Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating To Listing and Trading of Shares of the First Trust Equity Market Neutral ETF of the First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 101 (Wednesday, May 25, 2016)
Federal Register Volume 81, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 25, 2016)
Notices
Pages 33307-33316
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov
FR Doc No: 2016-12236
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Release No. 34-77854; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2016-061
Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating To Listing and Trading of Shares of the First Trust Equity Market Neutral ETF of the First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII
May 19, 2016.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act''),\1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given that on May 4, 2016, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (``Nasdaq'' or ``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'' or ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by Nasdaq. 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\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
Nasdaq proposes to list and trade the shares of the First Trust Equity Market Neutral ETF (the ``Fund'') of First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII (the ``Trust'') under Nasdaq Rule 5735 (``Managed Fund Shares'').\3\ The shares of the Fund are collectively referred to herein as the ``Shares.''
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\3\ The Commission approved Nasdaq Rule 5735 in Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57962 (June 13, 2008), 73 FR 35175 (June 20, 2008) (SR-NASDAQ-2008-039). There are already multiple actively-
managed funds listed on the Exchange; see, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 72506 (July 1, 2014), 79 FR 38631 (July 8, 2014) (SR-NASDAQ-2014-050) (order approving listing and trading of First Trust Strategic Income ETF); 69464 (April 26, 2013), 78 FR 25774 (May 2, 2013) (SR-NASDAQ-2013-036) (order approving listing and trading of First Trust Senior Loan Fund); and 66489 (February 29, 2012), 77 FR 13379 (March 6, 2012) (SR-NASDAQ-2012-004) (order approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund). The Exchange believes the proposed rule change raises no significant issues not previously addressed in those prior Commission orders.
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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, Nasdaq included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. Nasdaq has prepared summaries, set forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
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Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade the Shares of the Fund under Nasdaq Rule 5735, which governs the listing and trading of Managed Fund Shares \4\ on the Exchange. The Fund will be an actively-
managed exchange-traded fund (``ETF''). The Shares will be offered by the Trust, which was
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established as a Massachusetts business trust on February 22, 2016.\5\ The Trust is registered with the Commission as an investment company and has filed a registration statement on Form N-1A (``Registration Statement'') with the Commission.\6\ The Fund will be a series of the Trust.
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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) (the ``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 Index Fund Shares, listed and traded on the Exchange under Nasdaq Rule 5705, 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 issued an order, upon which the Trust may rely, granting certain exemptive relief under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28468 (October 27, 2008) (File No. 812-13477) (the ``Exemptive Relief'').
\6\ See Registration Statement on Form N-1A for the Trust, dated March 14, 2016 (File Nos. 333-210186 and 811-23147). The descriptions of the Fund and the Shares contained herein are based, in part, on information in the Registration Statement.
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First Trust Advisors L.P. will be the investment adviser (``Adviser'') to the Fund. Perella Weinberg Partners Capital Management LP will serve as investment sub-adviser (``Sub-Adviser'') to the Fund and provide day-to-day portfolio management. First Trust Portfolios L.P. (the ``Distributor'') will be the principal underwriter and distributor of the Fund's Shares. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (``BNY'') will act as the administrator, accounting agent, custodian and transfer agent to the Fund.
Paragraph (g) of Rule 5735 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, paragraph (g) 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, non-public information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio. Rule 5735(g) is similar to Nasdaq Rule 5705(b)(5)(A)(i); however, paragraph (g) in connection with the establishment of a ``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer reflects the applicable open-end fund's portfolio, not an underlying benchmark index, as is the case with index-based funds. Neither the Adviser nor the Sub-Adviser is a broker-dealer, although the Adviser is affiliated with the Distributor, a broker-
dealer registered with the Commission, and the Sub-Adviser is affiliated with Perella Weinberg Partners LP, a broker-dealer registered with the Commission, and Perella Weinberg Partners UK LLP, a broker-dealer regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and each has implemented and will maintain a fire wall with respect to its respective broker-dealer affiliate(s) regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the portfolio. In addition, personnel who make decisions on the Fund's portfolio composition will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the Fund's portfolio. In the event (a) the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser registers as a broker-dealer, or becomes newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser or sub-adviser is a registered broker-dealer or becomes affiliated with another broker-dealer, it will implement and maintain a fire wall with respect to its relevant personnel and/or such broker-dealer affiliate, as applicable, 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 Adviser, the Sub-Adviser and their related personnel are 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. 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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The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (``RIC'') under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
First Trust Equity Market Neutral ETF
Principal Investments
The investment objective of the Fund will be to seek long-term capital appreciation independent of market direction. Under normal market conditions,\8\ the Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets in ``Equity Securities'' (as defined below), which may be represented by certain derivative instruments, as discussed below,\9\ as well as ETFs \10\ that invest primarily in Equity Securities (the ``80% Investments''); the 80% Investments will take into account such derivative instruments and ETFs. The Equity Securities in which the Fund will invest will be listed on a U.S. or a non-U.S. exchange and will consist of the following: (i) Common stocks; (ii) preferred securities; (iii) warrants to purchase common stocks or preferred securities; (iv) securities convertible into common stocks or preferred securities; (v) securities issued by real estate investment trusts (``REITs''); \11\ (vi) securities issued by master limited partnerships (``MLPs''); and (vii) American Depositary Receipts (``ADRs''), European Depositary Receipts (``EDRs''), and Global Depositary Receipts (``GDRs'' and,
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together with ADRs and EDRs, ``Depositary Receipts'').\12\
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\8\ The term ``under normal market conditions'' as used herein includes, but is not limited to, the absence of adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, including extreme volatility or trading halts in the securities markets or the financial markets generally; operational issues causing dissemination of inaccurate market information; or force majeure type events such as systems failure, natural or man-made disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of terrorism, riot or labor disruption or any similar intervening circumstance. On a temporary basis, including for defensive purposes, during the initial invest-
up period and during periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may depart from its principal investment strategies; for example, it may hold a higher than normal proportion of its assets in cash. During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may adopt a defensive strategy when the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser believes securities in which the Fund normally invests have elevated risks due to political or economic factors and in other extraordinary circumstances.
\9\ Such derivatives are defined as ``Principal Derivatives.'' See ``The Fund's Use of Derivatives,'' infra.
\10\ An ETF is an investment company registered under the 1940 Act that holds a portfolio of securities. Many ETFs are designed to track the performance of a securities index, including industry, sector, country and region indexes. ETFs included in the Fund will be listed and traded in the U.S. on registered exchanges. The Fund may invest in the securities of ETFs in excess of the limits imposed under the 1940 Act pursuant to exemptive orders obtained by other ETFs and their sponsors from the Commission. In addition, the Fund may invest in the securities of certain other investment companies in excess of the limits imposed under the 1940 Act pursuant to an exemptive order that the Trust has obtained from the Commission. See Investment Company Act Release No. 30377 (February 5, 2013) (File No. 812-13895). The ETFs in which the Fund may invest include Index Fund Shares (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5705), Portfolio Depository Receipts (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5705), and Managed Fund Shares (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5735). While the Fund may invest in inverse ETFs, the Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged (e.g., 2X or -3X) ETFs.
\11\ A REIT is a company that owns and typically operates income-producing real estate or related assets.
\12\ The Fund will not invest in any unsponsored Depositary Receipts.
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The Sub-Adviser will use a long/short strategy in seeking to construct a portfolio that it believes, based on its proprietary analysis, provides the opportunity for capital preservation and appreciation across a wide variety of market conditions.\13\ In selecting Equity Securities for the Fund's portfolio based on the long/
short strategy, the Sub-Adviser will analyze certain factors which may drive the performance of an Equity Security (e.g., a company's earnings estimates and cash flows, among other valuation metrics; ``macro'' or thematic factors, such as interest rates, commodity prices and Fed policy; specific factors affecting an industry, sector or geographic area; and behavioral/sentimental factors, such as general market attitudes, news headlines, stock market technical metrics and investor sentiment). Additionally, the Sub-Adviser will apply a risk management process that focuses on, among other things, liquidity and volatility of a company's Equity Securities. Also, a portion of the Fund's portfolio will typically be invested in Equity Securities selected by the Sub-Adviser through application of an event-driven strategy that seeks to identify and capitalize on certain corporate actions which may affect the value of Equity Securities, such as mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, tender offers, and other corporate events.\14\
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\13\ When the Fund takes a long position in an Equity Security, it will purchase the security outright. In contrast, when the Fund takes a short position, it will sell a security that the Fund does not own at the current market price and deliver to the buyer a security that the Fund has borrowed.
\14\ In connection with its event-driven strategy, the Fund may also invest a portion of its assets in Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Securities (as defined infra). See note 20 and accompanying text under ``Other Investments.''
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The Fund's Use of Derivatives
The Fund may engage in transactions in derivative instruments as described in this paragraph. As noted above under ``Principal Investments,'' the Fund's investments in Equity Securities may be represented by derivatives. Investments in Equity Securities that are represented by derivatives (referred to collectively as ``Principal Derivatives'') will be treated as investments in Equity Securities for purposes of the 80% Investments. Principal Derivatives will consist of the following: (i) Total return swap agreements; \15\ (ii) exchange-
traded options on stock indices; (iii) exchange-traded options on equity securities; and (iv) exchange-traded stock index futures contracts. In addition to purchasing exchange-traded options on stock indices and exchange-traded options on equity securities, the Fund may also sell such exchange-traded options, either outright or as part of an options strategy (such as a collar \16\ or an option spread \17\). Additionally, the Fund may invest, to the extent described below in ``Other Investments,'' in the following derivatives (referred to collectively as ``Non-Principal Derivatives''): (i) Non-U.S. currency swap agreements; and (ii) forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may also enter into currency transactions on a spot (i.e., cash) basis. The Fund will invest (in the aggregate) no more than 30% of the value of its net assets (calculated at the time of investment) in Principal Derivatives and Non-Principal Derivatives (the ``30% Limitation'').
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\15\ Total return swap agreements are generally contracts to obtain the total return of a referenced asset or index in exchange for paying a financing cost. The Fund will only invest in total return swap agreements that have (i) referenced assets that are exchange-traded securities or (ii) referenced indexes that are comprised of exchange-traded securities.
\16\ A collar is generally created by purchasing a put option while simultaneously writing (selling) a call option.
\17\ An option spread is generally an investment strategy in which one has a long position on an option contract while having a short position on another option on the same underlying asset.
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The Fund will only enter into transactions in over-the-counter (``OTC'') derivatives (including non-U.S. currency swap agreements, total return swap agreements, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts) with counterparties that the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser reasonably believes are capable of performing under the applicable contract or agreement.\18\
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\18\ The Fund will seek, where possible, to use counterparties, as applicable, whose financial status is such that the risk of default is reduced; however, the risk of losses resulting from default is still possible. The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser will consider the creditworthiness of counterparties on an ongoing basis. The Adviser's and/or Sub-Adviser's analysis of potential counterparties may incorporate various methods of analysis and may include such factors as information provided by credit agencies, as well as the Adviser's and/or Sub-Adviser's past experience with the counterparty, its known disciplinary history and its share of market participation.
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The Fund's investments in derivative instruments will be made in accordance with the 1940 Act, will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies, and will not be used to seek to achieve a multiple or inverse multiple of an index. To limit the potential risk associated with the Fund's derivatives transactions, the Fund will segregate or ``earmark'' assets determined to be liquid by the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (``Trust Board'') and in accordance with the 1940 Act (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments. These procedures have been adopted consistent with Section 18 of the 1940 Act and related Commission guidance. In addition, the Fund will include appropriate risk disclosure in its offering documents, including leveraging risk. Leveraging risk is the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, including the Fund's use of derivatives, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged.\19\ Because the markets for certain securities, or the securities themselves, may be unavailable or cost prohibitive as compared to derivative instruments, suitable derivative transactions may be an efficient alternative for the Fund to obtain the desired asset exposure.
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\19\ To mitigate leveraging risk, the Adviser and/or the Sub-
Adviser will segregate or ``earmark'' liquid assets or otherwise cover the transactions that may give rise to such risk.
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The Adviser believes there will be minimal, if any, impact to the arbitrage mechanism as a result of the use of derivatives. Market makers and participants should be able to value derivatives as long as the positions are disclosed with relevant information. The Adviser believes that the price at which Shares trade will continue to be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities created by the ability to purchase or redeem Creation Units (as defined below) at their net asset value (``NAV''), which should ensure that Shares will not trade at a material discount or premium in relation to their NAV.
The Adviser does not believe there will be any significant impacts to the settlement or operational aspects of the Fund's arbitrage mechanism due to the use of derivatives. Because derivatives generally are not eligible for in-kind transfer, they will typically be substituted with a ``cash in lieu'' amount when the Fund processes purchases or redemptions of Creation Units (as defined below) in-kind.
Other Investments
With respect to up to 20% of its net assets, the Fund may invest in and/or include in its portfolio (as applicable, as indicated below) the following securities and instruments (in the aggregate).
The Fund may invest in non-exchange-traded equity securities
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(``Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Securities'') acquired in conjunction with its event-driven strategy (as described above).\20\ The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (``ETNs'').
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\20\ For example, in conjunction with its event-driven strategy, the Fund may acquire a Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Security as a result of a merger or other corporate reorganization. Certain Non-
Exchange-Traded Equity Securities may be Rule 144A securities; the Fund will not invest in Rule 144A securities other than Non-
Exchange-Traded Equity Securities. Additionally, Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Securities will not be represented by derivative instruments.
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The Fund may invest in Non-Principal Derivatives.
The Fund may invest in short-term debt securities and other short-
term debt instruments (described below), as well as cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. The percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings or held in cash will vary and will depend on several factors, including market conditions. The Fund may invest in the following short-term debt instruments: \21\ (1) Fixed rate and floating rate U.S. government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest, which are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities; (2) certificates of deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or savings and loan association; (3) bankers' acceptances, which are short-term credit instruments used to finance commercial transactions; (4) repurchase agreements,\22\ which involve purchases of debt securities; (5) bank time deposits, which are monies kept on deposit with banks or savings and loan associations for a stated period of time at a fixed rate of interest; and (6) commercial paper, which is short-term unsecured promissory notes.\23\
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\21\ Short-term debt instruments are issued by issuers having a long-term debt rating of at least A by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, a Division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (``S&P Ratings''), Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (``Moody's'') or Fitch Ratings (``Fitch'') and have a maturity of one year or less.
\22\ The Fund intends to enter into repurchase agreements only with financial institutions and dealers believed by the Adviser and/
or the Sub-Adviser to present minimal credit risks in accordance with criteria approved by the Trust Board. The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser will review and monitor the creditworthiness of such institutions. The Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser will monitor the value of the collateral at the time the transaction is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement.
\23\ The Fund may only invest in commercial paper rated A-1 or higher by S&P Ratings, Prime-1 or higher by Moody's or F1 or higher by Fitch.
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The Fund may invest in money market mutual funds, U.S. exchange-
traded closed-end funds and other ETFs \24\ that, in each case, will be investment companies registered under the 1940 Act. In addition to ETFs and closed-end funds, the Fund may invest in certain other exchange-
traded pooled investment vehicles (``ETPs'').\25\
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\24\ Such ETFs will not invest primarily in Equity Securities (and, therefore, will not be taken into account for purposes of the 80% Investments), but may otherwise invest in assets of any type.
\25\ The Fund may invest in the following ETPs: Trust certificates, commodity-based trust shares, currency trust shares, commodity index trust shares, commodity futures trust shares, partnership units, trust units, and managed trust securities (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5711); paired class shares (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5713); trust issued receipts (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5720); and exchange-traded managed fund shares (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5745).
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The Fund's portfolio may include exchange-traded and OTC contingent value rights (``CVRs'') received by the Fund as consideration in connection with a corporate action related to a security held by the Fund.\26\
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\26\ A CVR is a type of right given to shareholders of an acquired company (or a company facing major restructuring) that entitles them to receive an additional benefit upon the occurrence of a specified event, and is similar to an option because it often has an expiration date that relates to the time the contingent event must occur. For the avoidance of doubt, CVRs will not be taken into account for purposes of the 30% Limitation.
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Investment Restrictions
The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets (calculated at the time of investment), including Rule 144A securities deemed illiquid by the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser.\27\ 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 assets. Illiquid assets 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.\28\
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\27\ In reaching liquidity decisions, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser may consider the following factors: The frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers wishing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers; dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace in which it trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer). See also note 28 and accompanying text.
\28\ 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 of 1933).
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The Fund may not invest 25% or more of the value of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry. This restriction does not apply to (a) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or (b) securities of other investment companies.\29\
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\29\ See Form N-1A, Item 9. The Commission has taken the position that a fund is concentrated if it invests more than 25% of the value of its total assets in any one industry. See, e.g., Investment Company Act Release No. 9011 (October 30, 1975), 40 FR 54241 (November 21, 1975).
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Creation and Redemption of Shares
The Fund will issue and redeem Shares on a continuous basis at NAV \30\ only in large blocks of Shares (``Creation Units'') in transactions with authorized participants, generally including broker-
dealers and large institutional investors (``Authorized Participants''). Creation Units generally will consist of 50,000 Shares, although this may change from time to time. Creation Units, however, are not expected to consist of less than 50,000 Shares. As described in the Registration Statement and consistent with the Exemptive Relief, the Fund will issue and redeem Creation Units in exchange for an in-kind portfolio of instruments and/or cash in lieu of such instruments (the ``Creation Basket'').\31\ In addition, if there is a difference between the NAV attributable to a Creation Unit and the market value of the Creation Basket exchanged for the Creation Unit, the party conveying instruments with the lower value will pay to the other an amount in cash
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equal to the difference (referred to as the ``Cash Component'').
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\30\ The NAV of the Fund's Shares generally will be calculated once daily Monday through Friday as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (``NYSE''), generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time (the ``NAV Calculation Time''). NAV per Share will be calculated by dividing the Fund's net assets by the number of Fund Shares outstanding. For more information regarding the valuation of Fund investments in calculating the Fund's NAV, see the Registration Statement.
\31\ Subject to, and in accordance with, the provisions of the Exemptive Relief, it is expected that the Fund will typically issue and redeem Creation Units for a combination of in-kind instruments and cash; however, at times, it may issue and redeem Creation Units on a solely cash or solely in-kind basis.
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Creations and redemptions must be made by or through an Authorized Participant that has executed an agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor and BNY with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units. All standard orders to create Creation Units must be received by the transfer agent no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) (the ``Closing Time'') in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt not later than the Closing Time of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the transfer agent and only on a business day.
The Fund's custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation, will make available on each business day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange, the list of the names and quantities of the instruments comprising the Creation Basket, as well as the estimated Cash Component (if any), for that day. The published Creation Basket will apply until a new Creation Basket is announced on the following business day prior to commencement of trading in the Shares.
Net Asset Value
The Fund's NAV will be determined as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day the NYSE is open for trading. If the NYSE closes early on a valuation day, the NAV will be determined as of that time. NAV per Share will be calculated for the Fund by taking the value of the Fund's total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, including accrued expenses and dividends declared but unpaid, and dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, will be the NAV per Share. All valuations will be subject to review by the Trust Board or its delegate.
The Fund's investments will be valued daily. As described more specifically below, investments traded on an exchange (i.e., a regulated market), will generally be valued at market value prices that represent last sale or official closing prices. In addition, as described more specifically below, non-exchange traded investments will generally be valued using prices obtained from third-party pricing services (each, a ``Pricing Service'').\32\ If, however, valuations for any of the Fund's investments cannot be readily obtained as provided in the preceding manner, or the Pricing Committee of the Adviser (the ``Pricing Committee'') \33\ questions the accuracy or reliability of valuations that are so obtained, such investments will be valued at fair value, as determined by the Pricing Committee, in accordance with valuation procedures (which may be revised from time to time) adopted by the Trust Board (the ``Valuation Procedures''), and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act. The Pricing Committee's fair value determinations may require subjective judgments about the value of an investment. The fair valuations attempt to estimate the value at which an investment could be sold at the time of pricing, although actual sales could result in price differences, which could be material. Valuing the Fund's investments using fair value pricing can result in using prices for those investments (particularly investments that trade in foreign markets) that may differ from current market valuations.
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\32\ The Adviser may use various Pricing Services or discontinue the use of any Pricing Services, as approved by the Trust Board from time to time.
\33\ The Pricing Committee will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the Fund's portfolio.
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Certain securities in which the Fund may invest will not be listed on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities will typically be bought and sold by institutional investors in individually negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an OTC secondary market, although typically no formal market makers will exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities, will have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the value of debt securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other types of securities.
The information summarized below is based on the Valuation Procedures as currently in effect; however, as noted above, the Valuation Procedures are amended from time to time and, therefore, such information is subject to change.
The following investments will typically be valued using information provided by a Pricing Service: (a) Non-U.S. currency swap agreements and total return swap agreements; (b) Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Securities (including without limitation Rule 144A securities); (c) except as provided below, short-term U.S. government securities, commercial paper, and bankers' acceptances, all as set forth under ``Other Investments'' (collectively, ``Short-Term Debt Instruments''); and (d) currency spot transactions. Debt instruments may be valued at evaluated mean prices, as provided by Pricing Services. Pricing Services typically value non-exchange-traded instruments utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows, and transactions for comparable instruments. In pricing certain instruments, the Pricing Services may consider information about an instrument's issuer or market activity provided by the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser.
Short-Term Debt Instruments having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less when purchased will typically be valued at cost adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts, provided the Pricing Committee has determined that the use of amortized cost is an appropriate reflection of value given market and issuer-specific conditions existing at the time of the determination.
Repurchase agreements will typically be valued as follows:
Overnight repurchase agreements will be valued at amortized cost when it represents the best estimate of value. Term repurchase agreements (i.e., those whose maturity exceeds seven days) will be valued at the average of the bid quotations obtained daily from at least two recognized dealers.
Certificates of deposit and bank time deposits will typically be valued at cost.
OTC CVRs will typically be fair valued at the mean of the bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid price.
Common stocks and other equity securities (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; and ETPs), as well as ETNs, that are listed on any exchange other than the Exchange and the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (``AIM'') will typically be valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which they are principally traded on the business day as of which such value is being determined. Such securities listed on
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the Exchange or the AIM will typically be valued at the official closing price on the business day as of which such value is being determined. If there has been no sale on such day, or no official closing price in the case of securities traded on the Exchange or the AIM, such securities will typically be valued using fair value pricing. Such securities traded on more than one securities exchange will be valued at the last sale price or official closing price, as applicable, on the business day as of which such value is being determined at the close of the exchange representing the principal market for such securities.
Money market mutual funds will typically be valued at their net asset values as reported by such funds to Pricing Services.
Exchange-traded derivatives (including options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) and exchange-traded CVRs will typically be valued at the closing price in the market where such instruments are principally traded. If no closing price is available, such instruments will be fair valued at the mean of their most recent bid and asked price, if available, and otherwise at their closing bid price.
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts will typically be valued at the current day's interpolated foreign exchange rate, as calculated using the current day's spot rate, and the thirty, sixty, ninety and one-hundred-eighty day forward rates provided by a Pricing Service or by certain independent dealers in such contracts.
Because foreign exchanges may be open on different days than the days during which an investor may purchase or sell Shares, the value of the Fund's assets may change on days when investors are not able to purchase or sell Shares. Assets denominated in foreign currencies will be translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of such currencies against the U.S. dollar as provided by a Pricing Service. The value of assets denominated in foreign currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in effect at the time of valuation.
Availability of Information
The Fund's Web site (www.ftportfolios.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 Web site will include the Shares' ticker, CUSIP, and exchange information along with additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis, including, for the Fund: (1) Daily trading volume, the prior business day's reported NAV and closing price, mid-point of the bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such NAV (the ``Bid/Ask Price''),\34\ 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 Regular Market Session \35\ on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the identities and quantities of the portfolio of securities and other assets (the ``Disclosed Portfolio'' as defined in Nasdaq Rule 5735(c)(2)) held by the Fund that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day.\36\
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\34\ The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be 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.
\35\ See Nasdaq Rule 4120(b)(4) (describing the three trading sessions on the Exchange: (1) Pre-Market Session from 4 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time; (2) Regular Market Session from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 4:15 p.m., Eastern Time; and (3) Post-Market Session from 4 p.m. or 4:15 p.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern Time).
\36\ Under accounting procedures to be 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 disclosure of derivative positions in the Disclosed Portfolio will include sufficient information for market participants to use to value these positions intraday. On a daily basis, the Fund will disclose on the Fund's Web site the following information regarding each portfolio holding, as applicable to the type of holding: ticker symbol, CUSIP number or other identifier, if any; a description of the holding (including the type of holding, such as the type of swap); the identity of the security, commodity, index or other asset or instrument underlying the holding, if any; for options, the option strike price; quantity held (as measured by, for example, par value, notional value or number of shares, contracts or units); maturity date, if any; coupon rate, if any; effective date, if any; market value of the holding; and percentage weighting of the holding in the Fund's portfolio. The Web site information will be publicly available at no charge.
In addition, for the Fund, an estimated value, defined in Rule 5735(c)(3) as the ``Intraday Indicative Value,'' that reflects an estimated intraday value of the Fund's Disclosed Portfolio, will be disseminated. Moreover, the Intraday Indicative Value, available on the NASDAQ OMX Information LLC proprietary index data service,\37\ will be based upon the current value for the components of the Disclosed Portfolio and will be updated and widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors and broadly displayed at least every 15 seconds during the Regular Market Session. The Intraday Indicative Value will be 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 Intraday Indicative Value and the market price may occur. This should not be viewed as a ``real time'' update of the NAV per Share of the Fund, which is calculated only once a day.
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\37\ Currently, the NASDAQ OMX Global Index Data Service (``GIDS'') is the Nasdaq OMX global index data feed service, offering real-time updates, daily summary messages, and access to widely followed indexes and Intraday Indicative Values for ETFs. GIDS provides investment professionals with the daily information needed to track or trade Nasdaq indexes, listed ETFs, or third-party partner indexes and ETFs.
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The dissemination of the Intraday Indicative Value, 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.
Investors will also be able to obtain the Fund's Statement of Additional Information (``SAI''), the Fund's annual and semi-annual reports (together, ``Shareholder Reports''), and its Form N-CSR and Form N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Fund's SAI and Shareholder Reports will be available free upon request from the Fund, 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 for the Shares will be published daily in the financial section of newspapers. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares will be available via Nasdaq proprietary quote and trade services, as well as in accordance with the Unlisted Trading Privileges and the Consolidated Tape Association (``CTA'') plans for the
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Shares. Quotation and last sale information for the following equity securities (to the extent traded on a U.S. exchange) \38\ will be available from the exchanges on which they are traded as well as in accordance with any applicable CTA plans: Equity Securities; ETFs; closed-end funds; and ETPs. Quotation and last sale information for U.S. exchange-traded options (including U.S. exchange-traded options on equity securities and U.S. exchange-traded options on stock indices) \39\ will be available via the Options Price Reporting Authority. Quotation and last sale information for U.S. exchange-traded stock index futures contracts, ETNs and CVRs will be available from the exchanges on which they are traded.\40\
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\38\ Pricing information for exchange-traded equity securities generally (including those traded on non-U.S. exchanges) is discussed in the next paragraph.
\39\ Pricing information for exchange-traded options generally (including those traded on non-U.S. exchanges) is discussed in the next paragraph.
\40\ Pricing information for exchange-traded stock index futures contracts, ETNs and CVRs generally (including those traded on non-
U.S. exchanges) is discussed in the next paragraph.
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Pricing information for Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Securities (including without limitation Rule 144A securities), Short-Term Debt Instruments, repurchase agreements, OTC CVRs, non-U.S. currency swap agreements, total return swap agreements, forward foreign currency exchange contracts, bank time deposits, certificates of deposit and currency spot transactions will be available from major broker-dealer firms and/or major market data vendors and/or Pricing Services. Pricing information for exchange-traded equity securities (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; and ETPs), ETNs, exchange-traded CVRs and exchange-traded derivatives (including options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) will be available from the applicable listing exchange and from major market data vendors. Money market mutual funds are typically priced once each business day and their prices will be available through the applicable fund's Web site or from major market data vendors.
Additional information regarding the Fund and the Shares, including investment strategies, risks, creation and redemption procedures, fees, Fund holdings disclosure policies, distributions and taxes will be included in the Registration Statement.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will be subject to Rule 5735, which sets forth the initial and continued listing criteria applicable to Managed Fund Shares. The Exchange represents that, for initial and continued listing, the Fund must be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 \41\ under the Act. 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 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.
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\41\ See 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
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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. Nasdaq will halt trading in the Shares under the conditions specified in Nasdaq Rules 4120 and 4121, including the trading pauses under Nasdaq Rules 4120(a)(11) and (12). Trading 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 other assets constituting 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 also will be subject to Rule 5735(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted.
Trading Rules
Nasdaq deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus rendering trading in the Shares subject to Nasdaq's existing rules governing the trading of equity securities. Nasdaq will allow trading in the Shares from 4:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in Nasdaq Rule 5735(b)(3), the minimum price variation for quoting and entry of orders in Managed Fund Shares traded on the Exchange is $0.01.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject to the existing trading surveillances, administered by both Nasdaq and also the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (``FINRA'') on behalf of the Exchange, which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.\42\ 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.
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\42\ FINRA surveils trading on the Exchange pursuant to a regulatory services agreement. The Exchange is responsible for FINRA's performance under this regulatory services agreement.
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The surveillances referred to above generally focus on detecting securities trading outside their normal patterns, which could be indicative of manipulative or other violative activity. 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.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and the exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; ETPs; ETNs; exchange-traded CVRs; options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) with other markets and other entities that are members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG''),\43\ and FINRA may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares and such exchange-
traded securities and instruments held by the Fund from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and the exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund from markets and other entities that are members of ISG, which includes securities and futures exchanges, or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Moreover, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will be able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income securities held by the Fund reported to FINRA's Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (``TRACE'').
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\43\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all components of the Disclosed Portfolio 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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At least 90% of the Fund's net assets that are invested (in the aggregate) in exchange-traded derivatives (including options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) and in exchange-traded CVRs will be invested in instruments that trade in markets that
Page 33314
are members of ISG or are parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange. At least 90% of the Fund's net assets that are invested (in the aggregate) in ETNs and in exchange-
traded equity securities (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; and ETPs) will be invested in securities that trade in markets that are members of ISG or are parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange.
In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Information Circular
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its members in an Information Circular of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the Information Circular will discuss the following: (1) The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Creation Units (and that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2) Nasdaq Rule 2111A, which imposes suitability obligations on Nasdaq members with respect to recommending transactions in the Shares to customers; (3) how information regarding the Intraday Indicative Value and the Disclosed Portfolio is disseminated; (4) the risks involved in trading the Shares during the Pre-Market and Post-Market Sessions when an updated Intraday Indicative Value will not be calculated or publicly disseminated; (5) the requirement that members deliver a prospectus to investors purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the confirmation of a transaction; and (6) trading information. The Information Circular will also discuss any exemptive, no-action and interpretive relief granted by the Commission from any rules under the Act.
Additionally, the Information Circular will reference that the Fund is subject to various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement. The Information Circular will also disclose the trading hours of the Shares of the Fund and the applicable NAV Calculation Time for the Shares. The Information Circular will disclose that information about the Shares of the Fund will be publicly available on the Fund's Web site.
All statements and representations made in this filing regarding (a) the description of the portfolio, (b) limitations on portfolio holdings or reference assets, or (c) the applicability of Exchange rules and surveillance procedures shall constitute continued listing requirements for listing the Shares on the Exchange. In addition, the issuer has represented to the Exchange that it will advise the Exchange of any failure by the Fund to comply with the continued listing requirements, and, pursuant to its obligations under Section 19(g)(1) of the Act, the Exchange will monitor for compliance with the continued listing requirements. If the Fund is not in compliance with the applicable listing requirements, the Exchange will commence delisting procedures under the Nasdaq 5800 Series.
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Statutory Basis
Nasdaq believes that the proposal is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act in general and Section 6(b)(5) of the Act in particular in that it is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination with persons engaged in facilitating transactions in securities, and 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 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 Nasdaq Rule 5735. The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject to the existing trading surveillances, administered by both Nasdaq and also FINRA on behalf of the Exchange, which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.
Neither the Adviser nor the Sub-Adviser is a broker-dealer, but each is affiliated with at least one broker-dealer, and is required to implement a ``fire wall'' with respect to its respective broker-dealer affiliate(s) regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's portfolio. In addition, paragraph (g) of Nasdaq Rule 5735 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 non-public information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and the exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; ETPs; ETNs; exchange-traded CVRs; options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) with other markets and other entities that are members of ISG, and FINRA may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares and such exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and the exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund from markets and other entities that are members of ISG, which includes securities and futures exchanges, or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Moreover, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will be able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income securities held by the Fund reported to FINRA's TRACE.
At least 90% of the Fund's net assets that are invested (in the aggregate) in exchange-traded derivatives (including options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) and in exchange-traded CVRs will be invested in instruments that trade in markets that are members of ISG or are parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange. At least 90% of the Fund's net assets that are invested (in the aggregate) in ETNs and in exchange-traded equity securities (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; and ETPs) will be invested in securities that trade in markets that are members of ISG or are parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange.
The investment objective of the Fund will be to seek long-term capital appreciation independent of market direction. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets in ``Equity Securities,'' which may be represented by certain derivative instruments as well as ETFs that invest primarily in Equity Securities; the 80% Investments will take into account such derivative instruments and ETFs. The Fund will invest (in the aggregate) no more than 30% of the value of its net assets (calculated at the time of investment) in Principal Derivatives and Non-Principal Derivatives. The Fund's investments in derivative instruments will be made in accordance with the 1940 Act, will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies, and will not be used to seek to achieve a multiple or inverse multiple of an index. Also, the Fund may hold
Page 33315
up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets (calculated at the time of investment), including Rule 144A securities deemed illiquid by the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser. 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 assets. Illiquid assets 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.
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 Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the 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 will be publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. Moreover, the Intraday Indicative Value, available on the NASDAQ OMX Information LLC proprietary index data service, will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors and broadly displayed at least every 15 seconds during the Regular Market Session. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Regular Market 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 for the Shares will be available via Nasdaq proprietary quote and trade services, as well as in accordance with the Unlisted Trading Privileges and the CTA plans for the Shares. Quotation and last sale information for the following equity securities (to the extent traded on a U.S. exchange) will be available from the exchanges on which they are traded as well as in accordance with any applicable CTA plans: Equity Securities; ETFs; closed-end funds; and ETPs. Quotation and last sale information for U.S. exchange-traded options (including U.S. exchange-
traded options on equity securities and U.S. exchange-traded options on stock indices) will be available via the Options Price Reporting Authority. Quotation and last sale information for U.S. exchange-traded stock index futures contracts, ETNs and CVRs will be available from the exchanges on which they are traded.
Pricing information for Non-Exchange-Traded Equity Securities (including without limitation Rule 144A securities), Short-Term Debt Instruments, repurchase agreements, OTC CVRs, non-U.S. currency swap agreements, total return swap agreements, forward foreign currency exchange contracts, bank time deposits, certificates of deposit and currency spot transactions will be available from major broker-dealer firms and/or major market data vendors and/or Pricing Services. Pricing information for exchange-traded equity securities (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; and ETPs), ETNs, exchange-traded CVRs and exchange-traded derivatives (including options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) will be available from the applicable listing exchange and from major market data vendors. Money market mutual funds are typically priced once each business day and their prices will be available through the applicable fund's Web site or from major market data vendors.
The Fund's Web site will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund and additional data relating to NAV and other applicable quantitative information. Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted under the conditions specified in Nasdaq Rules 4120 and 4121 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 Nasdaq Rule 5735(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 Intraday Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares.
The Fund's investments will be valued daily. Investments traded on an exchange (i.e., a regulated market), will generally be valued at market value prices that represent last sale or official closing prices. Non-exchange traded investments will generally be valued using prices obtained from a Pricing Service. If, however, valuations for any of the Fund's investments cannot be readily obtained as provided in the preceding manner, or the Pricing Committee questions the accuracy or reliability of valuations that are so obtained, such investments will be valued at fair value, as determined by the Pricing Committee, in accordance with the Valuation Procedures and in accordance with provisions of the 1940 Act.
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, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and the exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund (including Equity Securities; closed-end funds; ETFs; ETPs; ETNs; exchange-traded CVRs; options on stock indices; options on equity securities; and stock index futures contracts) with other markets and other entities that are members of ISG, and FINRA may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares and such exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and the exchange-traded securities and instruments held by the Fund from markets and other entities that are members of ISG, which includes securities and futures exchanges, or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Moreover, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will be able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income securities held by the Fund reported to FINRA's TRACE. Furthermore, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the Intraday Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares.
For the above reasons, Nasdaq believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the requirements of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act.
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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
Page 33316
of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded fund that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace.
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Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others
Written comments were neither solicited nor received.
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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 up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may designate 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 such 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 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-NASDAQ-2016-061 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, Station Place, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-9303.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NASDAQ-2016-061. 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 the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of Nasdaq. 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-NASDAQ-2016-061 and should be submitted on or before June 15, 2016.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.\44\
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\44\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
FR Doc. 2016-12236 Filed 5-24-16; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
