Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)
Registration Statement No. 333-219206
GS Finance Corp.
$384,000
ETF-Linked Notes due 2023
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 (September 12, 2023) is based on the lesser performing of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF and the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 as measured from the trade date (September 7, 2018) to and including the determination date (September 7, 2023).
The return on your notes is linked to the performances of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF and the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 (each, an ETF), and not to that of the S&P Biotech Select Industry Index or the NASDAQ-100 Index® (each, an underlying index) on which the respective ETFs are based. The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF follows a strategy of “representative sampling,” which means its holdings are not the same as those of its underlying index. The performance of any ETF may significantly diverge from that of its underlying index.
If the ETF return (the percentage change in the final price of the ETF on the determination date from the initial price of the ETF on the trade date) of each ETF is positive or zero, the return on your notes will be the lesser performing ETF return (the ETF with the lowest ETF return) times the participation rate of 1.18. The initial prices are $96.41 with respect to the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF and $181.11 with respect to the Invesco QQQ TrustSM.
If the ETF return of any ETF is negative and the final price of each ETF is equal to or greater than 70% of its initial price, the return on your notes will be the absolute value of the lesser performing ETF return (e.g., if the lesser performing ETF return is -10%, the return on your notes will be +10%).

If the ETF return of any ETF is negative and the final price of any ETF is less than 70% of its initial price, the return on your notes will be negative and will equal the ETF return of the lesser performing ETF plus 30%.

For example, if the lesser performing ETF return is -30%, you will receive a positive return of 30% on your notes; however, if the lesser performing ETF return is -31%, you will lose 1% of the value of your notes. You could lose a significant portion of the face amount of your notes at maturity.

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. At maturity, 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 price of each ETF is greater than or equal to its initial price), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) 1.18 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 -30% (the final price of any ETF is less than its initial price but the final price of each ETF is greater than or equal to 70% of its initial price), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) $1,000 times (b) the absolute value of the lesser performing ETF return; or 
·
if the ETF return of any ETF is less than -30% (the final price of any ETF is less than 70% of its initial price), the sum of (i) $1,000 plus (ii) the product of (a) the sum of the lesser performing ETF return plus 30% 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-9. 
The estimated value of your notes at the time the terms of your notes are set on the trade date is equal to approximately $955 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:
September 12, 2018
Original issue price:
100% of the face amount
Underwriting discount:
1.775% of the face amount
Net proceeds to the issuer:
98.225% 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. 4,160 dated September 7, 2018.
 

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 $955 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 $30.75 per $1,000 face amount).
Prior to September 7, 2019, 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 September 6, 2019). On and after September 7, 2019, 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 E 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 and should be read in conjunction with such documents:
·            Prospectus dated July 10, 2017
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.
 
 
PS-2

SUMMARY INFORMATION
 
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. Also, references to the “accompanying prospectus” mean the accompanying prospectus, dated July 10, 2017, references to the “accompanying prospectus supplement” mean the accompanying prospectus supplement, dated July 10, 2017, for Medium-Term Notes, Series E, and references to the “accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734” mean the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734, dated July 10, 2017, in each case of GS Finance Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. 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.
This section is meant as a summary and should be read in conjunction with the section entitled “Supplemental Terms of the Notes” on page S-16 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734. Please note that certain features, as noted below, described in the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734 are not applicable to the notes. This pricing supplement supersedes any conflicting provisions of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734.
 
Key Terms
Issuer: GS Finance Corp.
Guarantor: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Underliers: the SPDR® S&P Biotech ETF (Bloomberg symbol, “XBI UP”) and the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 (Bloomberg symbol, “QQQ UW”); see “The Underliers” on page PS-16
Underlying indices:  with respect to the SPDR® S&P Biotech ETF, the S&P Biotech Select Industry Index,  and with respect to the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1, the NASDAQ-100 Index®

Specified currency: U.S. dollars (“$”)
Face amount: each note will have a face amount equal to $1,000; $384,000 in the aggregate for all the offered notes; the aggregate face amount of the offered notes may be increased if the issuer, at its sole option, decides to sell an additional amount of the offered notes on a date subsequent to the date of this pricing supplement
Purchase at amount other than face amount: the amount we will pay you at the stated maturity date for your notes will not be adjusted based on the issue price you pay for your notes, so if you acquire notes at a premium (or discount) to face amount and hold them to the stated maturity date, it could affect your investment in a number of ways. The return on your investment in such notes will be lower (or higher) than it would have been had you purchased the notes at face amount. Also, the stated buffer level would not offer the same measure of protection to your investment as would be the case if you had purchased the notes at face amount. See “Additional Risk Factors Specific to Your Notes — 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” on page PS-11 of this pricing supplement.
 
PS-3

Supplemental discussion of U.S. federal income tax consequences: 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 each note for all tax purposes as a pre-paid derivative contract in respect of the underliers, as described under “Supplemental Discussion of U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” on page PS-37 of this pricing supplement. Pursuant to this approach, it is the opinion of Sidley Austin llp that upon the sale, exchange or maturity of your notes, it would be reasonable for you to 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. 
Cash settlement amount: for each $1,000 face amount of your notes, we will pay you on the stated maturity date an amount in cash equal to:
·
if the final underlier level of each underlier is greater than or equal to its initial underlier level, the sum of (1) $1,000 plus (2) the product of (i) $1,000 times (ii) the upside participation rate times (iii) 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, the sum of (1) $1,000 plus (2) the product of (i) $1,000 times (ii) the absolute lesser performing underlier return; or
·
if the final underlier level of any underlier is less than its buffer level, the sum of (1) $1,000 plus (2) the product of (i) the lesser performing underlier return plus the buffer amount times (ii) $1,000. You will receive less than the face amount of your notes.
Initial underlier level: $96.41 with respect to the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF and $181.11 with respect to the Invesco QQQ TrustSM
Final underlier level: with respect to each underlier, the closing level of such underlier on the determination date, subject to anti-dilution adjustments as described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Anti-dilution Adjustments for Exchange-Traded Funds” on page S-28 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734, and except in the limited circumstances described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Consequences of a Market Disruption Event or a Non-Trading Day” on page S-23 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734 and subject to adjustment as provided under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Discontinuance or Modification of an Underlier” on page S-27 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
Lesser performing underlier return: the underlier return of the lesser performing underlier
Lesser performing underlier: the underlier with the lowest underlier return
Underlier return: with respect to each underlier, the quotient of (i) the final underlier level minus the initial underlier level divided by (ii) the initial underlier level, expressed as a positive or negative percentage
Absolute lesser performing underlier return: the absolute value of the lesser performing underlier return, expressed as a percentage (e.g., a -10% lesser performing underlier return will equal a +10% absolute lesser performing underlier return)
Upside participation rate: 118%
Buffer level: with respect to each underlier, 70% of its initial underlier level
Buffer amount: 30%
Trade date: September 7, 2018
Original issue date (settlement date): September 12, 2018
Determination date: September 7, 2023, subject to adjustment as described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes —Determination Date” on page S-17 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
Stated maturity date: September 12, 2023, subject to adjustment as described under "Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Stated Maturity Date” on page S-16 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
No interest: the offered notes do not bear interest
No listing: the offered notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or interdealer quotation system
No redemption: the offered notes will not be subject to redemption right or price dependent redemption right
 
PS-4

Closing level: with respect to each underlier, as described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Special Calculation Provisions — Closing Level” on page S-31 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734, subject to anti-dilution adjustments as described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Anti-dilution Adjustments for Exchange-Traded Funds” on page S-28 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
Business day: as described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Special Calculation Provisions — Business Day” on page S-30 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
Trading day: as described under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Special Calculation Provisions — Trading Day” on page S-31 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
Use of proceeds and hedging: as described under “Use of Proceeds” and “Hedging” on page S-94 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
ERISA: as described under “Employee Retirement Income Security Act” on page S-95 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734
Supplemental plan of distribution; conflicts of interest: as described under “Supplemental Plan of Distribution” on page S-96 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734 and “Plan of Distribution — Conflicts of Interest” on page 98 of the accompanying prospectus; GS Finance Corp. estimates that its share of the total offering expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $15,000.
GS Finance Corp. has agreed to sell to Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“GS&Co.”), and GS&Co. has agreed to 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 1.425% 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 will deliver the notes against payment therefor in New York, New York on September 12, 2018. 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.
Calculation agent: GS&Co.
CUSIP no.: 40055QW40
ISIN no.: US40055QW402
FDIC: 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
 
PS-5

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 closing 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 table 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-9 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
118%
 
Buffer level
With respect to each underlier, 70% of its initial underlier level
 
Buffer amount
30%
 
Neither a market disruption event nor a non-trading day occurs on the originally scheduled determination date
 
No change in or affecting (i) the underliers, (ii) any of the underlier stocks or (iii) the policies of the investment advisor or trustee of any underlier, as applicable, or the method by which the applicable sponsor of an underlying index calculates such 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-34. 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-6

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 (expressed as a percentage of the initial 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 (expressed as a percentage of the initial 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%
159.000%
120.000%
123.600%
110.000%
111.800%
100.000%
100.000%
90.000%
110.000%
80.000%
120.000%
70.000%
130.000%
69.999%
99.999%
50.000%
80.000%
20.000%
50.000%
10.000%
40.000%
0.000%
  30.000%
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 50.000% 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 50.000% of your investment (if you purchased your notes at a premium to face amount you would lose a correspondingly higher percentage of your investment).
If, however, the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier were determined to be 90.000% of its initial underlier level, the absolute lesser performing underlier return would be 10.000% and the cash settlement amount that we would deliver on your notes at maturity would be 110.000% of the face amount of your notes, as shown in the table above.
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 the Notes — The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” on page S-3 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734.
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-7

 
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-8

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. 1,734. 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. 1,734. Your notes are a riskier investment than ordinary debt securities. Also, your notes are not equivalent to investing directly in the underlier stocks, i.e., with respect to an underlier to which your notes are linked, the stocks comprising such underlier. You should carefully consider whether the offered notes are suited to your particular circumstances.
 

