SSgA Funds Management, Inc., et al.; Notice of Application, 71753-71760 [2010-29588]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 226 / Wednesday, November 24, 2010 / Notices
an amount at least equal to any
compensation received from a Fund by
the Acquiring Fund SubAdviser, or an
affiliated person of the Acquiring Fund
Sub-Adviser, other than any advisory
fees paid to the Acquiring Fund SubAdviser or its affiliated person by the
Fund, in connection with any
investment by the Acquiring
Management Company in the Fund
made at the direction of the Acquiring
Fund SubAdviser. In the event that the
Acquiring Fund SubAdviser waives
fees, the benefit of the waiver will be
passed through to the Acquiring
Management Company.
14. Any sales charges and/or service
fees charged with respect to shares of an
Acquiring Fund will not exceed the
limits applicable to a fund of funds as
set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
15. No Fund will acquire securities of
any other investment company or
company relying on section 3(c)(1) or
3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the limits
contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the
Act, except to the extent permitted by
exemptive relief from the Commission
permitting the Fund to purchase shares
of other investment companies for shortterm cash management purposes.
16. Before approving any advisory
contract under section 15 of the Act, the
board of directors or trustees of each
Acquiring Management Company,
including a majority of the disinterested
directors or trustees, will find that the
advisory fees charged under such
advisory contract are based on services
provided that will be in addition to,
rather than duplicative of, the services
provided under the advisory contract(s)
of any Fund in which the Acquiring
Management Company may invest.
These findings and their basis will be
recorded fully in the minute books of
the appropriate Acquiring Management
Company.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, under delegated
authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–29589 Filed 11–23–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No.
29499; 812–13487]
SSgA Funds Management, Inc., et al.;
Notice of Application
November 17, 2010.
Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’).
AGENCY:
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Notice of an application for an
order under section 6(c) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940
(‘‘Act’’) for an exemption from sections
2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the
Act and rule 22c–1 under the Act, under
sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an
exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and
(a)(2) of the Act, and under section
12(d)(1)(J) of the Act for an exemption
from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the
Act.
ACTION:
SSgA Funds Management,
Inc. (the ‘‘Adviser’’), State Street Global
Markets, LLC (the ‘‘Distributor’’), SPDR
Series Trust and SPDR Index Shares
Funds (each a ‘‘Trust’’ and together the
‘‘Trusts’’).
SUMMARY OF APPLICATION: Applicants
request an order that permits: (a) Series
of certain open-end management
investment companies to issue shares
(‘‘Shares’’) redeemable in large
aggregations only (‘‘Creation Units’’); (b)
secondary market transactions in Shares
to occur at negotiated market prices; (c)
certain series to pay redemption
proceeds, under certain circumstances,
more than seven days from the tender of
Shares for redemption; (d) certain
affiliated persons of the series to deposit
securities into, and receive securities
from, the series in connection with the
purchase and redemption of Creation
Units; (e) certain registered management
investment companies and unit
investment trusts outside of the same
group of investment companies as the
series to acquire Shares; and (f) certain
series to perform creations and
redemptions of Shares in-kind in a
master-feeder structure.
FILING DATES: The application was filed
on January 31, 2008, and amended on
May 21, 2008, December 2, 2008,
September 3, 2009, July 16, 2010, and
November 17, 2010.
HEARING OR NOTIFICATION OF HEARING: An
order granting the requested relief will
be issued unless the Commission orders
a hearing. Interested persons may
request a hearing by writing to the
Commission’s Secretary and serving
applicants with a copy of the request,
personally or by mail. Hearing requests
should be received by the Commission
by 5:30 p.m. on December 10, 2010, and
should be accompanied by proof of
service on applicants, in the form of an
affidavit or, for lawyers, a certificate of
service. Hearing requests should state
the nature of the writer’s interest, the
reason for the request, and the issues
contested. Persons who wish to be
notified of a hearing may request
notification by writing to the
Commission’s Secretary.
APPLICANTS:
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71753
Secretary, U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549–
1090. Applicants, State Street Financial
Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA
02111.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christine Y. Greenlees, Senior Counsel,
at (202) 551–6879 or Mary Kay Frech,
Branch Chief, at (202) 551–6821
(Division of Investment Management,
Office of Investment Company
Regulation).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
following is a summary of the
application. The complete application
may be obtained via the Commission’s
Web site by searching for the file
number, or an applicant using the
Company name box, at https://
www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or by
calling (202) 551–8090.
Applicants’ Representations:
1. Each Trust is a business trust
organized under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and
registered under the Act as an open-end
management investment company. Each
Trust is organized as a series fund with
multiple series.
2. The Adviser, a Massachusetts
corporation, is registered as an
investment adviser under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the
‘‘Advisers Act’’) and will be the
investment adviser to the Funds. The
Adviser may retain sub-advisers (‘‘SubAdvisers’’). Any Sub-Adviser will be
registered under the Advisers Act. The
Distributor, a broker-dealer registered
under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (the ‘‘Exchange Act’’), will serve as
the principal underwriter and
distributor of each of the Funds.
3. Applicants are requesting relief to
permit the Trusts to create and operate
certain actively managed investment
portfolios of the Trusts (‘‘New Funds’’)
that offer Shares with limited
redeemability (‘‘ETF Relief’’) and to
operate in a master-feeder structure.
Applicants request that the ETF Relief
apply to future series of the Trusts or of
other open-end management companies
that (a) Utilize active management
investment strategies, (b) are advised by
the Adviser or an entity controlling,
controlled by, or under common control
with the Adviser, and (c) comply with
the terms and condition of the order
(‘‘Future Funds’’). The New Funds and
Future Funds together are the ‘‘Funds.’’
Each Fund will operate as an
exchanged-traded fund (‘‘ETF’’).1
ADDRESSES:
1 All entities that currently intend to rely on the
order are named as applicants. Any other entity that
relies on the order in the future will comply with
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4. Applicants also request that the
order permit certain investment
companies registered under the Act to
acquire Shares of Funds beyond the
limitations in section 12(d)(1)(A) and
permit certain Funds, and any principal
underwriter for the Funds, and any
broker or dealer registered under the
Exchange Act (‘‘Brokers’’) to sell Shares
beyond the limitations in section
12(d)(1)(B) (‘‘Fund of Funds Relief’’).
Applicants request that any exemption
under section 12(d)(1)(J) from sections
12(d)(1)(A) and (B) for Fund of Funds
Relief apply to: (i) Any registered
investment company or unit investment
trust that is currently or subsequently
part of the same ‘‘group of investment
companies’’ as the Funds within the
meaning of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the
Act as well as any principal underwriter
for the Funds and any Brokers selling
Shares of a Fund to a Purchasing Fund
(as defined below); and (ii) each
management investment company or
unit investment trust registered under
the Act that is not part of the same
‘‘group of investment companies’’ as the
Funds within the meaning of section
12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act and that enters
into a FOF Participation Agreement (as
defined below) with a Fund (such
management investment companies are
referred to as ‘‘Purchasing Management
Companies,’’ such unit investment trusts
are referred to as ‘‘Purchasing Trusts,’’
and Purchasing Management Companies
and Purchasing Trusts are collectively
referred to as ‘‘Purchasing Funds’’).
Purchasing Funds do not include the
Funds. This relief would not apply to
any Fund that is, either directly or
through a master-feeder structure,
acquiring securities of any investment
company or company relying on section
3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of
the limits in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the
Act.2
5. Applicants further request that the
order permit the Funds to acquire shares
of other registered investment
companies managed by the Adviser
having substantially the same
investment objectives as the Fund
(‘‘Master Funds’’) beyond the limitation
in section 12(d)(1)(A) and permit the
Master Funds, and any principal
underwriter for the Master Fund, to sell
shares of the Master Funds to the Funds
the terms and conditions of the application. A
Purchasing Fund (as defined below) may rely on the
requested order only to invest in the Funds and not
in any other registered investment company.
2 Applicants expect that the New Funds may rely
on section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) of the Act and, thus,
would not be able to rely on the Fund of Funds
Relief. Nonetheless, it is anticipated that certain
Future Funds would rely on the requested Fund of
Funds Relief.
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beyond the limitations in section
12(d)(1)(B) (‘‘Master-Feeder Relief’’).
6. Each New Fund will attempt to
achieve a specified investment objective
utilizing an active management strategy,
rather than attempting to replicate the
performance of an index. It is currently
anticipated that the investment
strategies of the New Funds will be
similar to existing ‘‘target date’’ mutual
funds, and the New Funds will seek to
achieve their investment objectives by
investing in ETFs and other exchange
traded products that are not registered
under the Act, which may or may not
be sponsored or advised by the Adviser
or one of its affiliates (‘‘Underlying
ETPs’’). The New Funds may invest in
Underlying ETPs either directly or
through investment in a Master Fund.3
Each Fund, or its respective Master
Fund, may invest in foreign and
domestic equity securities, including
depositary receipts (‘‘Depositary
Receipts’’) and shares of other
investment companies, and in foreign
and domestic fixed income securities,
including TBA transactions, as
described herein. Neither the New
Funds nor any Future Fund (or its
respective Master Fund, if any) will
invest in options contracts, futures
contracts or swap agreements.
7. It is currently anticipated that each
New Fund will invest in a Master Fund
with a portfolio of Underlying ETPs
instead of directly holding Underlying
ETP shares. Applicants have designed
this master-feeder structure because it is
anticipated that, in addition to the New
Funds, other feeder funds will be
created in the future and hold shares of
each respective Master Fund. Such
other feeder funds could be traditional
mutual funds, the shares of which
would be individually redeemable,
other exchange-traded funds, or other
pooled investment vehicles. Any
traditional mutual fund feeder funds
would also be series of a separate and
distinct registered investment
company.4
8. The Future Funds may invest,
either directly or through a Master
Fund, in equity securities (‘‘Equity
Funds’’) or fixed income securities
(‘‘Fixed Income Funds’’) traded in the
U.S. or non-U.S. markets. Funds that
invest, either directly or through a
Master Fund, in foreign equity and/or
fixed income securities are ‘‘Foreign
Funds.’’ Funds that invest, either
directly or through a Master Fund, in
3 Each Underlying ETP will trade on a Stock
Exchange (as defined below) and will calculate its
net asset value per share (‘‘NAV’’) each day.
4 There would be no ability to exchange Shares
of the New Funds for shares of any other feeder
fund.
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foreign and domestic equity securities
are ‘‘Global Equity Funds.’’ Funds that
invest in foreign and domestic fixed
income securities, either directly or
through a Master Fund, are ‘‘Global
Fixed Income Funds’’ (and together with
the ‘‘Global Equity Funds, ‘‘Global
Funds’’). The term ‘‘Domestic Funds’’
includes any Equity Fund or Fixed
Income Fund that invests, either
directly or through a Master Fund, in
domestic equity and/or fixed income
securities.
9. Applicants anticipate that many, if
not all of the Foreign Funds will invest
a significant portion of their assets in
Depositary Receipts representing foreign
securities in which they seek to invest,
including American Depositary Receipts
(‘‘ADRs’’) and Global Depositary
Receipts (‘‘GDRs’’). Depositary Receipts
are typically issued by a financial
institution (‘‘Depository’’) and evidence
ownership interests in a security or a
pool or securities (‘‘Underlying
Securities’’) that have been deposited
with the Depository.5 A Fund will not
invest in any Depositary Receipts that
the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems to be
illiquid or for which pricing information
is not readily available.
10. Shares of each Fund will be
purchased from the Trusts only in
Creation Units. Creation Units will be
separable upon issue into individual
Shares, which will be listed and traded
at negotiated prices on a national
securities exchange as defined in
section 2(a)(26) of the Act (‘‘Stock
Exchange’’). The Funds will issue Shares
in Creation Units of at least 50,000
Shares. Orders to purchase Creation
Units may be placed by or through an
‘‘Authorized Participant,’’ which is
either (i) a broker-dealer or other
participant in the continuous net
settlement system of the National
Securities Clearing Corporation, a
clearing agency registered with the
Commission, or (ii) a participant in the
Depository Trust Company (‘‘DTC’’),
which in either case has executed an
agreement with the Trust and the
Distributor with respect to creations and
5 With respect to ADRs, the Depository is
typically a U.S. financial institution and the
Underlying Securities are issued by a foreign issuer.
The ADR is registered under the Securities Act of
1933 (‘‘Securities Act’’) on Form F–6. ADR trades
occur either on a Stock Exchange (as defined below)
or off-exchange. FINRA Rule 6620 requires all offexchange transactions in ADRs to be reported
within 90 seconds and ADR trade reports to be
disseminated on a real-time basis. With respect to
GDRs, the Depository may be a foreign or a U.S.
entity, and the Underlying Securities may have a
foreign or a U.S. issuer. All GDRs are sponsored and
trade on a foreign exchange. No affiliated persons
of applicants or any Sub-Adviser will serve as the
depositary bank for any Depositary Receipts held by
a Fund.
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redemptions of Creation Units
(‘‘Participant Agreement’’). Shares of
each New Fund will be purchased in
Creation Units in exchange for an inkind deposit by the purchaser of a
particular portfolio of securities
(‘‘Deposit Securities’’) designated by the
Adviser, together with the deposit of a
specified cash payment (‘‘Cash
Component,’’ collectively with the
Deposit Securities, ‘‘Fund Deposit’’). The
Cash Component is an amount equal to
the difference between the NAV of a
Creation Unit and the total aggregate
market value per Creation Unit of the
Deposit Securities.6 A Fund may also
permit, under certain circumstances, an
in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in
lieu of depositing some or all of the
Deposit Securities.
11. Each Fund may impose a purchase
or redemption transaction fee
(‘‘Transaction Fee’’) to protect existing
shareholders from the dilutive costs
associated with the purchase or
redemption of Creation Units.7 The
Distributor will deliver a confirmation
and prospectus (‘‘Prospectus’’) to the
purchaser.
12. Purchasers of Shares in Creation
Units may hold such Shares or may sell
such Shares into the secondary market.
Shares will be listed on the Stock
Exchange and traded in the secondary
market in the same manner as other
equity securities. One or more Market
Makers (as defined below) will be
assigned to make continuous markets in
Shares. The price of Shares trading on
a Stock Exchange will be based on a
current bid/offer market. Transactions
involving the sale of Shares on a Stock
Exchange will be subject to customary
brokerage commissions and charges.
13. Applicants expect that purchasers
of Creation Units will include
arbitrageurs and the lead market makers
(‘‘LMMs’’) and/or designated liquidity
providers (together with LMMs, ‘‘Market
Makers’’). Applicants expect that
secondary market purchasers of Shares
6 On each day that a Fund is open, including as
required by section 22(e) of the Act (‘‘Business
Day’’), the Adviser will make available prior to the
opening of trading on the Stock Exchange a list of
the names and the required number of shares of
each Deposit Security to be included in the Fund
Deposit for each Fund, along with the prior day’s
Cash Component. The Stock Exchange will
disseminate, every 15 seconds during its regular
trading hours, through the facilities of the
Consolidated Tape Association, the estimated NAV
of the Funds, which is an amount per Share
representing the sum of the estimated Cash
Component effective through and including the
previous Business Day, plus the current value of the
Deposit Securities, on a per Share basis.
7 Where a Fund permits a purchaser to substitute
cash in lieu of depositing a portion of the requisite
Deposit Securities, the purchaser may be assessed
a higher Transaction Fee to offset the cost to the
Fund of purchasing such Deposit Securities.
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will include both institutional and retail
investors.8 Applicants state that
arbitrage opportunities created by the
ability to continually purchase or
redeem Creation Units at their NAV
should ensure that the Shares will not
trade at a material discount or premium
in relation to their NAV.
14. Beneficial owners of Shares may
sell their Shares in the secondary
market, but must accumulate enough
Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in
order to redeem through a Fund.
Creation Units will be redeemed in
exchange for a portfolio of securities
(‘‘Redemption Securities’’) and specified
cash amount 9 as published in the
redemption basket. While Shares
generally will be redeemed in Creation
Units in exchange for Redemption
Securities, each Fund will have the right
to make redemption payments in cash,
in kind or a combination of each,
provided the value of its redemption
payments equals the NAV.10 To the
extent that the Redemption Securities
have a value greater than the NAV of the
Shares being redeemed, a cash payment
equal to the differential will be paid by
the redeeming shareholder to the Trust.
Redemption of Shares in Creation Units
will be subject to a Transaction Fee.
15. Applicants state that each Fund
must comply with the federal securities
laws in accepting Deposit Securities and
satisfying redemptions with
Redemption Securities, including that
the Redemption Securities are sold in
transactions that would be exempt from
registration under the Securities Act.11
The Deposit Securities and Redemption
Securities will consist of a pro rata
8 Shares will be registered in book-entry form
only. DTC or its nominee will be the registered
owner of all outstanding Shares. Beneficial
ownership of Shares will be shown on the records
of DTC or DTC participants (‘‘DTC Participants’’).
9 In the case of a Fund that is part of a masterfeeder structure, the Fund will redeem shares from
the appropriate master portfolio and then deliver to
the redeeming shareholder a portfolio of
Redemption Securities and specified cash amount
as published in the redemption basket.
10 The Funds may substitute a cash-in-lieu
amount to replace any Deposit Security or
Redemption Security that is a to-be-announced
transaction (‘‘TBA Transaction’’). A TBA
Transaction is a method of trading mortgage-backed
securities. In a TBA Transaction, the buyer and
seller agree upon general trade parameters such as
agency, settlement date, par amount and price. The
actual pools delivered generally are determined two
days prior to the settlement date. The amount of
substituted cash in the case of TBA Transactions
will be equivalent to the value of the TBA
Transaction listed as a Deposit Security or
Redemption Security.
11 In accepting Deposit Securities and satisfying
redemptions with Redemption Securities that are
restricted securities eligible for resale pursuant to
rule 144A under the Securities Act, each Fund will
comply with the conditions of rule 144A, including
in satisfying redemptions with such rule 144A
eligible restricted Redemption Securities.
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basket of the portfolio securities held by
a Fund (‘‘Fund Securities’’), except for
certain minor differences that may exist
for certain Fixed Income Funds because
it is impossible to break up bonds
beyond certain minimum sizes needed
for transfer and settlement.
16. Neither the Trust nor any Fund
will be advertised or marketed or
otherwise held out as a traditional openend investment company or a mutual
fund. Instead, each Fund will be
marketed as an ‘‘actively-managed
exchange-traded fund.’’ 12 All marketing
materials that describe the features or
method of obtaining, buying or selling
Creation Units, or Shares traded on the
Stock Exchange, or refer to
redeemability, will prominently
disclose that Shares are not individually
redeemable shares and will disclose that
the owners of Shares may acquire those
Shares from the Fund, or tender those
Shares for redemption to the Fund in
Creation Units only. The same approach
will be followed in connection with
shareholder reports and investor
educational materials issued or
circulated in connection with the
Shares. The Funds will provide copies
of its semi-annual and annual
shareholder reports to DTC Participants
for distribution to beneficial owners of
Shares.
17. The Trust will maintain a Web site
that will include each Fund’s
Prospectus and other information about
each Fund that is updated on a daily
basis, including the prior Business Day’s
NAV, closing market price, reported
midpoint of ‘‘bid and ask’’ at the time of
calculation of such NAV (‘‘Bid/Ask
Price’’), and a calculation of the
premium or discount of such price
against such NAV. Prior to the opening
of the Stock Exchange on each Business
Day, a Trust will disclose on its Web
site the identities and quantities of the
securities and other assets held by each
Fund, or its respective Master Fund,13
12 As noted above, the Funds may operate in a
master-feeder structure. Under such circumstances,
the Funds would operate, and would be marketed,
as ETFs. The respective Master Funds would
operate as mutual funds, but would not be publicly
offered or marketed. Applicants do not believe the
master-feeder structure would be confusing to
investors because any additional feeder fund that is
a traditional mutual fund or other pooled
investment vehicle would be marketed separately.
Applicants state that they will take steps to ensure
that investors will understand the differences
between the Funds and any feeder funds.
13 For Funds that are part of a master-feeder
structure, the Fund will disclose information about
the securities and other assets held by the Master
Fund.
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that will form the basis of each Fund’s
NAV at the end of such Business Day.14
Applicants’ Legal Analysis:
1. Applicants request an order under
section 6(c) of the Act for an exemption
from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and
22(e) of the Act and rule 22c–1 under
the Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of
the Act for an exemption from sections
17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act, and
under section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act for
an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A)
and 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that
the Commission may exempt any
person, security or transaction, or any
class of persons, securities or
transactions, from any provision of the
Act, if and to the extent that such
exemption is necessary or appropriate
in the public interest and consistent
with the protection of investors and the
purposes fairly intended by the policy
and provisions of the Act. Section 17(b)
of the Act authorizes the Commission to
exempt a proposed transaction from
section 17(a) of the Act if evidence
establishes that the terms of the
transaction, including the consideration
to be paid or received, are reasonable
and fair and do not involve
overreaching on the part of any person
concerned, and the proposed
transaction is consistent with the
policies of the registered investment
company and the general provisions of
the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act
provides that the Commission may
exempt any person, security, or
transaction, or any class or classes of
persons, securities or transactions, from
any provision of section 12(d)(1) if the
exemption is consistent with the public
interest and the protection of investors.
Sections 5(a)(1) and 2(a)(32) of the Act
3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an
‘‘open-end company’’ as a management
investment company that is offering for
sale or has outstanding any redeemable
security of which it is the issuer.
Section 2(a)(32) of the Act defines a
redeemable security as any security,
other than short-term paper, under the
terms of which the holder, upon its
presentation to the issuer, is entitled to
receive approximately a proportionate
share of the issuer’s current net assets,
or the cash equivalent. Because Shares
will not be individually redeemable,
applicants request an order to permit
the Trust to register as an open-end
14 Under accounting procedures followed by the
Funds, trades made on the prior Business Day (‘‘T’’)
will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current
Business Day (‘‘T+1’’). Accordingly, the Funds will
be able to disclose at the beginning of the Business
Day the portfolio that will form the basis for the
NAV calculation at the end of the Business Day.
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management investment company and
redeem Shares in Creation Units only.15
Applicants state that investors may
purchase Shares in Creation Units and
redeem Creation Units from each Fund.
Applicants further state that because the
market price of Creation Units will be
disciplined by arbitrage opportunities,
investors should be able to sell Shares
in the secondary market at prices that
do vary substantially from their NAV.
Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule
22c–1 Under the Act
4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among
other things, prohibits a dealer from
selling a redeemable security, which is
currently being offered to the public by
or through a principal underwriter,
except at a current public offering price
described in the prospectus. Rule 22c–
1 under the Act generally requires that
a dealer selling, redeeming, or
repurchasing a redeemable security do
so only at a price based on its NAV.
Applicants state that secondary market
trading in Shares will take place at
negotiated prices, rather than at the
current offering price described in the
Prospectus, and not at a price based on
NAV. Thus, purchases and sales of
Shares in the secondary market will not
comply with section 22(d) of the Act
and rule 22c–1 under the Act.
Applicants request an exemption under
section 6(c) from these provisions.
5. Applicants assert that the concerns
sought to be addressed by section 22(d)
of the Act and rule 22c–1 under the Act
with respect to pricing are equally
satisfied by the proposed method of
pricing Shares. Applicants maintain that
while there is little legislative history
regarding section 22(d), its provisions,
as well as those of rule 22c–1, appear to
have been designed to (a) Prevent
dilution caused by certain risklesstrading schemes by principal
underwriters and contract dealers, (b)
prevent unjust discrimination or
preferential treatment among buyers
resulting from sales at different prices,
and (c) assure an orderly distribution of
investment company shares by
eliminating price competition from
Brokers offering shares at less than the
published sales price and repurchasing
shares at more than the published
redemption price.
6. Applicants believe that none of
these purposes will be thwarted by
permitting Shares to trade in the
secondary market at negotiated prices.
Applicants state that (a) secondary
15 The Master Funds will not require relief from
sections 2(a)(32) and 5(a)(1) because the Master
Funds will issue individually redeemable
securities.
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market trading in Shares would not
cause dilution of an investment in
Shares because such transactions do not
involve the Funds as parties, and (b) to
the extent different prices exist during
a given trading day, or from day to day,
such variances occur as a result of thirdparty market forces, such as supply and
demand. Therefore, applicants assert
that secondary market transactions in
Shares will not lead to discrimination or
preferential treatment among
purchasers. Finally, applicants contend
that the proposed distribution system
will be orderly because arbitrage activity
should ensure that the difference
between NAV and the market price of
Shares remains low.
Section 22(e)
7. Section 22(e) of the Act generally
prohibits a registered investment
company from suspending the right of
redemption or postponing the date of
payment of redemption proceeds for
more than seven days after the tender of
a security for redemption. Applicants
observe that the settlement of
redemptions of Creation Units of the
Foreign Funds is contingent not only on
the settlement cycle of the U.S.
securities markets but also on the
delivery cycles present in foreign
markets in which Foreign Funds, or
their respective Master Funds, may
invest. Applicants have been advised
that, under certain circumstances, the
delivery cycles for transferring
Redemption Securities to redeeming
investors, coupled with local market
holiday schedules, will require a
delivery process of up to 14 calendar
days. Applicants therefore request relief
from section 22(e) in order to provide
payment or satisfaction of redemptions
within the maximum number of
calendar days required for such
payment or satisfaction in the principal
local markets where transactions in the
Fund Securities of each Foreign Fund,
and any respective Master Fund,
customarily clear and settle, but in all
cases no later than 14 days following the
tender of a Creation Unit.16
8. Applicants submit that Congress
adopted section 22(e) to prevent
unreasonable, undisclosed or
unforeseen delays in the actual payment
of redemption proceeds. Applicants
state that allowing in-kind redemption
payments for Creation Units of a Foreign
Fund, and any respective Master Fund,
to be made within the number of days
16 Applicants acknowledge that no relief obtained
from the requirements of section 22(e) will affect
any obligations that applicants may otherwise have
under rule 15c6–1 under the Exchange Act. Rule
15c6–1 requires that most securities transactions be
settled within three business days of the trade date.
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indicated above would not be
inconsistent with the spirit and intent of
section 22(e). Applicants state that each
Foreign Fund’s SAI will disclose those
local holidays (over the period of at
least one year following the date of the
SAI), if any, that are expected to prevent
the delivery of in-kind redemption
proceeds in seven calendar days and the
maximum number of days needed to
deliver the proceeds for each affected
Foreign Fund. Applicants are not
seeking relief from section 22(e) with
respect to Foreign Funds effecting
redemptions on a cash basis.
9. If using a master-feeder structure,
applicants will operate in substantially
the same manner. In the case of an inkind redemption from a Fund, the Fund
would make a corresponding
redemption from the Master Fund.
Applicants do not believe the masterfeeder structure would have any impact
on the delivery cycle.
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Section 12(d)(1)
10. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act
prohibits a registered investment
company from acquiring shares of an
investment company if the securities
represent more than 3% of the total
outstanding voting stock of the acquired
company, more than 5% of the total
assets of the acquiring company, or,
together with the securities of any other
investment companies, more than 10%
of the total assets of the acquiring
company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act
prohibits a registered open-end
investment company, its principal
underwriter, or any other broker or
dealer from selling its shares to another
investment company if the sale will
cause the acquiring company to own
more than 3% of the acquired
company’s voting stock, or if the sale
will cause more than 10% of the
acquired company’s voting stock to be
owned by investment companies
generally.
11. Applicants request relief to permit
Purchasing Management Companies and
Purchasing Trusts registered under the
Act that are not sponsored or advised by
the Adviser or any entity controlling,
controlled by, or under common control
with the Adviser and are not part of the
same ‘‘group of investment companies,’’
as defined in section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of
the Act, as the Trusts, to acquire Shares
of a Fund beyond the limits of section
12(d)(1)(A) of the Act. Applicants also
seek an exemption to permit the Funds
and/or a Broker to sell Shares to
Purchasing Funds beyond the limits of
section 12(d)(1)(B). Pursuant to the
terms and conditions of the requested
order, each Purchasing Fund will enter
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into a FOF Participation Agreement (as
defined below) with the relevant Fund.
12. Each Purchasing Management
Company will be advised by an
investment adviser within the meaning
of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act
(‘‘Purchasing Fund Adviser’’) and may
be sub-advised by investment adviser(s)
within the meaning of section
2(a)(20)(B) of the Act (‘‘Purchasing Fund
Sub-Adviser’’). Any investment adviser
to a Purchasing Management Company
will be registered as an investment
adviser or exempt from registration
under the Advisers Act. Each
Purchasing Trust will have a sponsor
(‘‘Sponsor’’).
13. Applicants assert that the
proposed transactions will not lead to
any of the abuses that section 12(d)(1)
was designed to prevent. Applicants
submit that the proposed conditions to
the requested relief address the
concerns underlying the limits in
section 12(d)(1), which include
concerns about undue influence,
excessive layering of fees and overly
complex structures.
14. Applicants submit that their
proposed conditions address any
concerns regarding the potential for
undue influence. A Purchasing Fund or
Purchasing Fund Affiliate 17 will not
cause an investment in a Fund to
influence the terms of services or
transactions between a Purchasing Fund
or a Purchasing Fund Affiliate and the
Fund or Fund Affiliate.18 A Purchasing
Fund’s Advisory Group or a Purchasing
Fund’s Sub-Advisory Group will not
control a Fund within the meaning of
section 2(a)(9) of the Act. A ‘‘Purchasing
Fund’s Advisory Group’’ is the
Purchasing Fund Adviser, or Sponsor,
any person controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the
Purchasing Fund Adviser or Sponsor,
and any investment company or issuer
that would be an investment company
but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the
Act, that is advised or sponsored by the
Purchasing Fund Adviser, the Sponsor,
or any person controlling, controlled by
or under common control with the
Purchasing Fund Adviser or Sponsor. A
‘‘Purchasing Fund’s Sub-Advisory
Group’’ is any Purchasing Fund SubAdviser, any person controlling,
controlled by, or under common control
17 A ‘‘Purchasing Fund Affiliate’’ is defined as the
Purchasing Fund Adviser, Purchasing Fund SubAdviser, Sponsor, promoter and principal
underwriter of a Purchasing Fund and any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control
with any of these entities.
18 A ‘‘Fund Affiliate’’ is defined as an investment
adviser, promoter or principal underwriter of a
Fund, or its respective Master Fund, and any person
controlling, controlled by or under common control
with any of these entities.
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71757
with the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser,
and any investment company or issuer
that would be an investment company
but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the
Act (or portion of such investment
company or issuer) advised or
sponsored by the Purchasing Fund SubAdviser or any person controlling,
controlled by or under common control
with the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser.
15. Applicants also propose a
condition to ensure that no Purchasing
Fund or Purchasing Fund Affiliate will
cause a Fund to purchase a security
from an Affiliated Underwriting. An
‘‘Affiliated Underwriting’’ is an offering
of securities during the existence of an
underwriting or selling syndicate of
which a principal underwriter is an
Underwriting Affiliate. An
‘‘Underwriting Affiliate’’ is a principal
underwriter in any underwriting or
selling syndicate that is an officer,
director, member of an advisory board,
Purchasing Fund Adviser, Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser, employee or
Sponsor of the Purchasing Fund, or a
person of which any such officer,
director, member of an advisory board,
Purchasing Fund Adviser, Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser, employee or
Sponsor is an affiliated person, except
any person whose relationship to the
Fund is covered by section 10(f) of the
Act is not an Underwriting Affiliate.
16. Applicants propose several
conditions to address the potential for
layering of fees. Applicants note that the
board of directors or trustees of a
Purchasing Management Company,
including a majority of the directors or
trustees who are not ‘‘interested
persons’’ within the meaning of section
2(a)(19) of the Act (‘‘disinterested
directors or trustees’’), will be required
to find that the advisory fees charged
under the contract are based on services
provided that will be in addition to,
rather than duplicative of, services
provided under the advisory contract of
any Fund in which the Purchasing
Management Company may invest.
Applicants state that any sales charges
and/or service fees charged with respect
to shares of a Purchasing Fund will not
exceed the limits applicable to a fund of
funds set forth in NASD Conduct Rule
2830.19
17. Applicants submit that the
proposed arrangement will not create an
overly complex fund structure.
Applicants note that a Fund (and its
respective Master Fund) will be
prohibited from acquiring securities of
19 Any references to NASD Conduct Rule 2830
include any successor or replacement rule that may
be adopted by the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority.
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WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
any investment company or company
relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of
the Act in excess of the limits contained
in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except
to the extent that (i) the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) acquires
securities of another investment
company pursuant to certain exemptive
relief from the Commission, or (ii) the
Fund acquires shares of its respective
Master Fund.
18. To ensure that a Purchasing Fund
is aware of the terms and conditions of
the requested order, the Purchasing
Fund must enter into an agreement with
the respective Fund (‘‘FOF Participation
Agreement’’). The FOF Participation
Agreement will include an
acknowledgment from the Purchasing
Fund that it may rely on the order only
to invest in the Funds (or other series of
the Trusts) and not in any other
investment company.
19. Applicants also are seeking relief
from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the
Act to permit the Funds to perform
creations and redemptions of Shares inkind in a master-feeder structure.
Applicants assert that this structure is
substantially identical to traditional
master-feeder structures permitted
pursuant to the exception provided in
section 12(d)(1)(E) of the Act. Section
12(d)(1)(E) provides that the percentage
limitations of sections 12(d)(1)(A) and
(B) will not apply to a security issued
by an investment company (in this case,
the shares of the applicable master
portfolio) if, among other things, that
security is the only investment security
held by the Fund. Applicants believe
the proposed master-feeder structure
complies with section 12(d)(1)(E)
because each Fund will hold only
investment securities issued by its
corresponding Master Fund; however,
the Funds may receive securities other
than securities of its corresponding
Master Fund if a Fund accepts an inkind creation. To the extent that a Fund
may be deemed to be holding both
shares of the master portfolio and other
securities, applicants request relief from
sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B). The Funds
would operate in compliance with all
other provisions of section 12(d)(1)(E).
Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act
20. Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act
generally prohibit an affiliated person of
a registered investment company, or an
affiliated person of such a person
(‘‘second tier affiliate’’), from selling any
security to or purchasing any security
from the company. Section 2(a)(3) of the
Act defines ‘‘affiliated person’’ to
include any person directly or indirectly
owning, controlling, or holding with
power to vote 5% or more of the
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15:30 Nov 23, 2010
Jkt 223001
outstanding voting securities of the
other person and any person directly or
indirectly controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with, the other
person. Section 2(a)(9) of the Act
provides that a control relationship will
be presumed where one person owns
more than 25% of another person’s
voting securities. The Funds may be
deemed to be controlled by the Adviser
or an entity controlling, controlled by or
under common control with the Adviser
and hence affiliated persons of each
other. In addition, the Funds may be
deemed to be under common control
with any other registered investment
company (or series thereof) advised by
the Adviser or an entity controlling,
controlled by or under common control
with the Adviser (an ‘‘Affiliated Fund’’).
21. Applicants request an exemption
from section 17(a) under sections 6(c)
and 17(b) to permit in-kind purchases
and redemptions by persons that are
affiliated persons or second tier
affiliates of the Funds solely by virtue
of one or more of the following: (i)
Holding 5% or more, or more than 25%,
of the Shares of the Trust or one or more
Funds; (ii) an affiliation with a person
with an ownership interest described in
(i); or (iii) holding 5% or more, or more
than 25%, of the shares of one or more
Affiliated Funds. Applicants also
request an exemption in order to permit
each Fund to sell Shares to and redeem
Shares from, and engage in the in-kind
transactions that would accompany
such sales and redemptions with, any
Purchasing Fund of which the Fund is
an affiliated person or a second tier
affiliate.20
22. Applicants contend that no useful
purpose would be served by prohibiting
the affiliated persons described above
from making in-kind purchases or inkind redemptions of Shares of a Fund in
Creation Units. The value of a Fund
Deposit made by a purchaser or
Redemption Securities and
corresponding Cash Component given to
a redeeming investor will be the same
regardless of the investor’s identity, and
will be valued under the same objective
standards applied to valuing the Fund
Securities. The method of valuing Fund
Securities held by a Fund is the same as
that used for calculating in-kind
purchase or redemption values.
Therefore, applicants state that the inkind purchases and redemptions will
afford no opportunity for the specified
affiliated persons of a Fund to effect a
transaction detrimental to other holders
20 Applicants state that although they believe that
a Purchasing Fund generally will purchase Shares
in the secondary market, a Purchasing Fund might
seek to transact in Creation Units directly with a
Fund.
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of Shares. Applicants do not believe that
in-kind purchases and redemptions will
result in abusive self-dealing or
overreaching of the Fund.
23. Applicants also submit that the
sale of Shares to and redemption of
Shares from a Purchasing Fund satisfies
the standards for relief under sections
17(b) and 6(c) of the Act. Any
consideration paid for the purchase or
redemption of Shares directly from a
Fund will be based on the NAV of the
Fund.21 The FOF Participation
Agreement will require any Purchasing
Fund that purchases Shares directly
from a Fund to represent that its
purchases are permitted under its
investment restrictions and consistent
with the investment policies described
in its registration statement.
24. To the extent that a Fund operates
in a master-feeder structure, applicants
also request relief permitting the Funds
to engage in in-kind creations and
redemptions with the applicable master
portfolio. Applicants state that the
customary section 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2)
relief would not be sufficient to permit
such transactions because the Funds
and the applicable master portfolio
could also be affiliated by virtue of
having the same investment adviser.
However, applicants believe that inkind creations and redemptions
between a Fund and a master portfolio
advised by the same investment adviser
do not involve ‘‘overreaching’’ by an
affiliated person. Such transactions will
occur only at the Fund’s proportionate
share of the master portfolio’s net assets,
and the distributed securities will be
valued in the same manner as they are
valued for the purposes of calculating
the applicable master portfolio’s NAV.
Further, all such transactions will be
effected with respect to pre-determined
securities and on the same terms with
respect to all investors. Finally, such
transactions would only occur as a
result of, and to effectuate, a creation or
redemption transaction between the
Fund and a third-party investor.
Applicants believe that the terms of the
proposed transactions are reasonable
and fair and do not involve
overreaching on the part of any person
concerned and that the transactions are
consistent with the general purposes of
the Act.
Applicants’ Conditions:
21 Applicants acknowledge that the receipt of
compensation by (a) an affiliated person of a
Purchasing Fund, or an affiliated person of such
person, for the purchase by the Purchasing Fund of
Shares or (b) an affiliated person of a Fund, or an
affiliated person of such person, for the sale by the
Fund of its Shares to a Purchasing Fund, may be
prohibited by section 17(e)(1) of the Act. The FOF
Participation Agreement also will include this
acknowledgment.
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Applicants agree that any order of the
Commission granting the requested
relief will be subject to the following
conditions:
WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
ETF Relief
1. As long as the Funds operate in
reliance on the requested order, the
Shares of the Funds will be listed on a
Stock Exchange.
2. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will
be advertised or marketed as an openend investment company or a mutual
fund. Any advertising material that
describes the purchase or sale of
Creation Units or refers to redeemability
will prominently disclose that the
Shares are not individually redeemable
and that owners of the Shares may
acquire those Shares from the Fund and
tender those Shares for redemption to
the Fund in Creation Units only.
3. The Web site for the Funds, which
is and will be publicly accessible at no
charge, will contain, on a per Share
basis for each Fund the prior Business
Day’s NAV and the market closing price
or Bid/Ask Price of the Shares, and a
calculation of the premium or discount
of the market closing price or Bid/Ask
Price of the Shares against such NAV.
4. On each Business Day, before
commencement of trading in Shares on
the Stock Exchange, the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) will disclose on
its Web site the identities and quantities
of the Fund Securities and other assets
held by each Fund that will form the
basis for each Fund’s calculation of
NAV at the end of such Business Day.
5. The Adviser or Sub-Adviser,
directly or indirectly, will not cause any
Authorized Participant (or any investor
on whose behalf an Authorized
Participant may transact with the Fund)
to acquire any Deposit Security for the
Fund through a transaction in which the
Fund could not engage directly.
6. The requested relief, other than the
section 12(d)(1) relief and the section 17
relief related to a master-feeder
structure, will expire on the effective
date of any Commission rule under the
Act that provides relief permitting the
operation of actively-managed
exchange-traded funds.
Fund of Funds Relief
7. The members of the Purchasing
Fund’s Advisory Group will not control
(individually or in the aggregate) a Fund
(or its respective Master Fund) within
the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
The members of the Purchasing Fund’s
Sub-Advisory Group will not control
(individually or in the aggregate) a Fund
(or its respective Master Fund) within
the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
If, as a result of a decrease in the
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15:30 Nov 23, 2010
Jkt 223001
outstanding voting securities of a Fund,
the Purchasing Fund’s Advisory Group
or the Purchasing Fund’s Sub-Advisory
Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a
holder of more than 25 percent of the
outstanding voting securities of a Fund,
it will vote its Shares of the Fund in the
same proportion as the vote of all other
holders of the Fund’s Shares. This
condition does not apply to the
Purchasing Fund’s Sub-Advisory Group
with respect to a Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) for which the Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser or a person
controlling, controlled by or under
common control with the Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser acts as the
investment adviser within the meaning
of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
8. No Purchasing Fund or Purchasing
Fund Affiliate will cause any existing or
potential investment by the Purchasing
Fund in a Fund to influence the terms
of any services or transactions between
the Purchasing Fund or a Purchasing
Fund Affiliate and the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) or a Fund
Affiliate.
9. The board of directors or trustees of
a Purchasing Management Company,
including a majority of the disinterested
directors or trustees, will adopt
procedures reasonably designed to
assure that the Purchasing Fund Adviser
and any Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser
are conducting the investment program
of the Purchasing Management
Company without taking into account
any consideration received by the
Purchasing Management Company or a
Purchasing Fund Affiliate from a Fund
(or its respective Master Fund) or a
Fund Affiliate in connection with any
services or transactions.
10. Once an investment by a
Purchasing Fund in the securities of a
Fund exceeds the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the board of
trustees of a Fund (‘‘Board’’) (or of its
respective Master Fund), including a
majority of the disinterested Board
members, will determine that any
consideration paid by the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) to the
Purchasing Fund or a Purchasing Fund
Affiliate in connection with any services
or transactions: (i) Is fair and reasonable
in relation to the nature and quality of
the services and benefits received by the
Fund (or its respective Master Fund);
(ii) is within the range of consideration
that the Fund (or its respective Master
Fund) would be required to pay to
another unaffiliated entity in connection
with the same services or transactions;
and (iii) does not involve overreaching
on the part of any person concerned.
This condition does not apply with
respect to any services or transactions
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71759
between a Fund (or its respective Master
Fund) and its investment adviser(s), or
any person controlling, controlled by or
under common control with such
investment adviser(s).
11. The Purchasing Fund Adviser, or
trustee (‘‘Trustee’’) or Sponsor, as
applicable, will waive fees otherwise
payable to it by the Purchasing Fund in
an amount at least equal to any
compensation (including fees received
pursuant to any plan adopted by a Fund
(or its respective Master Fund) under
rule 12b–1 under the Act) received from
a Fund (or its respective Master Fund)
by the Purchasing Fund Adviser, or
Trustee or Sponsor, or an affiliated
person of the Purchasing Fund Adviser,
or Trustee or Sponsor, other than any
advisory fees paid to the Purchasing
Fund Adviser, or Trustee, or Sponsor, or
its affiliated person by the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund), in connection
with the investment by the Purchasing
Fund in the Fund. Any Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser will waive fees
otherwise payable to the Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser, directly or
indirectly, by the Purchasing
Management Company in an amount at
least equal to any compensation
received from a Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) by the Purchasing Fund
Sub-Adviser, or an affiliated person of
the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser, other
than any advisory fees paid to the
Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser or its
affiliated person by the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund), in connection
with any investment by the Purchasing
Management Company in the Fund
made at the direction of the Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser. In the event that the
Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser waives
fees, the benefit of the waiver will be
passed through to the Purchasing
Management Company.
12. No Purchasing Fund or
Purchasing Fund Affiliate (except to the
extent it is acting in its capacity as an
investment adviser to a Fund (or its
respective Master Fund)) will cause a
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) to
purchase a security in an Affiliated
Underwriting.
13. The Board of the Fund (or of its
respective Master Fund), including a
majority of the disinterested Board
members, will adopt procedures
reasonably designed to monitor any
purchases of securities by the Fund (or
its respective Master Fund) in an
Affiliated Underwriting, once an
investment by a Purchasing Fund in the
securities of the Fund exceeds the limit
of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
including any purchases made directly
from an Underwriting Affiliate. The
Board will review these purchases
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periodically, but no less frequently than
annually, to determine whether the
purchases were influenced by the
investment by the Purchasing Fund in
the Fund. The Board will consider,
among other things: (i) Whether the
purchases were consistent with the
investment objectives and policies of
the Fund (or its respective Master
Fund); (ii) how the performance of
securities purchased in an Affiliated
Underwriting compares to the
performance of comparable securities
purchased during a comparable period
of time in underwritings other than
Affiliated Underwritings or to a
benchmark such as a comparable market
index; and (iii) whether the amount of
securities purchased by the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) in Affiliated
Underwritings and the amount
purchased directly from an
Underwriting Affiliate have changed
significantly from prior years. The
Board will take any appropriate actions
based on its review, including, if
appropriate, the institution of
procedures designed to assure that
purchases of securities in Affiliated
Underwritings are in the best interest of
shareholders.
14. Each Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) will maintain and
preserve permanently in an easily
accessible place a written copy of the
procedures described in the preceding
condition, and any modifications to
such procedures, and will maintain and
preserve for a period of not less than six
years from the end of the fiscal year in
which any purchase in an Affiliated
Underwriting occurred, the first two
years in an easily accessible place, a
written record of each purchase of
securities in Affiliated Underwritings,
once an investment by a Purchasing
Fund in the securities of the Fund
exceeds the limit of section
12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, setting forth
from whom the securities were
acquired, the identity of the
underwriting syndicate’s members, the
terms of the purchase, and the
information or materials upon which
the Board’s determinations were made.
15. Before investing in a Fund in
excess of the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A), a Purchasing Fund will
execute a FOF Participation Agreement
with the Fund stating that their
respective boards of directors or trustees
and their investment advisers, or trustee
and Sponsor, as applicable, understand
the terms and conditions of the order,
and agree to fulfill their responsibilities
under the order. At the time of its
investment in shares of a Fund in excess
of the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), a
Purchasing Fund will notify the Fund of
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:30 Nov 23, 2010
Jkt 223001
the investment. At such time, the
Purchasing Fund will also transmit to
the Fund a list of the names of each
Purchasing Fund Affiliate and
Underwriting Affiliate. The Purchasing
Fund will notify the Fund of any
changes to the list of the names as soon
as reasonably practicable after a change
occurs. The Fund and the Purchasing
Fund will maintain and preserve a copy
of the order, the FOF Participation
Agreement, and the list with any
updated information for the duration of
the investment and for a period of not
less than six years thereafter, the first
two years in an easily accessible place.
16. Before approving any advisory
contract under section 15 of the Act, the
board of directors or trustees of each
Purchasing Management Company,
including a majority of the disinterested
directors or trustees, will find that the
advisory fees charged under such
contract are based on services provided
that will be in addition to, rather than
duplicative of, the services provided
under the advisory contract(s) of any
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) in
which the Purchasing Management
Company may invest. These findings
and their basis will be recorded fully in
the minute books of the appropriate
Purchasing Management Company.
17. Any sales charges and/or service
fees charged with respect to shares of a
Purchasing Fund will not exceed the
limits applicable to a fund of funds as
set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
18. No Fund (or its respective Master
Fund) will acquire securities of any
investment company or company
relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of
the Act in excess of the limits contained
in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except
to the extent that (i) the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) acquires
securities of another investment
company pursuant to exemptive relief
from the Commission permitting the
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) to
acquire securities of one or more
investment companies for short-term
cash management purposes, or (ii) the
Fund acquires securities of the Master
Fund pursuant to the Master-Feeder
Relief.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Investment Management, under delegated
authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–29588 Filed 11–23–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–63329; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2010–86]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Approval of
Proposed Rule Change Relating to the
Listing and Trading of Shares of the
Peritus High Yield ETF
November 17, 2010.
I. Introduction
On September 23, 2010, NYSE Arca,
Inc. (‘‘NYSE Arca’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) 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 Peritus High Yield ETF (‘‘Fund’’).
The proposed rule change was
published for comment in the Federal
Register on October 13, 2010.3 The
Commission received no comments on
the proposal. This order grants approval
of the proposed rule change.
II. Description of the Proposal
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade the Shares pursuant to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600, which governs the
listing and trading of Managed Fund
Shares.4 The Shares will be offered by
AdvisorShares Trust (‘‘Trust’’), a
statutory trust organized under the laws
of the State of Delaware and registered
with the Commission as an open-end
management investment company.5 The
investment advisor to the Fund is
AdvisorShares Investments, LLC
(‘‘Advisor’’), and Peritus I Asset
Management, LLC is the Fund’s subadvisor (‘‘Peritus’’ or ‘‘Sub-Advisor’’).6
1 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 63041
(October 5, 2010), 75 FR 62905 (‘‘Notice’’).
4 A Managed Fund Share is a security that, among
other things, represents an interest in an investment
company registered under the Investment Company
Act of 1940 (‘‘1940 Act’’) organized as an open-end
investment company or similar entity that invests
in a portfolio of securities selected by its investment
advisor consistent with its investment objectives
and policies. See NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600(c)(1).
5 The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On
May 11, 2010, the Trust filed with the Commission
Post-Effective Amendment No. 6 to Form N–1A
relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333–157876 and
811–22110) (‘‘Registration Statement’’).
6 The Exchange represents that the Advisor and
Sub-Advisor are not affiliated with a broker-dealer.
See Commentary .06 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600 (requiring that, if the investment adviser is
affiliated with a broker-dealer, the investment
adviser erect a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the investment
adviser and the broker-dealer with respect to access
to information concerning the composition and/or
changes to the portfolio).
2 17
E:\FR\FM\24NON1.SGM
24NON1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71753-71760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29588]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Investment Company Act Release No. 29499; 812-13487]
SSgA Funds Management, Inc., et al.; Notice of Application
November 17, 2010.
AGENCY: Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'').
ACTION: Notice of an application for an order under section 6(c) of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Act'') for an exemption from sections
2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the
Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act for an exemption from
sections 17(a)(1) and (a)(2) of the Act, and under section 12(d)(1)(J)
of the Act for an exemption from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the
Act.
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Applicants: SSgA Funds Management, Inc. (the ``Adviser''), State
Street Global Markets, LLC (the ``Distributor''), SPDR Series Trust and
SPDR Index Shares Funds (each a ``Trust'' and together the ``Trusts'').
Summary of Application: Applicants request an order that permits: (a)
Series of certain open-end management investment companies to issue
shares (``Shares'') redeemable in large aggregations only (``Creation
Units''); (b) secondary market transactions in Shares to occur at
negotiated market prices; (c) certain series to pay redemption
proceeds, under certain circumstances, more than seven days from the
tender of Shares for redemption; (d) certain affiliated persons of the
series to deposit securities into, and receive securities from, the
series in connection with the purchase and redemption of Creation
Units; (e) certain registered management investment companies and unit
investment trusts outside of the same group of investment companies as
the series to acquire Shares; and (f) certain series to perform
creations and redemptions of Shares in-kind in a master-feeder
structure.
Filing Dates: The application was filed on January 31, 2008, and
amended on May 21, 2008, December 2, 2008, September 3, 2009, July 16,
2010, and November 17, 2010.
Hearing or Notification of Hearing: An order granting the requested
relief will be issued unless the Commission orders a hearing.
Interested persons may request a hearing by writing to the Commission's
Secretary and serving applicants with a copy of the request, personally
or by mail. Hearing requests should be received by the Commission by
5:30 p.m. on December 10, 2010, and should be accompanied by proof of
service on applicants, in the form of an affidavit or, for lawyers, a
certificate of service. Hearing requests should state the nature of the
writer's interest, the reason for the request, and the issues
contested. Persons who wish to be notified of a hearing may request
notification by writing to the Commission's Secretary.
ADDRESSES: Secretary, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090. Applicants, State Street
Financial Center, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Y. Greenlees, Senior
Counsel, at (202) 551-6879 or Mary Kay Frech, Branch Chief, at (202)
551-6821 (Division of Investment Management, Office of Investment
Company Regulation).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The following is a summary of the
application. The complete application may be obtained via the
Commission's Web site by searching for the file number, or an applicant
using the Company name box, at https://www.sec.gov/search/search.htm or
by calling (202) 551-8090.
Applicants' Representations:
1. Each Trust is a business trust organized under the laws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and registered under the Act as an open-
end management investment company. Each Trust is organized as a series
fund with multiple series.
2. The Adviser, a Massachusetts corporation, is registered as an
investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the
``Advisers Act'') and will be the investment adviser to the Funds. The
Adviser may retain sub-advisers (``Sub-Advisers''). Any Sub-Adviser
will be registered under the Advisers Act. The Distributor, a broker-
dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
``Exchange Act''), will serve as the principal underwriter and
distributor of each of the Funds.
3. Applicants are requesting relief to permit the Trusts to create
and operate certain actively managed investment portfolios of the
Trusts (``New Funds'') that offer Shares with limited redeemability
(``ETF Relief'') and to operate in a master-feeder structure.
Applicants request that the ETF Relief apply to future series of the
Trusts or of other open-end management companies that (a) Utilize
active management investment strategies, (b) are advised by the Adviser
or an entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with
the Adviser, and (c) comply with the terms and condition of the order
(``Future Funds''). The New Funds and Future Funds together are the
``Funds.'' Each Fund will operate as an exchanged-traded fund
(``ETF'').\1\
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\1\ All entities that currently intend to rely on the order are
named as applicants. Any other entity that relies on the order in
the future will comply with the terms and conditions of the
application. A Purchasing Fund (as defined below) may rely on the
requested order only to invest in the Funds and not in any other
registered investment company.
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[[Page 71754]]
4. Applicants also request that the order permit certain investment
companies registered under the Act to acquire Shares of Funds beyond
the limitations in section 12(d)(1)(A) and permit certain Funds, and
any principal underwriter for the Funds, and any broker or dealer
registered under the Exchange Act (``Brokers'') to sell Shares beyond
the limitations in section 12(d)(1)(B) (``Fund of Funds Relief'').
Applicants request that any exemption under section 12(d)(1)(J) from
sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) for Fund of Funds Relief apply to: (i) Any
registered investment company or unit investment trust that is
currently or subsequently part of the same ``group of investment
companies'' as the Funds within the meaning of section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii)
of the Act as well as any principal underwriter for the Funds and any
Brokers selling Shares of a Fund to a Purchasing Fund (as defined
below); and (ii) each management investment company or unit investment
trust registered under the Act that is not part of the same ``group of
investment companies'' as the Funds within the meaning of section
12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act and that enters into a FOF Participation
Agreement (as defined below) with a Fund (such management investment
companies are referred to as ``Purchasing Management Companies,'' such
unit investment trusts are referred to as ``Purchasing Trusts,'' and
Purchasing Management Companies and Purchasing Trusts are collectively
referred to as ``Purchasing Funds''). Purchasing Funds do not include
the Funds. This relief would not apply to any Fund that is, either
directly or through a master-feeder structure, acquiring securities of
any investment company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7)
of the Act in excess of the limits in section 12(d)(1)(A) of the
Act.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Applicants expect that the New Funds may rely on section
12(d)(1)(F) or (G) of the Act and, thus, would not be able to rely
on the Fund of Funds Relief. Nonetheless, it is anticipated that
certain Future Funds would rely on the requested Fund of Funds
Relief.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Applicants further request that the order permit the Funds to
acquire shares of other registered investment companies managed by the
Adviser having substantially the same investment objectives as the Fund
(``Master Funds'') beyond the limitation in section 12(d)(1)(A) and
permit the Master Funds, and any principal underwriter for the Master
Fund, to sell shares of the Master Funds to the Funds beyond the
limitations in section 12(d)(1)(B) (``Master-Feeder Relief'').
6. Each New Fund will attempt to achieve a specified investment
objective utilizing an active management strategy, rather than
attempting to replicate the performance of an index. It is currently
anticipated that the investment strategies of the New Funds will be
similar to existing ``target date'' mutual funds, and the New Funds
will seek to achieve their investment objectives by investing in ETFs
and other exchange traded products that are not registered under the
Act, which may or may not be sponsored or advised by the Adviser or one
of its affiliates (``Underlying ETPs''). The New Funds may invest in
Underlying ETPs either directly or through investment in a Master
Fund.\3\ Each Fund, or its respective Master Fund, may invest in
foreign and domestic equity securities, including depositary receipts
(``Depositary Receipts'') and shares of other investment companies, and
in foreign and domestic fixed income securities, including TBA
transactions, as described herein. Neither the New Funds nor any Future
Fund (or its respective Master Fund, if any) will invest in options
contracts, futures contracts or swap agreements.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Each Underlying ETP will trade on a Stock Exchange (as
defined below) and will calculate its net asset value per share
(``NAV'') each day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. It is currently anticipated that each New Fund will invest in a
Master Fund with a portfolio of Underlying ETPs instead of directly
holding Underlying ETP shares. Applicants have designed this master-
feeder structure because it is anticipated that, in addition to the New
Funds, other feeder funds will be created in the future and hold shares
of each respective Master Fund. Such other feeder funds could be
traditional mutual funds, the shares of which would be individually
redeemable, other exchange-traded funds, or other pooled investment
vehicles. Any traditional mutual fund feeder funds would also be series
of a separate and distinct registered investment company.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ There would be no ability to exchange Shares of the New
Funds for shares of any other feeder fund.
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8. The Future Funds may invest, either directly or through a Master
Fund, in equity securities (``Equity Funds'') or fixed income
securities (``Fixed Income Funds'') traded in the U.S. or non-U.S.
markets. Funds that invest, either directly or through a Master Fund,
in foreign equity and/or fixed income securities are ``Foreign Funds.''
Funds that invest, either directly or through a Master Fund, in foreign
and domestic equity securities are ``Global Equity Funds.'' Funds that
invest in foreign and domestic fixed income securities, either directly
or through a Master Fund, are ``Global Fixed Income Funds'' (and
together with the ``Global Equity Funds, ``Global Funds''). The term
``Domestic Funds'' includes any Equity Fund or Fixed Income Fund that
invests, either directly or through a Master Fund, in domestic equity
and/or fixed income securities.
9. Applicants anticipate that many, if not all of the Foreign Funds
will invest a significant portion of their assets in Depositary
Receipts representing foreign securities in which they seek to invest,
including American Depositary Receipts (``ADRs'') and Global Depositary
Receipts (``GDRs''). Depositary Receipts are typically issued by a
financial institution (``Depository'') and evidence ownership interests
in a security or a pool or securities (``Underlying Securities'') that
have been deposited with the Depository.\5\ A Fund will not invest in
any Depositary Receipts that the Adviser or Sub-Adviser deems to be
illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ With respect to ADRs, the Depository is typically a U.S.
financial institution and the Underlying Securities are issued by a
foreign issuer. The ADR is registered under the Securities Act of
1933 (``Securities Act'') on Form F-6. ADR trades occur either on a
Stock Exchange (as defined below) or off-exchange. FINRA Rule 6620
requires all off-exchange transactions in ADRs to be reported within
90 seconds and ADR trade reports to be disseminated on a real-time
basis. With respect to GDRs, the Depository may be a foreign or a
U.S. entity, and the Underlying Securities may have a foreign or a
U.S. issuer. All GDRs are sponsored and trade on a foreign exchange.
No affiliated persons of applicants or any Sub-Adviser will serve as
the depositary bank for any Depositary Receipts held by a Fund.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Shares of each Fund will be purchased from the Trusts only in
Creation Units. Creation Units will be separable upon issue into
individual Shares, which will be listed and traded at negotiated prices
on a national securities exchange as defined in section 2(a)(26) of the
Act (``Stock Exchange''). The Funds will issue Shares in Creation Units
of at least 50,000 Shares. Orders to purchase Creation Units may be
placed by or through an ``Authorized Participant,'' which is either (i)
a broker-dealer or other participant in the continuous net settlement
system of the National Securities Clearing Corporation, a clearing
agency registered with the Commission, or (ii) a participant in the
Depository Trust Company (``DTC''), which in either case has executed
an agreement with the Trust and the Distributor with respect to
creations and
[[Page 71755]]
redemptions of Creation Units (``Participant Agreement''). Shares of
each New Fund will be purchased in Creation Units in exchange for an
in-kind deposit by the purchaser of a particular portfolio of
securities (``Deposit Securities'') designated by the Adviser, together
with the deposit of a specified cash payment (``Cash Component,''
collectively with the Deposit Securities, ``Fund Deposit''). The Cash
Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of a
Creation Unit and the total aggregate market value per Creation Unit of
the Deposit Securities.\6\ A Fund may also permit, under certain
circumstances, an in-kind purchaser to substitute cash in lieu of
depositing some or all of the Deposit Securities.
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\6\ On each day that a Fund is open, including as required by
section 22(e) of the Act (``Business Day''), the Adviser will make
available prior to the opening of trading on the Stock Exchange a
list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit
Security to be included in the Fund Deposit for each Fund, along
with the prior day's Cash Component. The Stock Exchange will
disseminate, every 15 seconds during its regular trading hours,
through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association, the
estimated NAV of the Funds, which is an amount per Share
representing the sum of the estimated Cash Component effective
through and including the previous Business Day, plus the current
value of the Deposit Securities, on a per Share basis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Each Fund may impose a purchase or redemption transaction fee
(``Transaction Fee'') to protect existing shareholders from the
dilutive costs associated with the purchase or redemption of Creation
Units.\7\ The Distributor will deliver a confirmation and prospectus
(``Prospectus'') to the purchaser.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ Where a Fund permits a purchaser to substitute cash in lieu
of depositing a portion of the requisite Deposit Securities, the
purchaser may be assessed a higher Transaction Fee to offset the
cost to the Fund of purchasing such Deposit Securities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Purchasers of Shares in Creation Units may hold such Shares or
may sell such Shares into the secondary market. Shares will be listed
on the Stock Exchange and traded in the secondary market in the same
manner as other equity securities. One or more Market Makers (as
defined below) will be assigned to make continuous markets in Shares.
The price of Shares trading on a Stock Exchange will be based on a
current bid/offer market. Transactions involving the sale of Shares on
a Stock Exchange will be subject to customary brokerage commissions and
charges.
13. Applicants expect that purchasers of Creation Units will
include arbitrageurs and the lead market makers (``LMMs'') and/or
designated liquidity providers (together with LMMs, ``Market Makers'').
Applicants expect that secondary market purchasers of Shares will
include both institutional and retail investors.\8\ Applicants state
that arbitrage opportunities created by the ability to continually
purchase or redeem Creation Units at their NAV should ensure that the
Shares will not trade at a material discount or premium in relation to
their NAV.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Shares will be registered in book-entry form only. DTC or
its nominee will be the registered owner of all outstanding Shares.
Beneficial ownership of Shares will be shown on the records of DTC
or DTC participants (``DTC Participants'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Beneficial owners of Shares may sell their Shares in the
secondary market, but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a
Creation Unit in order to redeem through a Fund. Creation Units will be
redeemed in exchange for a portfolio of securities (``Redemption
Securities'') and specified cash amount \9\ as published in the
redemption basket. While Shares generally will be redeemed in Creation
Units in exchange for Redemption Securities, each Fund will have the
right to make redemption payments in cash, in kind or a combination of
each, provided the value of its redemption payments equals the NAV.\10\
To the extent that the Redemption Securities have a value greater than
the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, a cash payment equal to the
differential will be paid by the redeeming shareholder to the Trust.
Redemption of Shares in Creation Units will be subject to a Transaction
Fee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ In the case of a Fund that is part of a master-feeder
structure, the Fund will redeem shares from the appropriate master
portfolio and then deliver to the redeeming shareholder a portfolio
of Redemption Securities and specified cash amount as published in
the redemption basket.
\10\ The Funds may substitute a cash-in-lieu amount to replace
any Deposit Security or Redemption Security that is a to-be-
announced transaction (``TBA Transaction''). A TBA Transaction is a
method of trading mortgage-backed securities. In a TBA Transaction,
the buyer and seller agree upon general trade parameters such as
agency, settlement date, par amount and price. The actual pools
delivered generally are determined two days prior to the settlement
date. The amount of substituted cash in the case of TBA Transactions
will be equivalent to the value of the TBA Transaction listed as a
Deposit Security or Redemption Security.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Applicants state that each Fund must comply with the federal
securities laws in accepting Deposit Securities and satisfying
redemptions with Redemption Securities, including that the Redemption
Securities are sold in transactions that would be exempt from
registration under the Securities Act.\11\ The Deposit Securities and
Redemption Securities will consist of a pro rata basket of the
portfolio securities held by a Fund (``Fund Securities''), except for
certain minor differences that may exist for certain Fixed Income Funds
because it is impossible to break up bonds beyond certain minimum sizes
needed for transfer and settlement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ In accepting Deposit Securities and satisfying redemptions
with Redemption Securities that are restricted securities eligible
for resale pursuant to rule 144A under the Securities Act, each Fund
will comply with the conditions of rule 144A, including in
satisfying redemptions with such rule 144A eligible restricted
Redemption Securities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed
or otherwise held out as a traditional open-end investment company or a
mutual fund. Instead, each Fund will be marketed as an ``actively-
managed exchange-traded fund.'' \12\ All marketing materials that
describe the features or method of obtaining, buying or selling
Creation Units, or Shares traded on the Stock Exchange, or refer to
redeemability, will prominently disclose that Shares are not
individually redeemable shares and will disclose that the owners of
Shares may acquire those Shares from the Fund, or tender those Shares
for redemption to the Fund in Creation Units only. The same approach
will be followed in connection with shareholder reports and investor
educational materials issued or circulated in connection with the
Shares. The Funds will provide copies of its semi-annual and annual
shareholder reports to DTC Participants for distribution to beneficial
owners of Shares.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ As noted above, the Funds may operate in a master-feeder
structure. Under such circumstances, the Funds would operate, and
would be marketed, as ETFs. The respective Master Funds would
operate as mutual funds, but would not be publicly offered or
marketed. Applicants do not believe the master-feeder structure
would be confusing to investors because any additional feeder fund
that is a traditional mutual fund or other pooled investment vehicle
would be marketed separately. Applicants state that they will take
steps to ensure that investors will understand the differences
between the Funds and any feeder funds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
17. The Trust will maintain a Web site that will include each
Fund's Prospectus and other information about each Fund that is updated
on a daily basis, including the prior Business Day's NAV, closing
market price, reported midpoint of ``bid and ask'' at the time of
calculation of such NAV (``Bid/Ask Price''), and a calculation of the
premium or discount of such price against such NAV. Prior to the
opening of the Stock Exchange on each Business Day, a Trust will
disclose on its Web site the identities and quantities of the
securities and other assets held by each Fund, or its respective Master
Fund,\13\
[[Page 71756]]
that will form the basis of each Fund's NAV at the end of such Business
Day.\14\
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\13\ For Funds that are part of a master-feeder structure, the
Fund will disclose information about the securities and other assets
held by the Master Fund.
\14\ Under accounting procedures followed by the Funds, trades
made on the prior Business Day (``T'') will be booked and reflected
in NAV on the current Business Day (``T+1''). Accordingly, the Funds
will be able to disclose at the beginning of the Business Day the
portfolio that will form the basis for the NAV calculation at the
end of the Business Day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicants' Legal Analysis:
1. Applicants request an order under section 6(c) of the Act for an
exemption from sections 2(a)(32), 5(a)(1), 22(d) and 22(e) of the Act
and rule 22c-1 under the Act, under sections 6(c) and 17(b) of the Act
for an exemption from sections 17(a)(1) and 17(a)(2) of the Act, and
under section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act for an exemption from sections
12(d)(1)(A) and 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act.
2. Section 6(c) of the Act provides that the Commission may exempt
any person, security or transaction, or any class of persons,
securities or transactions, from any provision of the Act, if and to
the extent that such exemption is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest and consistent with the protection of investors and the
purposes fairly intended by the policy and provisions of the Act.
Section 17(b) of the Act authorizes the Commission to exempt a proposed
transaction from section 17(a) of the Act if evidence establishes that
the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid or
received, are reasonable and fair and do not involve overreaching on
the part of any person concerned, and the proposed transaction is
consistent with the policies of the registered investment company and
the general provisions of the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(J) of the Act
provides that the Commission may exempt any person, security, or
transaction, or any class or classes of persons, securities or
transactions, from any provision of section 12(d)(1) if the exemption
is consistent with the public interest and the protection of investors.
Sections 5(a)(1) and 2(a)(32) of the Act
3. Section 5(a)(1) of the Act defines an ``open-end company'' as a
management investment company that is offering for sale or has
outstanding any redeemable security of which it is the issuer. Section
2(a)(32) of the Act defines a redeemable security as any security,
other than short-term paper, under the terms of which the holder, upon
its presentation to the issuer, is entitled to receive approximately a
proportionate share of the issuer's current net assets, or the cash
equivalent. Because Shares will not be individually redeemable,
applicants request an order to permit the Trust to register as an open-
end management investment company and redeem Shares in Creation Units
only.\15\ Applicants state that investors may purchase Shares in
Creation Units and redeem Creation Units from each Fund. Applicants
further state that because the market price of Creation Units will be
disciplined by arbitrage opportunities, investors should be able to
sell Shares in the secondary market at prices that do vary
substantially from their NAV.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ The Master Funds will not require relief from sections
2(a)(32) and 5(a)(1) because the Master Funds will issue
individually redeemable securities.
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Section 22(d) of the Act and Rule 22c-1 Under the Act
4. Section 22(d) of the Act, among other things, prohibits a dealer
from selling a redeemable security, which is currently being offered to
the public by or through a principal underwriter, except at a current
public offering price described in the prospectus. Rule 22c-1 under the
Act generally requires that a dealer selling, redeeming, or
repurchasing a redeemable security do so only at a price based on its
NAV. Applicants state that secondary market trading in Shares will take
place at negotiated prices, rather than at the current offering price
described in the Prospectus, and not at a price based on NAV. Thus,
purchases and sales of Shares in the secondary market will not comply
with section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act. Applicants
request an exemption under section 6(c) from these provisions.
5. Applicants assert that the concerns sought to be addressed by
section 22(d) of the Act and rule 22c-1 under the Act with respect to
pricing are equally satisfied by the proposed method of pricing Shares.
Applicants maintain that while there is little legislative history
regarding section 22(d), its provisions, as well as those of rule 22c-
1, appear to have been designed to (a) Prevent dilution caused by
certain riskless-trading schemes by principal underwriters and contract
dealers, (b) prevent unjust discrimination or preferential treatment
among buyers resulting from sales at different prices, and (c) assure
an orderly distribution of investment company shares by eliminating
price competition from Brokers offering shares at less than the
published sales price and repurchasing shares at more than the
published redemption price.
6. Applicants believe that none of these purposes will be thwarted
by permitting Shares to trade in the secondary market at negotiated
prices. Applicants state that (a) secondary market trading in Shares
would not cause dilution of an investment in Shares because such
transactions do not involve the Funds as parties, and (b) to the extent
different prices exist during a given trading day, or from day to day,
such variances occur as a result of third-party market forces, such as
supply and demand. Therefore, applicants assert that secondary market
transactions in Shares will not lead to discrimination or preferential
treatment among purchasers. Finally, applicants contend that the
proposed distribution system will be orderly because arbitrage activity
should ensure that the difference between NAV and the market price of
Shares remains low.
Section 22(e)
7. Section 22(e) of the Act generally prohibits a registered
investment company from suspending the right of redemption or
postponing the date of payment of redemption proceeds for more than
seven days after the tender of a security for redemption. Applicants
observe that the settlement of redemptions of Creation Units of the
Foreign Funds is contingent not only on the settlement cycle of the
U.S. securities markets but also on the delivery cycles present in
foreign markets in which Foreign Funds, or their respective Master
Funds, may invest. Applicants have been advised that, under certain
circumstances, the delivery cycles for transferring Redemption
Securities to redeeming investors, coupled with local market holiday
schedules, will require a delivery process of up to 14 calendar days.
Applicants therefore request relief from section 22(e) in order to
provide payment or satisfaction of redemptions within the maximum
number of calendar days required for such payment or satisfaction in
the principal local markets where transactions in the Fund Securities
of each Foreign Fund, and any respective Master Fund, customarily clear
and settle, but in all cases no later than 14 days following the tender
of a Creation Unit.\16\
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\16\ Applicants acknowledge that no relief obtained from the
requirements of section 22(e) will affect any obligations that
applicants may otherwise have under rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange
Act. Rule 15c6-1 requires that most securities transactions be
settled within three business days of the trade date.
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8. Applicants submit that Congress adopted section 22(e) to prevent
unreasonable, undisclosed or unforeseen delays in the actual payment of
redemption proceeds. Applicants state that allowing in-kind redemption
payments for Creation Units of a Foreign Fund, and any respective
Master Fund, to be made within the number of days
[[Page 71757]]
indicated above would not be inconsistent with the spirit and intent of
section 22(e). Applicants state that each Foreign Fund's SAI will
disclose those local holidays (over the period of at least one year
following the date of the SAI), if any, that are expected to prevent
the delivery of in-kind redemption proceeds in seven calendar days and
the maximum number of days needed to deliver the proceeds for each
affected Foreign Fund. Applicants are not seeking relief from section
22(e) with respect to Foreign Funds effecting redemptions on a cash
basis.
9. If using a master-feeder structure, applicants will operate in
substantially the same manner. In the case of an in-kind redemption
from a Fund, the Fund would make a corresponding redemption from the
Master Fund. Applicants do not believe the master-feeder structure
would have any impact on the delivery cycle.
Section 12(d)(1)
10. Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act prohibits a registered
investment company from acquiring shares of an investment company if
the securities represent more than 3% of the total outstanding voting
stock of the acquired company, more than 5% of the total assets of the
acquiring company, or, together with the securities of any other
investment companies, more than 10% of the total assets of the
acquiring company. Section 12(d)(1)(B) of the Act prohibits a
registered open-end investment company, its principal underwriter, or
any other broker or dealer from selling its shares to another
investment company if the sale will cause the acquiring company to own
more than 3% of the acquired company's voting stock, or if the sale
will cause more than 10% of the acquired company's voting stock to be
owned by investment companies generally.
11. Applicants request relief to permit Purchasing Management
Companies and Purchasing Trusts registered under the Act that are not
sponsored or advised by the Adviser or any entity controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with the Adviser and are not
part of the same ``group of investment companies,'' as defined in
section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Act, as the Trusts, to acquire Shares of
a Fund beyond the limits of section 12(d)(1)(A) of the Act. Applicants
also seek an exemption to permit the Funds and/or a Broker to sell
Shares to Purchasing Funds beyond the limits of section 12(d)(1)(B).
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the requested order, each
Purchasing Fund will enter into a FOF Participation Agreement (as
defined below) with the relevant Fund.
12. Each Purchasing Management Company will be advised by an
investment adviser within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act
(``Purchasing Fund Adviser'') and may be sub-advised by investment
adviser(s) within the meaning of section 2(a)(20)(B) of the Act
(``Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser''). Any investment adviser to a
Purchasing Management Company will be registered as an investment
adviser or exempt from registration under the Advisers Act. Each
Purchasing Trust will have a sponsor (``Sponsor'').
13. Applicants assert that the proposed transactions will not lead
to any of the abuses that section 12(d)(1) was designed to prevent.
Applicants submit that the proposed conditions to the requested relief
address the concerns underlying the limits in section 12(d)(1), which
include concerns about undue influence, excessive layering of fees and
overly complex structures.
14. Applicants submit that their proposed conditions address any
concerns regarding the potential for undue influence. A Purchasing Fund
or Purchasing Fund Affiliate \17\ will not cause an investment in a
Fund to influence the terms of services or transactions between a
Purchasing Fund or a Purchasing Fund Affiliate and the Fund or Fund
Affiliate.\18\ A Purchasing Fund's Advisory Group or a Purchasing
Fund's Sub-Advisory Group will not control a Fund within the meaning of
section 2(a)(9) of the Act. A ``Purchasing Fund's Advisory Group'' is
the Purchasing Fund Adviser, or Sponsor, any person controlling,
controlled by or under common control with the Purchasing Fund Adviser
or Sponsor, and any investment company or issuer that would be an
investment company but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act, that
is advised or sponsored by the Purchasing Fund Adviser, the Sponsor, or
any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with the
Purchasing Fund Adviser or Sponsor. A ``Purchasing Fund's Sub-Advisory
Group'' is any Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser, any person controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with the Purchasing Fund Sub-
Adviser, and any investment company or issuer that would be an
investment company but for section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Act (or
portion of such investment company or issuer) advised or sponsored by
the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser or any person controlling, controlled
by or under common control with the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser.
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\17\ A ``Purchasing Fund Affiliate'' is defined as the
Purchasing Fund Adviser, Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser, Sponsor,
promoter and principal underwriter of a Purchasing Fund and any
person controlling, controlled by or under common control with any
of these entities.
\18\ A ``Fund Affiliate'' is defined as an investment adviser,
promoter or principal underwriter of a Fund, or its respective
Master Fund, and any person controlling, controlled by or under
common control with any of these entities.
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15. Applicants also propose a condition to ensure that no
Purchasing Fund or Purchasing Fund Affiliate will cause a Fund to
purchase a security from an Affiliated Underwriting. An ``Affiliated
Underwriting'' is an offering of securities during the existence of an
underwriting or selling syndicate of which a principal underwriter is
an Underwriting Affiliate. An ``Underwriting Affiliate'' is a principal
underwriter in any underwriting or selling syndicate that is an
officer, director, member of an advisory board, Purchasing Fund
Adviser, Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser, employee or Sponsor of the
Purchasing Fund, or a person of which any such officer, director,
member of an advisory board, Purchasing Fund Adviser, Purchasing Fund
Sub-Adviser, employee or Sponsor is an affiliated person, except any
person whose relationship to the Fund is covered by section 10(f) of
the Act is not an Underwriting Affiliate.
16. Applicants propose several conditions to address the potential
for layering of fees. Applicants note that the board of directors or
trustees of a Purchasing Management Company, including a majority of
the directors or trustees who are not ``interested persons'' within the
meaning of section 2(a)(19) of the Act (``disinterested directors or
trustees''), will be required to find that the advisory fees charged
under the contract are based on services provided that will be in
addition to, rather than duplicative of, services provided under the
advisory contract of any Fund in which the Purchasing Management
Company may invest. Applicants state that any sales charges and/or
service fees charged with respect to shares of a Purchasing Fund will
not exceed the limits applicable to a fund of funds set forth in NASD
Conduct Rule 2830.\19\
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\19\ Any references to NASD Conduct Rule 2830 include any
successor or replacement rule that may be adopted by the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority.
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17. Applicants submit that the proposed arrangement will not create
an overly complex fund structure. Applicants note that a Fund (and its
respective Master Fund) will be prohibited from acquiring securities of
[[Page 71758]]
any investment company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7)
of the Act in excess of the limits contained in section 12(d)(1)(A) of
the Act, except to the extent that (i) the Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) acquires securities of another investment company pursuant
to certain exemptive relief from the Commission, or (ii) the Fund
acquires shares of its respective Master Fund.
18. To ensure that a Purchasing Fund is aware of the terms and
conditions of the requested order, the Purchasing Fund must enter into
an agreement with the respective Fund (``FOF Participation
Agreement''). The FOF Participation Agreement will include an
acknowledgment from the Purchasing Fund that it may rely on the order
only to invest in the Funds (or other series of the Trusts) and not in
any other investment company.
19. Applicants also are seeking relief from sections 12(d)(1)(A)
and (B) of the Act to permit the Funds to perform creations and
redemptions of Shares in-kind in a master-feeder structure. Applicants
assert that this structure is substantially identical to traditional
master-feeder structures permitted pursuant to the exception provided
in section 12(d)(1)(E) of the Act. Section 12(d)(1)(E) provides that
the percentage limitations of sections 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) will not
apply to a security issued by an investment company (in this case, the
shares of the applicable master portfolio) if, among other things, that
security is the only investment security held by the Fund. Applicants
believe the proposed master-feeder structure complies with section
12(d)(1)(E) because each Fund will hold only investment securities
issued by its corresponding Master Fund; however, the Funds may receive
securities other than securities of its corresponding Master Fund if a
Fund accepts an in-kind creation. To the extent that a Fund may be
deemed to be holding both shares of the master portfolio and other
securities, applicants request relief from sections 12(d)(1)(A) and
(B). The Funds would operate in compliance with all other provisions of
section 12(d)(1)(E).
Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act
20. Sections 17(a)(1) and (2) of the Act generally prohibit an
affiliated person of a registered investment company, or an affiliated
person of such a person (``second tier affiliate''), from selling any
security to or purchasing any security from the company. Section
2(a)(3) of the Act defines ``affiliated person'' to include any person
directly or indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to
vote 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the other
person and any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled
by, or under common control with, the other person. Section 2(a)(9) of
the Act provides that a control relationship will be presumed where one
person owns more than 25% of another person's voting securities. The
Funds may be deemed to be controlled by the Adviser or an entity
controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser and
hence affiliated persons of each other. In addition, the Funds may be
deemed to be under common control with any other registered investment
company (or series thereof) advised by the Adviser or an entity
controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser (an
``Affiliated Fund'').
21. Applicants request an exemption from section 17(a) under
sections 6(c) and 17(b) to permit in-kind purchases and redemptions by
persons that are affiliated persons or second tier affiliates of the
Funds solely by virtue of one or more of the following: (i) Holding 5%
or more, or more than 25%, of the Shares of the Trust or one or more
Funds; (ii) an affiliation with a person with an ownership interest
described in (i); or (iii) holding 5% or more, or more than 25%, of the
shares of one or more Affiliated Funds. Applicants also request an
exemption in order to permit each Fund to sell Shares to and redeem
Shares from, and engage in the in-kind transactions that would
accompany such sales and redemptions with, any Purchasing Fund of which
the Fund is an affiliated person or a second tier affiliate.\20\
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\20\ Applicants state that although they believe that a
Purchasing Fund generally will purchase Shares in the secondary
market, a Purchasing Fund might seek to transact in Creation Units
directly with a Fund.
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22. Applicants contend that no useful purpose would be served by
prohibiting the affiliated persons described above from making in-kind
purchases or in-kind redemptions of Shares of a Fund in Creation Units.
The value of a Fund Deposit made by a purchaser or Redemption
Securities and corresponding Cash Component given to a redeeming
investor will be the same regardless of the investor's identity, and
will be valued under the same objective standards applied to valuing
the Fund Securities. The method of valuing Fund Securities held by a
Fund is the same as that used for calculating in-kind purchase or
redemption values. Therefore, applicants state that the in-kind
purchases and redemptions will afford no opportunity for the specified
affiliated persons of a Fund to effect a transaction detrimental to
other holders of Shares. Applicants do not believe that in-kind
purchases and redemptions will result in abusive self-dealing or
overreaching of the Fund.
23. Applicants also submit that the sale of Shares to and
redemption of Shares from a Purchasing Fund satisfies the standards for
relief under sections 17(b) and 6(c) of the Act. Any consideration paid
for the purchase or redemption of Shares directly from a Fund will be
based on the NAV of the Fund.\21\ The FOF Participation Agreement will
require any Purchasing Fund that purchases Shares directly from a Fund
to represent that its purchases are permitted under its investment
restrictions and consistent with the investment policies described in
its registration statement.
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\21\ Applicants acknowledge that the receipt of compensation by
(a) an affiliated person of a Purchasing Fund, or an affiliated
person of such person, for the purchase by the Purchasing Fund of
Shares or (b) an affiliated person of a Fund, or an affiliated
person of such person, for the sale by the Fund of its Shares to a
Purchasing Fund, may be prohibited by section 17(e)(1) of the Act.
The FOF Participation Agreement also will include this
acknowledgment.
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24. To the extent that a Fund operates in a master-feeder
structure, applicants also request relief permitting the Funds to
engage in in-kind creations and redemptions with the applicable master
portfolio. Applicants state that the customary section 17(a)(1) and
17(a)(2) relief would not be sufficient to permit such transactions
because the Funds and the applicable master portfolio could also be
affiliated by virtue of having the same investment adviser. However,
applicants believe that in-kind creations and redemptions between a
Fund and a master portfolio advised by the same investment adviser do
not involve ``overreaching'' by an affiliated person. Such transactions
will occur only at the Fund's proportionate share of the master
portfolio's net assets, and the distributed securities will be valued
in the same manner as they are valued for the purposes of calculating
the applicable master portfolio's NAV. Further, all such transactions
will be effected with respect to pre-determined securities and on the
same terms with respect to all investors. Finally, such transactions
would only occur as a result of, and to effectuate, a creation or
redemption transaction between the Fund and a third-party investor.
Applicants believe that the terms of the proposed transactions are
reasonable and fair and do not involve overreaching on the part of any
person concerned and that the transactions are consistent with the
general purposes of the Act.
Applicants' Conditions:
[[Page 71759]]
Applicants agree that any order of the Commission granting the
requested relief will be subject to the following conditions:
ETF Relief
1. As long as the Funds operate in reliance on the requested order,
the Shares of the Funds will be listed on a Stock Exchange.
2. Neither the Trust nor any Fund will be advertised or marketed as
an open-end investment company or a mutual fund. Any advertising
material that describes the purchase or sale of Creation Units or
refers to redeemability will prominently disclose that the Shares are
not individually redeemable and that owners of the Shares may acquire
those Shares from the Fund and tender those Shares for redemption to
the Fund in Creation Units only.
3. The Web site for the Funds, which is and will be publicly
accessible at no charge, will contain, on a per Share basis for each
Fund the prior Business Day's NAV and the market closing price or Bid/
Ask Price of the Shares, and a calculation of the premium or discount
of the market closing price or Bid/Ask Price of the Shares against such
NAV.
4. On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in Shares
on the Stock Exchange, the Fund (or its respective Master Fund) will
disclose on its Web site the identities and quantities of the Fund
Securities and other assets held by each Fund that will form the basis
for each Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of such Business Day.
5. The Adviser or Sub-Adviser, directly or indirectly, will not
cause any Authorized Participant (or any investor on whose behalf an
Authorized Participant may transact with the Fund) to acquire any
Deposit Security for the Fund through a transaction in which the Fund
could not engage directly.
6. The requested relief, other than the section 12(d)(1) relief and
the section 17 relief related to a master-feeder structure, will expire
on the effective date of any Commission rule under the Act that
provides relief permitting the operation of actively-managed exchange-
traded funds.
Fund of Funds Relief
7. The members of the Purchasing Fund's Advisory Group will not
control (individually or in the aggregate) a Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. The
members of the Purchasing Fund's Sub-Advisory Group will not control
(individually or in the aggregate) a Fund (or its respective Master
Fund) within the meaning of section 2(a)(9) of the Act. If, as a result
of a decrease in the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, the
Purchasing Fund's Advisory Group or the Purchasing Fund's Sub-Advisory
Group, each in the aggregate, becomes a holder of more than 25 percent
of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund, it will vote its Shares
of the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of
the Fund's Shares. This condition does not apply to the Purchasing
Fund's Sub-Advisory Group with respect to a Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) for which the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser or a person
controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Purchasing
Fund Sub-Adviser acts as the investment adviser within the meaning of
section 2(a)(20)(A) of the Act.
8. No Purchasing Fund or Purchasing Fund Affiliate will cause any
existing or potential investment by the Purchasing Fund in a Fund to
influence the terms of any services or transactions between the
Purchasing Fund or a Purchasing Fund Affiliate and the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) or a Fund Affiliate.
9. The board of directors or trustees of a Purchasing Management
Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or
trustees, will adopt procedures reasonably designed to assure that the
Purchasing Fund Adviser and any Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser are
conducting the investment program of the Purchasing Management Company
without taking into account any consideration received by the
Purchasing Management Company or a Purchasing Fund Affiliate from a
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) or a Fund Affiliate in connection
with any services or transactions.
10. Once an investment by a Purchasing Fund in the securities of a
Fund exceeds the limit in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, the board
of trustees of a Fund (``Board'') (or of its respective Master Fund),
including a majority of the disinterested Board members, will determine
that any consideration paid by the Fund (or its respective Master Fund)
to the Purchasing Fund or a Purchasing Fund Affiliate in connection
with any services or transactions: (i) Is fair and reasonable in
relation to the nature and quality of the services and benefits
received by the Fund (or its respective Master Fund); (ii) is within
the range of consideration that the Fund (or its respective Master
Fund) would be required to pay to another unaffiliated entity in
connection with the same services or transactions; and (iii) does not
involve overreaching on the part of any person concerned. This
condition does not apply with respect to any services or transactions
between a Fund (or its respective Master Fund) and its investment
adviser(s), or any person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with such investment adviser(s).
11. The Purchasing Fund Adviser, or trustee (``Trustee'') or
Sponsor, as applicable, will waive fees otherwise payable to it by the
Purchasing Fund in an amount at least equal to any compensation
(including fees received pursuant to any plan adopted by a Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) under rule 12b-1 under the Act) received from a
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) by the Purchasing Fund Adviser, or
Trustee or Sponsor, or an affiliated person of the Purchasing Fund
Adviser, or Trustee or Sponsor, other than any advisory fees paid to
the Purchasing Fund Adviser, or Trustee, or Sponsor, or its affiliated
person by the Fund (or its respective Master Fund), in connection with
the investment by the Purchasing Fund in the Fund. Any Purchasing Fund
Sub-Adviser will waive fees otherwise payable to the Purchasing Fund
Sub-Adviser, directly or indirectly, by the Purchasing Management
Company in an amount at least equal to any compensation received from a
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) by the Purchasing Fund Sub-
Adviser, or an affiliated person of the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser,
other than any advisory fees paid to the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser or
its affiliated person by the Fund (or its respective Master Fund), in
connection with any investment by the Purchasing Management Company in
the Fund made at the direction of the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser. In
the event that the Purchasing Fund Sub-Adviser waives fees, the benefit
of the waiver will be passed through to the Purchasing Management
Company.
12. No Purchasing Fund or Purchasing Fund Affiliate (except to the
extent it is acting in its capacity as an investment adviser to a Fund
(or its respective Master Fund)) will cause a Fund (or its respective
Master Fund) to purchase a security in an Affiliated Underwriting.
13. The Board of the Fund (or of its respective Master Fund),
including a majority of the disinterested Board members, will adopt
procedures reasonably designed to monitor any purchases of securities
by the Fund (or its respective Master Fund) in an Affiliated
Underwriting, once an investment by a Purchasing Fund in the securities
of the Fund exceeds the limit of section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act,
including any purchases made directly from an Underwriting Affiliate.
The Board will review these purchases
[[Page 71760]]
periodically, but no less frequently than annually, to determine
whether the purchases were influenced by the investment by the
Purchasing Fund in the Fund. The Board will consider, among other
things: (i) Whether the purchases were consistent with the investment
objectives and policies of the Fund (or its respective Master Fund);
(ii) how the performance of securities purchased in an Affiliated
Underwriting compares to the performance of comparable securities
purchased during a comparable period of time in underwritings other
than Affiliated Underwritings or to a benchmark such as a comparable
market index; and (iii) whether the amount of securities purchased by
the Fund (or its respective Master Fund) in Affiliated Underwritings
and the amount purchased directly from an Underwriting Affiliate have
changed significantly from prior years. The Board will take any
appropriate actions based on its review, including, if appropriate, the
institution of procedures designed to assure that purchases of
securities in Affiliated Underwritings are in the best interest of
shareholders.
14. Each Fund (or its respective Master Fund) will maintain and
preserve permanently in an easily accessible place a written copy of
the procedures described in the preceding condition, and any
modifications to such procedures, and will maintain and preserve for a
period of not less than six years from the end of the fiscal year in
which any purchase in an Affiliated Underwriting occurred, the first
two years in an easily accessible place, a written record of each
purchase of securities in Affiliated Underwritings, once an investment
by a Purchasing Fund in the securities of the Fund exceeds the limit of
section 12(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, setting forth from whom the
securities were acquired, the identity of the underwriting syndicate's
members, the terms of the purchase, and the information or materials
upon which the Board's determinations were made.
15. Before investing in a Fund in excess of the limit in section
12(d)(1)(A), a Purchasing Fund will execute a FOF Participation
Agreement with the Fund stating that their respective boards of
directors or trustees and their investment advisers, or trustee and
Sponsor, as applicable, understand the terms and conditions of the
order, and agree to fulfill their responsibilities under the order. At
the time of its investment in shares of a Fund in excess of the limit
in section 12(d)(1)(A)(i), a Purchasing Fund will notify the Fund of
the investment. At such time, the Purchasing Fund will also transmit to
the Fund a list of the names of each Purchasing Fund Affiliate and
Underwriting Affiliate. The Purchasing Fund will notify the Fund of any
changes to the list of the names as soon as reasonably practicable
after a change occurs. The Fund and the Purchasing Fund will maintain
and preserve a copy of the order, the FOF Participation Agreement, and
the list with any updated information for the duration of the
investment and for a period of not less than six years thereafter, the
first two years in an easily accessible place.
16. Before approving any advisory contract under section 15 of the
Act, the board of directors or trustees of each Purchasing Management
Company, including a majority of the disinterested directors or
trustees, will find that the advisory fees charged under such contract
are based on services provided that will be in addition to, rather than
duplicative of, the services provided under the advisory contract(s) of
any Fund (or its respective Master Fund) in which the Purchasing
Management Company may invest. These findings and their basis will be
recorded fully in the minute books of the appropriate Purchasing
Management Company.
17. Any sales charges and/or service fees charged with respect to
shares of a Purchasing Fund will not exceed the limits applicable to a
fund of funds as set forth in NASD Conduct Rule 2830.
18. No Fund (or its respective Master Fund) will acquire securities
of any investment company or company relying on section 3(c)(1) or
3(c)(7) of the Act in excess of the limits contained in section
12(d)(1)(A) of the Act, except to the extent that (i) the Fund (or its
respective Master Fund) acquires securities of another investment
company pursuant to exemptive relief from the Commission permitting the
Fund (or its respective Master Fund) to acquire securities of one or
more investment companies for short-term cash management purposes, or
(ii) the Fund acquires securities of the Master Fund pursuant to the
Master-Feeder Relief.
For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management,
under delegated authority.
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-29588 Filed 11-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P