Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Approval of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the ETFS Precious Metals Basket Trust, 50789-50791 [2010-20256]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 158 / Tuesday, August 17, 2010 / Notices
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–NYSE–2010–57. 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 Section, 100 F Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090, on official
business days between 10 a.m. and 3
p.m. Copies of the filing will also be
available for inspection and copying at
the NYSE’s principal office and on its
Internet Web site at https://
www.nyse.com. All comments received
will be posted without change; the
Commission does not edit personal
identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–NYSE–
2010–57 and should be submitted on or
before September 7, 2010.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.14
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–20240 Filed 8–16–10; 8:45 am]
jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 8010–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–62692; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2010–56]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Approval of
Proposed Rule Change To List and
Trade Shares of the ETFS Precious
Metals Basket Trust
August 11, 2010.
I. Introduction
On June 15, 2010, NYSE Arca, Inc.
(‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed with
the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’), pursuant
to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule
19b–4 thereunder,2 a proposed rule
change to list and trade shares (‘‘Shares’’)
of the ETFS Precious Metals Basket
Trust (‘‘Trust’’) pursuant to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.201. The proposed rule
change was published for comment in
the Federal Register on July 8, 2010.3
The Commission received no comments
on the proposal. This order approves the
proposed rule change.
II. Description of the Proposal
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade Shares pursuant to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.201, which governs the
listing and trading of Commodity-Based
Trust Shares. ETFS Services USA LLC is
the sponsor of the Trust (‘‘Sponsor’’),
The Bank of New York Mellon is the
trustee of the Trust (‘‘Trustee’’), and
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is the
custodian of the Trust (‘‘Custodian’’).
The Shares represent units of
fractional undivided beneficial interest
in and ownership of the Trust. The
investment objective of the Trust is for
the Shares to reflect the performance of
the price of physical gold, silver,
platinum, and palladium in the
proportions held by the Trust, less the
expenses of the Trust’s operations.4
The Exchange deems the Shares to be
equity securities, which subjects trading
in the Shares to the Exchange’s existing
rules governing the trading of equity
securities, and has represented that
trading in the Shares on the Exchange
will occur in accordance with NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a). The
Exchange has also represented that it
has appropriate rules to facilitate
1 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 62402
(June 29, 2010), 75 FR 39292 (‘‘Notice’’).
4 See the registration statement for the Trust on
Form S–1, filed with the Commission on April 29,
2010 (No. 333–164769) (‘‘Registration Statement’’).
2 17
14 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
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15:16 Aug 16, 2010
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50789
transactions in the Shares during all
trading sessions.
Additional information regarding the
Trust, the Shares, the Trust’s investment
objectives, strategies, policies, and
restrictions, fees and expenses, creation
and redemption of Shares, the Bullion
markets, availability of information,
trading rules and halts, and surveillance
procedures, among other things, can be
found in the Notice and in the
Registration Statement.5
III. Discussion and Commission’s
Findings
After careful consideration, the
Commission finds that the proposed
rule change to list and trade the Shares
of the Fund is consistent with the
requirements of the Act and the rules
and regulations thereunder applicable to
a national securities exchange.6 In
particular, the Commission finds that
the proposed rule change is consistent
with the requirements of Section 6(b)(5)
of the Act,7 which requires, among other
things, that the Exchange’s rules be
designed to prevent fraudulent and
manipulative acts and practices,
promote just and equitable principles of
trade, foster cooperation and
coordination with persons engaged in
facilitating transactions in securities,
remove impediments to and perfect the
mechanism of a free and open market
and a national market system, and in
general to protect investors and the
public interest.
The Commission also finds that the
proposal to list and trade the Shares on
the Exchange is consistent with Section
11A(a)(1)(C)(iii) of the Act,8 which sets
forth Congress’s finding that it is in the
public interest and appropriate for the
protection of investors and the
maintenance of fair and orderly markets
to assure the availability to brokers,
dealers, and investors of information
with respect to quotations for, and
transactions in, securities. Quotation
and last-sale information for the Shares
will be disseminated through the
facilities of the Consolidated Tape
Association. In addition, the Trust’s
Web site will provide an intraday
indicative value (‘‘IIV’’) per Share,9
updated at least every 15 seconds, as
calculated by the Exchange or a third
5 See
supra notes 3 and 4.
approving this proposed rule change, the
Commission notes that it has considered the
proposed rule’s impact on efficiency, competition,
and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
7 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
8 15 U.S.C. 78k–1(a)(1)(C)(iii).