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, and 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 “Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes — The Market Value of Your Notes May Be Influenced by Many Unpredictable Factors” on page S-3 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734.
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 extent
 
PS-9

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 “— Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market” below.
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 E Program — How the Notes Rank Against Other Debt” on page S-4 of the accompanying prospectus supplement and “Description of Debt Securities We May Offer — Guarantee by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.” on page 42 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 SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF and the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 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 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 underlier 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 will lose some of your initial investment if the lesser performing underlier return is less than -30%, 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 Return on Your Notes May Change Significantly Despite Only a Small Change in the Underlier Level of the Lesser Performing Underlier
If the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier is less than 70% of its initial underlier level, you will receive less than the face amount of your notes and you could lose a substantial portion of your investment in the notes. This means that while a 30% drop between the initial underlier level and the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier will result in a positive return of 30% on your notes, a decrease in the final underlier level of the lesser performing underlier to less than 70% of its initial underlier level will result in a loss of some of the principal amount of the notes despite only a small change in the underlier level of the lesser performing underlier.
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 the face amount. For example, if you purchase your notes at a premium to face amount and 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.
The Return on Your Notes Will Not Reflect Any Dividends Paid on the Underliers or the Underlier Stocks
The return on your notes will not reflect the return you would realize if you actually owned shares of the underliers and received the distributions paid on the shares of such underliers. You will not receive any dividends that may be paid on any of the underlier stocks by the underlier stock issuers or on the shares of the underliers. See “— You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of Any Underlier or Any Underlier Stock” below for additional information.
You Have No Shareholder Rights or Rights to Receive Any Shares of Any Underlier or Any Underlier Stock
Investing in your notes will not make you a holder of any shares of any underlier or any underlier stocks. Neither you nor any other holder or owner of your notes will have any rights with respect to an underlier or its underlier stocks, including any voting rights, any right to receive dividends or other distributions, any rights to make a claim against the underlier or its underlier stocks or any other rights of a holder of any shares of an underlier or its underlier stocks. Your notes will be paid in cash and you will have no right to receive delivery of any shares of any underlier or any underlier stocks
Your Notes May Not Have an Active Trading Market
Your notes will not be listed or displayed on any securities exchange or included in any interdealer market quotation system, and there may be little or no secondary market for your notes. Even if a secondary market for your notes develops, it may not provide significant liquidity and we expect that transaction costs in any secondary market would be high. As a result, the difference between bid and asked prices for your notes in any secondary market could be substantial.
 
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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.
The Policies of the Investment Advisor or Trustee of An Underlier and of the Underlying Index Sponsor of an Underlier’s Underlying Index Could Affect the Amount Payable on Your Notes and Their Market Value
The investment advisor or trustee, as applicable, of an underlier may from time to time be called upon to make certain policy decisions or judgments with respect to such underlier, including those concerning the calculation of the net asset value of such underlier, additions, deletions or substitutions of securities held by such underlier and the manner in which changes affecting the underlying index for such underlier are reflected in such underlier, that could affect the market price of the shares of the underlier, 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 investment advisor or trustee, as applicable, changes its policies, for example, by changing the manner in which it calculates the net asset value of such underlier, or if the investment advisor or trustee, as applicable, discontinues or suspends calculation or publication of the net asset value of such underlier, in which case it may become difficult or inappropriate to determine the market value of your notes. The investment advisor of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is SSGA Funds Management, Inc. and the trustee of the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 is the Bank of New York Mellon.
If events such as these occur, the calculation agent — which initially will be GS&Co. — may determine the closing level of an underlier 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 an underlier and the amount payable on your notes more fully under “Supplemental Terms of the Notes — Discontinuance or Modification of an Underlier” on page S-27 of the accompanying general terms supplement no. 1,734.
In addition, the underlying index sponsors of the underliers’ underlying indices each owns its respective underlying index and is responsible for the design and maintenance of that underlying index. The policies of an underlier sponsor concerning the calculation of a particular underlying index, including decisions regarding the addition, deletion or substitution of the equity securities included in that underlying index, could affect the level of that underlying index and, consequently, could affect the market prices of shares of the related underlier and, therefore, the amount payable on your notes and their market value. The underlier sponsor for the underlying index of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and the underlier sponsor of the underlying index of the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 is Nasdaq, Inc.
There Are Risks Associated with the Underliers
Although each underlier’s shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) or the NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”) and a number of similar products have been traded on the NYSE Arca, NASDAQ or other securities exchanges for varying periods of time, there is no assurance that an active trading market will continue for the shares of such underlier or that there will be liquidity in the trading market.

In addition, each underlier is subject to management risk, which is the risk that the investment advisor’s or trustee’s investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results. For example, in the case of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF, the underlier’s investment advisor may select up to 20% of the underlier’s assets to be invested in shares of equity securities that are not included in its underlying index. The underliers are also not actively managed and each underlier may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to its underlying index. Each underlier’s investment advisor or trustee, as applicable, invests in securities included in, or representative of, its underlying index regardless of their investment merits. The applicable investment advisor or trustee does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.
 
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In addition, each underlier 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, under continuous listing standards adopted by the NYSE Arca and NASDAQ, each underlier will be required to confirm on an ongoing basis that the components of its underlying index satisfy the applicable listing requirements. In the event that its underlying index does not comply with the applicable listing requirements, an underlier would be required to rectify such non-compliance by requesting that the underlying index sponsor modify such underlying index, adopting a new underlying index or obtaining relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that an underlying index sponsor would so modify its underlying index or that relief would be obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission and, therefore, non-compliance with the continuous listing standards may result in an underlier being delisted by the exchange on which it is currently listed.

The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is Concentrated in Biotechnology Companies and Does Not Provide Diversified Exposure

The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is not diversified. The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF’s assets will be concentrated in biotechnology companies, which means the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is more likely to be adversely affected by any negative performance of biotechnology companies than an index that has more diversified holdings across a number of sectors. Biotechnology companies invest heavily in research and development which may not necessarily lead to commercially successful products. Biotechnology companies are also subject to increased governmental regulation which may delay or inhibit the release of new products. Many biotechnology companies are dependent upon their ability to use and enforce intellectual property rights and patents. Any impairment of such rights may have adverse financial consequences. Biotechnology stocks, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Biotechnology companies can be significantly affected by technological change and obsolescence, product liability lawsuits and consequential high insurance costs.
Each Underlier and its Underlying Index are Different and the Performance of Each Underlier May Not Correlate With the Performance of its Underlying Index
The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF uses a representative sampling strategy (more fully described under “The Underliers”) to attempt to track the performance of its underlying index. The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF may not hold all or substantially all of the equity securities included in its underlying index and may hold securities or assets not included in its underlying index. Therefore, while the performance of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is generally linked to the performance of its underlying index, the performance of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF is also linked in part to shares of equity securities not included in its underlying index and to the performance of other assets, such as futures contracts, options and swaps, as well as cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds affiliated with the investment advisor of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF.
Imperfect correlation between the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF’s portfolio securities and those in its underlying index, rounding of prices, changes to its underlying index and regulatory requirements may cause tracking error, which is the divergence of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF’s performance from that of its underlying index.
In addition, although the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 generally invests in all of the securities included in its underlying index, the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 may not hold all or substantially all of the equity securities included in its underlying index and may hold securities or assets not included in its underlying index. For example, it is possible that the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 may not always fully replicate the performance of the underlying index due to unavailability of certain underlying index securities in the secondary market or due to other extraordinary circumstances (e.g., if trading in a security has been halted). Further, although the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 seeks to track the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible, the Invesco QQQTrustSM, Series 1’s return may not match or achieve a high degree of correlation with the return of the underlying index due to, among other things, transaction costs.
 
