SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

   
    
  

FRANKLIN LIBERTYQ EMERGING MARKETS ETF

 
    
  

Franklin Templeton ETF Trust

 
  

August 1, 2021

as amended May 27, 2022

 
    
  

 
    
     
      
   

Ticker:

 

Exchange:

FLQE

 

NYSE Arca, Inc.

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus, statement of additional information, reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund online at www.franklintempleton.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236 or by sending an e-mail request to prospectus@franklintempleton.com. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated August 1, 2021, as may be supplemented, are all incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.


  

FLQE

 Franklin LibertyQ Emerging Markets ETF

On May 25, 2022, the Board of Trustees of the Trust approved changes to the Fund’s (i) name and ticker symbol; (ii) index provider and underlying index, including the designation of the primary benchmark index; (iii) investment goal, strategies and policies; and (iv) other related changes. Effective on or about August 1, 2022, the Fund will be renamed the Franklin Emerging Market Core Dividend Tilt Index ETF (Ticker: DIEM). The Fund’s investment goal will change to seek to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Dividend Enhanced Select IndexSM (Underlying Index). Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing such securities. The Underlying Index will also serve as the Fund’s primary benchmark.

The Underlying Index is a systematic, rules-based proprietary index that is maintained and calculated by Morningstar, Inc. (Morningstar or Index Provider). The Underlying Index starts from the Morningstar® Emerging Markets Target Market Exposure Index (Parent Index) and aims to deliver a higher dividend yield than the Parent Index, while limiting expected tracking error to the Parent Index (i.e., to provide a “dividend tilt” through the selection and weighting of securities from the Parent Index). The Parent Index is designed to cover 85% of the float-adjusted market capitalization of emerging equity markets. The Underlying Index is reconstituted quarterly.

In particular, the construction process for the Underlying Index includes a security selection and weighting scheme that aims to maximize dividend yield (based on trailing twelve-month dividend yield) while minimizing expected tracking error to the Parent Index through an optimization process that is applied at each quarterly reconstitution of the Underlying Index. The optimization process includes individual security, sector and country weight constraints relative to the Parent Index as well as a portfolio turnover constraint that is generally applied. The Underlying Index may include large- and mid-capitalization companies.

Additionally, effective on or about August 1, 2022, the Fund’s unitary management fee will be lowered to an annual rate of 0.19% of the average daily net assets of the Fund, and the Fund will pay income dividends from net investment income at least quarterly.


Investment Goal

To seek to provide investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the LibertyQ Emerging Markets Index (the Emerging Markets Underlying Index).

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may also incur other fees, such as usual and customary brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and the Example that follows.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

   

 

 

 

Management fees

 

0.45%

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

 

None

Other expenses

 

None

Total annual Fund operating expenses

 

0.45%

Example

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of the period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

          

 

 

 

1 Year

 

3 Years

 

5 Years

 

10 Years

 

 

$46

 

$144

 

$252

 

$567

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 40.22% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing such securities. The Emerging Markets Underlying Index is a systematic, rules-based proprietary index that is owned and calculated by MSCI Inc. (MSCI). The Emerging Markets Underlying Index is based on the MSCI Emerging Markets Index using a methodology developed with Franklin Templeton to reflect Franklin Templeton’s desired investment strategy. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of emerging markets.

The Emerging Markets Underlying Index includes stocks from emerging market countries that have favorable exposure to multiple investment style factors. The Emerging Markets Underlying Index seeks to achieve a lower level of risk and higher risk-adjusted performance than the MSCI Emerging Markets Index over the long term by applying a multi-factor selection process, which is designed to select equity securities from the MSCI Emerging Markets Index that have favorable exposure to four investment style factors – quality, value, momentum and low volatility. Factors are common characteristics that relate to a group of issuers or securities that are important in explaining the returns and risks of those issuers’ securities. The “quality” factor incorporates measurements such as return on equity, earnings variability, cash return on assets and leverage. The “value” factor incorporates measurements such as price to earnings, price to forward earnings, price to book value and dividend yield. The “momentum” factor incorporates measurements such as 6-month risk adjusted price momentum and 12-month risk-adjusted price momentum. The “low volatility” factor incorporates measurements such as historical beta (i.e., a measure of the volatility of a security relative to the total market).


