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 Sprott Physical Gold Trust, 31823-31825 [2010-13437]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 107 / Friday, June 4, 2010 / Notices
For further information and to
ascertain what, if any, matters have been
added, deleted or postponed, please
contact:
The Office of the Secretary at (202)
551–5400.
Dated: June 1, 2010.
Elizabeth M. Murphy.
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–13503 Filed 6–2–10; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 8010–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–62193; File No. SR–CBOE–
2010–043]
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
Sprott Physical Gold Trust
May 28, 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 May 11,
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.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
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 Sprott
Physical Gold 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.
1 15
2 17
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
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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 U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (‘‘SEC’’ or
‘‘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
the ETFS Palladium Trust and the ETFS
Platinum Trust.6 Now, the Exchange
proposes to list and trade options on the
Sprott Physical Gold Trust (‘‘PHYS’’).
Under current Rule 5.3, only Units
(also referred to herein as exchange
traded fund (‘‘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
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).
6 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61892
(April 13, 2010), 75 FR 20649 (April 20, 2010)
(order approving SR–CBOE–2010–015).
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
31823
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 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 the ETFS Palladium
Trust or the ETFS Platinum 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.7 This rule change proposes to
expand the types of ETFs that may be
approved for options trading on the
Exchange to include the Sprott Physical
Gold Trust.
Apart from allowing Sprott Physical
Gold 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
7 See
E:\FR\FM\04JNN1.SGM
Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3.
04JNN1
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
31824
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 107 / Friday, June 4, 2010 / Notices
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
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
Sprott Physical Gold 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 Sprott Physical Gold
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 Sprott
Physical Gold Trust, if the Sprott
Physical Gold Trust ceases to be an
‘‘NMS stock’’ as provided for in
paragraph (f) of Interpretation and
Policy .01 of Rule 5.4 or the Sprott
Physical Gold Trust is halted from
trading on its primary market.
The addition of the Sprott Physical
Gold Trust to Interpretation and Policy
.06 to Rule 5.3 will not have any effect
on the rules pertaining to position and
exercise limits 8 or margin.9
The Exchange represents that its
surveillance procedures applicable to
trading in options on the Sprott Physical
8 See Rules 4.11, Position Limits, and 4.12,
Exercise Limits.
9 See Rule 12.3, Margin Requirements.
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16:01 Jun 03, 2010
Jkt 220001
Gold 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 Sprott Physical
Gold 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 gold.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed
rule change is consistent with Section
6(b) 10 of the Act, in general, and
furthers the objectives of Section
6(b)(5) 11 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 Sprott Physical
Gold 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
10 15
11 15
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78f(b).
U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
Frm 00082
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 rulecomments@sec.gov. Please include File
Number SR–CBOE–2010–043 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–2010–043. 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
E:\FR\FM\04JNN1.SGM
04JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 107 / Friday, June 4, 2010 / Notices
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–CBOE–
2010–043 and should be submitted on
or before June 25, 2010.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.12
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–13437 Filed 6–3–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–62199; File No. SR–FINRA–
2010–026]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing of
Proposed Rule Change To Adopt
FINRA Rule 5121 (Public Offerings of
Securities With Conflicts of Interest) in
the Consolidated FINRA Rulebook
June 1, 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 May 20,
2010, Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority, Inc. (‘‘FINRA’’) (f/k/a
National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc. (‘‘NASD’’)) 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
substantially prepared by FINRA. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
FINRA is proposing to adopt NASD
Rule 2720 (Public Offerings of Securities
With Conflicts of Interest) as a FINRA
rule in the consolidated FINRA
rulebook without material change. The
proposed rule change would renumber
NASD Rule 2720 as FINRA Rule 5121 in
the consolidated FINRA rulebook.
The text of the proposed rule change
is available on FINRA’s Web site at
https://www.finra.org, at the principal
office of FINRA and at the
Commission’s Public Reference Room.
12 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
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16:01 Jun 03, 2010
Jkt 220001
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission,
FINRA 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. FINRA has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B,
and C below, of the most significant
aspects of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
As part of the process of developing
a new consolidated rulebook
(‘‘Consolidated FINRA Rulebook’’),3
FINRA is proposing to adopt NASD
Rule 2720 (Public Offerings of Securities
With Conflicts of Interest) without
material change as FINRA Rule 5121 in
the Consolidated FINRA Rulebook.
NASD Rule 2720 governs public
offerings of securities in which a
member with a conflict of interest
participates. The rule generally
prohibits a member with a ‘‘conflict of
interest,’’ as defined in the rule,4 from
participating in a public offering, unless
3 The current FINRA rulebook consists of (1)
FINRA Rules; (2) NASD Rules; and (3) rules
incorporated from NYSE (‘‘Incorporated NYSE
Rules’’) (together, the NASD Rules and Incorporated
NYSE Rules are referred to as the ‘‘Transitional
Rulebook’’). While the NASD Rules generally apply
to all FINRA members, the Incorporated NYSE
Rules apply only to those members of FINRA that
are also members of the NYSE (‘‘Dual Members’’).
The FINRA Rules apply to all FINRA members,
unless such rules have a more limited application
by their terms. For more information about the
rulebook consolidation process, see Information
Notice, March 12, 2008 (Rulebook Consolidation
Process).
4 As defined in NASD Rule 2720(f)(5), a conflict
of interest exists, if at the time of a member’s
participation in an entity’s public offering, any of
the following four conditions applies: (1) The
securities are to be issued by the member; (2) the
issuer controls, is controlled by or is under common
control with the member or the member’s
associated persons; (3) at least five percent of the
net offering proceeds, not including underwriting
compensation, are intended to be (i) used to reduce
or retire the balance of a loan or credit facility
extended by the member, its affiliates and its
associated persons, in the aggregate; or (ii)
otherwise directed to the member, its affiliates and
associated persons, in the aggregate; or (4) if, as a
result of the public offering and any transactions
contemplated at the time of the public offering (i)
the member will be an affiliate of the issuer; (ii) the
member will become publicly owned; or (iii) the
issuer will become a member or form a brokerdealer subsidiary. NASD Rule 2720 defines several
terms for purposes of the rule, including ‘‘entity,’’
‘‘control,’’ and ‘‘common control.’’
PO 00000
Frm 00083
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
31825
certain other requirements are met.5
There is no comparable Incorporated
NYSE Rule.
On June 15, 2009, the SEC approved
a proposed rule change to modernize
NASD Rule 2720 (the ‘‘2009 Rule
Change’’).6 The 2009 Rule Change
became effective on September 14,
2009.7
The proposed rule change would
adopt NASD Rule 2720 without material
change as FINRA Rule 5121 in the
Consolidated FINRA Rulebook. The rule
would make minor changes to reflect
the new terminology conventions of the
Consolidated FINRA Rulebook.
FINRA will announce the
implementation date of the proposed
rule change in a Regulatory Notice to be
published no later than 90 days
following Commission approval. The
implementation date will be no later
than 180 days from Commission
approval.
2. Statutory Basis
FINRA believes that the proposed rule
change is consistent with the provisions
of Section 15A(b)(6) of the Act,8 which
requires, among other things, that
FINRA rules must be designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices, to promote just and
equitable principles of trade, and, in
general, to protect investors and the
public interest. FINRA believes that the
proposed rule change will continue to
serve to protect investors in offerings
where the member has a conflict of
interest.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
FINRA does not believe that the
proposed rule change will result in any
burden on competition that is 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
Written comments were neither
solicited nor received.
5 The rule requires prominent disclosure of the
nature of the conflict, and in certain circumstances,
the participation of a qualified independent
underwriter. Members also must comply with
certain net capital, discretionary accounts and filing
requirements, as applicable.
6 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 60113
(June 15, 2009), 74 FR 29255 (June 19, 2009) (Order
Approving Proposed Rule Change; File No. SR–
FINRA–2007–009).
7 See Regulatory Notice 09–49 (SEC Approves
Amendments to Modernize and Simplify NASD
Rule 2720 Relating to Public Offerings in Which a
Member Firm With a Conflict of Interest
Participates) (August 2009).
8 15 U.S.C. 78o–3(b)(6).
E:\FR\FM\04JNN1.SGM
04JNN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 107 (Friday, June 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31823-31825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-13437]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-62193; File No. SR-CBOE-2010-043]
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 Sprott Physical Gold Trust
May 28, 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 May 11, 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 Sprott Physical Gold 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 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (``SEC'' or
``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\ the ETFS
Palladium Trust and the ETFS Platinum Trust.\6\ Now, the Exchange
proposes to list and trade options on the Sprott Physical Gold Trust
(``PHYS'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\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).
\6\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61892 (April 13,
2010), 75 FR 20649 (April 20, 2010) (order approving SR-CBOE-2010-
015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under current Rule 5.3, only Units (also referred to herein as
exchange traded fund (``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 the
ETFS Palladium Trust or the ETFS Platinum 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.\7\ This rule change proposes to expand
the types of ETFs that may be approved for options trading on the
Exchange to include the Sprott Physical Gold Trust.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See Interpretation and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apart from allowing Sprott Physical Gold 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
[[Page 31824]]
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 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 Sprott Physical Gold
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 Sprott Physical Gold 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 Sprott Physical Gold Trust, if the Sprott Physical
Gold Trust ceases to be an ``NMS stock'' as provided for in paragraph
(f) of Interpretation and Policy .01 of Rule 5.4 or the Sprott Physical
Gold Trust is halted from trading on its primary market.
The addition of the Sprott Physical Gold Trust to Interpretation
and Policy .06 to Rule 5.3 will not have any effect on the rules
pertaining to position and exercise limits \8\ or margin.\9\
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\8\ See Rules 4.11, Position Limits, and 4.12, Exercise Limits.
\9\ See Rule 12.3, Margin Requirements.
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The Exchange represents that its surveillance procedures applicable
to trading in options on the Sprott Physical Gold 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 Sprott Physical Gold
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 gold.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b) \10\ of the Act, in general, and furthers the objectives
of Section 6(b)(5) \11\ 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 Sprott
Physical Gold Trust will benefit investors by providing them with
valuable risk management tools.
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\10\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\11\ 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-2010-043 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-2010-043. 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
[[Page 31825]]
available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-
CBOE-2010-043 and should be submitted on or before June 25, 2010.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\12\
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\12\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-13437 Filed 6-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P