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Further, the performance of each underlier will reflect additional transaction costs and fees that are not included in the calculation of its underlying index and this may increase the tracking error of such underlier. Also, corporate actions with respect to the sample of equity securities (such as mergers and spin-offs) may impact the performance differential between each underlier and its underlying index. Finally, because the shares of each underlier are traded on the NYSE Arca or NASDAQ and are subject to market supply and investor demand, the market value of one share of an underlier may differ from the net asset value per share of that underlier.
For all of the foregoing reasons, the performance of each underlier may not correlate with the performance of its underlying index. Consequently, the return on the notes will not be the same as investing directly in each underlier or in each underlying index or in any of the underlier stocks or in any of the underlying index stocks, and will not be the same as investing in a debt security with a payment at maturity linked to the performance of each underlying index.
As Compared to Other Index Sponsors, Nasdaq, Inc. Retains Significant Control and Discretionary Decision-Making Over the NASDAQ-100 Index®, Which May Have an Adverse Effect on the Level of the NASDAQ-100 Index®, on the Performance of the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 and on Your Notes
Pursuant to the NASDAQ-100 Index® methodology, Nasdaq, Inc. retains the right, from time to time, to exercise reasonable discretion as it deems appropriate in order to ensure NASDAQ-100 Index® integrity, including, but not limited to, changes to quantitative inclusion criteria. Nasdaq, Inc. may also, due to special circumstances, apply discretionary adjustments to ensure and maintain quality of the NASDAQ-100 Index®.  Although it is unclear how and to what extent this discretion could or would be exercised, it is possible that it could be exercised by Nasdaq, Inc. in a manner that materially and adversely affects the level of the NASDAQ-100 Index® and, consequently, the market prices of shares of the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1, which may therefore affect the return on your notes and their market value. Nasdaq, Inc. is not obligated to, and will not, take account of your interests in exercising the discretion described above.
An Investment in the Offered Notes Is Subject to Risks Associated with Foreign Securities
The value of your notes is linked, in part, to the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1, which holds, in part, of stocks from one or more foreign securities markets. 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.

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. For example, the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union (popularly known as “Brexit”). The effect of Brexit is uncertain, and Brexit has and may continue to contribute to volatility in the prices of securities of companies located in Europe 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
 
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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.
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” on page PS-37 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 risk that the constructive ownership rules of Section 1260 of the Internal Revenue Code could 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.
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
The SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF
The shares of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF (the “ETF”) are issued by the SPDR® Series Trust (the “trust”), a registered investment company.  The ETF seeks investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (the “index”).  The ETF trades on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “XBI”.  SSGA Funds Management, Inc. (“SSGA”) currently serves as the investment advisor to the ETF. We obtained the following information in this section, including fee information, from the SPDR® website and the reports referenced below, in each case, without independent verification.
SSGA is entitled to receive a management fee from the ETF based on a percentage of the ETF’s average daily net assets at an annual rate of 0.35% of the average daily net assets of the ETF.  From time to time, SSGA may waive all or a portion of its fee, although it does not currently intend to do so. SSGA pays all expenses of the ETF other than the management fee, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, fees and expenses of the independent trustees (including any trustee’s counsel fees), litigation expenses, acquired ETF fees and expenses and other extraordinary expenses.  As of June 30, 2018, the gross expense ratio of the ETF was 0.35% per annum.
For additional information regarding the trust or SSGA, please consult the reports (including the Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders on Form N−CSRS for the period ended December 31, 2017) 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.  In addition, information regarding the ETF, 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 SPDR® website at spdrs.com/product/fund.seam?ticker=XBI.  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 provide investment results that correspond generally to the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index. The ETF uses a representative sampling strategy to try to achieve its investment objective, which means that the ETF is not required to purchase all of the securities represented in the index. Instead, the ETF may purchase a subset of the securities in the index in an effort to hold a portfolio of securities with generally the same risk and return characteristics of the index.  Under normal market conditions, the ETF generally invests substantially all, but at least 80%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index.  The ETF will provide shareholders with at least 60 days’ notice prior to any change in this 80% investment policy.  In addition, the ETF may invest in equity securities not included in the index, cash and cash equivalents or money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements and money market funds (including money market funds advised by SSGA).
In certain situations or market conditions, the ETF may temporarily depart from its normal investment policies and strategies provided that the alternative is consistent with the ETF’s investment objective and is in the best interest of the ETF.  For example, the ETF may make larger than normal investments in derivatives to maintain exposure to the index if it is unable to invest directly in a component security.
The board may change the ETF’s investment strategy, index and other policies without shareholder approval.  The board may also change the ETF’s investment objective without shareholder approval.
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 and Classifications
As of August 31, 2018, 99.94% of the stocks held by the ETF were in the biotechnology sub-industry.
 
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As of August 31, 2018, the top ten constituents of the ETF and their relative weights in the ETF were as follows: Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1.84%), Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (1.77%), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1.65%), Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (1.65%), Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (1.59%), Heron Therapies Inc. (1.58%), AnaptysBio Inc. (1.56%), Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (1.55%), Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (1.54%) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1.53%).
Correlation
Although SSGA seeks to track the performance of the index (i.e., achieve a high degree of correlation with the index), the ETF’s return may not match the return of the index. The ETF incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to the index, and incurs costs in buying and selling securities. In addition, the ETF may not be fully invested at times, generally as a result of cash flows into or out of the ETF or reserves of cash held by the ETF to meet redemptions. SSGA may attempt to replicate the index return by investing in fewer than all of the securities in the index, or in some securities not included in the index, potentially increasing the risk of divergence between the ETF’s return and that of the index.
As of July 31, 2018, the SPDR® website gave the following performance figures for the market value return of the ETF’s shares (which is based on the midpoint between the highest bid and the lowest offer on the exchange on which the shares of the ETF are listed for trading, as of the time that the ETF’s NAV is calculated, and is before tax) and the index return (in each case on an annualized basis):
 
Period
 
1 year
 
3 years
 
5 years
 
10 years
 
Since ETF inception*
 
ETF’s shares
 
22.01%
 
4.10%
 
19.05%
 
15.63%
 
15.45%
 
Index
 
21.98%
 
4.01%
 
18.64%
 
15.52%
 
15.45%
 
*January 31, 2006.
                   

Industry Concentration Policy
The ETF’s assets will generally be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent that the index concentrates in a particular industry or group of industries. By focusing its investments in a particular industry or sector, financial, economic, business and other developments affecting issuers in that industry, market or economic sector will have a greater effect on the ETF than if it had not focused its assets in that industry, market or economic sector, which may increase the volatility of the ETF.
Share Prices and the Secondary Market
The trading prices of shares of the ETF will fluctuate continuously throughout trading hours based on market supply and demand rather than the ETF’s net asset value, which is calculated at the end of each business day. The trading prices of the ETF’s shares may differ (and may deviate significantly during periods of market volatility) from the ETF’s daily net asset value. The indicative optimized portfolio value (“IOPV”) of the shares of the ETF is disseminated every fifteen seconds throughout the trading day by NYSE Arca. The IOPV calculations are based on estimates of the value of the ETF’s net asset value per share using market data converted into U.S. dollars at the current currency rates and is based on quotes and closing prices from the securities’ local market and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the local market’s close.  Premiums and discounts between the IOPV and the market price may occur.  This should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the net asset value per share of the ETF, which is calculated only once a day.  In addition, the issuance or redemption of ETF shares to or from certain institutional investors, which are done only in large blocks of at least 50,000, may cause temporary dislocations in the market price of the shares.
The Underlying Index
The S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (Bloomberg symbol, “SPSIBI Index”) is managed by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC (“S&P”) and is a modified equal-weighted index that is designed to measure the performance of stocks in the S&P Total Market Index that both (i) are classified under the Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS®”) in the biotechnology sub-industry and (ii) satisfy certain liquidity and
 
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market capitalization requirements. The S&P Total Market Index tracks all eligible U.S. common stocks listed on the NYSE, NYSE Arca, NYSE American (formerly NYSE MKT), NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ Select Market, NASDAQ Capital Market, Bats BZX, Bats BYX, Bats EDGA, Bats EDGX and IEX. The index is one of the 21 sub-industry sector indices S&P maintains that are derived from a portion of the stocks comprising the S&P Total Market Index. An equal-weighted index is one where every stock or company has the same weight in the index. As such, the index must be rebalanced from time to time to re-establish the proper weighting.

The ETF tracks the performance of the total return version of the index. A total return index represents the total return earned in a portfolio that tracks the price index and reinvests dividend income in the overall index, not in the specific stock paying the dividend. The difference between the price return calculation and the total return calculation is that, with respect to the price return calculation, changes in the index level reflect changes in stock prices, whereas with respect to the total return calculation of the index, changes in the index level reflect both movements in stock prices and the reinvestment of dividend income. Notwithstanding that the ETF tracks the performance of the 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.

Eligibility for Inclusion in the Index
Selection for the index is based on a company’s GICS® classification, as well as liquidity and market capitalization requirements. In addition, only U.S. companies are eligible for inclusion in the index. GICS® classifications are determined by S&P using criteria it has selected or developed. Index and classification system sponsors may use very different standards for determining sector designations. In addition, many companies operate in a number of sectors, but are listed in only one sector. As a result, sector comparisons between indices with different index sponsors may reflect differences in methodology as well as actual differences in the sector composition of the indices.