At the time of each semi-annual reconstitution of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index, no company shall comprise more than 1% of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index. The Emerging Markets Underlying Index is also constrained in its construction to limit turnover of constituent securities at each semi-annual reconstitution. The Emerging Markets Underlying Index may include large- and mid-capitalization companies. As of May 31, 2021, the Emerging Markets Underlying Index was comprised of 356 securities with capitalizations ranging from $621 million to $560.78 billion.

The Fund, using a “passive” or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index. The investment manager seeks to achieve, over time, a correlation between the Fund’s performance, before fees and expenses, and that of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index of 0.95 or better. A figure of 1.00 would indicate perfect correlation. The Fund may use either a replication strategy or representative sampling strategy. Under a replication strategy, the Fund will replicate the component securities of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index as closely as possible (i.e., invest in all of the component securities in their respective weightings in the Emerging Markets Underlying Index). However, it may not be possible or practicable to replicate the Emerging Markets Underlying Index. In these circumstances, the Fund may use a representative sampling strategy whereby the Fund will invest in what it believes to be a representative sample of the component securities of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index, but may not track the Emerging Markets Underlying Index with the same degree of accuracy as would an investment vehicle replicating the entire Emerging Markets Underlying Index. Under the representative sampling technique, the investment manager will select securities that collectively have an investment profile similar to that of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index, including securities that resemble those included in the Emerging Markets Underlying Index in terms of risk factors, performance attributes and other characteristics, such as market capitalization and industry weightings. The Fund’s portfolio is reconstituted semi-annually following the semi-annual reconstitution of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index.

The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its net assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Emerging Markets Underlying Index is concentrated.

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Exchange-traded fund (ETF) shares are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank, and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency


of the U.S. government. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment goal.

Market The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The market value of a security or other investment may be reduced by market activity or other results of supply and demand unrelated to the issuer. This is a basic risk associated with all investments. When there are more sellers than buyers, prices tend to fall. Likewise, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices tend to rise.

The current global outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has resulted in market closures and dislocations, extreme volatility, liquidity constraints and increased trading costs. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in global travel restrictions and disruptions of healthcare systems, business operations and supply chains, layoffs, reduced consumer demand, defaults and credit ratings downgrades, and other significant economic impacts. The effects of COVID-19 have impacted global economic activity across many industries and may heighten other pre-existing political, social and economic risks, locally or globally. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable and may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

Stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of debt securities. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on the prices of the various stocks held by the Fund.

Investment Style Factors There can be no assurance that the multi-factor stock selection process of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index will enhance performance. Exposure to such investment factors may detract from performance in some market environments, perhaps for extended periods.

Foreign Securities (non-U.S.) Investing in foreign securities typically involves more risks than investing in U.S. securities, and includes risks associated with: (i) internal and external political and economic developments – e.g., the political, economic and social policies and structures of some foreign countries may be less stable and more volatile than those in the U.S. or some foreign countries may be subject to trading restrictions or economic sanctions; (ii) trading practices – e.g., government supervision and regulation of foreign securities and currency markets, trading systems and brokers may be less than in the U.S.; (iii) availability of information – e.g., foreign issuers may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. issuers; (iv) limited markets – e.g., the securities of certain foreign issuers may be less liquid (harder to sell) and more volatile; and (v) currency exchange rate fluctuations and


policies (e.g., fluctuations may negatively affect investments denominated in foreign currencies and any income received or expenses paid by the Fund in that foreign currency). The risks of foreign investments may be greater in developing or emerging market countries.

Emerging Market Countries The Fund’s investments in emerging market issuers are subject to all of the risks of foreign investing generally, and have additional heightened risks due to a lack of established legal, political, business and social frameworks to support securities markets, including: delays in settling portfolio securities transactions; currency and capital controls; greater sensitivity to interest rate changes; pervasiveness of corruption and crime; currency exchange rate volatility; and inflation, deflation or currency devaluation.

Regional   The Fund will invest in specific countries or geographic regions to approximately the same extent as the Emerging Markets Underlying Index. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region or a particular country, the Fund will generally have more exposure to the specific regional or country economic risks. In the event of economic or political turmoil or a deterioration of diplomatic relations in a region or country where a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets are invested, the Fund may experience substantial illiquidity or reduction in the value of the Fund’s investments. Adverse conditions in a certain region or country can also adversely affect securities of issuers in other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated.