9 The IIV is calculated by multiplying the
indicative spot price of Bullion by the quantity of
Bullion backing each Share as of the last calculation
date.
6 In
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17AUN1
jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
50790
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 158 / Tuesday, August 17, 2010 / Notices
party financial data provider, during the
Exchange’s Core Trading Session (9:30
a.m. to 4 p.m. E.T.). The Trust’s Web
site also will provide the following
information: (1) The net asset value
(‘‘NAV’’) of the Trust, on a per Share
basis, as calculated each business day
by the Sponsor and the mid-point of the
bid-ask price 10 at the close of trading in
relation to such NAV (‘‘Bid/Ask Price’’),
and a calculation of the premium or
discount of such price against such
NAV; and (2) data in chart format
displaying the frequency distribution of
discounts and premiums of the Bid/Ask
Price against the NAV, within
appropriate ranges, for each of the four
previous calendar quarters; (3) the
Creation Basket Deposit; (4) the Trust’s
prospectus, and the two most recent
reports to stockholders; and (5) the last
sale price of the Shares as traded in the
US market. Further, the Exchange will
make available over the Consolidated
Tape trading volume, closing prices and
NAV for the Shares from the previous
day. There is a considerable amount of
Bullion market information available on
public Web sites and through
professional and subscription services.
For example, investors may obtain on a
24-hour basis Bullion pricing
information based on the spot price for
an ounce of Bullion from various
financial information service providers,
such as Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters
and Bloomberg provide at no charge on
their Web sites delayed information
regarding the spot price of Bullion and
last sale prices of Bullion futures, as
well as information about news and
developments in the Bullion market.
Reuters and Bloomberg also offer a
professional service to subscribers for a
fee that provides information on Bullion
prices directly from market participants.
Meanwhile, other public Web sites
provide information on Bullion, ranging
from those specializing in precious
metals to sites maintained by major
newspapers, such as The Wall Street
Journal. In addition, the London AM Fix
and London PM Fix are publicly
available at no charge at or https://
www.thebulliondesk.com.
The Commission further believes that
the proposal to list and trade the Shares
is reasonably designed to promote fair
disclosure of information that may be
necessary to price the Shares
appropriately and to prevent trading
when a reasonable degree of
transparency cannot be assured. The
Exchange states that it will obtain a
10 The bid-ask price of the Trust is determined
using the highest bid and lowest offer on the
Consolidated Tape as of the time of calculation of
the closing day NAV.
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15:16 Aug 16, 2010
Jkt 220001
representation from the Trust that the
NAV will be calculated daily and made
available to all market participants at
the same time.11 Following the initial
12-month period following
commencement of trading, the Exchange
will consider the suspending trading in
Shares or removing Shares from listing
if, among other things: (1) The value of
the Bullion is no longer calculated or
available on at least a 15-second delayed
basis from a source unaffiliated with the
sponsor, Trust, custodian or the
Exchange; (2) the Exchange stops
providing a hyperlink on its Web site to
any such unaffiliated commodity value;
or (3) the IIV is no longer made available
on at least a 15-second delayed basis.12
Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes
aware that the NAV is not being
disseminated to all market participants
at the same time, it must halt trading on
the NYSE Marketplace until such time
as the NAV is available to all market
participants. With respect to trading
halts, the Exchange may consider all
relevant factors in exercising its
discretion to halt or suspend trading in
the Shares. These may include: (1) The
extent to which conditions in the
underlying Bullion markets have caused
disruptions and/or lack of trading; or (2)
whether other unusual conditions or
circumstances detrimental to the
maintenance of a fair and orderly
market are present. In addition, trading
in Shares will be subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market
volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s
‘‘circuit breaker’’ rule.13
Further, NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.201 sets forth certain restrictions on
ETP Holders acting as registered Market
Makers in the Shares to facilitate
surveillance. Pursuant to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.201(g), an ETP Holder
acting as a registered Market Maker in
the Shares is required to provide the
Exchange with information relating to
its trading in the applicable underlying
Bullion, related futures or options on
futures, or any other related derivatives.
Commentary .04 of NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 6.3 requires an ETP Holder acting
as a registered Market Maker in
Commodity-Based Trust Shares to
establish, maintain and enforce written
policies and procedures reasonably
designed to prevent the misuse of any
material nonpublic information with
respect to such products, any
11 See e-mail from Timothy J. Malinowski, Senior
Director, NYSE Euronext, to Christopher W. Chow,
Special Counsel, and Daniel T. Gien, Staff Attorney,
Commission, dated July 29, 2010.
12 See NYSE Arca Equities Rules 8.201(e)(2)(iv),
(v).
13 See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12.
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Sfmt 4703
components of the related products, any
physical asset or commodity underlying
the product, applicable currencies,
underlying indexes, related futures or
options on futures, and any related
derivative instruments.
In support of this proposal, the
Exchange has made representations,
including the following:
(1) The Shares will be subject to the
initial and continued listing criteria
under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201.
(2) The Exchange’s surveillance
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.14 In
addition, the Exchange may obtain
trading information via the Intermarket
Surveillance Group (‘‘ISG’’) from other
exchanges who are members of the
ISG.15
(3) Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin
of the special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Information Bulletin
will discuss the following: (1) The
procedures for purchases and
redemptions of Shares in Baskets
(including noting that Shares are not
individually redeemable); (2) NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which
imposes a duty of due diligence on its
ETP Holders to learn the essential facts
relating to every customer prior to
trading the Shares; (3) how information
regarding the IIV is disseminated; (4) the
requirement that ETP Holders deliver a
prospectus to investors purchasing
newly issued Shares prior to or
concurrently with the confirmation of a
transaction; (5) the possibility that
trading spreads and the resulting
premium or discount on the Shares may
widen as a result of reduced liquidity of
Bullion trading during the Core and Late
Trading Sessions after the close of the
major world Bullion markets; and (6)
trading information.
This approval order is based on the
Exchange’s representations.
For the foregoing reasons, the
Commission finds that the proposed
rule change is consistent with the Act
14 Pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201(g),
the Exchange is able to obtain information regarding
trading in the Bullion, Bullion futures contracts,
options on Bullion futures, or any other Bullion
derivative, by ETP Holders acting as registered
Market Makers.
15 The Exchange notes that the New York
Mercantile Exchange, of which the COMEX is a
division, is an ISG member; however, the Tokyo
Commodity Exchange, Inc. (‘‘TOCOM’’) is not an
ISG member and the Exchange does not have in
place a comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement with such market.
E:\FR\FM\17AUN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 158 / Tuesday, August 17, 2010 / Notices
and the rules and regulations
thereunder applicable to a national
securities exchange.
IV. Conclusion
It is therefore ordered, pursuant to
Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,16 that the
proposed rule change (SR–NYSEArca–
2010–56) be, and it hereby is, approved.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.17
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–20256 Filed 8–16–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-62602; File No. SR-CBOE2010-069]
Self-Regulatory Organizations;
Chicago Board Options Exchange,
Incorporated; Notice of Filing and
Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed
Rule Change to Amend Its Minor Rule
Violation Plan
July 29, 2010.
Correction
In notice document 2010–19332
beginning on page 47672 in the issue of
Friday, August 6, 2010, make the
following correction:
On page 47672, in the third column,
in the document heading, the date is
corrected to read as set forth above.
[FR Doc. C1–2010–19332 Filed 8–16–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 1505–01–D
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice: 7122]
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information
Collection: Recording, Reporting, and
Data Collection Requirements Under
22 CFR Part 62, the Exchange Visitor
Program—Student and Exchange
Visitor Information System (SEVIS);
Forms DS–3036, DS–3037, and DS–
7000, OMB No. 1405–0147
Notice of request for public
comment and submission to OMB of
proposed collection of information.
ACTION:
The Department of State has
submitted the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
approval in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
16 15
U.S.C. 78f(b)(2).
17 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
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16:22 Aug 16, 2010
Jkt 220001
• Title of Information Collection:
Recording, Reporting, and Data
Collection Requirements Under 22 CFR
Part 62 (DS–7000), the Exchange Visitor
Program Application (Form DS–3036);
and Update of Information on Exchange
Visitor Program Sponsor (Form DS–
3037).
• OMB Control Number: 1405–0147.
• Type of Request: Revision of a
Currently Approved Collection.
• Originating Office: Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office
of Designation, ECA/EC/D.
• Form Number: Forms DS–3036,
DS–3037 and DS–7000.
• Respondents: U.S. government and
public and private organizations
wishing to become Department of State
designated sponsors authorized to
conduct exchange visitor programs, and
Department of State designated
sponsors.
• Estimated Number of Respondents:
191,810 (DS–3036—150; DS–3037—
1,460; DS–7000—190,200).
• Estimated Number of Responses:
1,623,447 (DS–3036—150; DS–3037—
2,920; DS–7000—1,620,377).
• Average Hours Per Response: DS–
3036—8 hours; DS–3037—20 minutes;
DS–7000—45 minutes.
• Total Estimated Burden: 1,323,260
(DS–3036—1,200 hours; DS–3037—973
hours; DS–7000—1,321,087).
• Frequency: On Occasion.
• Obligation to Respond: Required to
Obtain or Retain a Benefit.
DATES: Submit comments to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) for
up to 30 days from August 17, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Direct comments to the
Department of State Desk Officer in the
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs at the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). You may submit
comments by the following methods:
• E-mail: oira_submission@
omb.eop.gov. You must include the DS
form number, information collection
title, and OMB control number in the
subject line of your message.
• Fax: 202–395–5806. Attention: Desk
Officer for Department of State.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You
may obtain copies of the proposed
information collection and supporting
documents from Stanley S. Colvin,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private
Sector Exchange, Department of State,
2200 C Street, NW., 5th Floor,
Washington, DC 20522–0505, who may
be reached on (202) 632–6090, fax at
202–632–2701 or e-mail at
JExchanges@state.gov.
We are
soliciting public comments to permit
the Department to:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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50791
• Evaluate whether the proposed
information collection is necessary to
properly perform our functions.
• Evaluate the accuracy of our
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
• Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected.
• Minimize the reporting burden on
those who are to respond.
Abstract of proposed collection:
The collection is the continuation of
information collected and needed by the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs in administering the Exchange
Visitor Program (J–Visa) under the
provisions of the Mutual Educational
and Cultural Exchange Act, as amended.
The forms have been revised to clarify
language used and remove unnecessary
data collection.
Methodology:
Access to Forms DS–3036 and DS–
3037 are found in the Student and
Exchange Visitor Information System
(SEVIS).
Dated: August 10, 2010.
Stanley S. Colvin,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector
Exchange, Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2010–20307 Filed 8–16–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 7121]
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs:
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls;
Notifications to the Congress of
Proposed Commercial Export Licenses
Notice is hereby given that
the Department of State has forwarded
the attached Notifications of Proposed
Export Licenses to the Congress on the
dates indicated on the attachments
pursuant to sections 36(c) and 36(d) and
in compliance with section 36(f) of the
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C.
2776).
SUMMARY:
Effective Date: As shown on each
of the 8 letters.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Robert S. Kovac, Managing Director,
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls,
Bureau of Political-Military Affairs,
Department of State (202) 663–2861.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
36(f) of the Arms Export Control Act
mandates that notifications to the
Congress pursuant to sections 36(c) and
36(d) must be published in the Federal
Register when they are transmitted to
DATES:
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50789-50791]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20256]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-62692; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2010-56]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Granting
Approval of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the ETFS
Precious Metals Basket Trust
August 11, 2010.
I. Introduction
On June 15, 2010, NYSE Arca, Inc. (``Exchange'' or ``NYSE Arca'')
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission''),
pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ a proposed rule change to
list and trade shares (``Shares'') of the ETFS Precious Metals Basket
Trust (``Trust'') pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201. The
proposed rule change was published for comment in the Federal Register
on July 8, 2010.\3\ The Commission received no comments on the
proposal. This order approves the proposed rule change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
\3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 62402 (June 29,
2010), 75 FR 39292 (``Notice'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Description of the Proposal
The Exchange proposes to list and trade Shares pursuant to NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 8.201, which governs the listing and trading of
Commodity-Based Trust Shares. ETFS Services USA LLC is the sponsor of
the Trust (``Sponsor''), The Bank of New York Mellon is the trustee of
the Trust (``Trustee''), and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is the custodian
of the Trust (``Custodian'').
The Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial
interest in and ownership of the Trust. The investment objective of the
Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of
physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in the proportions held
by the Trust, less the expenses of the Trust's operations.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See the registration statement for the Trust on Form S-1,
filed with the Commission on April 29, 2010 (No. 333-164769)
(``Registration Statement'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, which
subjects trading in the Shares to the Exchange's existing rules
governing the trading of equity securities, and has represented that
trading in the Shares on the Exchange will occur in accordance with
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a). The Exchange has also represented that
it has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares
during all trading sessions.
Additional information regarding the Trust, the Shares, the Trust's
investment objectives, strategies, policies, and restrictions, fees and
expenses, creation and redemption of Shares, the Bullion markets,
availability of information, trading rules and halts, and surveillance
procedures, among other things, can be found in the Notice and in the
Registration Statement.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ See supra notes 3 and 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. Discussion and Commission's Findings
After careful consideration, the Commission finds that the proposed
rule change to list and trade the Shares of the Fund is consistent with
the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder
applicable to a national securities exchange.\6\ In particular, the
Commission finds that the proposed rule change is consistent with the
requirements of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,\7\ which requires, among
other things, that the Exchange's rules be designed to prevent
fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, promote just and
equitable principles of trade, foster cooperation and coordination with
persons engaged in facilitating transactions in securities, remove
impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and
a national market system, and in general to protect investors and the
public interest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ In approving this proposed rule change, the Commission notes
that it has considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency,
competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
\7\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commission also finds that the proposal to list and trade the
Shares on the Exchange is consistent with Section 11A(a)(1)(C)(iii) of
the Act,\8\ which sets forth Congress's finding that it is in the
public interest and appropriate for the protection of investors and the
maintenance of fair and orderly markets to assure the availability to
brokers, dealers, and investors of information with respect to
quotations for, and transactions in, securities. Quotation and last-
sale information for the Shares will be disseminated through the
facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. In addition, the
Trust's Web site will provide an intraday indicative value (``IIV'')
per Share,\9\ updated at least every 15 seconds, as calculated by the
Exchange or a third
[[Page 50790]]
party financial data provider, during the Exchange's Core Trading
Session (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. E.T.). The Trust's Web site also will
provide the following information: (1) The net asset value (``NAV'') of
the Trust, on a per Share basis, as calculated each business day by the
Sponsor and the mid-point of the bid-ask price \10\ at the close of
trading in relation to such NAV (``Bid/Ask Price''), and a calculation
of the premium or discount of such price against such NAV; and (2) data
in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and
premiums of the Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate
ranges, for each of the four previous calendar quarters; (3) the
Creation Basket Deposit; (4) the Trust's prospectus, and the two most
recent reports to stockholders; and (5) the last sale price of the
Shares as traded in the US market. Further, the Exchange will make
available over the Consolidated Tape trading volume, closing prices and
NAV for the Shares from the previous day. There is a considerable
amount of Bullion market information available on public Web sites and
through professional and subscription services. For example, investors
may obtain on a 24-hour basis Bullion pricing information based on the
spot price for an ounce of Bullion from various financial information
service providers, such as Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and Bloomberg
provide at no charge on their Web sites delayed information regarding
the spot price of Bullion and last sale prices of Bullion futures, as
well as information about news and developments in the Bullion market.
Reuters and Bloomberg also offer a professional service to subscribers
for a fee that provides information on Bullion prices directly from
market participants. Meanwhile, other public Web sites provide
information on Bullion, ranging from those specializing in precious
metals to sites maintained by major newspapers, such as The Wall Street
Journal. In addition, the London AM Fix and London PM Fix are publicly
available at no charge at or https://www.thebulliondesk.com.
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\8\ 15 U.S.C. 78k-1(a)(1)(C)(iii).
\9\ The IIV is calculated by multiplying the indicative spot
price of Bullion by the quantity of Bullion backing each Share as of
the last calculation date.
\10\ The bid-ask price of the Trust is determined using the
highest bid and lowest offer on the Consolidated Tape as of the time
of calculation of the closing day NAV.
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The Commission further believes that the proposal to list and trade
the Shares is reasonably designed to promote fair disclosure of
information that may be necessary to price the Shares appropriately and
to prevent trading when a reasonable degree of transparency cannot be
assured. The Exchange states that it will obtain a representation from
the Trust that the NAV will be calculated daily and made available to
all market participants at the same time.\11\ Following the initial 12-
month period following commencement of trading, the Exchange will
consider the suspending trading in Shares or removing Shares from
listing if, among other things: (1) The value of the Bullion is no
longer calculated or available on at least a 15-second delayed basis
from a source unaffiliated with the sponsor, Trust, custodian or the
Exchange; (2) the Exchange stops providing a hyperlink on its Web site
to any such unaffiliated commodity value; or (3) the IIV is no longer
made available on at least a 15-second delayed basis.\12\ Under NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes aware that the
NAV is not being disseminated to all market participants at the same
time, it must halt trading on the NYSE Marketplace until such time as
the NAV is available to all market participants. With respect to
trading halts, the Exchange may consider all relevant factors in
exercising its discretion to halt or suspend trading in the Shares.
These may include: (1) The extent to which conditions in the underlying
Bullion markets have caused disruptions and/or lack of trading; or (2)
whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the
maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. In addition,
trading in Shares will be subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange's ``circuit
breaker'' rule.\13\
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\11\ See e-mail from Timothy J. Malinowski, Senior Director,
NYSE Euronext, to Christopher W. Chow, Special Counsel, and Daniel
T. Gien, Staff Attorney, Commission, dated July 29, 2010.
\12\ See NYSE Arca Equities Rules 8.201(e)(2)(iv), (v).
\13\ See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12.
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Further, NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201 sets forth certain
restrictions on ETP Holders acting as registered Market Makers in the
Shares to facilitate surveillance. Pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.201(g), an ETP Holder acting as a registered Market Maker in the
Shares is required to provide the Exchange with information relating to
its trading in the applicable underlying Bullion, related futures or
options on futures, or any other related derivatives. Commentary .04 of
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 6.3 requires an ETP Holder acting as a
registered Market Maker in Commodity-Based Trust Shares to establish,
maintain and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably
designed to prevent the misuse of any material nonpublic information
with respect to such products, any components of the related products,
any physical asset or commodity underlying the product, applicable
currencies, underlying indexes, related futures or options on futures,
and any related derivative instruments.
In support of this proposal, the Exchange has made representations,
including the following:
(1) The Shares will be subject to the initial and continued listing
criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201.
(2) The Exchange's surveillance 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.\14\ In addition, the Exchange may obtain trading
information via the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG'') from other
exchanges who are members of the ISG.\15\
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\14\ Pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.201(g), the Exchange
is able to obtain information regarding trading in the Bullion,
Bullion futures contracts, options on Bullion futures, or any other
Bullion derivative, by ETP Holders acting as registered Market
Makers.
\15\ The Exchange notes that the New York Mercantile Exchange,
of which the COMEX is a division, is an ISG member; however, the
Tokyo Commodity Exchange, Inc. (``TOCOM'') is not an ISG member and
the Exchange does not have in place a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement with such market.
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(3) Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform
its ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special
characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Information Bulletin will discuss the following: (1)
The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Baskets
(including noting that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2)
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence
on its ETP Holders to learn the essential facts relating to every
customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) how information regarding the
IIV is disseminated; (4) the requirement that ETP Holders deliver a
prospectus to investors purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or
concurrently with the confirmation of a transaction; (5) the
possibility that trading spreads and the resulting premium or discount
on the Shares may widen as a result of reduced liquidity of Bullion
trading during the Core and Late Trading Sessions after the close of
the major world Bullion markets; and (6) trading information.
This approval order is based on the Exchange's representations.
For the foregoing reasons, the Commission finds that the proposed
rule change is consistent with the Act
[[Page 50791]]
and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable to a national
securities exchange.
IV. Conclusion
It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the
Act,\16\ that the proposed rule change (SR-NYSEArca-2010-56) be, and it
hereby is, approved.
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\16\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(2).
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\17\
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\17\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-20256 Filed 8-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P