To qualify for membership in the index, at each quarterly rebalancing a stock must satisfy the following criteria: (i) be a member of the S&P Total Market Index; (ii) be assigned to the biotechnology sub-industry and (iii) meet one of the following float-adjusted market capitalization (FAMC) and float-adjusted liquidity ratio (FALR) requirements: (a) be a current constituent of the index and have a FAMC greater than or equal to $300 million and have a FALR greater than or equal to 50%; (b) have an FAMC greater than or equal to $500 million and a FALR greater than or equal to 90%; or (c) have a FAMC greater than or equal to $400 million and a FALR greater than or equal to 150%. The FALR is defined as the dollar value traded over the previous 12 months divided by the FAMC as of the index’s rebalancing reference date.

All stocks in the related GICS® sub-industry satisfying the above requirements are included in the index and the total number of stocks in the index should be at least 35. If there are fewer than 35 stocks selected for the index using the primary biotechnology sub-industry (the “primary stocks”), the index will select stocks for inclusion from the supplementary highly correlated life sciences tools & services sub-industry (the “supplementary stocks”). Stocks from the supplementary sub-industry will be selected by the following process: (1) all eligible primary stocks will be added to the index; (2) if there are 35 or more eligible primary stocks, then any supplementary stocks currently in the index will be deleted; (3) if after step 1 there are less than 35 eligible primary stocks, then supplementary stocks meeting the relevant market capitalization and liquidity thresholds will be added in order of their FAMC from largest to smallest until the minimum constituent count of 35 stocks is met; and (4) a buffer will be applied in step 3 such that a supplementary stock being added must have a FAMC greater than 1.2 times (or 20% higher than) the supplementary stock it is replacing. This buffer will be evaluated on each supplementary stock addition relative to the current supplementary stock it is replacing. This process is repeated until no supplementary additions exceed the buffer. If there are still fewer than 35 stocks in the index, the market capitalization requirements may be relaxed to reach at least 22 stocks.
 
PS-18

With respect to liquidity, the length of time to evaluate liquidity is reduced to the available trading period for companies that recently became public or companies that were spun-off from other companies, the stocks of which therefore do not have 12 months of trading history.

Current Composition of the Index
As of August 31, 2018, the index was comprised of the stocks of 118 companies.
As of August 31, 2018, the top ten constituents of the index and their relative weights in the index were as follows: Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1.84%), Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (1.78%), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1.66%), Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (1.66%), Heron Therapies Inc. (1.59%), Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (1.59%), AnaptysBio Inc. (1.56%), Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (1.55%), Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (1.54%) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1.54%).
Calculation of the Total Return of the Index

The total return calculation begins with the price return of the index. The price return index is calculated as the index market value divided by the divisor. In an equal-weighted index like the index, the market capitalization of each stock used in the calculation of the index market value is redefined so that each stock has an equal weight in the index on each rebalancing date. The adjusted market capitalization for each stock in the index is calculated as the product of the stock price, the number of shares outstanding, the stock’s float factor and the adjustment factor.

A stock’s float factor refers to the number of shares outstanding that are available to investors. S&P indices exclude shares closely held by control groups from the index calculation because such shares are not available to investors. For each stock, S&P calculates an Investable Weight Factor (IWF) which is the percentage of total shares outstanding that are included in the index calculation.

The adjustment factor for each stock is assigned at each rebalancing date and is calculated by dividing a specific constant set for the purpose of deriving the adjustment factor (often referred to as modified index shares) by the number of stocks in the index multiplied by the float adjusted market value of such stock on such rebalancing date.

Adjustments (i.e., modifications) are also made to ensure that no stock in the index will have a weight that exceeds the value that can be traded in a single day for a theoretical portfolio of $2 billion. Theoretical portfolio values are reviewed annually and any updates are made at the discretion of the index committee, as defined below.

The maximum basket liquidity weight for each stock in the index will be calculated using the ratio of its three-month median daily value traded to the theoretical portfolio value of $2 billion. Each stock’s weight in the index is then compared to its maximum basket liquidity weight and is set to the lesser of (1) its maximum basket liquidity weight or (2) its initial equal weight. All excess weight is redistributed across the index to the uncapped stocks. If necessary, a final adjustment is made to ensure that no stock in the index has a weight greater than 4.5%. No further adjustments are made if the latter step would force the weight of those stocks limited to their maximum basket liquidity weight to exceed that weight. If the index contains exactly 22 stocks as of the rebalancing effective date, the index will be equally weighted without basket liquidity constraints.

If a company has more than one share class line in the S&P Total Market Index, such company will be represented once by the designated listing (generally the share class with both (i) the highest one-year trading liquidity as defined by median daily value traded and (ii) the largest FAMC). S&P reviews designated listings on an annual basis and any changes are implemented after the close of the third Friday in September. The last trading day in July is used as the reference date for the liquidity and market capitalization data in such determination. Once a listed share class line is added to the index, it may be retained in the index even though it may appear to violate certain constituent addition criteria. For companies that issue a second publicly traded share class to index share class holders, the newly issued share class line will be considered for inclusion if the event is mandatory and the market capitalization of the distributed class is not considered to be de minimis.
PS-19

The index is calculated by using the divisor methodology used in all S&P equity indices. The initial divisor was set to have a base value of 1,000 on December 17, 1999. The index level is the index market value divided by the index divisor. In order to maintain index series continuity, it is also necessary to adjust the divisor at each rebalancing. Therefore, the divisor (after rebalancing) equals the index market value (after rebalancing) divided by the index value before rebalancing. The divisor keeps the index comparable over time and is one manipulation point for adjustments to the index, which we refer to as maintenance of the index.

Once the price return index has been calculated, the total return index is calculated. First, the total daily dividend for each stock in the index is calculated by multiplying the per share dividend by the number of shares included in the index. Dividends are reinvested in the index after the close on the ex-date for such dividend. Then the index dividend is calculated by aggregating the total daily dividends for each of the index stocks (which may be zero for some stocks) and dividing by the divisor for that day. Next the daily total return of the index is calculated as a fraction minus 1, the numerator of which is the sum of the index level plus the index dividend and the denominator of which is the index level on the previous day. Finally, the total return index for that day is calculated as the product of the value of the total return index on the previous day times the sum of 1 plus the index daily total return for that day.

Maintenance of the Index

The composition of the index is reviewed quarterly. Rebalancing occurs after the closing of the relevant U.S. trading markets on the third Friday of the month ending that quarter. The reference date for additions and deletions is after the closing of the last trading day of the previous month. Closing prices as of the second Friday of the last month of the quarter are used for setting index weights. Existing stocks in the index are removed at the quarterly rebalancing if either their FAMC falls below $300 million or their FALR falls below 50%. A stock will also be deleted from the index if the S&P Total Market Index deletes that stock. Stocks are added between rebalancings only if a company deletion causes the number of stocks in the index to fall below 22. The newly added stock will be added to the index at the weight of the deleted stock. If the stock was deleted at $0.00, the newly added stock will be added at the deleted stock’s previous day’s closing value (or the most immediate prior business day that the deleted stock was not valued at $0.00) and an adjustment to the divisor will be made (only in the case of stocks removed at $0.00). At the next rebalancing, the index will be rebalanced based on the eligibility requirements and equal-weight methodology discussed above. In the case of GICS® changes, where a stock does not belong to the biotechnology sub-industry after the classification change, it is removed from the index on the next rebalancing date.
In the case of a spin-off, the spin-off company will be added to the index at a zero price after the close of trading on the day before the ex-date. In general and subject to certain exceptions, both the parent company and spin-off companies will remain in the index until the next index rebalancing.
In the case of mergers involving two index constituents, the merged entity will remain in the index provided that it meets all general eligibility requirements. The merged entity will be added to the index at the weight of the stock deemed to be the surviving stock in the transaction.  The surviving stock will not experience a weight change and its subsequent weight will not be equal to that of the pre-merger weight of the merged entities.
Adjustments are made to the index in the event of certain corporate actions relating to the stocks included in the index, such as spin-offs, rights offerings, stock splits and special dividends, as specified below.

The table below summarizes the types of index maintenance adjustments:
 
PS-20

 
Type of Corporate
Action
 
Adjustment Factor
 
Divisor Adjustment
Required
 
Spin-Off
 
In general and subject to certain
exceptions, both the parent stock and spin-off stocks will remain in the index until the next index rebalancing, regardless of whether they
conform to the theme of the index.
 
No
           
 
Rights Offering
 
Price is adjusted to equal (i) price of parent company minus (ii) price of rights subscription divided by the rights ratio. Index shares change so that the company’s weight remains the same as its weight before the rights offering.
 
No
           
 
Stock split (e.g., 2-for-1), stock dividend or reverse stock split
 
Index shares multiplied by split factor (i.e., 2); stock price divided by split factor (i.e., 2)
 
No
           
 
Share issuance or share repurchase
 
None
 
No
           
 
Special dividends
 
Price of the stock making the special dividend payment is reduced by the per share special dividend amount after the close of trading on the day before the dividend ex-date.
 
Yes
Index Committee
The Americas Thematic and Strategy Index Committee (the “index committee”) maintains the index and consists of full-time professional members of S&P staff. At regular meetings, the index committee reviews pending corporate actions that may affect index constituents, statistics comparing the composition of the indices to the market, companies that are being considered as candidates for additions to the index and any significant market events.  The index committee may also revise index policy, such as the rules for selecting constituents, the treatment of dividends, share counts or other matters.
Unexpected Exchange Closures
An unexpected market/exchange closure occurs when a market/exchange fully or partially fails to open or trading is temporarily halted. This can apply to a single exchange or to a market as a whole, when all of the primary exchanges are closed and/or not trading. Unexpected market/exchange closures are usually due to unforeseen circumstances, such as natural disasters, inclement weather, outages, or other events.
To a large degree, S&P is dependent on the exchanges to provide guidance in the event of an unexpected exchange closure. S&P’s decision making is dependent on exchange guidance regarding pricing and mandatory corporate actions.
NYSE Rule 123C provides closing contingency procedures for determining an official closing price for listed securities if the exchange is unable to conduct a closing transaction in one or more securities due to a system or technical issue.
3:00 PM ET is the deadline for an exchange to determine its plan of action regarding an outage scenario. As such, S&P also uses 3:00 PM ET as the cutoff.
If all major exchanges fail to open or unexpectedly halt trading intraday due to unforeseen circumstances, S&P will take the following actions:
 
PS-21

Market Disruption Prior to Open of Trading:
(i)
If all exchanges indicate that trading will not open for a given day, S&P will treat the day as an unscheduled market holiday. The decision will be communicated to clients as soon as possible through the normal channels. Indices containing multiple markets will be calculated as normal, provided that at least one market is open that day. Indices which only contain closed markets will not be calculated.
(ii)
If exchanges indicate that trading, although delayed, will open for a given day, S&P will begin index calculation when the exchanges open.
Market Disruption Intraday:
(i)
If exchanges indicate that trading will not resume for a given day, the index level will be calculated using prices determined by the exchanges based on NYSE Rule 123C. Intraday index values will continue to use the last traded composite price until the primary exchange publishes official closing prices.
“SPDR®” is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”) and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”) and have been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. The offered notes are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P or their respective affiliates, and neither S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, Dow Jones, S&P or their respective affiliates make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in the offered notes.
The Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1
The shares of the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1 (the “shares”) are issued by Invesco QQQ TrustSM (the “trust”), a unit investment trust that is a registered investment company.
·
The trust is like a tracking ETF in that it seeks investment results which correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the underlying index.
·
The index it tracks is the NASDAQ‑100 Index®.
·
The trust does not have an investment advisor. Its investments are adjusted by the trustee.
·
The trustee for the trust is Bank of New York Mellon.
·
The trust sponsor is Invesco PowerShares Capital Management, LLC.
·
The shares trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “QQQ”.
·
The trust’s SEC CIK Number is 0001067839.
·
The inception date for purposes of the shares was March 10, 1999.
·
The trust’s 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. The trustee is entitled to receive a fee for services performed for the trust corresponding to the net asset value of the trust, at an annual rate of 0.01% per annum for the first $499,999,999 of assets, 0.08% per annum for assets of $500,000,000 or more up to $2,499,999,999, 0.06% per annum for assets of $2,500,000,000 or more up to $24,999,999,999, 0.05% per annum for assets of $25,000,000,000 or more up to $49,999,999,999 and 0.04% per annum for assets of $50,000,000,000 or more.  In addition, the trust pays a licensing fee to NASDAQ OMX to license the NASDAQ-100 Index® for use in connection with the trust shares, which is not to exceed 0.09% of the trust’s net asset value. The trust also pays marketing fees to the trust sponsor in connection with marketing the trust’s shares.  The trust sponsor has agreed that it will assume the trust’s annual operating expenses to the extent they exceed 0.20% per annum, although the sponsor can discontinue this agreement at any time.  Transaction costs the trust incurs as a result of adjustments to the portfolio are not considered annual operating expenses.  As of June 30, 2018, the trust’s total expense ratio is 0.20% per annum.
 
PS-22

For additional information regarding the trust, please consult the reports (including the Semi-Annual Report of Registered Investment Companies on Form NSAR-U for the period year ended December 31, 2017) and other information the trust files with the SEC. 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 Invesco website at invesco.com/portal/site/us/investors/etfs/product-detail?productId=QQQ. 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 trust seeks investment results that, before expenses, correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index®. The trust strives to achieve its investment objective by holding a portfolio of all of the common stocks that are included in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, with the weight of each stock in the trust’s portfolio substantially corresponding to the weight of such stock in the NASDAQ-100 Index®. The trust may also generally hold cash or cash items that will not consist of a substantial part of the trust’s net assets. Although the trust may fail to own certain securities included in the NASDAQ-100 Index® at any particular time, the trust generally will be substantially invested in NASDAQ-100 Index® securities and the trust intends for such investments to result in a close correspondence between the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index® and the performance of the shares of the trust.
To maintain the correspondence between the composition and weightings of the common stocks that are actually held by the trust and the common stocks that are included in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, the trustee adjusts the trust portfolio from time to time to conform to periodic changes made by the NASDAQ-100 Index® sponsor to the identity and/or relative weightings of the common stocks that are included in the NASDAQ-100 Index®. The trustee aggregates certain of these adjustments and makes changes to the trust’s portfolio at least monthly, or more frequently in the case of significant changes to the NASDAQ-100 Index®. The trustee must adjust the portfolio within three business days if a constituent is added or removed from the NASDAQ-100 Index® or the weighting of the stock in the NASDAQ-100 Index® and the trust differ by more than 150% of specified misweighting tolerances that decrease as the net asset value of the trust increases.  The trustee examines the weighting of the portfolio, and compares the weighting of each stock in the portfolio to its weight in the NASDAQ‑100 Index®, on each business day.  The trustee is permitted to, and does from time to time, sell portfolio securities in order to pay the trust’s expenses.
Notwithstanding the trust’s investment objective, the return on your notes will not reflect any dividends paid on the shares of the trust, on the securities purchased by the trust or on the securities that comprise the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
The following table displays the top ten holdings and the weightings by industry sector of the trust. (Sector designations are determined by the trust sponsor using criteria it has selected or developed. Trust sponsors may use very different standards for determining sector designations. In addition, many companies operate in a number of sectors, but are listed in only one sector and the basis on which that sector is selected may also differ. As a result, sector comparisons between trusts with different sponsors may reflect differences in methodology as well as actual differences in the sector composition of the trusts.) We obtained the information in the tables below from the trust website without independent verification.
Top Ten Holdings of the Trust as of September 10, 2018
Issuer
Percentage of Trust (%)
Apple Inc.
12.49%
Amazon.com Inc.
10.95%
Microsoft Corp.
9.78%
Alphabet Inc. Class C
4.73%
Facebook, Inc.
4.58%
 
PS-23

Alphabet Inc. Class A
4.08%
Cisco Systems Inc.
2.58%
Intel Corp.
2.51%
Comcast Corp.
1.94%
Nvidia Corp.
1.94%
Weighting by Sector of the Trust as of September 10, 2018*
Sector
Percentage of Trust (%)
Information Technology
59.42%
Consumer Discretionary
22.44%
Health Care
9.41%
Consumer Staples
5.85%
Industrials
2.11%
Telecommunication Services
0.77%
* Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Holdings With Weights Equal to or in Excess of 5% of the Trust as of September 10, 2018
Apple Inc., Amazon.com, Inc. and Microsoft Corporation are registered under the Exchange Act. Companies with stocks registered under the Exchange Act are required to file financial and other information specified by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) periodically. Information filed with the SEC can be inspected and copied at the SEC’s public reference room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. You may obtain information on the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, information filed by these stock issuers with the SEC electronically can be reviewed through a web site maintained by the SEC. The address of the SEC’s web site is sec.gov. Information filed with the SEC by each of the above-referenced stock issuers under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing its SEC file number specified below.
The graphs below, except where otherwise indicated, show the daily historical closing prices of Apple Inc., Amazon.com, Inc. and Microsoft Corporation, the holdings of which each comprise more than 5% of the trust, from September 10, 2008 through September 10, 2018, adjusted for corporate events, if applicable. We obtained the prices in the graphs below using data from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification. We have taken the descriptions of the stock issuers set forth below from publicly available information without independent verification.
According to publicly available information, Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Information filed with the SEC by Apple Inc. under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing SEC file number 001-36743 for filings on or after November 12, 2014 and SEC file number 000-10030 for filings prior to November 12, 2014.
 
PS-24

Historical Performance of Apple Inc.
According to publicly available information, Amazon.com, Inc. is an e-commerce company. Information filed with the SEC by Amazon.com, Inc. under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing SEC file number 000-22513.

Historical Performance of Amazon.com, Inc.
 
PS-25

According to publicly available information, Microsoft Corporation develops, licenses and supports software products, services and devices and designs and sells hardware devices. Information filed with the SEC by Microsoft Corporation under the Exchange Act can be located by referencing SEC file number 001-37845 for filings on or after July 26, 2016 and SEC file number 000-14278 for filings prior to July 26, 2016.

Historical Performance of Microsoft Corporation
 
PS-26

Correlation
Although the trust intends to track the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index® as closely as possible, the trust will not be able to replicate exactly the performance of the index because the total return generated by the stocks held in the trust’s portfolio will be reduced by transaction costs incurred in adjusting the actual balance of the stocks and other trust expenses, whereas such transaction costs and expenses are not included in the calculation of the index. In addition, it is possible that the trust may not always fully replicate the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index® due to unavailability of certain NASDAQ-100 Index® securities in the secondary market or due to other extraordinary circumstances (e.g., if trading in a security has been halted).
For the period ended July 31, 2018, the Invesco website gave the following performance figures for market price of the shares of the trust and the index: trust shares— 1 year on an annualized basis, 24.14%; 3 years on an annualized basis, 17.50%, 5 years on an annualized basis, 19.73%, 10 years on an annualized basis, 15.63%, since inception on an annualized basis, 7.25%; index— 1 year on an annualized basis, 24.30%; 3 years on an annualized basis, 17.76%, 5 years on an annualized basis, 19.99%, 10 years on an annualized basis, 15.86%, since inception on an annualized basis, 7.48%.
Trust Structure and Termination
The trust is organized under New York law.  Under an agency agreement with the trust sponsor, the sponsor performs certain functions for the trustee, including evaluation of the securities for purposes of calculating the net asset value and with respect to rebalancing and adjusting the trust’s portfolio.  The trust has a finite lifetime and will terminate on the first to occur of March 4, 2124 or 20 years following the death of the last surviving member of a group of 15 named people, the oldest of which was born in 1986 and the youngest of which was born in 1996.
The NASDAQ-100 Index®
The NASDAQ-100 Index® includes 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial stocks listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization. The NASDAQ-100 Index® is calculated using a modified market capitalization-weighted methodology. The NASDAQ-100 Index® is calculated, maintained and published by Nasdaq, Inc. The base date for the NASDAQ-100 Index® is January 31, 1985, with a base value of 125.00, as adjusted. The total return version of the NASDAQ-100 Index® was synchronized to the value of the price return version of the index at the close on March 4, 1999. We have derived all information contained in this document regarding the NASDAQ-100 Index® from publicly available information. Additional information about the NASDAQ-100 Index® is available on the following website: indexes.nasdaqomx.com/Index/Overview/NDX. We are not incorporating by reference the website or any material it includes in this pricing supplement.
As of August 17, 2018, the 103 stocks included in the NASDAQ-100 Index® were classified into ten industry sectors (with the approximate percentage currently included in such sectors indicated in parentheses): Technology (55.50%), Consumer Services (24.13%), Health Care (9.13%), Consumer Goods (5.98%), Industrials (4.48%), Telecommunications (0.78%), Oil & Gas (0.00%), Basic Materials (0.00%), Utilities (0.00%) and Financials (0.00%). (Sector designations are determined by the index sponsor using criteria it has selected or developed.  Index sponsors may use very different standards for determining sector designations.  In addition, many companies operate in a number of sectors, but are listed in only one sector and the basis on which that sector is selected may also differ.  As a result, sector comparisons between indices with different index sponsors may reflect differences in methodology as well as actual differences in the sector composition of the indices.)
The top ten constituent stocks of the NASDAQ-100 Index® as of August 17, 2018, by weight, are: Apple Inc. (12.57%), Amazon.com Inc. (10.73%), Microsoft Corporation (9.71%), Alphabet Inc. Class C (4.92%), Facebook Inc. (4.90%), Alphabet Inc. Class A (4.27%), Intel Corporation (2.58%), Cisco Systems Inc. (2.54%), Comcast Corporation (1.92%) and PepsiCo, Inc. (1.92%).

The trust tracks the performance of the total return version of the NASDAQ-100 Index®, which reinvests ordinary cash dividends on the ex-date. Notwithstanding the trust’s investment objective, the return on your notes will not reflect any dividends paid on the shares, on the securities purchased by the trust or on the securities that comprise the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
 
PS-27

Construction of the NASDAQ-100 Index®
The NASDAQ-100 Index® is a modified market capitalization-weighted index. Except under extraordinary circumstances that may result in an interim evaluation, NASDAQ-100 Index® composition is reviewed on an annual basis in December. First, Nasdaq, Inc. determines which stocks meet the applicable eligibility criteria.
Selection Criteria for Initial Inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®
To be eligible for initial inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, a stock must meet the following criteria:
·
the issuer of the stock’s primary U.S. listing must be exclusively listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market or the NASDAQ Global Market (unless the stock was dually listed on another U.S. market prior to January 1, 2004 and has continuously maintained such listing);
·
the stock must be issued by a non-financial company. Non-financial companies are those companies that are classified under any Industry Code except 8000 according to the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB), a product of FTSE International Limited;
·
the stock may not be issued by an issuer currently in bankruptcy proceedings;
·
the stock must have a minimum three-month average daily trading volume (“ADTV”) of 200,000 shares (measured annually during the ranking review process). The ADTV is determined by calculating the average of the sum product of the stock’s daily trading volume for each day during the previous three month period;
·
if the issuer of the stock is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction outside the U.S., then such stock must have listed options on a recognized options market in the U.S. or be eligible for listed-options trading on a recognized options market in the U.S. (measured annually during the ranking review process);
·
the issuer of the stock may not have entered into a definitive agreement or other arrangement which would likely result in the stock no longer being eligible for inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®;
·
the issuer of the stock may not have annual financial statements with an audit opinion that is currently withdrawn. This will be determined based upon a stock issuer’s public filings with the SEC; and
·
the stock must have “seasoned” on Nasdaq, NYSE or NYSE Amex. Generally, a company is considered to be seasoned if it has been listed on a market for at least three full months (excluding the first month of initial listing).
Stock types generally eligible for inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index® are common stocks, ordinary shares, ADRs and tracking stocks. Closed-end funds, convertible debentures, exchange traded funds, limited liability companies, limited partnership interests, preferred stocks, rights, shares or units of beneficial interest, warrants, units and other derivative stocks are not eligible for inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®. For purposes of NASDAQ-100 Index® eligibility criteria, if the stock is a depositary receipt representing a stock of a non-U.S. issuer, then references to the “issuer” are references to the issuer of the underlying stock. The NASDAQ-100 Index® does not contain securities of investment companies.
Continued Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for continued inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock must meet the following criteria:
·
the issuer of the stock’s primary U.S. listing must be exclusively listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Nasdaq Global Market;
·
the stock must be issued by a non-financial company;
 
PS-28

·
the stock may not be issued by an issuer currently in bankruptcy proceedings;
·
the stock must have an ADTV of at least 200,000 shares (measured annually during the ranking review process);
·
if the issuer of the stock is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction outside the U.S., then such stock must have listed options on a recognized options market in the U.S. or be eligible for listed-options trading on a recognized options market in the U.S.;
·
the issuer must have an adjusted market capitalization equal to or exceeding 0.10% of the aggregate adjusted market capitalization of the NASDAQ-100 Index® at each month-end. In the event a company does not meet this criterion for two consecutive month-ends, it is removed from the NASDAQ-100 Index® effective after the close of trading on the third Friday of the following month; and
·
the issuer of the stock may not have annual financial statements with an audit opinion that is currently withdrawn.
All stocks meeting the above criteria will be considered eligible for inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®.  Those stocks which are found to meet the applicable eligibility criteria during the annual review are then ranked by market capitalization. While there is no minimum market capitalization requirement, inclusion will be determined based on the top 100 issuers with the largest market capitalization meeting all other eligibility requirements. Market capitalization is determined by multiplying a stock’s last sale price by its total number of shares outstanding. The last sale price refers to the price at which a stock last traded during regular market hours as reported on such stock’s index market, which may be the Nasdaq Official Closing Price (NOCP). The index market is the index eligible stock market for which the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock’s prices are received and used by Nasdaq, Inc. for purposes of calculating the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
NASDAQ-100 Index® eligible stocks which are already in the NASDAQ-100 Index® and whose issuer is ranked in the top 100 eligible companies based on market capitalization are retained in the NASDAQ-100 Index®. A NASDAQ-100 Index® stock issuer ranking 101 to 125 based on market capitalization will also be retained for inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index® if such issuer was previously ranked in the top 100 issuers as of the last annual ranking review or was added to the NASDAQ-100 Index® subsequent to the previous ranking review and continues to meet all eligibility criteria. NASDAQ-100 Index® stock issuers not meeting such criteria are replaced. The replacement stocks are those eligible stocks not currently in the NASDAQ-100 Index® whose issuers have the next largest market capitalization.
The data used in the process of ranking by market capitalization includes end of October market data and is updated for total shares outstanding submitted in a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock issuer’s publicly filed SEC document via the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) through the end of November. If a stock is a depositary receipt, the total shares outstanding is the actual depositary shares outstanding as reported by the depositary banks.
The final list of constituents included in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, including any replacements made during the annual review, is made effective after the close of trading on the third Friday in December. Generally, the list of annual additions and deletions as a result of the annual review is publicly announced by Nasdaq, Inc. via a press release in the early part of December, in conjunction with an announcement on Nasdaq, Inc.’s website.
Calculation of the Total Return of the NASDAQ-100 Index®
The discussion below describes the “total return” calculation of the NASDAQ-100 Index®. As compared to the price return version of the NASDAQ-100 Index®, the total return version of the NASDAQ-100 Index® reinvests ordinary cash dividends on the ex-date while the price return version is ordinarily calculated without regard to cash dividends on the index stocks. However, all NASDAQ-100 Index® calculations reflect extraordinary cash distributions and special dividends.
The NASDAQ-100 Index® is a modified market capitalization-weighted index. The total return calculation begins with the price return calculation of the index. The value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® equals the NASDAQ-100 Index® market value divided by the NASDAQ-100 Index® divisor. The overall
 
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NASDAQ-100 Index® market value is the aggregate of each NASDAQ-100 Index® stock’s market value, as may be adjusted for any corporate actions. A NASDAQ-100 Index® stock’s market value is determined by multiplying the last sale price by its index share weight, also known as “index shares”. Index shares are equal to the total number of shares outstanding for a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock. In other words, the value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® is equal to (i) the sum of the products of (a) the index shares of each of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stocks multiplied by (b) each such stock’s last sale price (adjusted for corporate actions, if any), divided by (ii) the divisor of the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
The price return NASDAQ-100 Index® divisor is calculated as the ratio of (i) the start of day market value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® divided by (ii) the previous day NASDAQ-100 Index® value.
Once the price return index has been calculated, the total return index is calculated. First, the index dividend market value is calculated as the aggregate of, for each applicable stock with an ex-dividend date on such day, the product of (i) the dividends per share for the stock on such day times (ii) the index shares for such stock. Next, an index dividend points value is determined as the quotient of (i) the index dividend market value calculated for that day divided by (ii) the price return index divisor for such day. Finally, the total return index value is calculated as the product of (i) the closing value of the total return index on the previous day times (ii) the quotient of (a) the sum of the price return index value on such day plus the index dividend points value for such day divided by (b) the closing value of the price return index on the previous day.
If trading in a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is halted on its primary listing market, the most recent last sale price for that stock is used for all NASDAQ-100 Index® computations until trading on such market resumes. Similarly, the most recent last sale price is used if trading in a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is halted on its primary listing market before the market opens.
The NASDAQ-100 Index® is calculated in U.S. dollars during the U.S. market trading day based on the last sale price and are disseminated once per second from 09:30:01 until 17:16:00 ET. The closing value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® may change up until 17:15:00 ET due to corrections to the last sale price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stocks. The official closing value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® is ordinarily disseminated at 17:16:00 ET.
NASDAQ-100 Index® Maintenance
Changes to NASDAQ-100 Index® Constituents
Changes to the NASDAQ-100 Index® constituents may be made during the annual ranking review. In addition, if at any time during the year other than the annual review, it is determined that a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock issuer no longer meets the criteria for continued inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, or is otherwise determined to have become ineligible for continued inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®, it is replaced with the largest market capitalization issuer not currently in the NASDAQ-100 Index® that meets the applicable eligibility criteria for initial inclusion in the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
Ordinarily, a stock will be removed from the NASDAQ-100 Index® at its last sale price. However, if at the time of its removal the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is halted from trading on its primary listing market and an official closing price cannot readily be determined, the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock may, in Nasdaq, Inc.s discretion, be removed at a price of $0.00000001 (“zero price”). This zero price will be applied to the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock after the close of the market but prior to the time the official closing value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® is disseminated.
Divisor Adjustments
The divisor is adjusted to ensure that changes in NASDAQ-100 Index® constituents either by corporate actions (that adjust either the price or shares of a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock) or NASDAQ-100 Index® participation outside of trading hours do not affect the value of the NASDAQ-100 Index®. All divisor changes occur after the close of the applicable index stock markets.
Quarterly NASDAQ-100 Index® Rebalancing
On a quarterly basis coinciding with the quarterly scheduled index shares adjustment procedures, as discussed below, the NASDAQ-100 Index® will be rebalanced if it is determined that (1) the current weight of the single NASDAQ-100 Index® stock with the largest market capitalization is greater than 24.0% of the
 
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NASDAQ-100 Index® or (2) the collective weight of those stocks whose individual current weights are in excess of 4.5% exceeds 48.0% of the NASDAQ-100 Index®. In addition, a “special rebalancing” of the NASDAQ-100 Index® may be conducted at any time if Nasdaq, Inc. determines it necessary to maintain the integrity and continuity of the NASDAQ-100 Index®. If either one or both of the above weight distribution conditions are met upon quarterly review, or Nasdaq, Inc. determines that a special rebalancing is necessary, a weight rebalancing will be performed.
If the first weight distribution condition is met and the current weight of the single NASDAQ-100 Index® stock with the largest market capitalization is greater than 24.0%, then the weights of all stocks with current weights greater than 1.0% (“large stocks”) will be scaled down proportionately toward 1.0% until the adjusted weight of the single largest NASDAQ-100 Index® stock reaches 20.0%.
If the second weight distribution condition is met and the collective weight of those stocks whose individual current weights are in excess of 4.5% (or adjusted weights in accordance with the previous step, if applicable) exceeds 48.0% of the NASDAQ-100 Index®, then the weights of all such large stocks in that group will be scaled down proportionately toward 1.0% until their collective weight, so adjusted, is equal to 40.0%.
The aggregate weight reduction among the large stocks resulting from either or both of the rebalancing steps above will then be redistributed to those stocks with weightings of less than 1.0% (“small stocks”) in the following manner. In the first iteration, the weight of the largest small stock will be scaled upwards by a factor which sets it equal to the average NASDAQ-100 Index® weight of 1.0%. The weights of each of the smaller remaining small stocks will be scaled up by the same factor reduced in relation to each stock’s relative ranking among the small stocks such that the smaller the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock in the ranking, the less its weight will be scaled upward. This is intended to reduce the market impact of the weight rebalancing on the smallest component stocks in the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
In the second iteration of the small stock rebalancing, the weight of the second largest small stock, already adjusted in the first iteration, will be scaled upwards by a factor which sets it equal to the average NASDAQ-100 Index® weight of 1.0%. The weights of each of the smaller remaining small stocks will be scaled up by this same factor reduced in relation to each stock’s relative ranking among the small stocks such that, once again, the smaller the stock in the ranking, the less its weight will be scaled upward. Additional iterations will be performed until the accumulated increase in weight among the small stocks equals the aggregate weight reduction among the large stocks that resulted from the rebalancing in accordance with the two weight distribution conditions discussed above.
Finally, to complete the rebalancing process, once the final weighting percentages for each NASDAQ-100 Index® stock have been set, the index share weights (or index shares) will be determined anew based upon the last sale prices and aggregate capitalization of the NASDAQ-100 Index® at the close of trading on the last calendar day in February, May, August and November. Changes to the index shares will be made effective after the close of trading on the third Friday in March, June, September and December, and an adjustment to the divisor is made to ensure continuity of the NASDAQ-100 Index®. Ordinarily, new rebalanced index share weights will be determined by applying the above procedures to the current index share weights. However, Nasdaq, Inc. may, from time to time, determine rebalanced weights, if necessary, by applying the above procedure to the actual current market capitalization of the NASDAQ-100 Index® components. In such instances, Nasdaq, Inc. would announce the different basis for rebalancing prior to its implementation.
During the quarterly rebalancing, data is cutoff as of the previous month end and no changes are made to the NASDAQ-100 Index® from that cutoff until the quarterly index share change effective date, except in the case of changes due to corporate actions with an ex-date.
Corporate Actions and NASDAQ-100 Index® Adjustments
Aside from changes resulting from quarterly rebalancing, intra-quarter changes in index shares driven by corporate events can also result from a change in a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock’s total shares outstanding that is greater than 10.0%. If a stock is a depositary receipt, the total shares outstanding is the actual depositary shares outstanding as reported by the depositary banks. Changes in the price and/or index shares driven by corporate events such as stock dividends, stock splits and certain spin-offs and rights issuances are adjusted on the ex-date. Changes in total shares outstanding are determined by a
 
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NASDAQ-100 Index® stock issuer’s public filings with the SEC. If the change in total shares outstanding arising from other corporate actions is greater than or equal to 10.0%, the change is made as soon as practicable. Otherwise, if the change in total shares outstanding is less than 10.0%, then all such changes are accumulated and made effective at one time on a quarterly basis after the close of trading on the third Friday in each of March, June, September and December. The index shares are derived from the stock’s total shares outstanding. The index shares are then adjusted by the same percentage amount by which the total shares outstanding have changed.
The following corporate actions will be made effective on the ex-date. If there is no ex-date announced by the index exchange, there will be no adjustment to the NASDAQ-100 Index® as a result of a corporate action.
Stock Split and Stock Dividend. A stock split and stock dividend is the action of a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock in increasing its index shares and decreasing the par value proportionately. There is no flow of capital into or out of the company. The number of index shares in the NASDAQ-100 Index® increases but the market capitalization of the stock remains unchanged. The price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is adjusted to reflect the ratio of a stock split and stock dividend and a corresponding inverse adjustment to the index shares is made.
Reverse Stock Split. A reverse stock split is the action of a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock in decreasing its index shares and decreasing the par value in proportion. There is no flow of capital into or out of the company. The number of index shares in the NASDAQ-100 Index® decreases but the market capitalization of the stock remains unchanged. The price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is adjusted to reflect the ratio of the reverse stock split and a corresponding inverse adjustment to the index shares is made.
Special Cash Dividends. A dividend is considered “special” if the information provided by the listing exchange in their announcement of the ex-date indicates that the dividend is special. Other nomenclature for a special dividend may include, but is not limited to, “extra”, “extraordinary”, “non-recurring”, “one-time” and “unusual”. The price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock in the NASDAQ-100 Index® is adjusted for the amount of the special cash dividend.
Cash and Stock Dividends. If a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is paying a cash and stock dividend on the same date, the cash dividend is applied before the stock dividend unless otherwise indicated in the information provided by the index exchange. Additionally, in the case of an optional dividend which allows the holder to choose between receiving cash or stock, the adjustment will be made in the manner in which the dividend has been announced by the index exchange. As described above, ordinary cash dividends are reinvested in the index on the ex-date.
Stock Distribution of Another Stock. If a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is distributing shares of a different stock, the value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock will be adjusted downward to reflect the ratio of the distribution. There is no adjustment to index shares. If the stock being distributed is another class of common shares of the same issuer, the value of the existing NASDAQ-100 Index® stock will be adjusted downward to reflect the ratio of the distribution with no adjustment to index shares, and the new class of shares may be added to the NASDAQ-100 Index® on a pro-rata basis.
Spin-offs. If a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is spinning off a stock, the value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock will be adjusted downward to reflect the ratio of the distribution. There is no adjustment to index shares. If a when-issued market is established for the spin-off company, the price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is adjusted downward by the value of the spinoff. The value of the spin-off is determined by multiplying the spin-off ratio by the when-issued price. In the event the value of the spinoff has not been established as indicated above then no price adjustment is made to the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock. The new stock resulting from the spin-off transaction is not added to the NASDAQ-100 Index®.
Rights Offerings. The price of a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is adjusted on the ex-date for rights offerings if the rights are transferable and the offering has a subscription price on an equivalent per share basis that is less than the closing price of the underlying stock (the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock the right entitles a holder to purchase) on the day prior to the ex-date. The price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is adjusted downward for the value of the right. The value of the right is equal to (1) (i) the previous last sale price of the underlying stock minus (ii) the sum of (a) the subscription price of the right plus (b) the cash dividend of the underlying stock, if any, divided by (2) the number of rights required to purchase one share plus one.
 
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Corporate actions are implemented in the NASDAQ-100 Index® in accordance with the NASDAQ-100 Index® maintenance rules discussed above. The divisor will also be adjusted as a result of corporate actions that adjust either the price or shares of a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock. Nasdaq, Inc. will make announcements prior to the effective date of any corporate actions.
In the case of mergers and acquisitions, the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock issuer may be removed the day following the shareholder vote or the expected expiration of the tender offer, provided the acquisition is not contested. In the event the acquisition is contested, the removal of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock will occur as soon as reasonably practicable, once results have been received indicating that the acquisition will likely be successful.
If a company files for bankruptcy, the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock or stocks of the issuer will be removed from the NASDAQ-100 Index® as soon as practicable thereafter. The value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stock will be considered $0.00000001 if no other applicable price can be observed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Nasdaq Global Market.
Discretionary Adjustments
In addition to the above, Nasdaq, Inc. may, from time to time, exercise reasonable discretion as it deems appropriate in order to ensure NASDAQ-100 Index® integrity, including, but not limited to, changes to quantitative inclusion criteria.  Nasdaq, Inc. may also, due to special circumstances, if deemed essential, apply discretionary adjustments to ensure and maintain the quality of the NASDAQ-100 Index® construction and calculation.
Market Disruption Events
If a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock does not trade on its primary listing market on a given day or such index market has not opened for trading, the most recent last sale price from the index market (adjusted for corporate actions, if any) is used. If a NASDAQ-100 Index® stock is halted from trading on its index market during the trading day, the most recent last sale price is used until trading resumes.
Corrections and Calculations
The closing value of the NASDAQ-100 Index® may change up until 17:15:00 ET due to corrections to the last sale price of the NASDAQ-100 Index® stocks. In the event that a change has been made to the NASDAQ-100 Index® intraday, Nasdaq, Inc. will make an announcement describing such change. In the event a NASDAQ-100 Index® calculation has been corrected retroactively, an announcement will be provided.
License Agreement between Nasdaq, Inc. and GS Finance Corp.
The Product(s) is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by NASDAQ, Inc. or its affiliates (NASDAQ, with its affiliates, are referred to as the “Corporations”).  The Corporations have not passed on the legality or suitability of, or the accuracy or adequacy of descriptions and disclosures relating to, the Product(s).  The Corporations make no representation or warranty, express or implied to the owners of the Product(s) or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Product(s) particularly, or the ability of the NASDAQ-100® Index to track general stock market performance.  The Corporations' only relationship to GS Finance Corp. (“Licensee”) is in the licensing of the Nasdaq®, NASDAQ-100 Index®, and certain trade names of the Corporations and the use of the NASDAQ-100 Index® which is determined, composed and calculated by NASDAQ without regard to Licensee or the Product(s).  NASDAQ has no obligation to take the needs of the Licensee or the owners of the Product(s) into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the NASDAQ-100 Index®.  The Corporations are not responsible for and have not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Product(s) to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Product(s) is to be converted into cash. The Corporations have no liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Product(s).
The Corporations do not guarantee the accuracy and/or uninterrupted calculation of Nasdaq-100 Index® or any data included therein.  The Corporations make no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be
 
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obtained by Licensee, owners of the product(s), or any other person or entity from the use of the Nasdaq-100 Index® or any data included therein.  The Corporations make no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaim all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Nasdaq-100 Index® or any data included therein.  Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Corporations have any liability for any lost profits or special, incidental, punitive, indirect, or consequential damages, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
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. Any historical upward or downward trend in the closing level of any underlier during the period shown below is not an indication that such index 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. We cannot give you any assurance that the future performance of any underlier or the underlier stocks 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. The actual performance of an index 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 September 7, 2008 through September 7, 2018. We obtained the levels in the graphs below from Bloomberg Financial Services, without independent verification.
 
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Historical Performance of the SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF
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Historical Performance of the Invesco QQQ TrustSM, Series 1
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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 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 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. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the significance, and the potential impact, of
 
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the above considerations. 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. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the possibility that any legislative or administrative action may adversely affect the tax treatment and the value of your notes.
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
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 — United States Alien 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 — United States Alien 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 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 shares of either of the ETFs 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,
 
PS-39

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, 2019, 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 FATCA withholding. However, according to published guidance, the withholding tax described above will not apply to payments of gross proceeds from the sale, exchange or other disposition of the notes made before January 1, 2019.
 
PS-40

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., the related guarantee offered by this pricing supplement has been executed and issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., and such notes have been authenticated by the trustee pursuant to the indenture, and such notes and the guarantee 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) such related guarantee 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 10, 2017, 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 10, 2017.
 
PS-41

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. 1,734, 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. 1,734, 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. 1,734, the accompanying prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is current only as of the respective dates of such documents.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pricing Supplement

PS-3
PS-6
PS-9
PS-16
PS-37
PS-41
   
General Terms Supplement No. 1,734 dated July 10, 2017
   
Additional Risk Factors Specific to the Notes
S-1
Supplemental Terms of the Notes
S-15
The Underliers
S-35
S&P 500® Index
S-39
MSCI Indices
S-45
Hang Seng China Enterprises Index
S-54
Russell 2000® Index
S-59
FTSE® 100 Index
S-67
EURO STOXX 50® Index
S-73
TOPIX
S-80
The Dow Jones Industrial AverageTM
S-86
The iShares® MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
S-90
Use of Proceeds
S-92
Hedging
S-92
Employee Retirement Income Security Act
S-93
Supplemental Plan of Distribution
S-94
Conflicts of Interest
S-96
   
Prospectus Supplement dated July 10, 2017
   
Use of Proceeds
S-2
Description of Notes We May Offer
S-3
Considerations Relating to Indexed Notes
S-16
United States Taxation
S-17
Employee Retirement Income Security Act
S-18
Supplemental Plan of Distribution
S-19
Validity of the Notes and Guarantees
S-19
   
Prospectus dated July 10, 2017
   
Available Information
2
Prospectus Summary
3
Risks Relating to Regulatory Resolution Strategies and Long-Term Debt Requirements
6
Use of Proceeds
7
Description of Debt Securities We May Offer
8
Description of Warrants We May Offer
35
Description of Units We May Offer
47
GS Finance Corp.
51
Legal Ownership and Book-Entry Issuance
53
Considerations Relating to Floating Rate Debt Securities
57
Considerations Relating to Indexed Securities
58
Considerations Relating to Securities Denominated or Payable in or Linked to a Non-U.S. Dollar Currency
61
United States Taxation
64
Plan of Distribution
76
Conflicts of Interest
78
Employee Retirement Income Security Act
78
Validity of the Securities and Guarantees
79
Experts
79
Review of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
79
Cautionary Statement Pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
79
 













$384,000

GS Finance Corp.


ETF-Linked Notes due 2023

guaranteed by
The Goldman Sachs
Group, Inc.















Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC