Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the RiverFront Strategic Income Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600
Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 167 (Tuesday, August 28, 2012)
Federal Register Volume 77, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 28, 2012)
Notices
Pages 52083-52089
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2012-21173
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Release No. 34-67715; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2012-88
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the RiverFront Strategic Income Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600
August 22, 2012.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ``Exchange Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby given that, on August 10, 2012, NYSE Arca, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or ``NYSE Arca'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ``Commission'') the
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proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
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\1\ 15 U.S.C.78s(b)(1).
\2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and trade the following under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (``Managed Fund Shares''): RiverFront Strategic Income Fund. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.com, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant parts of such statements.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
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Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (``Shares'') of the RiverFront Strategic Income Fund (the ``Fund'') under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, which governs the listing and trading of Managed Fund Shares \4\ on the Exchange.\5\ The Fund is a series of the ALPS ETF Trust (``Trust''), a statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and registered with the Commission as an open-end management investment company.\6\ The Fund will be managed by WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (``WisdomTree'' or the ``Adviser''). RiverFront Investment Group, LLC (``RiverFront'') is the investment sub-adviser for the Fund (the ``Sub-Adviser'').
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\4\ A Managed Fund Share is a security that represents an interest in an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1) (``1940 Act'') organized as an open-end investment company or similar entity that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by its investment adviser consistent with its investment objectives and policies. In contrast, an open-end investment company that issues Investment Company Units, listed and traded on the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of a specific foreign or domestic stock index, fixed income securities index or combination thereof.
\5\ The Commission has previously approved listing and trading on the Exchange of actively managed funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 57801 (May 8, 2008), 73 FR 27878 (May 14, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2008-31) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of twelve actively-managed funds of the WisdomTree Trust); 66321 (February 3, 2012), 77 FR 6850 (February 9, 2012) (SR-NYSEArca-2011-95) (order approving listing and trading of PIMCO Total Return Exchange Traded Fund); 66670 (March 28, 2012), 77 FR 20087 (April 3, 2012) (SR-NYSEArca-2012-09) (order approving listing and trading of PIMCO Global Advantage Inflation-Linked Bond Strategy Fund).
\6\ The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On February 23, 2012, the Trust filed with the Commission an amendment to its registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) (``Securities Act'') and the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-148826 and 811-22175) (the ``Registration Statement''). The description of the operation of the Trust and the Fund herein is based, in part, on the Registration Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued an order granting certain exemptive relief to the Adviser under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28471 (October 27, 2008) (File No. 812-
13458) (``Exemptive Order''). The Fund will be offered in reliance upon the Exemptive Order issued to the Adviser.
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Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600 provides that, if the investment adviser to the investment company issuing Managed Fund Shares is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser shall erect a ``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer with respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to such investment company portfolio.\7\ In addition, Commentary .06 further requires that personnel who make decisions on the open-end fund's portfolio composition must be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material nonpublic information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio. WisdomTree is not affiliated with any broker-dealer. RiverFront is affiliated with a broker-dealer, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, and has implemented and will maintain a fire wall with respect to such broker-dealer regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to a portfolio. In the event (a) the Adviser or Sub-Adviser becomes newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser or sub-adviser becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement a fire wall with respect to such broker-dealer regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the portfolio, and will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding such portfolio.
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\7\ An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ``Advisers Act''). As a result, the investment adviser is subject to the provisions of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as well as compliance with other applicable securities laws. Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent the communication and misuse of non-public information by an investment adviser must be consistent with Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. The Exchange represents that the Investment Adviser and Sub-Adviser, and their respective related personnel, are subject to Investment Advisers Act Rule 204A-1. In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to provide investment advice to clients unless such investment adviser has (i) adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the investment adviser and its supervised persons, of the Advisers Act and the Commission rules adopted thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an annual review regarding the adequacy of the policies and procedures established pursuant to subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness of their implementation; and (iii) designated an individual (who is a supervised person) responsible for administering the policies and procedures adopted under subparagraph (i) above.
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RiverFront Strategic Income Fund
According to the Registration Statement, the investment objective of the Fund is to seek total return with an emphasis on income as the source of that total return.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a global portfolio of fixed income securities of various maturities, ratings and currency denominations. The Fund intends to utilize various investment strategies in a broad array of fixed income sectors. The Fund will allocate its investments based upon the analysis of the Sub-
Adviser of the pertinent economic and market conditions, as well as yield, maturity and currency considerations.
The Fund may purchase fixed income securities issued by U.S. or foreign corporations \8\ or financial institutions, including debt securities of all types and maturities, convertible securities and preferred stocks. The Fund also may purchase securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or foreign governments (including foreign states, provinces and municipalities) or
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their agencies and instrumentalities or issued or guaranteed by international organizations designated or supported by multiple government entities to promote economic reconstruction or development. The average maturity or duration of the Fund's portfolio of fixed income securities will vary based on the Sub-Adviser's assessment of economic and market conditions.
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\8\ The Fund will invest only in securities that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems to be sufficiently liquid. While foreign corporate debt generally must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding and significant par value traded to be considered as an eligible investment, at least 80% of issues of foreign corporate debt held by the Fund will have $200 million or more par amount outstanding.
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The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities (``MBS'') issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Administration (``Ginnie Mae''), the Federal Housing Administration (``FHA''), the Federal National Mortgage Association (``Fannie Mae'') and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (``Freddie Mac'').\9\ The MBS in which the Fund may invest will be either pass-through securities or collateralized mortgage obligations (``CMOs'').\10\ The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The Fund may also invest in other fixed income investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (``ETFs'') \11\ and/or closed-end funds.
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\9\ A third-party pricing service will be used to value some or all of the Fund's MBS.
\10\ Pass-through securities represent a right to receive principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages, which are passed through to security holders. CMOs are created by dividing the principal and interest payments collected on a pool of mortgages into several revenue streams (tranches) with different priority rights to portions of the underlying mortgage payments. The Fund will not invest in CMO tranches which represent a right to receive interest only (``IOs''), principal only (``POs'') or an amount that remains after other floating-rate tranches are paid (an inverse floater). If the Fund invests in CMO tranches (including CMO tranches issued by government agencies) and interest rates move in a manner not anticipated by Fund management, it is possible that the Fund could lose all or substantially all of its investment.
\11\ The Fund will not invest in leveraged or leveraged inverse ETFs.
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The Fund may invest without limitation in debt securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities of foreign issuers, including securities of issuers located in emerging markets. The Sub-Adviser may attempt to reduce currency risk by entering into contracts with banks, brokers or dealers to purchase or sell securities or foreign currencies at a future date (``forward contracts''). The Fund may enter into foreign currency forward and foreign currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders.
The Fund has not established any credit rating criteria for the fixed income securities in which it may invest, and it may invest entirely in high yield securities (``junk bonds''). Junk bonds are debt securities that are rated below investment grade by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (``NRSROs''), or are unrated securities that the Sub-Adviser believes are of comparable quality. The Sub-Adviser considers the credit ratings assigned by NRSROs as one of several factors in its independent credit analysis of issuers.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may also invest in money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular bond or bond index), and, in accordance with the Exemptive Order, in swaps, options and futures contracts. The Fund may also invest in municipal securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its assets in MBS (which may include commercial mortgage-backed securities (``CMBS'')) or other asset-backed securities issued or guaranteed by private issuers. The Fund may also invest in money market instruments or other short-term fixed income instruments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against temporary market declines.
The Fund may invest in commercial paper and other short-term corporate instruments.\12\
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\12\ Commercial paper consists of short-term promissory notes issued primarily by corporations. Commercial paper may be traded in the secondary market after its issuance. As of July 31, 2012, the amount of commercial paper outstanding (seasonally adjusted) was approximately $1000.5 billion. See http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/CP/default.htm.
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The Fund may purchase participations in corporate loans. Participation interests generally will be acquired from a commercial bank or other financial institution (a ``Lender'') or from other holders of a participation interest (a ``Participant''). The purchase of a participation interest either from a Lender or a Participant will not result in any direct contractual relationship with the borrowing company (the ``Borrower''). The Fund generally will have no right directly to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the credit agreement. Instead, the Fund will be required to rely on the Lender or the Participant that sold the participation interest, both for the enforcement of the Fund's rights against the Borrower and for the receipt and processing of payments due to the Fund under the loans. Under the terms of a participation interest, the Fund may be regarded as a member of the Participant, and thus the Fund is subject to the credit risk of both the Borrower and a Participant. Participation interests are generally subject to restrictions on resale. Generally, the Fund considers participation interests to be illiquid and therefore subject to the Fund's percentage limitations for investments in illiquid securities.
The Fund may invest in securities that have variable or floating interest rates which are readjusted on set dates (such as the last day of the month or calendar quarter) in the case of variable rates or whenever a specified interest rate change occurs in the case of a floating rate instrument. Variable or floating interest rates generally reduce changes in the market price of securities from their original purchase price because, upon readjustment, such rates approximate market rates. Accordingly, as interest rates decrease or increase, the potential for capital appreciation or depreciation is less for variable or floating rate securities than for fixed rate obligations. Many securities with variable or floating interest rates purchased by the Fund are subject to payment of principal and accrued interest (usually within seven days) on the Fund's demand. The terms of such demand instruments require payment of principal and accrued interest by the issuer, a guarantor and/or a liquidity provider. The Sub-Adviser will monitor the pricing, quality and liquidity of the variable or floating rate securities held by the Fund.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, which are agreements pursuant to which securities are acquired by the Fund from a third party with the understanding that they will be repurchased by the seller at a fixed price on an agreed date. These agreements may be made with respect to any of the portfolio securities in which the Fund is authorized to invest. Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans secured by the underlying securities.
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. The securities purchased with the funds obtained from the agreement and securities collateralizing the agreement will have maturity dates no later than the repayment date.
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The Fund may purchase when-issued securities. Purchasing securities on a ``when-issued'' basis means that the date for delivery of and payment for the securities is not fixed at the date of purchase, but is set after the securities are issued. The payment obligation and, if applicable, the interest rate that will be received on the securities are fixed at the time the buyer enters into the commitment. The Fund will only make commitments to purchase such securities with the intention of actually acquiring such securities, but the Fund may sell these securities before the settlement date if it is deemed advisable.
The Fund may not hold more than 15% of its net assets in: (1) Illiquid securities (which include participation interests); and (2) Rule 144A securities.\13\ The Fund will monitor its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, an adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will consider taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate liquidity if, through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets are held in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets as determined in accordance with Commission staff guidance.\14\
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\13\ Rule 144A securities are securities which, while privately placed, are eligible for purchase and resale pursuant to Rule 144A. According to the Registration Statement, Rule 144A permits certain qualified institutional buyers, such as the Fund, to trade in privately placed securities even though such securities are not registered under the Securities Act.
\14\ The Commission has stated that long-standing Commission guidelines have required open-end funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March 11, 2008), 73 FR 14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote 34. See also, Investment Company Act Release No. 5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December 31, 1970) (Statement Regarding ``Restricted Securities''); Investment Company Act Release No. 18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20, 1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N-1A). A fund's portfolio security is illiquid if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to it by the fund. See Investment Company Act Release No. 14983 (March 12, 1986), 51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act); Investment Company Act Release No. 17452 (April 23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A under the Securities Act).
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The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. The Exchange represents that, for initial and/or continued listing, the Fund will be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 \15\ under the Exchange Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares will be outstanding at the commencement of trading on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the net asset value (``NAV'') and the Disclosed Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time.
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\15\ 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
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The Fund's investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage.
The Fund will not invest in non-US equity securities.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
Shares may be created and redeemed in ``Creation Unit'' size aggregations of 50,000 or multiples thereof. In order to purchase Creation Units of the Fund, an investor must generally deposit a designated portfolio of securities (the ``Deposit Securities'') (and/or an amount in cash in lieu of some or all of the Deposit Securities) and generally make a cash payment referred to as the ``Cash Component.'' The list of the names and the amounts of the Deposit Securities is made available by the Fund's custodian through the facilities of the NSCC immediately prior to the opening of business each day of the NYSE Arca. The Cash Component represents the difference between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities. Creations and redemptions of Shares may only be made through an Authorized Participant, as described in the Registration Statement.
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV and only on a day the NYSE Arca is open for business. The Fund's custodian will make available immediately prior to the opening of business each day of the NYSE Arca, through the facilities of the NSCC, the list of the names and the amounts of the Fund's portfolio securities that will be applicable that day to redemption requests in proper form (``Fund Securities''). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities, which are applicable to purchases of Creation Units. Unless cash redemptions or partial cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds will consist of the Fund Securities, plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of Shares being redeemed as next determined after receipt by the transfer agent of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the ``Cash Redemption Amount''), less the applicable redemption fee and, if applicable, any transfer taxes.\16\
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\16\ The Fund may, in certain circumstances, allow cash creations or partial cash creations but not redemptions (or vice versa) if the Sub-Adviser believes it will allow the Fund to adjust its portfolio in a manner which is more efficient for shareholders. The Fund may allow creations or redemptions to be conducted partially in cash only where certain instruments are (i) in the case of the purchase of a Creation Unit, not available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) not eligible for transfer through either the NSCC or DTC; or (iii) not eligible for trading due to local trading restrictions, local restrictions on securities transfers or other similar circumstances. To the extent the Fund allows creations or redemptions to be conducted wholly or partially in cash, such transactions will be effected in the same manner for all Authorized Participants on a given day except where: (i) Such instruments are, in the case of the purchase of a Creation Unit, not available to a particular Authorized Participant in sufficient quantity; (ii) such instruments are not eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant or the investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting; or (iii) a holder of Shares of the Fund would be subject to unfavorable income tax treatment if the holder receives redemption proceeds in kind. According to the Registration Statement, an additional variable charge for cash or partial cash creations, and cash or partial cash redemptions, may also be imposed to compensate the Fund for the costs associated with buying the applicable securities.
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Net Asset Value
According to the Registration Statement, the NAV per Share of the Fund will be computed by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares of the Fund outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including without limitation, the management and administration fees, will be accrued daily and taken into account for purposes of determining NAV. The NAV per Share will be calculated by the Fund's custodian and determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the New York Stock Exchange (``NYSE'') (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that such exchange is open.
In computing the Fund's NAV, the Fund's debt securities will be valued at market value. Market value generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, a pricing service or a major market maker (or dealer), (ii) based on a price quotation or other equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a pricing service or a major market maker (or dealer) or (iii) based on amortized cost. The Fund's debt securities are thus valued by reference to a combination of transactions and quotations for the same or other securities believed to be comparable in quality, coupon, maturity, type of issue, call provisions, trading characteristics and other features deemed to be relevant. To the extent the Fund's debt
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securities, including some or all of the MBS in which the Fund invests, will be valued based on price quotations or other equivalent indications of value provided by a third-party pricing service, any such third-party pricing service may use a variety of methodologies to value some or all of the Fund's debt securities to determine the market price. For example, the prices of securities with characteristics similar to those held by the Fund may be used to assist with the pricing process. In addition, the pricing service may use proprietary pricing models. Short-term debt securities having a maturity of 60 days or less will be generally valued at amortized cost. The Fund's securities holdings that are traded on a national securities exchange will be valued based on their last sale price. Price information on listed securities will be taken from the exchange where the security is primarily traded. Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available will be valued based on fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Fund's Board of Directors.
According to the Registration Statement, there can be no assurance as to whether and/or the extent to which the Shares will trade at premiums or discounts to NAV. The deviation risk may be heightened to the extent the Fund invests in MBS, as such investments may be difficult to value. Because MBS may trade infrequently, the most recent trade price may not indicate their true value. As noted above, a third-
party pricing service may be used to value some or all of the Fund's MBS. To the extent that market participants question the accuracy of the pricing service's prices, there is a risk of significant deviation between the NAV and market price of some or all of the MBS in which the Fund invests.
Portfolio Indicative Value
The Portfolio Indicative Value (``PIV'') as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3) of Shares of the Fund will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every fifteen seconds during the Exchange's Core Trading Session. To the extent the Fund holds securities that are traded in foreign markets, the PIV calculations will be based on such foreign market prices and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the foreign market's close. As a result, premiums and discounts between the approximate value and the market price could be affected. This approximate value should not be viewed as a ``real-time'' update of the NAV per Share of the Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as the NAV, which is computed once a day, generally at the end of the business day.
Availability of Information
The Fund's Web site (www.alpsetfs.com), which will be publicly available prior to the public offering of Shares, will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Fund's Web site will include additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis, including, for the Fund, (1) daily trading volume, the prior business day's reported closing price, NAV and mid-point of the bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such NAV (the ``Bid/Ask Price''),\17\ and a calculation of the premium and discount of the Bid/
Ask Price against the NAV, and (2) data in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four previous calendar quarters. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2) that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day.\18\
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\17\ The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund is determined using the mid-
point of the highest bid and the lowest offer on the Exchange as of the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV. The records relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the Fund and its service providers.
\18\ Under accounting procedures followed by the Fund, trades made on the prior business day (``T'') will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current business day (``T+1''). Accordingly, the Fund will be able to disclose at the beginning of the business day the portfolio that will form the basis for the NAV calculation at the end of the business day.
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The Fund's portfolio holdings will be disclosed on its Web site daily after the close of trading on the Exchange and prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange the following day.
On a daily basis, the Adviser will disclose for each portfolio security and financial instrument of the Fund the following information: ticker symbol (if applicable), name of security and financial instrument, number of shares, if applicable, and dollar value of financial instruments held in the portfolio, and percentage weighting of the security and financial instrument in the portfolio. The Web site information will be publicly available at no charge. In addition, intra-day and end-of-day prices for all debt securities or other financial instruments held by the Fund will be available through major market data vendors and broker-dealers.
In addition, a basket composition file disclosing the Fund Securities, which includes the security names and share quantities required to be delivered in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, will be publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the NYSE via the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. Investors can also obtain the Trust's Statement of Additional Information (``SAI''), the Fund's Shareholder Reports, and its Form N-
CSR and Form N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust's SAI and Shareholder Reports are available free upon request from the Trust, and those documents and the Form N-CSR and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic services. Information regarding the previous day's closing price and trading volume information will be published daily in the financial section of newspapers. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares will be available via the Consolidated Tape Association (``CTA'') high-speed line. In addition, as noted above, the PIV will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session.\19\ The dissemination of the PIV, together with the Disclosed Portfolio, will allow investors to determine the value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a daily basis and will provide a close estimate of that value throughout the trading day.
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\19\ Currently, it is the Exchange's understanding that several major market data vendors widely disseminate PIVs taken from CTA or other data feeds.
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Additional information regarding the Trust and the Shares, including investment strategies, risks, creation and redemption procedures, fees, portfolio holdings disclosure policies, distributions and taxes is included in the Registration Statement.
Trading Halts
With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend trading in the Shares of the Fund.\20\ Trading in Shares of the
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Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached. Trading also may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. These may include: (1) The extent to which trading is not occurring in the securities and/
or the financial instruments comprising the Disclosed Portfolio of the Fund; or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. Trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted.
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\20\ See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12, Commentary .04.
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Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time in accordance with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core, and Late Trading Sessions). The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03, the minimum price variation (``MPV'') for quoting and entry of orders in equity securities traded on the NYSE Arca Marketplace is $0.01, with the exception of securities that are priced less than $1.00 for which the MPV for order entry is $0.0001.
Surveillance
The Exchange intends to utilize its existing surveillance procedures applicable to derivative products (which include Managed Fund Shares) to monitor trading in the Shares. The Exchange represents that these procedures are adequate to properly monitor Exchange trading of the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.
The Exchange's current trading surveillance focuses on detecting securities trading outside their normal patterns. When such situations are detected, surveillance analysis follows and investigations are opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of all relevant parties for all relevant trading violations.
The Exchange may obtain information via the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG'') from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a surveillance sharing agreement.\21\
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\21\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all components of the Disclosed Portfolio for the Fund may trade on markets that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
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In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its Equity Trading Permit (``ETP'') Holders in an Information Bulletin (``Bulletin'') of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss the following: (1) The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Creation Units (and that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2) NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence on its ETP Holders to learn the essential facts relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) the risks involved in trading the Shares during the Opening and Late Trading Sessions when an updated PIV will not be calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the PIV is disseminated; (5) the requirement that ETP Holders deliver a prospectus to investors purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the confirmation of a transaction; and (6) trading information.
In addition, the Bulletin will reference that the Fund is subject to various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement. The Bulletin will discuss any exemptive, no-action, and interpretive relief granted by the Commission from any rules under the Exchange Act. The Bulletin will also disclose that the NAV for the Shares will be calculated after 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time each trading day.
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Statutory Basis
The basis under the Exchange Act for this proposed rule change is the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \22\ that an exchange have rules that are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest. The Sub-
Adviser is affiliated with a broker-dealer and has implemented and will maintain a fire wall with respect to such broker-dealer regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to a portfolio. The Fund will not invest in non-US equity securities. The Fund will not invest in leveraged or leveraged inverse ETFs. The Fund's investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares will be available via the CTA high-speed line. In addition, the PIV, as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (c)(3), will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session. The Fund will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2) that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. Trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. The Exchange may obtain information via the ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a surveillance sharing agreement. In addition, the Exchange has procedures that are adequate to properly monitor Exchange trading of the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.
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\22\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws. The Exchange may obtain information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in that the Adviser is affiliated with a broker-dealer and has represented that it has implemented a fire wall with respect to its broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the portfolio. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the
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NAV per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time. In addition, a large amount of information is publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. The Fund's portfolio holdings will be disclosed on its Web site daily after the close of trading on the Exchange and prior to the opening of trading on the Exchange the following day. Moreover, the PIV will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's Core Trading Session. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic services, and quotation and last sale information will be available via the CTA high-speed line. The Web site for the Fund will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund and additional data relating to NAV and other applicable quantitative information. Moreover, prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached or because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable, and trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the PIV, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares.
The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may obtain information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the PIV, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Exchange Act.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the proposed rule change.
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Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the Commission may designate up to 90 days of such date if it finds such longer period to be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule change should be disapproved.
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Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Exchange Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-88 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-88. This file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549 on official business days between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing will also be available for inspection and copying at the NYSE's principal office and on its Internet Web site at www.nyse.com. All comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-88 and should be submitted on or before September 18, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.\23\
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\23\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
FR Doc. 2012-21173 Filed 8-27-12; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
