Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Enable the Listing and Trading of Options on the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust, 11955-11957 [2010-5315]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 48 / Friday, March 12, 2010 / Notices
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–61663; File No. SR–CBOE–
2010–015]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
Chicago Board Options Exchange,
Incorporated; Notice of Filing of
Proposed Rule Change To Enable the
Listing and Trading of Options on the
ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS
Platinum Trust
March 5, 2010.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on February
8, 2010, the Chicago Board Options
Exchange, Incorporated (‘‘Exchange’’ or
‘‘CBOE’’) filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the
‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule
change as described in Items I, II, and
III below, which Items have been
prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
CBOE proposes to amend certain rules
to enable the listing and trading on the
Exchange of options on the ETFS
Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust. The text of the rule proposal is
available on the Exchange’s Web site
(https://www.cboe.org/legal), at the
Exchange’s Office of the Secretary and
at the Commission.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
II. 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.
1 15
2 17
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
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A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
Recently, the Commission authorized
CBOE to list and trade options on the
SPDR Gold Trust,3 the iShares COMEX
Gold Trust, the iShares Silver Trust,4
the ETFS Silver Trust and the ETFS
Gold Trust.5 Now, the Exchange
proposes to list and trade options on the
ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS
Platinum Trust.
Under current Rule 5.3, only Units
(also referred to herein as exchange
traded funds (‘‘ETFs’’)) representing (i)
interests in registered investment
companies (or series thereof) organized
as open-end management investment
companies, unit investment trusts or
similar entities that hold portfolios of
securities and/or financial instruments
including, but not limited to, stock
index futures contracts, options on
futures, options on securities and
indexes, equity caps, collars and floors,
swap agreements, forward contracts,
repurchase agreements and reverse
purchase agreements (the ‘‘Financial
Instruments’’), and money market
instruments, including, but not limited
to, U.S. government securities and
repurchase agreements (the ‘‘Money
Market Instruments’’) comprising or
otherwise based on or representing
investments in indexes or portfolios of
securities and/or Financial Instruments
and Money Market Instruments (or that
hold securities in one or more other
registered investment companies that
themselves hold such portfolios of
securities and/or Financial Instruments
and Money Market Instruments); or (ii)
interests in a trust or similar entity that
holds a specified non-U.S. currency
deposited with the trust or similar entity
when aggregated in some specified
minimum number may be surrendered
to the trust by the beneficial owner to
receive the specified non-U.S. currency
and pays the beneficial owner interest
and other distributions on deposited
non-U.S. currency, if any, declared and
paid by the trust; or (iii) commodity
pool interests principally engaged,
directly or indirectly, in holding and/or
managing portfolios or baskets of
securities, commodity futures contracts,
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57897
(May 30, 2008), 73 FR 32061 (June 5, 2008) (order
approving SR–CBOE–2005–11).
4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59055
(December 4, 2008), 73 FR 75148 (December 10,
2008) (order approving SR–CBOE–2008–72).
5 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61483
(February 3, 2010) (order approving SR–CBOE–
2010–007).
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11955
options on commodity futures contracts,
swaps, forward contracts and/or options
on physical commodities and/or nonU.S. currency (‘‘Commodity Pool
Units’’), or (iv) represent interests in the
streetTRACKS Gold Trust or the iShares
COMEX Gold Trust or the iShares Silver
Trust or the ETFS Silver Trust or the
ETFS Gold Trust or (v) represents an
interest in a registered investment
company (‘‘Investment Company’’)
organized as an open-end management
investment company or similar entity,
that invests in a portfolio of securities
selected by the Investment Company’s
investment adviser consistent with the
Investment Company’s investment
objectives and policies, which is issued
in a specified aggregate minimum
number in return for a deposit of a
specified portfolio of securities and/or a
cash amount with a value equal to the
next determined net asset value
(‘‘NAV’’), and when aggregated in the
same specified minimum number, may
be redeemed at a holder’s request,
which holder will be paid a specified
portfolio of securities and/or cash with
a value equal to the next determined
NAV (‘‘Managed Fund Share’’) are
eligible as underlying securities for
options traded on the Exchange.6 This
rule change proposes to expand the
types of ETFs that may be approved for
options trading on the Exchange to
include the ETFS Palladium Trust and
the ETFS Platinum Trust.
Apart from allowing the ETFS
Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust to be an underlying for options
traded on the Exchange as described
above, the listing standards for ETFs
will remain unchanged from those that
apply under current Exchange rules.
ETFs on which options may be listed
and traded must still be listed and
traded on a national securities exchange
and must satisfy the other listing
standards set forth in Interpretation and
Policy .06 to Rule 5.3.
Specifically, in addition to satisfying
the aforementioned listing
requirements, Units must meet either (1)
the criteria and guidelines under Rule
5.3 and Interpretation and Policy .01 to
Rule 5.3, Criteria for Underlying
Securities; or (2) they must be available
for creation or redemption each
business day from or through the issuer
in cash or in kind at a price related to
net asset value, and the issuer must be
obligated to issue Units in a specified
aggregate number even if some or all of
the investment assets required to be
deposited have not been received by the
issuer, subject to the condition that the
person obligated to deposit the
6 See
E:\FR\FM\12MRN1.SGM
Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3.
12MRN1
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
11956
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 48 / Friday, March 12, 2010 / Notices
investments has undertaken to deliver
the investment assets as soon as
possible and such undertaking is
secured by the delivery and
maintenance of collateral consisting of
cash or cash equivalents satisfactory to
the issuer, as provided in the respective
prospectus.
The Exchange states that the current
continued listing standards for options
on ETFs will apply to options on the
ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS
Platinum Trust. Specifically, under
Interpretation and Policy .08 to Rule 5.4,
options on Units may be subject to the
suspension of opening transactions as
follows: (1) Following the initial twelvemonth period beginning upon the
commencement of trading of the Units,
there are fewer than 50 record and/or
beneficial holders of the Units for 30 or
more consecutive trading days; (2) the
value of the index or portfolio of
securities, non-U.S. currency, or
portfolio of commodities including
commodity futures contracts, options on
commodity futures contracts, swaps,
forward contracts and/or options on
physical commodities and/or Financial
Instruments and Money Market
Instruments on which Units are based is
no longer calculated or available; or (3)
such other event occurs or condition
exists that in the opinion of the
Exchange makes further dealing on the
Exchange inadvisable.
Additionally, the ETFS Palladium
Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust shall
not be deemed to meet the requirements
for continued approval, and the
Exchange shall not open for trading any
additional series of option contracts of
the class covering the ETFS Palladium
Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust, if
the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS
Platinum Trust ceases to be an ‘‘NMS
stock’’ as provided for in paragraph (f)
of Interpretation and Policy .01 of Rule
5.4 or the ETFS Palladium Trust and the
ETFS Platinum Trust is halted from
trading on its primary market.
The addition of the ETFS Palladium
Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust to
Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3
will not have any effect on the rules
pertaining to position and exercise
limits 7 or margin.8
The Exchange represents that its
surveillance procedures applicable to
trading in options on the ETFS
Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust will be similar to those applicable
to all other options on other Units
currently traded on the Exchange. The
Exchange represents that its
7 See Rules 4.11, Position Limits, and 4.12,
Exercise Limits.
8 See Rule 12.3, Margin Requirements.
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17:18 Mar 11, 2010
Jkt 220001
surveillance procedures applicable to
trading in options on the ETFS
Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust will be similar to those applicable
to all other options on other ETFs
currently traded on the Exchange. Also,
the Exchange may obtain information
from the New York Mercantile
Exchange, Inc. (‘‘NYMEX’’) (a member of
the Intermarket Surveillance Group)
related to any financial instrument that
is based, in whole or in part, upon an
interest in or performance of palladium
or platinum.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change is consistent with Section
6(b) 9 of the Act, in general, and furthers
the objectives of Section 6(b)(5) 10 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
mechanisms of a free and open market
in a manner consistent with the
protection of investors and the public
interest. In particular, the Exchange
believes that amending its rules to
accommodate the listing and trading of
options on the ETFS Palladium Trust
and the ETFS Platinum Trust will
benefit investors by providing them
with valuable risk management tools.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
CBOE does not believe that the
proposed rule change will impose any
burden on competition not necessary or
appropriate in furtherance of the
purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants or Others
The Exchange neither solicited nor
received comments on the proposal.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 35 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
9 15
U.S.C. 78f(b).
U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
10 15
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Sfmt 4703
organization consents, the Commission
will:
(A) By order approve such proposed
rule change, or
(B) Institute proceedings to determine
whether the proposed rule change
should be disapproved.
IV. 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 (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an e-mail to rulecomments@sec.gov. Please include File
Number SR–CBOE–2010–015 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–CBOE–2010–015. This file
number should be included on the
subject line if e-mail 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 (https://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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also
will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of the
Exchange. 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–CBOE–
E:\FR\FM\12MRN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 48 / Friday, March 12, 2010 / Notices
2010–015 and should be submitted on
or before April 2, 2010.
the Exchange, and at the Commission’s
Public Reference Room.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.11
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
Exchange 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 these
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 aspects of such
statements.
[FR Doc. 2010–5315 Filed 3–11–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–61664; File No. SR–Phlx–
2010–32]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Inc.; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change Relating to
Routing Fees
March 5, 2010.
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 March 1,
2010, NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Inc.
(‘‘Phlx’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed
rule change as described in Items I, II,
and III, below, which Items have been
prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
The Exchange proposes to amend its
fees governing pricing for Exchange
members using the Phlx XL II system,3
for routing standardized equity and
index option customer orders to away
markets for execution.
While changes to the Exchange’s Fee
Schedule pursuant to this proposal are
effective upon filing, the Exchange has
designated this proposal to be operative
for trades settling on or after March 1,
2010.
The text of the proposed rule change
is available on the Exchange’s Web site
at https://nasdaqtrader.com/
micro.aspx?id=PHLXfilings, on the
Commission’s Web site at https://
www.sec.gov, at the principal office of
11 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
3 For a complete description of Phlx XL II, see
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59995 (May
28, 2009), 74 FR 26750 (June 3, 2009) (SR–Phlx–
2009–32). The instant proposed fees will apply only
to option orders entered into, and routed by, the
Phlx XL II system.
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17:18 Mar 11, 2010
Jkt 220001
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The purpose of the proposed rule
change is to recoup costs that the
Exchange incurs for routing and
executing customer orders in equity and
index options to certain better-priced
away markets.
In May 2009, the Exchange adopted
Rule 1080(m)(iii)(A) to establish Nasdaq
Options Services LLC (‘‘NOS’’), a
member of the Exchange, as the
Exchange’s exclusive order router.4 NOS
is utilized by the Phlx XL II system
solely to route orders in options listed
and open for trading on the Phlx XL II
system to destination markets.
The Exchange proposes adding the
following Routing Fees: (i) A $0.06 per
contract side fee for customer orders
routed to NYSE Amex LLC (‘‘NYSE
Amex’’) in all options; (ii) a $0.36 per
contract side fee for customer orders
routed to BATS Exchange, Inc. (‘‘BATS’’)
in all options; (iii) a $.06 per contract
side fee for customer orders routed to
the Boston Options Exchange Group
LLC (‘‘BOX’’) in all options; (iv) a $0.06
per contract fee for customer orders
route to the Chicago Board of Options
Exchange, Inc. (‘‘CBOE’’) in all options;
(v) a $.06 per contract side fee for
customer orders routed to International
Securities Exchange, LLC (‘‘ISE’’) in all
options; and (vi) a $0.06 per customer
side fee for customer orders routed to
NYSE Arca, Inc. (‘‘NYSEArca’’) in nonpenny options. The Exchange is
proposing a $.06 transaction fee on
NYSE AMEX, BOX, CBOE, ISE and
NYSEArca in order to recoup clearing
charges which are incurred by the
4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59995
(May 28, 2009), 74 FR 26750 (June 3, 2009) (SR–
Phlx–2009–32).
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11957
Exchange when orders are routed to
these away markets. The Exchange is
proposing a $.36 transaction fee on
BATS in order to recoup most clearing
charges which are incurred by the
Exchange when orders are routed to
these away markets as well as a
transaction charge which is assessed by
BATS.
Currently, the Exchange’s Fee
Schedule includes a Routing Fee of
$0.50 per contract side for customer
orders routed to NYSEArca in penny
options for execution5 and a Routing
Fee of $0.40 per contract side for
customer orders routed to the NASDAQ
Options Market (‘‘NOM’’) in penny
options for execution. Also, the
Exchange assesses a Routing Fee of $.56
per contract side for customer orders
routed to NOM in the NASDAQ 100
Index Option (‘‘NDX’’) and the mini
NASDAQ 100 Index Option (‘‘MNX’’).6
The Exchange is currently only
assessing the Routing Fee in NDX and
MNX for orders routed to NOM. There
are currently no Routing Fees for orders
routed to away markets other than
NYSEArca and NOM in penny options.
Also, currently, except for NDX and
MNX, there are no transaction fees for
executing customer orders at away
markets in non-penny classes.
The Exchange is proposing these fees
to recoup the majority of transaction
and clearing costs associated with
routing customer orders to each
destination market. The Exchange
believes that the routing fees proposed
will enable the Exchange to recover the
transaction fees assessed by away
markets, where applicable, plus clearing
fees for the execution of customer orders
routed from the Phlx XL II system. As
with all fees, the Exchange may adjust
these Routing Fees in response to
competitive conditions by filing a new
proposed rule change.
The Exchange also proposes
reformatting the Routing Fee table for
purposes of clarity. The Exchange
proposes eliminating the penny and
non-penny columns and only specifying
such a distinction, where applicable.
While changes to the Exchange’s Fee
Schedule pursuant to this proposal are
effective upon filing, the Exchange has
designated this proposal to be operative
5 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61374
(January 19, 2010), 75 FR 4123 (January 26, 2010)
(SR–PHLX–2010–01).
6 See SR–NASDAQ–2010–016. The NASDAQ
Stock Market LLC (‘‘NASDAQ’’) recently established
pricing for NDX and MNX. Specifically, NASDAQ
established a fee of $.50 per executed contract for
Customers, Firms, and Non-NOM Market Makers to
remove liquidity in NDX and MNX Options and a
$.40 per executed contract for NOM Market Makers
to remove liquidity in NDX and MNX.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 48 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11955-11957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5315]
[[Page 11955]]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-61663; File No. SR-CBOE-2010-015]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange,
Incorporated; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Enable the
Listing and Trading of Options on the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS
Platinum Trust
March 5, 2010.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(the ``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given
that on February 8, 2010, the Chicago Board Options Exchange,
Incorporated (``Exchange'' or ``CBOE'') filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the ``Commission'') the proposed rule change as
described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared
by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
CBOE proposes to amend certain rules to enable the listing and
trading on the Exchange of options on the ETFS Palladium Trust and the
ETFS Platinum Trust. The text of the rule proposal is available on the
Exchange's Web site (https://www.cboe.org/legal), at the Exchange's
Office of the Secretary and at the Commission.
II. 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.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
Recently, the Commission authorized CBOE to list and trade options
on the SPDR Gold Trust,\3\ the iShares COMEX Gold Trust, the iShares
Silver Trust,\4\ the ETFS Silver Trust and the ETFS Gold Trust.\5\ Now,
the Exchange proposes to list and trade options on the ETFS Palladium
Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57897 (May 30,
2008), 73 FR 32061 (June 5, 2008) (order approving SR-CBOE-2005-11).
\4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 59055 (December 4,
2008), 73 FR 75148 (December 10, 2008) (order approving SR-CBOE-
2008-72).
\5\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61483 (February 3,
2010) (order approving SR-CBOE-2010-007).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under current Rule 5.3, only Units (also referred to herein as
exchange traded funds (``ETFs'')) representing (i) interests in
registered investment companies (or series thereof) organized as open-
end management investment companies, unit investment trusts or similar
entities that hold portfolios of securities and/or financial
instruments including, but not limited to, stock index futures
contracts, options on futures, options on securities and indexes,
equity caps, collars and floors, swap agreements, forward contracts,
repurchase agreements and reverse purchase agreements (the ``Financial
Instruments''), and money market instruments, including, but not
limited to, U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements (the
``Money Market Instruments'') comprising or otherwise based on or
representing investments in indexes or portfolios of securities and/or
Financial Instruments and Money Market Instruments (or that hold
securities in one or more other registered investment companies that
themselves hold such portfolios of securities and/or Financial
Instruments and Money Market Instruments); or (ii) interests in a trust
or similar entity that holds a specified non-U.S. currency deposited
with the trust or similar entity when aggregated in some specified
minimum number may be surrendered to the trust by the beneficial owner
to receive the specified non-U.S. currency and pays the beneficial
owner interest and other distributions on deposited non-U.S. currency,
if any, declared and paid by the trust; or (iii) commodity pool
interests principally engaged, directly or indirectly, in holding and/
or managing portfolios or baskets of securities, commodity futures
contracts, options on commodity futures contracts, swaps, forward
contracts and/or options on physical commodities and/or non-U.S.
currency (``Commodity Pool Units''), or (iv) represent interests in the
streetTRACKS Gold Trust or the iShares COMEX Gold Trust or the iShares
Silver Trust or the ETFS Silver Trust or the ETFS Gold Trust or (v)
represents an interest in a registered investment company (``Investment
Company'') organized as an open-end management investment company or
similar entity, that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by
the Investment Company's investment adviser consistent with the
Investment Company's investment objectives and policies, which is
issued in a specified aggregate minimum number in return for a deposit
of a specified portfolio of securities and/or a cash amount with a
value equal to the next determined net asset value (``NAV''), and when
aggregated in the same specified minimum number, may be redeemed at a
holder's request, which holder will be paid a specified portfolio of
securities and/or cash with a value equal to the next determined NAV
(``Managed Fund Share'') are eligible as underlying securities for
options traded on the Exchange.\6\ This rule change proposes to expand
the types of ETFs that may be approved for options trading on the
Exchange to include the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ See Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apart from allowing the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust to be an underlying for options traded on the Exchange as
described above, the listing standards for ETFs will remain unchanged
from those that apply under current Exchange rules. ETFs on which
options may be listed and traded must still be listed and traded on a
national securities exchange and must satisfy the other listing
standards set forth in Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3.
Specifically, in addition to satisfying the aforementioned listing
requirements, Units must meet either (1) the criteria and guidelines
under Rule 5.3 and Interpretation and Policy .01 to Rule 5.3, Criteria
for Underlying Securities; or (2) they must be available for creation
or redemption each business day from or through the issuer in cash or
in kind at a price related to net asset value, and the issuer must be
obligated to issue Units in a specified aggregate number even if some
or all of the investment assets required to be deposited have not been
received by the issuer, subject to the condition that the person
obligated to deposit the
[[Page 11956]]
investments has undertaken to deliver the investment assets as soon as
possible and such undertaking is secured by the delivery and
maintenance of collateral consisting of cash or cash equivalents
satisfactory to the issuer, as provided in the respective prospectus.
The Exchange states that the current continued listing standards
for options on ETFs will apply to options on the ETFS Palladium Trust
and the ETFS Platinum Trust. Specifically, under Interpretation and
Policy .08 to Rule 5.4, options on Units may be subject to the
suspension of opening transactions as follows: (1) Following the
initial twelve-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading
of the Units, there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial holders
of the Units for 30 or more consecutive trading days; (2) the value of
the index or portfolio of securities, non-U.S. currency, or portfolio
of commodities including commodity futures contracts, options on
commodity futures contracts, swaps, forward contracts and/or options on
physical commodities and/or Financial Instruments and Money Market
Instruments on which Units are based is no longer calculated or
available; or (3) such other event occurs or condition exists that in
the opinion of the Exchange makes further dealing on the Exchange
inadvisable.
Additionally, the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust
shall not be deemed to meet the requirements for continued approval,
and the Exchange shall not open for trading any additional series of
option contracts of the class covering the ETFS Palladium Trust and the
ETFS Platinum Trust, if the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust ceases to be an ``NMS stock'' as provided for in paragraph (f) of
Interpretation and Policy .01 of Rule 5.4 or the ETFS Palladium Trust
and the ETFS Platinum Trust is halted from trading on its primary
market.
The addition of the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust to Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3 will not have any
effect on the rules pertaining to position and exercise limits \7\ or
margin.\8\
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\7\ See Rules 4.11, Position Limits, and 4.12, Exercise Limits.
\8\ See Rule 12.3, Margin Requirements.
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The Exchange represents that its surveillance procedures applicable
to trading in options on the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum
Trust will be similar to those applicable to all other options on other
Units currently traded on the Exchange. The Exchange represents that
its surveillance procedures applicable to trading in options on the
ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust will be similar to
those applicable to all other options on other ETFs currently traded on
the Exchange. Also, the Exchange may obtain information from the New
York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (``NYMEX'') (a member of the Intermarket
Surveillance Group) related to any financial instrument that is based,
in whole or in part, upon an interest in or performance of palladium or
platinum.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b) \9\ of the Act, in general, and furthers the objectives of
Section 6(b)(5) \10\ 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 mechanisms of a free and open
market in a manner consistent with the protection of investors and the
public interest. In particular, the Exchange believes that amending its
rules to accommodate the listing and trading of options on the ETFS
Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust will benefit investors by
providing them with valuable risk management tools.
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\9\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\10\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
CBOE does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any
burden on competition not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants or Others
The Exchange neither solicited nor received comments on the
proposal.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 35 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 such proposed rule change, or
(B) Institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule
change should be disapproved.
IV. 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 (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an e-mail to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-CBOE-2010-015 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-CBOE-2010-015. This file
number should be included on the subject line if e-mail 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 (https://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
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. 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-CBOE-
[[Page 11957]]
2010-015 and should be submitted on or before April 2, 2010.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\11\
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\11\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-5315 Filed 3-11-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P