Current uncertainty concerning the economic consequences of the January 31, 2020 departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU) may increase market volatility.

Chinese Securities   There are special risks associated with investments in China, including exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization and exchange control regulations (including currency blockage). Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation and interest rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economy and securities markets of China. China is deemed by the investment manager to be an emerging markets country, which means an investment in this country has more heightened risks than general foreign investing due to a lack of established legal, political, business and social frameworks and accounting standards or auditor oversight in the country to support securities markets as well as the possibility for more widespread corruption and fraud. In addition, the standards for environmental, social and corporate governance matters in China tend to be lower than such standards in more developed economies. Also, certain securities issued by companies located operating in China, such as China A-Shares, are subject to trading restrictions, quota limitations, and clearing and settlement risks. In addition, there may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies located in or operating in China and shareholders


may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.

Trade disputes and the imposition of tariffs on goods and services can affect the Chinese economy, particularly in light of China's large export sector, as well as the global economy. Trade disputes can result in increased costs of production and reduced profitability for non-export-dependent companies that rely on imports to the extent China engages in retaliatory tariffs. Trade disputes may also lead to increased currency exchange rate volatility.

Depositary Receipts Depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks of the underlying securities. For some depositary receipts, the custodian or similar financial institution that holds the issuer's shares in a trust account is located in the issuer's home country. In these cases if the issuer’s home country does not have developed financial markets, the Fund could be exposed to the credit risk of the custodian or financial institution and greater market risk. In addition, the depository institution may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services. The Fund may experience delays in receiving its dividend and interest payments or exercising rights as a shareholder. There may be an increased possibility of untimely responses to certain corporate actions of the issuer in an unsponsored depositary receipt program. Accordingly, there may be less information available regarding issuers of securities underlying unsponsored programs and there may not be a correlation between this information and the market value of the depositary receipts.

Calculation Methodology The Emerging Markets Underlying Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers included in the Emerging Markets Underlying Index (or the MSCI index on which it is based), including information that may be based on assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund nor the investment manager can offer assurances that the Emerging Markets Underlying Index's calculation methodology or sources of information will provide an accurate assessment of included issuers or that the included issuers will provide the Fund with the market exposure it seeks.

Index-Related There is no assurance that the Emerging Markets Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While MSCI provides descriptions of what the Emerging Markets Underlying Index is designed to achieve, MSCI does not guarantee the quality, accuracy or completeness of data in respect of its indices, and does not guarantee that the Emerging Markets Underlying Index will


be in line with the described index methodology. Gains, losses or costs to the Fund caused by errors in the Emerging Markets Underlying Index may therefore be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.

Non-Correlation There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Emerging Markets Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment goal. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Emerging Markets Underlying Index. In addition, the Fund’s NAV may deviate from the Emerging Markets Underlying Index if the Fund fair values a portfolio security at a price other than the price used by the Emerging Markets Underlying Index for that security. To the extent that the investment manager uses a representative sampling strategy, the Fund may not track the return of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index as well as it would have if the Fund held all of the securities in the Emerging Markets Underlying Index.

Tracking Error Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund’s performance from that of the Emerging Markets Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio and those included in the Emerging Markets Underlying Index, pricing differences (including differences between a security’s price at the local market close and the Fund’s valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV), transaction costs, the Fund’s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends or interest, tax gains or losses, changes to the Emerging Markets Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Emerging Markets Underlying Index does not.

Market Trading The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV. Thus, you may pay more (or less) than NAV when you buy shares of the Fund in the secondary market, and you may receive less (or more) than NAV when you sell those shares in the secondary market. The investment manager cannot predict whether shares will trade above (premium), below (discount) or at NAV.

Concentration To the extent the Fund concentrates in a specific industry, a group of industries, sector or type of investment, the Fund will carry much greater risks of adverse developments and price movements in such industries, sectors or investments than a fund that invests


in a wider variety of industries, sectors or investments. There is also the risk that the Fund will perform poorly during a slump in demand for securities of companies in such industries or sectors.

Mid Capitalization Companies Securities issued by mid capitalization companies may be more volatile in price than those of larger companies, involve substantial risks and should be considered speculative. Such risks may include greater sensitivity to economic conditions, less certain growth prospects, lack of depth of management and funds for growth and development, and limited or less developed product lines and markets. In addition, mid capitalization companies may be particularly affected by interest rate increases, as they may find it more difficult to borrow money to continue or expand operations, or may have difficulty in repaying any loans.

Passive Investment Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not actively managed and the investment manager does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. Therefore, the investment manager would not necessarily buy or sell a security unless that security is added or removed, respectively, from the Emerging Markets Underlying Index, even if that security generally is underperforming.

International Closed Market Trading To the extent that the underlying securities held by the Fund trade on an exchange that is closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund shares list and trade is open, there may be market uncertainty about the stale security pricing (i.e., the last quote from its closed foreign market) resulting in premiums or discounts to NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

Authorized Participant Concentration Only an authorized participant (Authorized Participant) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined below), Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting. This risk may be more pronounced in volatile markets, potentially where there are significant redemptions in ETFs generally.

Cash Transactions Unlike certain ETFs, the Fund expects to generally effect its creations and redemptions partially for cash, rather than for in-kind securities. Therefore, it may be required to sell portfolio securities and subsequently recognize gains on such sales that the Fund


might not have recognized if it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind. As such, investments in Fund shares may be less tax-efficient than an investment in an ETF that distributes portfolio securities entirely in-kind.

Small Fund When the Fund's size is small, the Fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, the Fund may face the risk of being delisted if the Fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange.

Large Shareholder Certain shareholders, including other funds or accounts advised by the investment manager or an affiliate of the investment manager, may from time to time own a substantial amount of the Fund’s shares. In addition, a third-party investor, the investment manager or an affiliate of the investment manager, an authorized participant, a lead market maker, or another entity may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a limited period of time solely to facilitate commencement of the Fund or to facilitate the Fund’s achieving a specified size or scale. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder would not redeem its investment, that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels or that the Fund would continue to meet applicable listing requirements. Redemptions by large shareholders could have a significant negative impact on the Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the listing exchange and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the shares.

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund's performance from year to year. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years or since inception, as applicable, compared with those of a broad measure of market performance and the Fund's underlying index. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You can obtain updated performance information at franklintempleton.com or by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.


Annual Total Returns

PerformanceBarChartData(2017:28.37,2018:-11.72,2019:12.59,2020:1.69)

   

Best Quarter:

Q4' 2020

17.24%

Worst Quarter:

Q1' 2020

-25.58%

 

As of June 30, 2021, the Fund’s year-to-date return was 7.40%.


Average Annual Total Returns

For periods ended December 31, 2020

       

 

 

1 Year

 

Since Inception

 

Franklin LibertyQ Emerging Markets ETF

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return before taxes

 

1.69%

 

6.68%

1

 

Return after taxes on distributions

 

0.85%

 

5.44%

1

 

Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares

 

1.28%

 

4.78%

1

MSCI Emerging Markets Index-NR (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes but are net of dividend tax withholding)

 

18.31%

 

13.49%

1

LibertyQ Emerging Markets Index-NR (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes but are net of dividend tax withholding)

 

2.14%

 

7.31%

1

       

1.

Since inception June 1, 2016.

The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Investment Manager

Franklin Advisory Services, LLC (Advisory Services)

Portfolio Managers

Dina Ting, CFA

Senior Vice President of Advisory Services and portfolio manager of the Fund since inception (2016).

Hailey Harris

Vice President of Advisory Services and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2019.


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an ETF. Fund shares may only be purchased and sold on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund issues or redeems shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 200,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor, Franklin Distributors, LLC. The Fund will generally issue or redeem Creation Units in exchange for a basket of securities (and an amount of cash) that the Fund specifies each day.

An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including information on the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund’s website at https://www.franklintempleton.com/investor/investments-and-solutions/investment-options/etfs/.

Taxes

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions would generally be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the investment manager or other related companies may pay the intermediary for certain Fund-related activities, including those that are designed to make the intermediary more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, such as the Fund, as well as for marketing, education or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Fund shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other


intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.


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Franklin Distributors, LLC

One Franklin Parkway

San Mateo, CA 94403-1906

franklintempleton.com

Franklin LibertyQ Emerging Markets ETF

  
  

Investment Company Act file #811-23124

© 2022 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved.

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