Not Bear Interest

You will not receive any interest payments on your notes. As a result, even if the cash settlement amount payable for your notes on the stated maturity date exceeds the face amount of your notes, the overall return you earn on your notes may be less than you would have earned by investing in a non-indexed debt security of comparable maturity that bears interest at a prevailing market rate.

If You Purchase Your Notes at a Premium to Face Amount, the Return on Your Investment Will Be Lower Than the Return on Notes Purchased at Face Amount and the Impact of Certain Key Terms of the Notes Will Be Negatively Affected

The cash settlement amount will not be adjusted based on the issue price you pay for the notes. If you purchase notes at a price that differs from the face amount of the notes, then the return on your investment in such notes held to the stated maturity date will differ from, and may be substantially less than, the return on notes purchased at face amount. If you purchase your notes at a premium to face amount and hold them to the stated maturity date, the return on your investment in the notes will be lower than it would have been had you purchased the notes at face amount or a discount to face amount. In addition, the impact of the buffer level on the return on your investment will depend upon the price you pay for your notes relative to face amount. For example, if the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier is less than its buffer level, you will incur a greater percentage decrease in your investment in the notes than would have been the case for notes purchased at face amount or a discount to face amount.

You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or Any Underlier Stock

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Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or any underlier stocks. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or the underlier stocks, including any voting rights, any right to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or the underlier stocks or any other rights of a holder of any shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or the underlier stocks. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETFc or any underlier stocks.

You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the SPDR® Gold Trust

Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any shares of the SPDR® Gold Trust. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to the SPDR® Gold Trust, including any voting rights, any right to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against the SPDR® Gold Trust or any other rights of a holder of the SPDR® Gold Trust. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any shares of the SPDR® Gold Trust. We May Sell an Additional Aggregate Face Amount of the Notes at a Different Issue Price

At our sole option, we may decide to sell an additional aggregate face amount of the notes subsequent to the date of this pricing supplement. The issue price of the notes in the subsequent sale may differ substantially (higher or lower) from the issue price you paid as provided on the cover of this pricing supplement.

Additional Risks Related to the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF

The Policies of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF’s Investment Advisor, Van Eck Associates Corporation, and the Sponsor of its Underlying Index, ICE Data Indices, LLC, Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Notes and Their Market Value

The VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF’s investment advisor, Van Eck Associates Corporation (“Van Eck”), may from time to time be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments with respect to the implementation of policies of Van Eck concerning the calculation of the net asset value of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, additions, deletions or substitutions of securities in the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF and the manner in which changes affecting the underlying index are reflected in the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF that could affect the market price of the shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, and therefore, the amount payable on your notes on the stated maturity date. The amount payable on your notes and their market value could also be affected if Van Eck changes these policies, for example, by changing the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, or if Van Eck discontinues or suspends calculation or publication of the net asset value of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, in which case it may become difficult or inappropriate to determine the market value of your notes.

If events such as these occur, the calculation agent — which initially will be GS&Co. — may determine the closing level of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF on the determination date — and thus the amount payable on the stated maturity date — in a manner, in its sole discretion, it considers appropriate. We describe the discretion that the calculation agent will have in determining the closing level of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF on the determination date and the amount payable on your notes more fully under “Terms and Conditions — Discontinuance or modification of an underlier” on page PS-5 of this pricing supplement.

In addition, ICE Data Indices, LLC, the underlier sponsor of the underlying index, owns the underlying index and is responsible for the design and maintenance of the underlying index. The policies of the underlying index sponsor concerning the calculation of the underlying index, including decisions regarding the addition, deletion or substitution of the equity securities included in the underlying index, could affect the level of the underlying index and, consequently, could affect the market price of shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF and, therefore, the amount payable on your notes and their market value.

There is No Assurance That an Active Trading Market Will Continue for the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or That There Will Be Liquidity in Any Such Trading Market; Further, the Industrial

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VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF Is Subject to Management Risks, Securities Lending Risks and Custody Risks

Although the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF’s shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) and a number of similar products have been traded on the NYSE Arca or other securities exchanges for varying periods of time, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of the underlier or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

In addition, the underlier is subject to management risk, which is the risk that the underlier investment advisor’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. The VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is also not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to the underlying index.  Van Eck invests in securities included in, or representative of, the underlying index regardless of their investment merits.  Van Eck does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets. In addition, the underlier’s investment advisor may be permitted to engage in securities lending with respect to a portion of the underlier’s total assets, which could subject the underlier to the risk that the borrower of such loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all.

In addition, the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is subject to custody risk, which refers to the risks in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.  Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. The less developed a country’s securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems.

Further, the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is subject to listing standards adopted by NYSE Arca. There can be no assurance that the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF will continue to meet the applicable listing requirements, or that the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF will not be delisted

The VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is Concentrated in Gold and Silver Mining Companies and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure

The VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF’s stocks are not diversified and are concentrated in gold and silver mining companies, which means the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is more likely to be more adversely affected by any negative performance of gold and silver mining companies than an underlier that includes more diversified stocks across a number of sectors. Investments related to gold and silver are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of factors. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the financial condition of gold and silver mining companies. Also, gold and silver mining companies are highly dependent on the price of gold and silver bullion, respectively, and may be adversely affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold and silver may fluctuate substantially over short periods of time so the underlier’s share price may be more volatile than other types of investments. Fluctuation in the prices of gold and silver may be due to a number of factors, including changes in inflation, changes in currency exchange rates and changes in industrial and commercial demand for metals (including fabricator demand). Additionally, increased environmental or labor costs may depress the value of metal investments.

An Investment in the Offered Notes Is Subject to Risks Associated with Foreign Securities Markets

The value of your notes is linked, in part, to VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, which holds, in part, stocks from one or more foreign securities markets, including stocks traded in the equity markets of emerging market countries. Investments linked to the value of foreign equity securities involve particular risks. Any foreign securities market may be less liquid, more volatile and affected by global or domestic market developments in a different way than are the U.S. securities market or other foreign securities markets. Both government intervention in a foreign securities market, either directly or indirectly, and cross-shareholdings in foreign companies, may affect trading prices and volumes in that market. Also, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign companies than about those U.S. companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Further, foreign companies are subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements that differ from those applicable to U.S. reporting companies.

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The prices of securities in a foreign country are subject to political, economic, financial and social factors that are unique to such foreign country’s geographical region. These factors include: recent changes, or the possibility of future changes, in the applicable foreign government’s economic and fiscal policies; the possible implementation of, or changes in, currency exchange laws or other laws or restrictions applicable to foreign companies or investments in foreign equity securities; fluctuations, or the possibility of fluctuations, in currency exchange rates; and the possibility of outbreaks of hostility, political instability, natural disaster or adverse public health developments. The United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the European Union on January 31, 2020 (an event commonly referred to as “Brexit”). The effects of Brexit are uncertain, and, among other things, Brexit has contributed, and may continue to contribute, to volatility in the prices of securities of companies located in Europe (or elsewhere) and currency exchange rates, including the valuation of the euro and British pound in particular. Any one of these factors, or the combination of more than one of these factors, could negatively affect such foreign securities market and the price of securities therein. Further, geographical regions may react to global factors in different ways, which may cause the prices of securities in a foreign securities market to fluctuate in a way that differs from those of securities in the U.S. securities market or other foreign securities markets. Foreign economies may also differ from the U.S. economy in important respects, including growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources and self-sufficiency, which may have a positive or negative effect on foreign securities prices.

Because foreign exchanges may be open on days when the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF is not traded, the value of the securities underlying the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF. This could result in premiums or discounts to the underlier’s net asset value that may be greater than those experienced by an underlier that does not hold foreign assets.

The countries whose markets are represented by the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF include emerging market countries. Countries with emerging markets may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less protection of property rights than more developed countries. The economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. It will also likely be more costly and difficult for Van Eck to enforce the laws or regulations of a foreign country or trading facility, and it is possible that the foreign country or trading facility may not have laws or regulations which adequately protect the rights and interests of investors in the stocks included in the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF.

Government Regulatory Action, Including Legislative Acts and Executive Orders, Could Result in Material Changes to the Composition of an Underlier with Underlier Stocks from One or More Foreign Securities Markets and Could Negatively Affect Your Return on the Notes

Government regulatory action, including legislative acts and executive orders, could cause material changes to the composition of an underlier with underlier stocks from one or more securities markets depending on the nature of such government regulatory action and the underlier stocks that are affected. For example, in response to recent executive orders, an underlier sponsor may remove underlier stocks from its underlier that are determined to be linked to the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) military, intelligence and security apparatus. If government regulatory action results in the removal of underlier stocks that have (or historically have had) significant weight in such an underlier, such removal could have a material and negative effect on the level of such underlier and, therefore, your return on the notes.

Your Investment in the Notes Will Be Subject to Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

The VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF holds assets that are denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies. The value of the assets held by the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF that are denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies will be adjusted to reflect their U.S. dollar value by converting the price of such assets from the non-U.S. dollar currency to U.S. dollars. Consequently, if the value of the U.S. dollar strengthens against the non-U.S. dollar currency in which an asset is denominated, the level of the underlier may not increase even if the non-dollar value of the asset held by the underlier increases.

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Foreign currency exchange rates vary over time, and may vary considerably during the term of your notes. Changes in a particular exchange rate result from the interaction of many factors directly or indirectly affecting economic and political conditions. Of particular importance are:

existing and expected rates of inflation;

existing and expected interest rate levels;

the balance of payments among countries;

the extent of government surpluses or deficits in the relevant foreign country and the United States; and

other financial, economic, military, public health and political factors.

All of these factors are, in turn, sensitive to the monetary, fiscal and trade policies pursued by the governments of the relevant foreign countries and the United States and other countries important to international trade and finance.

The market price of the notes and level of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF could also be adversely affected by delays in, or refusals to grant, any required governmental approval for conversions of a local currency and remittances abroad or other de facto restrictions on the repatriation of U.S. dollars.

It has been reported that the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and regulators from other countries are in the process of investigating the potential manipulation of published currency exchange rates.  If such manipulation has occurred or is continuing, certain published exchange rates may have been, or may be in the future, artificially lower (or higher) than they would otherwise have been.  Any such manipulation could have an adverse impact on any payments on, and the value of, your notes and the trading market for your notes.  In addition, we cannot predict whether any changes or reforms affecting the determination or publication of exchange rates or the supervision of currency trading will be implemented in connection with these investigations.  Any such changes or reforms could also adversely impact your notes.

The VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF May Be Disproportionately Affected By the Performance of a Small Number of Stocks

Although the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF held 51 stocks as of February 23, 2021, approximately 22.49% of the ETF was invested in just two stocks – Newmont Goldcorp Corporation and Barrick Gold Corporation — and approximately 58.11% of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF was invested in just ten stocks. As a result, a decline in the prices of one or more of these stocks, including as a result of events negatively affecting one or more of these companies, may have the effect of significantly lowering the price of the underlier even if none of the other stocks held by the underlier are affected by such events. Because of the weighting of the holdings of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF, the amount you receive at maturity could be less than the payment at maturity you would have received if you had invested in a product linked to an exchange-traded fund that capped the maximum weight of any one stock to a low amount or that equally weighted all stocks held by such fund.

The Return on Your Notes Will Not Reflect Any Dividends Paid on the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or Any Underlier Stocks

The return on your notes will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or underlier stocks and received the distributions paid on the shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF. You will not receive any dividends that may be paid on any of the underlier stocks by the underlier stock issuers or the shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF. See “—You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF or Any Underlier Stock” below for additional information.

Additional Risks Related to the SPDR® Gold Trust

The Policies of the Trustee of the SPDR® Gold Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon, Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Notes and Their Market Value

The trustee of the SPDR® Gold Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon (the “trustee”), may be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments concerning the valuation of the assets held by the SPDR® Gold Trust, the calculation of the net asset value and net asset value per share, and additions, deletions or substitutions of assets in the SPDR® Gold Trust . Such determinations could affect the market price of

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the shares of the SPDR® Gold Trust, and therefore, the amount payable on your notes on the stated maturity date. The amount payable on your notes and their market value could also be affected if the trustee changes these policies, for example, by changing or discontinuing the manner in which it evaluates the assets held by the SPDR® Gold Trust and the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of the SPDR® Gold Trust, in which case it may become difficult or inappropriate to determine the market value of your notes.

If events such as these occur, the calculation agent — which initially will be GS&Co. — may determine the closing level of the SPDR® Gold Trust on the determination date — and thus the amount payable on the stated maturity date, if any — in a manner, in its sole discretion, it considers appropriate. We describe the discretion that the calculation agent will have in determining the closing level of the SPDR® Gold Trust on the determination date and the amount payable on your notes more fully under “Terms and Conditions — Discontinuance or modification of an underlier” on page PS-5 of this pricing supplement.

There is No Assurance That an Active Trading Market Will Continue for the SPDR® Gold Trust or That There Will Be Liquidity in Any Such Trading Market; Further, the SPDR® Gold Trust is Subject to Management Risks and Custody Risks

Although the shares of the underliers are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) and a number of similar products have been traded on the NYSE Arca or other securities exchanges for varying periods of time, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of any underlier or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

The purpose of the SPDR® Gold Trust is to own gold transferred to the SPDR® Gold Trust in exchange for shares issued by the SPDR® Gold Trust. The SPDR® Gold Trust is not actively managed and may be affected by a decline in the price of gold.

In addition, the SPDR® Gold Trust is subject to custody risk, which refers to the risks in safekeeping the SPDR® Gold Trust’s gold bars and facilitating the transfer of gold bars into and out of the SPDR® Gold Trust.

The SPDR® Gold Trust is a Concentrated Investment in a Single Commodity and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure

The SPDR® Gold Trust is concentrated in a single commodity. As a result, the performance of the SPDR® Gold Trust will be concentrated in the performance of that specific commodity. Although your investment in the notes will not result in the ownership or other direct interest in the commodity held (directly or indirectly) by the SPDR® Gold Trust, the return on your investment in the notes will be subject to certain risks similar to those associated with direct investment in that commodity. This increases the risk that any market events that create a decrease in demand for or the trading price of the commodity would significantly adversely affect the SPDR® Gold Trust, which could have an adverse impact on the value of the notes.

The Value of the Shares of SPDR® Gold Trust Relates Directly to the Value of the Gold Held by SPDR® Gold Trust and Fluctuations in the Price of Gold Could Materially Adversely Affect an Investment in SPDR® Gold Trust’s Shares

The shares are designed to mirror as closely as possible the performance of the price of gold, and the value of the shares relates directly to the value of the gold held by SPDR® Gold Trust, less the trust’s liabilities (including estimated accrued expenses). The price of gold has fluctuated widely over the past several years. Several factors may affect the price of gold, including, but not limited to:

global supply and demand of gold, which may be influenced by such factors as gold’s uses in jewelry, technology and industrial applications, purchases made by investors in the form of bars, coins and other gold products, forward selling by gold producers, purchases made by gold producers to unwind their hedge positions, central bank purchases and sales, and production and cost levels in the major gold-producing countries such as China, the United States and Australia;

interest rates;

investors’ expectations concerning inflation rates;

currency exchange rates;

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investment and trading activities of hedge funds and commodity funds;

global or regional political, economic or financial events and situations, especially those unexpected in nature; and

other economic variables such as income growth, economic output and monetary policies.

Gold markets have historically experienced extended periods of flat or declining prices, in addition to sharp fluctuations.

Fees and Expenses Payable by the SPDR® Gold Trust Are Charged Regardless of Profitability and May Result in a Depletion of its Assets

The SPDR® Gold Trust is subject to fees and expenses, which are payable irrespective of profitability. Interest earned on the assets posted as collateral is paid to the SPDR® Gold Trust and is used to pay fees and expenses. A prolonged decline in interest rates could materially affect the amount of interest paid to the SPDR® Gold Trust. In the case of either an extraordinary expense and/or insufficient interest income to cover ordinary expenses, the SPDR® Gold Trust could be forced to liquidate its positions in gold to pay such expenses.

Potential Discrepancies, or Future Changes, in the Calculation of the LBMA Gold Price PM Could Have an Adverse Effect on the Value of the SPDR® Gold Trust Shares

The value of the gold held by the SPDR® Gold Trust is determined using the LBMA Gold Price PM, which is the LBMA Gold Price determined at 3:00 pm (London time) on the particular day. ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) is the administrator for the LBMA Gold Price PM, and IBA provides the auction platform, methodology as well as overall independent administration and governance for the LBMA Gold Price. As the administrator of the LBMA Gold Price, IBA operates an electronic and tradeable auction process. The price formation is in U.S. dollars only and prices are set twice daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (London time). Within the process, aggregated gold bids and offers are updated in real-time with the imbalance calculated and the price updated every 30 seconds until the buy and sell orders are matched.

If the LBMA Gold Price PM does not prove to be an accurate benchmark, and the LBMA Gold Price PM varies materially from the price of gold determined by other mechanisms, the net asset value of the SPDR® Gold Trust and, therefore, the value of an investment in the shares could be adversely impacted. Further, the calculation of the LBMA Gold Price PM is not an exact process, but is based upon a procedure of matching orders from participants in the auction process and their customers to sell gold with orders from participants in the auction process and their customers to buy gold at particular prices. The LBMA Gold Price PM does not therefore purport to reflect each buyer or seller of gold in the market, nor does it purport to set a definitive price for gold at which all orders for sale or purchase will take place on that particular day or time. All orders placed into the auction process by the participants will be executed on the basis of the price determined pursuant to the LBMA Gold Price PM auction process. Any future developments or changes in the determination of the LBMA Gold price PM, to the extent they have a material impact on the LBMA Gold Price PM, could adversely impact the net asset value of the SPDR® Gold Trust and the value of the shares.

The Amount of Gold Represented by the Shares of SPDR® Gold Trust Will Continue to Be Reduced During the Life of SPDR® Gold Trust Due to SPDR® Gold Trust’s Expenses

Each outstanding share represents a fractional, undivided interest in the gold held by SPDR® Gold Trust. The SPDR® Gold Trust does not generate any income and regularly sells gold to pay for its ongoing expenses. Therefore, the amount of gold represented by each share has gradually declined over time. This is also true with respect to shares that are issued in exchange for additional deposits of gold into the SPDR® Gold Trust, as the amount of gold required to create shares proportionately reflects the amount of gold represented by the shares outstanding at the time of creation. Assuming a constant gold price, the trading price of the shares is expected to gradually decline relative to the price of gold as the amount of gold represented by the shares gradually declines.

Termination or Liquidation of the SPDR® Gold Trust Could Adversely Affect the Value of the Notes

The SPDR® Gold Trust is a Delaware statutory trust. The trust may be required to terminate and liquidate at a time that is disadvantageous to you. If the trust is required to terminate and liquidate, such

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termination and liquidation could occur at a time when the price of gold is lower than the price of gold at the time when you purchased your notes, which could have an adverse impact on the value of the notes.

Legal and Regulatory Changes Could Adversely Affect the Return on and Value of Your Notes

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), which effected substantial changes to the regulation of the futures and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets, was enacted in July 2010. Dodd-Frank requires regulators, including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to adopt regulations to implement many of the requirements of the legislation. While the CFTC has adopted many of the required regulations, a number of them have only recently become effective, and certain requirements remain to be finalized. The ultimate impact of the regulatory scheme, therefore, cannot yet be fully determined. Under Dodd-Frank, the CFTC approved a final rule to impose limits on the size of positions that can be held by market participants in futures and OTC derivatives on physical commodities. Those rules were challenged in federal court by industry groups and were vacated by a decision of the court in 2012. In January 2020, the CFTC proposed new rules that have not yet been adopted governing speculative position limits on various physically-settled commodity futures, including metals, as well as on economically equivalent options and swaps, and has adopted final rules governing the aggregation of positions by market participants under common control and by trading managers. Their ultimate scope and impact, as well as the content, scope or impact of other CFTC rules, cannot be conclusively determined at present, and these limits could restrict the ability of certain market participants to participate in the commodities, futures and swap markets and markets for other OTC derivatives on physical commodities to the extent and at the levels that they have in the past. These factors may also have the effect of reducing liquidity and increasing costs in these markets as well as affecting the structure of the markets in other ways.

In addition, these legislative and regulatory changes have increased, and will continue to increase, the level of regulation of markets and market participants, and therefore the costs of participating in the commodities, futures and OTC derivatives markets. Without limitation, these changes require many OTC derivatives transactions to be executed on regulated exchanges or trading platforms and cleared through regulated clearing houses. Swap dealers (as defined by the CFTC) are also required to be registered and are subject to various regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to, posting and collecting margin for un-cleared OTC swaps traded bilaterally with financial entities, recordkeeping, reporting and various business conduct requirements, as well as proposed minimum financial capital requirements. These legislative and regulatory changes, and the resulting increased costs and regulatory oversight requirements, could result in market participants being required to, or deciding to, limit their trading activities, which could cause reductions in market liquidity and increases in market volatility. In addition, transaction costs incurred by market participants are likely to be higher than in the past, reflecting the costs of compliance with the new regulations. These consequences could adversely affect the price of the underliers, which could in turn adversely affect the return on and value of your notes.

In addition, other regulatory bodies have passed or proposed, or may propose in the future, legislation similar to that proposed by Dodd-Frank or other legislation containing other restrictions that could adversely impact the liquidity of and increase costs of participating in the commodities markets. For example, the European Union (“EU”) Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) and Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 600/2014)  (together “MiFID II”), which has applied since January 3, 2018, governs the provision of investment services and activities in relation to, as well as the organized trading of, financial instruments such as shares, bonds, units in collective investment schemes and derivatives. In particular, MiFID II requires EU Member States to apply position limits to the size of a net position which a person can hold at any time in commodity derivatives traded on EU trading venues and in “economically equivalent” OTC contracts. By way of further example, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 648/2012) (“EMIR”) introduced certain requirements in respect of OTC derivatives including: (i) the mandatory clearing of OTC derivative contracts declared subject to the clearing obligation; (ii) risk mitigation techniques in respect of uncleared OTC derivative contracts, including the mandatory margining of uncleared OTC derivative contracts; and (iii) reporting and recordkeeping requirements in respect of all derivative contracts. In the event that the requirements under EMIR and MiFID II apply, these are expected to increase the cost of transacting derivatives.

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Ongoing Commodities-Related Regulatory Investigations And Private Litigation Could Affect Prices for Commodities, Which Could Adversely Affect Your Notes

An increased focus on price setting and trading prices by regulators and exchanges recently have resulted in a number of changes to the ways in which prices are determined, including prices for commodities. This increased focus also resulted in the publication of standards for benchmark setting by the International Organization of Securities Commissions. Investigations by regulatory authorities, enforcement actions and criminal proceedings in the United States and around the world, and private litigation regarding potential direct and indirect manipulation of the trading prices of certain commodities, are ongoing against a number of firms.

These ongoing investigations, actions, proceedings and litigations may result in further review by exchanges and regulators of the methods by which commodities prices are determined and the manner in which commodities are traded and changes to those methods. In addition, changes to other commodity-related activities, such as storage facilities and delivery methods, may also occur. If any of these changes occur, the price of the commodity to which your notes may be linked may be affected, which may thereby adversely affect the price of the underliers and your notes.

In addition, if alleged trading price manipulation or other alleged conduct that may have artificially affected prices has occurred or is continuing, certain published commodity prices (including historical prices) may have been, or may be in the future, artificially lower (or higher) than they would otherwise have been. In particular, the historical trading information of the commodity to which your notes may be linked may be incorrect and, as a result, may not be representative of the prices or changes in prices or the volatility of the commodity to which your notes may be linked. In the future, any such artificially lower (or higher) prices could have an adverse impact on the relevant commodities or commodity contracts and any payments on, and the value of, your notes and the trading market for your notes.

Risks Related to Tax

The Tax Consequences of an Investment in Your Notes Are Uncertain

The tax consequences of an investment in your notes are uncertain, both as to the timing and character of any inclusion in income in respect of your notes.

The Internal Revenue Service announced on December 7, 2007 that it is considering issuing guidance regarding the tax treatment of an instrument such as your notes, and any such guidance could adversely affect the value and the tax treatment of your notes. Among other things, the Internal Revenue Service may decide to require the holders to accrue ordinary income on a current basis and recognize ordinary income on payment at maturity, and could subject non-U.S. investors to withholding tax. Furthermore, in 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if enacted, would have required holders that acquired instruments such as your notes after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even though there will be no interest payments over the term of such instruments. It is not possible to predict whether a similar or identical bill will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your notes. We describe these developments in more detail under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences – United States Holders – Possible Change in Law” below. You should consult your tax advisor about this matter. Except to the extent otherwise provided by law, GS Finance Corp. intends to continue treating the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” below unless and until such time as Congress, the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service determine that some other treatment is more appropriate. Please also consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and any other applicable tax consequences to you of owning your notes in your particular circumstances.

Your Notes May Be Subject to the Constructive Ownership Rules

There exists a substantial risk that the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code will apply to your notes. Assuming your notes are subject to the constructive ownership rules, then any long-term capital gain that you realize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes would be re-characterized as ordinary income (and you would be subject to an interest charge on deferred tax liability with respect to such re-characterized capital gain) to the extent that such capital gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Internal

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Revenue Code). Because the application of the constructive ownership rules is unclear you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the possible application of the constructive ownership rules to your investment in the notes.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding May Apply to Payments on Your Notes, Including as a Result of the Failure of the Bank or Broker Through Which You Hold the Notes to Provide Information to Tax Authorities

Please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of FATCA to payments made on your notes.

 

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The Underliers

VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF

The shares of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF (the “ETF”) are issued by VanEck Vectors® ETF Trust (the “trust”), a registered investment company. The trust was incorporated in Delaware as a statutory trust on March 15, 2001.  The trust operates as a series fund and, as of June 30, 2018, offers 57 investment portfolios, each of which represents a separate series of the trust.

The ETF seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index® (the “index”).

 

Van Eck Associates Corporation (“Van Eck”) acts as investment adviser to the ETF, and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for the day-to-day investment management of the ETF.

 

The Board of Trustees of the trust has responsibility for the general oversight of the management of the ETF, including general supervision of Van Eck and other service providers, but is not involved in the day-to-day management of the trust.

 

The ETF shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “GDX”.

 

The trust’s SEC CIK Number is 0001137360.

 

The inception date for purposes of the ETF shares was May 16, 2006.

 

The ETF shares are issued or redeemed only in creation units of 50,000 shares.

 

We obtained the following fee information from the trust’s publicly available information without independent verification. Van Eck is entitled to receive a monthly management fee from the ETF based on a percentage of the ETF’s average daily net assets at an annual rate of 0.50%. As of December 31, 2020, the ETF’s net expense ratio was 0.52% per annum. Until at least May 1, 2021, Van Eck has agreed to waive fees and/or pay ETF expenses to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses of the ETF (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expense, trading expenses, taxes and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.53% of its average daily net assets per year.

For additional information regarding the ETF, please consult the reports (including the Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N-CSRS for the period ended June 30, 2020) and other information the trust files with the SEC. Information provided to or filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC or through the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Additional information regarding the trust, including its top portfolio holdings, may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles, other publicly available documents, and the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF website at vaneck.com/etf/equity/gdx/overview/. We are not incorporating by reference the website, the sources listed above or any material they include in this pricing supplement.

Investment Objective and Strategy

The ETF seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the index. The ETF, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, attempts to approximate the investment performance of the index by investing in a portfolio of securities that generally replicates the index. The ETF normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the index. The ETF’s 80% investment policy is non-fundamental, which means that the ETF’s investment policy may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to shareholders. In addition, the ETF may invest in securities not included in the index, money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments, convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index) and/or certain derivatives, which Van Eck believes will help the ETF track the index. The ETF may invest in master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) to the extent they are included in the index. MLPs are limited partnerships that are operated under the supervision of one or more managing general partners. The ownership interests/common units of an MLP are listed and publicly traded on securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. Depositary receipts not included in the index may be used by the ETF in seeking performance that corresponds to the index and in managing cash flows, and may count towards compliance with the ETF’s 80% policy. The ETF may also invest, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, in other affiliated and unaffiliated funds, such as open-end and closed-end management investment companies, including other ETFs. The ETF does not invest in money market instruments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines.

Notwithstanding the ETF’s investment objective, the return on your notes will not reflect any dividends paid on the ETF shares, on the securities purchased by the ETF or on the securities that comprise the index.

The ETF’s Holdings, Country Classifications and Sector Classifications

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The ETF holds stocks and depositary receipts of companies involved in the gold mining industry.

The following tables display the top holdings and weighting by sector and country of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF.  A list of constituent stocks can be found at vaneck.com/etf/equity/gdx/holdings/.  We are not incorporating by reference the website or any material it includes in this pricing supplement.  This information has been obtained from the ETF website without independent verification.

VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF Top Ten Holdings as of February 23, 2021

ETF Stock Issuer

Percentage (%)

Newmont Goldcorp Corp

12.60%

Barrick Gold Corp

9.89%

Franco-Nevada Corp

5.91%

Newcrest Mining Ltd

5.12%

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp

5.02%

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd

4.50%

Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd

3.97%

Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd

3.93%

Northern Star Resources Ltd

3.82%

Anglogold Ashanti Ltd

3.35%

Total

58.11%

VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF Weighting by Country as of January 31, 2021*

Country

Percentage (%)

Canada

44.41%

United States

17.39%

Australia

14.57%

Brazil

6.71%

South Africa

4.42%

Tanzania

3.64%

China

3.40%

Côte D’Ivoire

1.29%

Kyrgyzstan

1.14%

Peru

0.96%

Turkey

0.73%

Egypt

0.67%

Burkina Faso

0.60%

Other

0.07%

Total

100.00%

* Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

 

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VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF Weighting by Sector as of January 31, 2021*

Sector

Percentage (%)

Materials

99.9%

Other/Cash

0.1%

Total

100%

* Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

 

Correlation

Although Van Eck intends to track the performance of the index as closely as possible, the ETF’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the index due to expenses and transaction costs incurred in adjusting the portfolio. When the index is rebalanced and the ETF in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the ETF’s portfolio and the index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing may be borne directly by the ETF and its shareholders. In addition, it is possible that the ETF may not always fully replicate the performance of the index as a result of not investing in certain securities included in the index, or not investing in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the index due to unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or due to other extraordinary circumstances (e.g., if trading in a security has been halted). The ETF’s performance may also deviate from the return of the index due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, certain listing standards of the ETF’s listing exchange, a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). The ETF may value certain of its investments and/or other assets based on fair value prices. To the extent the ETF calculates its net asset value based on fair value prices and the value of the index is based on securities’ closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of the index is not based on fair value prices), the ETF’s ability to track the index may be adversely affected. In addition, any issues the ETF encounters with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the index tracking risk. For tax efficiency purposes, the ETF may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the ETF to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the index. In light of the factors discussed above, the ETF’s return may deviate significantly from the return of the index. Changes to the composition of the index in connection with a rebalancing or reconstitution of the index may cause the ETF to experience increased volatility, during which time the ETF’s index tracking risk may be heightened.

For the period ended January 31, 2021, the ETF website gave the following performance figures for market price of an ETF share and the index: ETF share—1 year on an annualized basis, 19.67%; 3 years on an annualized basis, 13.90%; 5 years on an annualized basis, 20.07%; 10 years on an annualized basis, -3.75%; since inception on an annualized basis, -0.33%; index—1 year on an annualized basis, 20.69%; 3 years on an annualized basis, 14.51%; 5 years on an annualized basis, 20.71%; 10 years on an annualized basis, -3.29%; since inception on an annualized basis, 0.15%.

Industry Concentration Policy

The ETF will concentrate its investments in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular sector or sectors or industry or group of industries.

The NYSE® Arca Gold Miners Index®

The NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index® (“index”) is a rules-based index designed to measure the performance of highly capitalized companies in the gold mining industry. The index is a modified market capitalization index but is not adjusted for free float, i.e., issued and outstanding shares of a company not closely held by company management or insiders (generally speaking, ownership positions that are greater than 10% of outstanding shares are considered to be closely held, meaning these shares are considered to be a long-term investment and are not expected to trade often enough to be considered part of the pool of shares readily available to investors). The index is calculated in U.S. dollars on a net

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total return basis. ICE Data Indices, LLC (“IDI”) is the index sponsor and the index administrator. The index was launched on September 23, 2013 and has a base date of September 20, 2013 and a base level of 779.30. Additional information about the index is available on the following website: theice.com/market-data/indices/equity-indices/ucits. We are not incorporating by reference the website or any material it includes in this pricing supplement.

Index Universe and Selection Principle

Index Universe

Development and maintenance of the component universe for the index is undertaken by IDI. The universe is composed of all listed equity securities that are determined by the IDI to be representative of the gold mining industry. This determination is completed using publically available information on individual security issuers as well as the industry. Also instrumental in this determination is IDI employees’ expertise concerning index design and development and their knowledge surrounding index use and stakeholder feedback. IDI may change the composition of the universe at any time to reflect the conditions of the gold mining industry and to ensure that the pool of component securities continues to represent the gold mining industry, in accordance with the index requirements.

The index include common stocks, ADRs, or GDRs of selected companies involved in the mining for gold and silver ore and are listed for trading and electronically quoted on a major stock market that is accessible by foreign investors. This specifically includes those companies classified as being cross-listed, as an example those miners with both U.S. (NYSE, NYSE American, Nasdaq) and Canadian (TSX) listings. The criteria of being “electronically quoted” can be assumed to be met if the real-time market quotations and trades for securities listed on a particular exchange are available via the data feeds of the major market data vendors.

The index administrator has chosen not to specify the exact exchanges whose securities are eligible for inclusion in the index, but generally the exchanges in most developed markets and major emerging markets are regarded as appropriate. The index administrator uses its discretion to avoid those exchanges and markets that are considered “frontier” in nature or alternatively, have major restrictions to foreign ownership or investability.

The universe specifically includes those companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from gold mining and related activities. There will be a 10% buffer built in so that companies already existing in the index will only be removed from the universe and index in the next review if their gold mining revenues fall below the 40% level.

In addition, both streaming companies and royalty companies are eligible for inclusion in the index. At the discretion of the index administrator, companies that have not yet commenced production are also eligible for inclusion in the index, provided they do have tangible revenues that are related to either the mining of gold or silver ore. In addition, there are no restrictions imposed on the universe in how much a particular company has hedged in gold or silver production via futures, options, or forward contracts.

It should be noted that the index will maintain an exposure to companies with a significant revenue exposure to silver mining in addition to gold mining. This can be defined as those companies (“silver-tilted” companies) that either:

1.Have a revenue exposure to silver mining that is greater than 50% or,

2.Have a greater revenue exposure to silver mining than gold mining and have a combined gold/silver mining revenue exposure of greater than 50%

The index administrator will ensure, solely through the company selections in the index rebalances, that the percentage of the index weight that will consist of these “silver-tilted” companies will not exceed 20%.

Selection of Constituents

The index constituents are selected among the companies included in the universe that meet all of the following criteria. A buffer will be enforced for companies already in the index, as outlined below:

1.Market capitalization is greater than $750 million (not adjusted for free float)

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a.

For companies already in the index, the market capitalization requirement will be $450 million

 

2.Average daily volume of at least 50,000 shares over the past three months

 

a.

For companies already in the index, the average daily volume requirement will be at least 30,000 shares over the past three months

 

3.Average daily value traded of at least $1 million over the past three months

 

a.

For companies already in the index, the average daily value traded requirement will be at least $600,000 over the past three months

 

For reasons of practicality, the index administrator has the discretion to not include all companies that meet the minimum levels for inclusion. These include, but are not limited to, pending corporate actions, litigation or geo-political events that may affect a given stock. In addition, the index administrator has the discretion to include companies that do not meet the minimum levels for inclusion, if it determines that by doing so it maintains the quality and/or character of the index.

Removal of Constituents

Components will be removed from the index during the quarterly review if they either fail on Criteria 1 below, or, alternatively fail on both Criteria 2 and 3 below:

1.The market capitalization is lower than $450 million

2.The average daily volume for the past three months is lower than 30,000 shares

3.the average daily value traded for the past three months is lower than $600,000

Selected Line

Only one listing is permitted per company and the listing representing the company’s ordinary shares is generally used. If an ADR, GDR, or U.S. cross-listing is available for a given stock and it satisfies the minimum liquidity requirements, that ADR, GDR, or U.S. cross-listing will be used instead of the locally listed ordinary share. This logic will be followed even in the cases where the stock’s local listing has a greater liquidity than the ADR, GDR, or U.S. cross-listing.

If multiple share classes are available for a particular listing line, the shares outstanding for each class will be added up and attributed to the most liquid class. There is no rules-based consideration of the amount of free float shares available for each company. Instead, the index administrator evaluates, on a discretionary basis, the amount of free float shares available to the public while performing its review of the universe. If the index administrator concludes that the amount of free float shares of a company is too low, it could decide to exclude such company from the universe.

Periodical Update of Weighting

Determining Constituent Weightings at Quarterly Index Rebalances

The index is weighted based on the market capitalization of each of the component stocks, modified to conform to the following asset diversification requirements, which are applied in conjunction with the scheduled quarterly adjustments to the index as described above. The information utilized in this modification process will be taken from the close of trading on the second Friday of the rebalance month:

1.The weight of any single component stock may not account for more than 20% of the total value of the index;

2.The component stocks are split into two subgroups – (1) large and (2) small, ranked by their unadjusted market capitalization weight in the index. Large stocks are defined as having a starting index weight greater than or equal to 5%. Small stocks are defined as having a starting index weight below 5%;

3.The final aggregate weight of those component stocks which individually represent more than 4.5% of the total value of the index may not account for more than 45% of the total index value.

Adjustment Process

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1.

Diversification Rule 1: If any component stock exceeds 20% of the total value of the index, then all stocks with weights greater than 20% of the index are reduced to represent 20% of the value of the index. The aggregate amount by which all component stocks are reduced is redistributed proportionately across the remaining stocks that represent less than 20% of the index value. After this redistribution, if any other stock then exceeds 20%, the stock is set to 20% of the index value and the redistribution is repeated.

 

If there is no component stock over 20% of the total value of the index to start, then Diversification Rule 1 is not executed.

 

2.

Diversification Rule 2: The components are sorted into two groups – (1) large components, with a starting index weight of 5% or greater, and (2) small components, with a weight of under 5% (after any adjustments for Diversification Rule 1).

 

If there are no components that classify as large components after Diversification Rule 1 is run, then Diversification Rule 2 is not executed. Alternatively, if the starting aggregate weight of the large components after Diversification Rule 1 is run is not greater than 45% of the starting index weight, then Diversification Rule 2 is not executed.

If Diversification Rule 2 is indeed executed, then the (1) large group and (2) small group will represent 45% and 55%, respectively, of the final index weight. This will be adjusted through the following process:

 

a.

The weight of each of the large stocks will be scaled down proportionately (with a floor of 5%) so that the aggregate weight of the large components will be reduced to represent 45% of the index. If any large component stock falls below a weight equal to the product of 5% and the proportion by which the stocks were scaled down following this distribution, then the weight of the stock is set equal to 5% and the components with weights greater than 5% will be reduced proportionately.

 

 

b.

The weight of each of the small components will be scaled up proportionately from the redistribution of the large components. If any small component stock exceeds a weight equal to the product of 4.5% and the proportion by which the stocks were scaled down following this distribution, then the weight of the stock is set equal to 4.5%. The redistribution of weight to the remaining stocks is repeated until the entire amount has been redistributed.

 

Calculation of the Index

The ETF tracks the net total return version of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index® (current Bloomberg symbol : “GDMNTR”). A net total return index measures the period to period change in the value of its components due to changes in the valuation (price in U.S. dollars) of those components plus (by means of an adjustment to the divisor) any income produced by those components net of dividend withholding taxes. As the index level is expressed in U.S. dollars, the index converts non-U.S. currencies into U.S. dollars using currency exchange rates.

The current index level is calculated by dividing the current modified index market capitalization by the index divisor. The divisor was determined off of the initial capitalization base of the index and the base level. The divisor is updated as a result of dividends going ex-dividend on the calculation date and as a result of corporate actions and composition changes.

Notwithstanding that the ETF tracks the performance of the net total return version of the index, the return on your notes will not reflect any dividends paid on the ETF shares, on the securities purchased by the ETF or on the securities that comprise the index.

The closing level is the last level disseminated on the trading day and uses the official close prices from the primary listing market for each constituent. For constituents that have non-traded, halted or suspended status, or have not opened for the current day, the previous day’s reference prices (primary exchange official closes) or estimated prices (for IPOs, buyouts and swap offers) are used instead. The currency rate that will be utilized in the calculation of the closing level is the current day’s London 4:00 PM WM/Reuters Spot FX rate, or if not available, the prior day’s relevant London 4:00 PM WM/Reuters Spot FX rate. In the case of exceptional market conditions, the index administrator reserves the right to utilize other prices in the calculation of the official closing level.

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The Consolidated Tape (CTS/UDTF) is the primary market data source for U.S. equity real-time and closing prices. Thomson Reuters and the ICE Data Services Consolidated Feed are the primary market data sources utilized for retrieving real-time and closing prices for international (ex-U.S.) equities and real-time spot currencies, all for use in index calculations. Closing spot currencies utilized for constituent conversion or index level conversion are sourced from WM/Reuters Spot FX fixings, specifically the 4 PM London fixing. The index utilizes tax withholding rates commonly released by various global accounting firms. The location/perspective for all tax withholding rates is that of Luxembourg. Additional sources of data less commonly used include market data vendors, company announcements, exchange announcements and other official sources.

The index administrator retains the right to delay the publication of the opening level of the index. Furthermore, the index administrator retains the right to suspend the publication of the level of the index if it believes that circumstances prevent the proper calculation of the index.

If index constituent prices are cancelled, the index will not be recalculated unless the index administrator decides otherwise.

Reasonable efforts are made to ensure the correctness and validity of data used in real-time index calculations. If incorrect price or corporate action data affects index daily closing values, they are corrected retroactively as soon as possible and all revisions are communicated out to the public and market data vendors.

Changes to the Index

Inclusion of New Constituents

The inclusion of new companies in the index will typically only occur during the quarterly reconstitutions or rebalances, although there could be exceptions based on a specific corporate action affecting a current constituent. The inclusion of the new company at the quarterly rebalances/reconstitutions will be announced at least six trading days before the effective date of the actual inclusion. For example, for the rebalance effective for March 19, 2018, the announcement occurred after the close on March 9, 2018.

Removal of Constituent

Components would be removed from the index as a result of periodic corporate actions as well as the result of the quarterly rebalances/reconstitutions. All removals in the quarterly rebalances/reconstitutions will be announced at least six trading days before the effective date of the removal. It should be noted that in the case of mergers and acquisitions, every effort will be made to remove the company at some reasonable time ahead of the suspension in trading in the acquired company. There will be certain situations and corporate actions that would require the removal of a company that has already ceased trading. In those cases, the company will be removed from the index at its last traded price, or, at the discretion of the index administrator, at a derived price that most accurately represents its post-suspension value. There will be certain situations and corporate actions that would require a removal of a company with less than six trading days of notice. In those cases, the removal would be announced no later than 15:00 ET on the trading day preceding the effective date of the removal.

Corporate Actions

In case of an event that could affect one or more constituents, the index administrator will inform the market about the intended treatment of the event in the index shortly after the firm details have become available and have been confirmed. When possible, the corporate action will be announced, even if not all information is known, at least one trading day before the effective date of the action. Once the corporate action has been effectuated, the index administrator will confirm the changes in a separate announcement.

The following chart summarizes how the index sponsor will treat various corporate actions.

Corporate Action

Any changes?

Stock split

Price change

Shares change

Stock dividend

Price change

Shares change

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Special cash

Price change

N/A

Regular dividends

Price Change

N/A

Equity offering

N/A

New listing

N/A

Delisting

Deletion

N/A

Spin off

Price change

N/A

Rights offering

Price change

Shares change

 

Rule Changes

Going forward, barring exceptional circumstances, the index administrator shall announce proposed rules changes to stakeholders prior to them being implemented. Stakeholders shall also be notified of when the changes shall take effect.

Index Reviews

IDI shall undertake regular reviews of the index, the methodology and the market which it represents to ensure it continues to meet the index objective, in accordance with IDI’s policies and procedures. Should changes to the index be required or proposed, this will be communicated to stakeholders in accordance with IDI’s policies and procedures.

Quarterly Reconstitution/Rebalance: Publication of Results

The new composition of the index, including the companies to be a part of the index and their corresponding new index shares, will be announced at least six trading days before the effective date.

Governance

Index Sponsor and Administrator

IDI is responsible for the day-to-day management of the index, including retaining primary responsibility for all aspects of the index determination process, including implementing appropriate governance and oversight, as required under the International Organization of Securities Commission’s Principles for Financial Benchmarks (the IOSCO Principles). The governance committee is responsible for helping to ensure IDI’s overall compliance with the IOSCO Principles, by performing the oversight function which includes overseeing the index development, design, issuance and operation of the index, as well as reviewing the control framework. IDI is also responsible for decisions regarding the interpretation of these rules and the governance committee is responsible for reviewing all rule book modifications and index constituent changes with respect to the index to ensure that they are made objectively, without bias, and in accordance with applicable law and regulation and IDI’s policies and procedures. Consequently, all IDI’s and the governance committee discussions and decisions are confidential until released to the public.

Cases Not Covered In Rules

In cases which are not expressly covered in the index methodology, operational adjustments will take place along the lines of the aim of the index. Operational adjustments may also take place if, in the opinion of the index administrator, it is desirable to do so to maintain a fair and orderly market in derivatives on this index and/or this is in the best interests of the investors in products based on the index and/or the proper functioning of the markets.

Any such modifications described under this section or exercise of expert judgment will also be governed by any applicable policies, procedures and guidelines in place by IDI at such time.

Rule Book Changes

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The governance committee reviews all rule book modifications and index changes to ensure that they are made objectively, without bias and in accordance with applicable law and regulation and IDI’s policies and procedures. These rules may be supplemented, amended in whole or in part, revised or withdrawn at any time in accordance with applicable law and regulation and IDI applicable policies and procedures. Supplements, amendments, revisions and withdrawals may also lead to changes in the way the index is compiled or calculated or affect the index in another way.

Limitation of the Index

The index may be subject to potential limitations, such as a decline in the pool of available eligible securities due to advancements in technology, shifts in demographic spending or the economy, changes in regulation or accounting rules, consolidation in certain sectors or industries, or other factors. Other limitations may include the ability of the index to operate in illiquid or fragmented markets.

By design, the index is focused on the gold mining industry, and to a lesser extent, the silver mining industry. As the underlying markets transform due to consolidation and technology transformation, the companies included in the index will adjust and change accordingly.

IDI seeks to manage and mitigate these limitations through the index design, review and oversight process.

 

 

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SPDR® Gold Trust

The SPDR® Gold Trust (the “trust”) issues SPDR® Gold Shares, which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the trust (the “shares”).

The purpose of the trust is to hold gold bars and for its shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion minus the trust’s expenses and fees.

The shares trade under the ticker symbol “GLD” on the NYSE Arca.

The trust’s SEC CIK Number is 0001222333.

The trust’s inception date was November 12, 2004.

The trust’s shares are issued or redeemed only in baskets of 100,000 shares

We have derived all information regarding the trust and the shares contained in this pricing supplement from publicly available information without independent verification. For additional information regarding the trust, please consult the reports (including the annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020) and other information the trust files with the SEC. Information provided to or filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC or through the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Additional information regarding the trust may be obtained from other sources including, but not limited to, press releases, newspaper articles, other publicly available documents, and the SPDR® Gold Shares website at spdrgoldshares.com. We are not incorporating by reference the website, the sources listed above or any material they include in this pricing supplement.

The Trust

The SPDR® Gold Trust is an investment trust, formed on November 12, 2004, that holds gold bars and is expected from time to time to issue blocks of 100,000 trust shares (called baskets) in exchange for deposits of gold and to distribute gold in connection with redemptions of baskets.

The trust’s sponsor is World Gold Trust Services, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is wholly-owned by the World Gold Council, a not-for-profit association registered under Swiss law. The sponsor established the trust and generally oversees the performance of the trustee and the trust’s principal service providers, but does not exercise day-to-day oversight. The sponsor may remove the trustee and appoint a successor in certain circumstances.

The trustee is BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, a division of The Bank of New York Mellon. The trustee is generally responsible for the day-to-day administration of the trust. This includes selling the trust’s gold as needed to pay the trust’s expenses (gold sales are expected to occur approximately monthly in the ordinary course), calculating the net asset value (“NAV”) of the trust and the NAV per trust share, receiving and processing orders from authorized participants to create and redeem baskets and coordinating the processing of such orders with the custodian and The Depository Trust Company and monitoring the custodian. The trustee determines the NAV of the trust on each day that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, at the earlier of (i) the afternoon session of the twice daily determination of the price of an ounce of gold through an auction by the London Bullion Market Association (the “LBMA”), administered by the ICE Benchmark Administration, which starts at 3:00 PM London, England time (known as the “LBMA Gold Price PM”), or (ii) 12:00 PM New York time. The LBMA Gold Price is determined by participants in a physically settled, electronic and tradable auction. The LBMA Gold Price replaced the previously established London PM Gold Fix on March 20, 2015. The NAV of the trust is the aggregate value of the trust’s assets less its estimated accrued but unpaid liabilities (which include accrued expenses). In determining the trust’s NAV, the trustee values the gold held by the trust based on the LBMA Gold Price PM for an ounce of gold. The trustee also determines the NAV per trust share.

The custodian is HSBC Bank plc. The custodian is responsible for the safekeeping of the trust’s gold bars transferred to it in connection with the creation of baskets. The custodian also facilitates the transfer of gold in and out of the trust through gold accounts it maintains for authorized participants and the trust. The custodian is a market maker, clearer and approved weigher under the rules of the LBMA.

Shareholders of the trust have no voting rights, except in limited circumstances. Shareholders holding at least 66 2/3% of the shares outstanding may vote to remove the trustee. The trustee may terminate the

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trust upon the agreement of shareholders owning at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding shares. In addition, certain amendments to the trust indenture require 51% or unanimous consent of the shareholders.

The trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under that act. The trust will not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts regulated by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936 (the “CEA”), as administered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). The trust is not a commodity pool for purposes of the CEA, and none of the sponsor, the trustee or the marketing agent, State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, is subject to regulation by the CFTC as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading advisor in connection with the shares.

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the trust is for the shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the trust’s expenses. The sponsor believes that, for many investors, the shares represent a cost-effective investment in gold. The sponsor intends the shares to offer investors an opportunity to participate in the gold market through an investment in securities without the logistics of buying, storing and insuring gold. The trust has no fixed termination date and will terminate upon the occurrence of a termination event listed in the trust indenture.

The trust indenture provides for distributions to shareholders in only two circumstances. First, if the trustee and the sponsor determine that the trust’s cash account balance exceeds the anticipated expenses of the trust for the next 12 months and the excess amount is more than $0.01 per share outstanding, they shall direct the excess amount to be distributed to the shareholders. Second, if the trust is terminated and liquidated, the trustee will distribute to the shareholders any amounts remaining after the satisfaction of all outstanding liabilities of the trust and the establishment of such reserves for applicable taxes, other governmental charges and contingent or future liabilities as the trustee shall determine. Shareholders of record on the record date fixed by the trustee for a distribution will be entitled to receive their pro rata portion of any distribution.

Creation and Redemption of the Shares of the Trust

The trust creates and redeems its shares from time to time, but only in one or more baskets (a basket equals a block of 100,000 trust shares). The creation and redemption of baskets requires the delivery to the trust or the distribution by the trust of the amount of gold and any cash represented by the baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which is based on the combined NAV of the number of trust shares included in the baskets being created or redeemed. The initial amount of gold required for deposit with the trust to create shares for the period from the formation of the trust to the first day of trading of the trust shares on the NYSE was 10,000 ounces per basket. The number of ounces of gold required to create a basket or to be delivered upon the redemption of a basket gradually decreases over time, due to the accrual of the trust’s expenses and the sale of the trust’s gold to pay the trust’s expenses. Baskets may be created or redeemed only by an authorized participant, which is a person who is a registered broker-dealer or other securities market participant such as a bank or other financial institution which is not required to register as a broker-dealer to engage in securities transactions, is a participant in the Depository Trust Company system, has entered into an agreement with the sponsor and the trustee which provides the procedures for the creation and redemption of baskets and for the delivery of the gold and any cash required for such creations and redemptions and has established an unallocated gold account with the custodian. Authorized participants pay a transaction fee for each order to create or redeem baskets and may sell the shares included in the baskets they create to other investors.

Termination Events

The sponsor may, and it is anticipated that the sponsor will, direct the trustee to terminate and liquidate the trust when the NAV of the trust is less than $350 million (as adjusted for inflation). The sponsor may also direct the trustee to terminate the trust if the CFTC determines that the trust is a commodity pool under the CEA. The trustee may also terminate the trust upon the agreement of trust shareholders owning at least 66⅔% of the outstanding trust shares.

In addition, the trustee will terminate and liquidate the trust if one of the following events occurs:

The Depository Trust Company, the securities depository for the shares of the trust, is unwilling or unable to perform its functions under the trust indenture and no suitable replacement is available;

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The shares of the trust are de-listed from the NYSE Arca and are not listed for trading on another U.S. national securities exchange or through the Nasdaq Stock Market within five business days from the date the shares of the trust are de-listed;

The NAV of the trust remains less than $50 million for a period of 50 consecutive business days;

The sponsor resigns or is unable to perform its duties or becomes bankrupt or insolvent and the trustee has not appointed a successor and has not itself agreed to act as sponsor;

The trustee resigns or is removed and no successor trustee is appointed within 60 days;

The custodian resigns and no successor custodian is appointed within 60 days;

The sale of all of the trust’s assets;

The trust fails to qualify for treatment, or ceases to be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as a grantor trust; or

The maximum period for which the trust is allowed to exist under New York law ends.

 

Upon the termination of the trust, the trustee will, within a reasonable time after the termination of the trust, sell the trust’s gold bars and, after paying or making provision for the trust’s liabilities, distribute the proceeds to the shareholders of the trust.

Valuation of Gold and NAV

As of 3:00 PM London time on each day that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading or, if no LBMA Gold Price PM is determined at 3:00 PM London time on such day or the LBMA Gold Price PM has not been announced by 12:00 PM New York time on such day, as of 12:00 PM New York time on such day, the trustee values the gold held by the trust and determines both the adjusted NAV and the NAV of the trust. The trustee values the trust’s gold on the basis of that day’s LBMA Gold Price PM or, if no LBMA Gold Price PM is determined on such day or has not been announced by the valuation time, the next most recent LBMA Gold Price (AM or PM) determined prior to that time is used, unless the trustee, in consultation with the sponsor, determines that such price is inappropriate as a basis for valuation. In the event the trustee and the sponsor determine that the LBMA Gold Price PM or last prior LBMA Gold Price (AM or PM) is not an appropriate basis for valuation of the trust’s gold, they shall identify an alternative basis for such valuation to be employed by the trustee. Once the value of the gold has been determined, the trustee subtracts all estimated accrued fees (other than the fees accruing for the evaluation day which are computed by reference to the adjusted NAV of the trust or the custody fees accruing for the evaluation day which are based on the value of the gold held by the trust), expenses and other liabilities of the trust from the total value of the gold and all other assets of the trust (other than any amounts credited to the trust’s reserve account, if established). The resulting figure is the adjusted NAV of the trust. The adjusted NAV of the trust is used to compute the fees of the sponsor, the trustee and the marketing agent. To determine the trust’s NAV, the trustee subtracts the amount of estimated accrued fees accruing for the evaluation day which are computed by reference to the adjusted NAV of the trust and to the value of the gold held by the trust from the adjusted NAV of the trust. The resulting figure is the NAV of the trust. The trustee also determines the NAV per trust share by dividing the NAV of the trust by the number of the trust shares outstanding as of the close of trading on NYSE Arca (which includes the net number of any trust shares created or redeemed on such evaluation day).

The shares may trade at, above or below the NAV per share. The NAV per share fluctuates with changes in the market value of the trust’s assets. The trading price of the shares fluctuates in accordance with changes in the NAV per share as well as market supply and demand.

Expenses and Fees

The trust’s only recurring fixed expense is the sponsor’s fees which accrue daily at an annual rate equal to 0.40% of the daily NAV. In exchange for the sponsor’s fee, the sponsor has agreed to pay all ordinary fees and expenses of the trust (which include the fees and expenses of the trustee and the fees and expenses of the custodian for the custody of the trust’s gold bars), the fees and expenses of the sponsor, certain taxes, the fees of the marketing agent, printing and mailing costs, legal and audit fees, registration fees, NYSE Arca listing fees and other marketing costs and expenses. In order to pay the trust’s

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expenses, the trustee sells gold held by the trust on an as needed basis. Each sale of gold by the trust is a taxable event to shareholders of the trust.

Additionally, if the trust incurs unforeseen expenses that cause the total ordinary expenses of the trust to exceed 0.70% per year of the daily adjusted NAV of the trust, the ordinary expenses will accrue at a rate greater than 0.40% per year of the daily adjusted NAV of the trust, even after the sponsor and the marketing agent have completely waived their combined fees of 0.30% per year of the daily adjusted NAV of the trust.

The trustee’s fee is payable monthly in arrears and is accrued daily at an annual rate equal to 0.02% of the adjusted NAV of the trust, subject to a minimum fee of $500,000 and a maximum fee of $2,000,000 per year. The custodian’s fee is computed at an annual rate equal to 0.10% of the average daily aggregate value of the first 4.5 million ounces of gold held in the trust and 0.06% of the average daily aggregate value of all gold held in the trust in excess of 4.5 million ounces.

Understanding the LBMA Gold Price

Although the market for physical gold is global, most over the counter market trades are cleared through London. In addition to coordinating market activities, the LBMA acts as the principal point of contact between the market and its regulators. A primary function of the LBMA is its involvement in the promotion of refining standards by maintenance of the “London Good Delivery Lists,” which are the lists of LBMA accredited melters and assayers of gold. The LBMA also coordinates market clearing and vaulting, promotes good trading practices and develops standard documentation.

ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”), on behalf of the LBMA, has assumed responsibility for establishing the LBMA Gold Price as of March 20, 2015.  In April 2017, the IBA introduced central clearing to the gold auction. Central clearing removes the need for firms to have large bilateral credit lines in place with each other in order to become a direct participant. This opens up the auction to a broader cross section of the market and also facilitates greater volume in the auction.

IBA operates electronic auctions for spot, unallocated Loco London gold (gold bullion that is physically held in London), providing a market-based platform for buyers and sellers to trade. The auctions are run at 10:30am and 3:00pm London time. The final auction price is published to the market as LBMA Gold Price AM and LBMA Gold Price PM.

The price formation for the gold auction is in USD only. The final price is converted into the benchmark in other currencies including: Australian Dollars; British Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Euros, Onshore and Offshore Yuan, Indian Rupees, Japanese Yen, Malaysian Ringgit, Russian Rubles, Singapore Dollars, South African Rand, Swiss Francs, New Taiwan Dollars, Thai Baht and Turkish Lira. The benchmarks in other currencies are not tradeable directly through the auction.

The methodology is reviewed by the Precious Metals Oversight Committee as documented in its Terms of Reference. The frequency of reviews is set by the Oversight Committee through its Calendar of Agenda Items.

The auctions run in rounds of 30 seconds. At the start of each round, IBA publishes a price for that round. Participants then have 30 seconds to enter, change or cancel their orders (how much gold they want to buy or sell at that price). At the end of each round, order entry is frozen and the system checks to see if the difference between buying and selling (the imbalance) is within the imbalance threshold (normally 10,000 oz. for gold).    

If the imbalance is outside of the threshold at the end of a round, then the auction is not balanced, the price is adjusted and a new round starts. If the imbalance is within the threshold then the auction is finished and the price is set. Any imbalance is shared equally between all direct participants (even if they did not place orders or did not log in) and the net volume for each participant trades at the final price. The final price is then published as the LBMA Gold Price in US Dollars and also converted into the benchmarks in other currencies using foreign exchange rates from when the final round ended.

The prices during the auction are determined by an algorithm that takes into account current market conditions and the activity in the auction. Each auction is actively supervised by IBA staff.

If the IBA discovers an error during an auction round, the auction round could be stopped and restarted. If the IBA makes an error in an auction which is discovered after an auction is finished, the auction could

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not be rerun, but the IBA could replace the published auction price with a No Publication. If a participant makes an error which is discovered after an auction is finished, the auction could not be rerun. If fewer than three direct participants are present for the auction and the IBA therefore publishes a price without conducting an auction but the IBA publishes an incorrect price, the incorrect price could be amended if the error were discovered within 30 minutes after publication. If the IBA publishes an incorrect non-USD price, the incorrect non-USD price could be amended if the error were discovered within 30 minutes after publication.

As of January 31, 2021, the SPDR® website reported the following annual returns on the market price of the trust’s shares and the price of gold (determined by the London PM Fix through March 19, 2015).  The market price returns shown account for changes in the mid-point of the bid and ask prices at the time the NAV of the trust is calculated on the relevant date. Trust shares: 1 year, 15.59%; 3 years, 10.57%; 5 years, 10.03%; 10 years, 2.88%; since ETF inception, 8.68%; gold: 1 year, 17.65%; 3 years, 11.47%; 5 years, 10.87%; 10 years, 3.45%; since ETF inception, 9.28%.

 

 

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Historical Closing Levels of the Underliers

The closing levels of the underliers have fluctuated in the past and may, in the future, experience significant fluctuations.  In particular, the underliers have recently experienced extreme and unusual volatility. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of any underlier during the period shown below is not an indication that such underlier is more or less likely to increase or decrease at any time during the life of your notes.

You should not take the historical closing levels of an underlier as an indication of the future performance of an underlier, including because of the recent volatility described above. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of any underlier will result in you receiving the outstanding face amount of your notes on the stated maturity date.

Neither we nor any of our affiliates make any representation to you as to the performance of the underliers. Before investing in the offered notes, you should consult publicly available information to determine the relevant underlier levels between the date of this pricing supplement and the date of your purchase of the offered notes and, given the recent volatility described above, you should pay particular attention to recent levels of the underliers. The actual performance of an underlier over the life of the offered notes, as well as the cash settlement amount at maturity may bear little relation to the historical levels shown below.

The graphs below show the daily historical closing levels of each underlier from January 1, 2016 through February 23, 2021. As a result, the following graphs do not reflect the global financial crisis which began in 2008, which had a materially negative impact on the price of most commodities and, as a result, the level of most commodity ETFs. We obtained the levels in the graphs below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.

Historical Performance of the VanEck Vectors® Gold Miners ETF

 


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Historical Performance of the SPDR® Gold Trust

 

 

 

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SUPPLEMENTAL DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES

The following section supplements the discussion of U.S. federal income taxation in the accompanying prospectus supplement.

The following section is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp, counsel to GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. In addition, it is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp that the characterization of the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes that will be required under the terms of the notes, as discussed below, is a reasonable interpretation of current law.

This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a class of holders subject to special rules, such as:

a dealer in securities or currencies;

a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for your securities holdings;

a bank;

a life insurance company;

a tax exempt organization;

a partnership;

a regulated investment company;

an accrual method taxpayer subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of its use of financial statements;

a person that owns a note as a hedge or that is hedged against interest rate risks;

a person that owns a note as part of a straddle or conversion transaction for tax purposes; or

a United States holder (as defined below) whose functional currency for tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar.

Although this section is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations under the Internal Revenue Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect, no statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly addresses how your notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and as a result, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in your notes are uncertain. Moreover, these laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis.

 You should consult your tax advisor concerning the U.S. federal income tax and any other applicable tax consequences of your investments in the notes, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.

 


United States Holders

This section applies to you only if you are a United States holder that holds your notes as a capital asset for tax purposes. You are a United States holder if you are a beneficial owner of each of your notes and you are:

a citizen or resident of the United States;

a domestic corporation;

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

Tax Treatment. You will be obligated pursuant to the terms of the notes — in the absence of a change in law, an administrative determination or a judicial ruling to the contrary — to characterize your notes for all tax purposes as pre-paid derivative contracts in respect of the underliers. Except as otherwise stated below, the discussion herein assumes that the notes will be so treated.

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Upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes, you should recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of cash you receive at such time and your tax basis in your notes. Your tax basis in the notes will generally be equal to the amount that you paid for the notes. If you hold your notes for more than one year, the gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss. If you hold your notes for one year or less, the gain or loss generally will be short-term capital gain or loss. Short-term capital gains are generally subject to tax at the marginal tax rates applicable to ordinary income.

In addition, the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code could possibly apply to your notes. If your notes were subject to the constructive ownership rules, then any long-term capital gain that you realize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes would be re-characterized as ordinary income (and you would be subject to an interest charge on deferred tax liability with respect to such re-characterized capital gain) to the extent that such capital gain exceeds the amount of “net underlying long-term capital gain” (as defined in Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code). Because the application of the constructive ownership rules is unclear you are strongly urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the possible application of the constructive ownership rules to your investment in the notes.

No statutory, judicial or administrative authority directly discusses how your notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of your investment in the notes are uncertain and alternative characterizations are possible. Accordingly, we urge you to consult your tax advisor in determining the tax consequences of an investment in your notes in your particular circumstances, including the application of state, local or other tax laws and the possible effects of changes in federal or other tax laws.

Alternative Treatments. There is no judicial or administrative authority discussing how your notes should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, the Internal Revenue Service might assert that a treatment other than that described above is more appropriate. For example, the Internal Revenue Service could treat your notes as a single debt instrument subject to special rules governing contingent payment debt instruments. Under those rules, the amount of interest you are required to take into account for each accrual period would be determined by constructing a projected payment schedule for the notes and applying rules similar to those for accruing original issue discount on a hypothetical noncontingent debt instrument with that projected payment schedule. This method is applied by first determining the comparable yield – i.e., the yield at which we would issue a noncontingent fixed rate debt instrument with terms and conditions similar to your notes – and then determining a payment schedule as of the issue date that would produce the comparable yield. These rules may have the effect of requiring you to include interest in income in respect of your notes prior to your receipt of cash attributable to that income.

If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, any gain you recognize upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes would be treated as ordinary interest income. Any loss you recognize at that time would be ordinary loss to the extent of interest you included as income in the current or previous taxable years in respect of your notes, and, thereafter, capital loss.

If the rules governing contingent payment debt instruments apply, special rules would apply to a person who purchases notes at a price other than the adjusted issue price as determined for tax purposes.

It is also possible that your notes could be treated in the manner described above, except that any gain or loss that you recognize at maturity would be treated as ordinary gain or loss. You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of such characterization and any possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

It is also possible that the Internal Revenue Service could assert that your notes should be treated wholly or partially as giving rise to “collectibles” gain or loss if you have held your notes for more than one year, although we do not think such a treatment would be appropriate in this case because a sale or exchange of the notes is not a sale or exchange of a collectible but is rather a sale or exchange of a derivative contract that reflects (through the SPDR® Gold Trust) the value of collectibles. “Collectibles” gain is currently subject to tax at marginal rates of up to 28%.

It is possible that the Internal Revenue Service could seek to characterize your notes in a manner that results in tax consequences to you that are different from those described above. You should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequences of any possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Possible Change in Law

On December 7, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service released a notice stating that the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department are actively considering issuing guidance regarding the proper U.S. federal income tax treatment of an instrument such as the offered notes, including whether holders should be required to accrue

PS-41

 


 

 

ordinary income on a current basis and whether gain or loss should be ordinary or capital. It is not possible to determine what guidance they will ultimately issue, if any. It is possible, however, that under such guidance, holders of the notes will ultimately be required to accrue income currently and this could be applied on a retroactive basis. The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department are also considering other relevant issues, including whether foreign holders of such instruments should be subject to withholding tax on any deemed income accruals and whether the special “constructive ownership rules” of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code might be applied to such instruments. Except to the extent otherwise provided by law, we intend to continue treating the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes in accordance with the treatment described above under “Tax Treatment” unless and until such time as Congress, the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service determine that some other treatment is more appropriate.

Furthermore, in 2007, legislation was introduced in Congress that, if enacted, would have required holders that acquired instruments such as your notes after the bill was enacted to accrue interest income over the term of such instruments even though there will be no interest payments over the term of such instruments. It is not possible to predict whether a similar or identical bill will be enacted in the future, or whether any such bill would affect the tax treatment of your notes.

It is impossible to predict what any such legislation or administrative or regulatory guidance might provide, and whether the effective date of any legislation or guidance will affect notes that were issued before the date that such legislation or guidance is issued. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the possibility that any legislative or administrative action may adversely affect the tax treatment of your notes.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

You will be subject to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements as discussed in the accompanying prospectus under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting — United States Holders” with respect to payments on your notes and, notwithstanding that we do not intend to treat the notes as debt for tax purposes, we intend to backup withhold on such payments with respect to your notes unless you comply with the requirements necessary to avoid backup withholding on debt instruments (in which case you will not be subject to such backup withholding) as set forth under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus. Please see the discussion under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting—United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus for a description of the applicability of the backup withholding and information reporting rules to payments made on your notes.

United States Alien Holders

This section applies to you only if you are a United States alien holder. You are a United States alien holder if you are the beneficial owner of notes and are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

a nonresident alien individual;

a foreign corporation; or

an estate or trust that in either case is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis on income or gain from the notes.

You will be subject to generally applicable information reporting and backup withholding requirements as discussed in the accompanying prospectus under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Backup Withholding and Information Reporting — Non-United States Holders” with respect to payments on your notes at maturity and, notwithstanding that we do not intend to treat the notes as debt for tax purposes, we intend to backup withhold on such payments with respect to your notes unless you comply with the requirements necessary to avoid backup withholding on debt instruments (in which case you will not be subject to such backup withholding) as set forth under “United States Taxation — Taxation of Debt Securities — Non-United States Holders” in the accompanying prospectus.

As discussed above, alternative characterizations of the notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes are possible. Should an alternative characterization of the notes, by reason of a change or clarification of the law, by regulation or otherwise, cause payments at maturity with respect to the notes to become subject to withholding tax, we will withhold tax at the applicable statutory rate and we will not make payments of any additional amounts. Prospective United States alien holders of the notes should consult their tax advisors in this regard.

Furthermore, on December 7, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2008-2 soliciting comments from the public on various issues, including whether instruments such as your notes should be subject to withholding. It is therefore possible that rules will be issued in the future, possibly with retroactive effect, that would cause

PS-42

 


 

 

payments on your notes at maturity to be subject to withholding, even if you comply with certification requirements as to your foreign status.

In addition, the Treasury Department has issued regulations under which amounts paid or deemed paid on certain financial instruments (“871(m) financial instruments”) that are treated as attributable to U.S.-source dividends could be treated, in whole or in part depending on the circumstances, as a “dividend equivalent” payment that is subject to tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate under an applicable treaty), which in the case of any amounts you receive upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes, could be collected via withholding. If these regulations were to apply to the notes, we may be required to withhold such taxes if any U.S.-source dividends are paid on the underliers during the term of the notes. We could also require you to make certifications (e.g., an applicable Internal Revenue Service Form W-8) prior to the maturity of the notes in order to avoid or minimize withholding obligations, and we could withhold accordingly (subject to your potential right to claim a refund from the Internal Revenue Service) if such certifications were not received or were not satisfactory. If withholding was required, we would not be required to pay any additional amounts with respect to amounts so withheld. These regulations generally will apply to 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2023, but will also apply to certain 871(m) financial instruments (or a combination of financial instruments treated as having been entered into in connection with each other) that have a delta (as defined in the applicable Treasury regulations) of one and are issued (or significantly modified and treated as retired and reissued) on or after January 1, 2017. In addition, these regulations will not apply to financial instruments that reference a “qualified index” (as defined in the regulations). We have determined that, as of the issue date of your notes, your notes will not be subject to withholding under these rules. In certain limited circumstances, however, you should be aware that it is possible for United States alien holders to be liable for tax under these rules with respect to a combination of transactions treated as having been entered into in connection with each other even when no withholding is required. You should consult your tax advisor concerning these regulations, subsequent official guidance and regarding any other possible alternative characterizations of your notes for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding

Pursuant to Treasury regulations, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) withholding (as described in “United States Taxation—Taxation of Debt Securities—Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Withholding” in the accompanying prospectus) will generally apply to obligations that are issued on or after July 1, 2014; therefore, the notes will generally be subject to the FATCA withholding rules.


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Supplemental plan of distribution; conflicts of interest

See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page S-35 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671 and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” on page 125 of the accompanying prospectus. GS Finance Corp. estimates that its share of the total offering expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $20,000.

GS Finance Corp. will sell to GS&Co., and GS&Co. will purchase from GS Finance Corp., the aggregate face amount of the offered notes specified on the front cover of this pricing supplement. GS&Co. proposes initially to offer the notes to the public at the original issue price set forth on the cover page of this pricing supplement, and to certain securities dealers at such price less a concession not in excess of 3.57% of the face amount. GS&Co. is an affiliate of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and, as such, will have a “conflict of interest” in this offering of notes within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) Rule 5121. Consequently, this offering of notes will be conducted in compliance with the provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. GS&Co. will not be permitted to sell notes in this offering to an account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of the account holder. We have been advised that GS&Co. will also pay a fee in connection with the distribution of the notes to SIMON Markets LLC, a broker-dealer affiliated with GS Finance Corp.

We will deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on February 26, 2021. Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade notes on any date prior to two business days before delivery will be required to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

We have been advised by GS&Co. that it intends to make a market in the notes. However, neither GS&Co. nor any of our other affiliates that makes a market is obligated to do so and any of them may stop doing so at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity or trading market for the notes.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system.


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VALIDITY OF THE NOTES AND GUARANTEE

In the opinion of Sidley Austin llp, as counsel to GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., when the notes offered by this pricing supplement have been executed and issued by GS Finance Corp., such notes have been authenticated by the trustee pursuant to the indenture, and such notes have been delivered against payment as contemplated herein, (a) such notes will be valid and binding obligations of GS Finance Corp., enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability (including, without limitation, concepts of good faith, fair dealing and the lack of bad faith), provided that such counsel expresses no opinion as to the effect of fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or similar provision of applicable law on the conclusions expressed above and (b) the guarantee with respect to such notes will be a valid and binding obligation of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally, concepts of reasonableness and equitable principles of general applicability (including, without limitation, concepts of good faith, fair dealing and the lack of bad faith), provided that such counsel expresses no opinion as to the effect of fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or similar provision of applicable law on the conclusions expressed above. This opinion is given as of the date hereof and is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware as in effect on the date hereof. In addition, this opinion is subject to customary assumptions about the trustee’s authorization, execution and delivery of the indenture and the genuineness of signatures and certain factual matters, all as stated in the letter of such counsel dated July 1, 2020, which has been filed as Exhibit 5.6 to the registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. on July 1, 2020.

 

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We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this pricing supplement, the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671, the accompanying prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.  We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you.  This pricing supplement, the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is an offer to sell only the notes offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so.  The information contained in this pricing supplement, the accompanying general terms supplement no. 8,671, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is current only as of the respective dates of such documents.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pricing Supplement

 

Page

Terms and Conditions

PS-3

Limited Events of Default

PS-7

Hypothetical Examples

PS-8

Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes

PS-12

The Underliers

PS-24

Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

PS-40

Supplemental Plan of Distribution; Conflicts of Interest

PS-44

Validity of the Notes and Guarantee

PS-45

General Terms Supplement No. 8,671 dated July 1, 2020

Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes

S-4

Supplemental Terms of the Notes

S-13

Use of Proceeds

S-33

Hedging

S-33

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

S-34

Supplemental Plan of Distribution

S-35

     Conflicts of Interest

S-37

Prospectus Supplement dated July 1, 2020

Use of Proceeds

S-2

Description of Notes We May Offer

S-3

Considerations Relating to Indexed Notes

S-10

United States Taxation

S-13

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

S-14

Supplemental Plan of Distribution

S-15

Validity of the Notes and Guarantees

S-17

Prospectus dated July 1, 2020

Available Information

2

Prospectus Summary

4

Risks Relating to Regulatory Resolution Strategies and Long-Term Debt Requirements

9

Use of Proceeds

14

Description of Debt Securities We May Offer

15

Description of Warrants We May Offer

71

Description of Units We May Offer

87

GS Finance Corp.

92

Legal Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance

94

Considerations Relating to Indexed Securities

103

Considerations Relating to Securities Denominated or Payable in or Linked to a Non-U.S. Dollar Currency

104

United States Taxation

107

Plan of Distribution

122

     Conflicts of Interest

125

Employee Retirement Income Security Act

126

Validity of the Securities and Guarantees

127

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

127

Cautionary Statement Pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

128

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$142,000

 

GS Finance Corp.

 

 

ETF-Linked Notes due 2026

 

guaranteed by

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 


Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC