Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing and Trading Shares of the SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield Municipal Bond ETF, 805-807 [2010-33362]
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BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–63624; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2010–120]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed
Rule Change Relating to Listing and
Trading Shares of the SPDR Nuveen
S&P High Yield Municipal Bond ETF
December 30, 2010.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that, on December
21, 2010, NYSE Arca, Inc. (‘‘Exchange’’
or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule
change as described in Items I and II
below, which Items have been prepared
by the Exchange. The Commission is
publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change
from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares of the SPDR Nuveen S&P
High Yield Municipal Bond ETF under
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3),
Commentary .02. The text of the
proposed rule change is available at the
Exchange, the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, and https://
www.nyse.com.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
1 15
2 17
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
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15:07 Jan 05, 2011
Jkt 223001
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) of the following
series of the SPDR Series Trust (‘‘Trust’’)
under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3),
Commentary .02, which governs the
listing and trading of Investment
Company Units (‘‘Units’’), based on the
S&P Municipal Yield Index (‘‘Index’’):
SPDR Nuveen S&P HighYield Municipal
Bond ETF (‘‘Fund’’ or ‘‘ETF’’).3
The SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield
Municipal Bond ETF 4 seeks to provide
investment results that, before fees and
expenses, correspond generally to the
price and yield performance of the
Index, which tracks the U.S. municipal
bond market, and to provide income
that is exempt from regular federal
income taxes.5
3 The Commission has previously approved
listing and trading of Units based on certain fixed
income indexes. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act
Release No. 48662 (October 20, 2003), 68 FR 61535
(October 28, 2003) (SR–PCX–2003–41) (approving
listing and trading pursuant to unlisted trading
privileges (‘‘UTP’’) of fixed income funds and the
UTP trading of certain iShares® fixed income
funds). In addition, the Commission has approved
NYSE Arca generic listing rules for Units based on
a fixed income index in Securities Exchange Act
Release No. 55783 (May 17, 2007), 72 FR 29194
(May 24, 2007) (SR–NYSEArca–2007–36). The
Commission has approved pursuant to Section
19(b)(2) of the Exchange Act the listing on the
American Stock Exchange (‘‘Amex’’) of exchange
traded funds based on fixed income indexes. See,
e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No. 48534
(September 24, 2003), 68 FR 56353 (September 30,
2003) (SR–Amex–2003–75) (order approving listing
on Amex of eight series of iShares Lehman Bond
Funds). In addition, the Commission has approved
two actively managed funds of the PIMCO ETF
Trust that hold municipal bonds. See Securities
Exchange Act Release No. 60981 (August 27, 2009)
(SR–NYSEArca–2009–79) (order approving PIMCO
Short-Term Municipal Bond Strategy Fund and
PIMCO Intermediate Municipal Bond Strategy
Fund, among others).
4 Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC is the
Index Sponsor with respect to the Index. The Index
Sponsor is not affiliated with a broker-dealer and
has implemented procedures designed to prevent
the use and dissemination of material, non-public
information regarding the Index.
5 See the Trust’s registration statement on Form
N–1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C.
77a) and the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15
U.S.C. 80a), dated February 22, 2010 (File No. 333–
57793 and 811–08839) (‘‘Registration Statement’’).
The description of the operation of the Trust and
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805
The Exchange is submitting this
proposed rule change because the Index
for the Fund does not meet all of the
‘‘generic’’ listing requirements of
Commentary .02(a)(2) to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) applicable to
listing of Units based on U.S. indexes.
The Index meets all such requirements
except for those set forth in
Commentary .02(a)(2).6 Specifically, as
of December 20, 2010, 26.47% of the
weight of the Index components have a
minimum principal amount outstanding
of $100 million or more.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Index is designed to
measure the performance of high yield
municipal bonds issued by U.S. states
and territories or local governments or
agencies, such that interest on the
securities is exempt from U.S. federal
income tax, but may be subject to the
alternative minimum tax and to state
and local income taxes. High yield
securities are generally rated below
investment grade and are commonly
referred to as ‘‘junk bonds.’’ The Index
is a sub-set of the Standard & Poor’s/
Investortools Municipal Bond Index and
the Standard & Poor’s/Investortools
High Yield Bond Index and includes
publicly issued U.S. dollar
denominated, fixed rate, municipal
bonds that have a remaining maturity of
at least one year.
The Index consists of categories of
bonds in the following proportions: (i)
70% of the Index constituents are
components of the Standard & Poor’s/
Investortools High Yield Bond Index,
which are non-rated or are rated below
investment grade; (ii) 20% of the Index
constituents are components of the
Standard & Poor’s/Investortools Bond
Index that are rated Baa3, Baa2, or Baa1
by Moody’s Investors Service, or BBB-,
BBB, or BBB+ by Standard and Poor’s or
Fitch; and (iii) 10% of the Index
constituents are components of the
Standard & Poor’s/Investortools Bond
Index that are rated A3, A2, or A1 by
Moody’s Investor Services, or A-, A, or
A+ by Standard & Poor’s or Fitch. Bonds
that have been escrowed will not be
included in the Index. Prerefunded
bonds will not be included in the Index.
Where the ratings assigned by the
agencies are not consistent, the Index
will use the middle rating if three
ratings are available, and the lower of
the Fund herein is based on the Registration
Statement.
6 Commentary .02(a)(2) to NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 5.2(j)(3) provides that components that in the
aggregate account for at least 75% of the weight of
the index or portfolio each shall have a minimum
principal amount outstanding of $100 million or
more.
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 4 / Thursday, January 6, 2011 / Notices
two ratings if only two ratings are
available.7
As of December 20, 2010, there were
approximately 21,141 issues included in
the Index.
The Exchange represents that: (1)
Except for Commentary .02(a)(2) to
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), the
Shares of the Fund currently satisfy all
of the generic listing standards under
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3); (2)
the continued listing standards under
NYSE Arca Equities Rules 5.2(j)(3) and
5.5(g)(2) applicable to Units shall apply
to the Shares; and (3) the Trust is
required to comply with Rule 10A–3 8
under the Exchange Act for the initial
and continued listing of the Shares. In
addition, the Exchange represents that
the Shares will comply with all other
requirements applicable to Units
including, but not limited to,
requirements relating to the
dissemination of key information such
as the value of the Index and Intraday
Indicative Value, rules governing the
trading of equity securities, trading
hours, trading halts, surveillance, and
the Information Bulletin to ETP Holders,
as set forth in Exchange rules applicable
to Units and prior Commission orders
approving the generic listing rules
applicable to the listing and trading of
Units.9
As of December 20, 2010, there were
approximately 21,141 issues included in
the Index and 46.47% of the weight of
the Index components was comprised of
individual maturities that were part of
an entire municipal bond offering with
a minimum original principal amount
outstanding of $100 million or more for
all maturities of the offering. In
addition, the total dollar amount
outstanding of issues in the Index was
approximately $532.82 billion and the
average dollar amount outstanding of
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
7 The
Standard & Poor’s/Investortools Municipal
Bond Index is composed of bonds held by managed
municipal bond fund customers of Standard &
Poor’s Securities Pricing, Inc. that are priced daily.
Index calculations are provided by Investortools,
Inc. Only bonds with total outstanding amounts of
$2,000,000 or more qualify for inclusion. The
Standard and Poor’s/Investortools Municipal Bond
High Yield Index is comprised of all bonds in the
Standard and Poor’s/Investortools Municipal Bond
Index that are non-rated or whose ratings are BB+
S&P and/or BA–1 Moody’s or lower. This index
does not contain bonds that are prerefunded or are
escrowed to maturity.
8 17 CFR 240.10A–3.
9 See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos.
55783 (May 17, 2007), 72 FR 29194 (May 24, 2007)
(SR–NYSEArca–2007–36) (order approving NYSE
Arca generic listing standards for Units based on a
fixed income index); 44551 (July 12, 2001), 66 FR
37716 (July 19, 2001) (SR–PCX–2001–14) (order
approving generic listing standards for Units and
Portfolio Depositary Receipts); 41983 (October 6,
1999), 64 FR 56008 (October 15, 1999) (SR–PCX–
98–29) (order approving rules for listing and trading
of Units).
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15:07 Jan 05, 2011
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issues in the Index was approximately
$25.22 million. Further, the most
heavily weighted component represents
0.86% of the weight of the Index and
the five most heavily weighted
components represent 2.52% of the
weight of the Index.10 Therefore, the
Exchange believes that, notwithstanding
that the Index does not satisfy the
criterion in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3), Commentary .02(a)(2), the
Index is sufficiently broad-based to
deter potential manipulation, given that
the Index is comprised of approximately
21,141 issues. In addition, the Index
securities are sufficiently liquid to deter
potential manipulation in that a
substantial portion (46.47%) of the
Index weight is comprised of maturities
that are part of a minimum original
principal amount outstanding of $100
million or more; and in view of the
substantial total dollar amount
outstanding and the average dollar
amount outstanding of Index issues, as
referenced above.
Detailed descriptions of the Fund, the
Index, procedures for creating and
redeeming Shares, transaction fees and
expenses, dividends, distributions,
taxes, risks, and reports to be distributed
to beneficial owners of the Shares can
be found in the Registration Statement
or on the Web site for the Fund (https://
www.spdr.com), as applicable.
Commentary .02 thereto are intended to
protect investors and the public interest.
2. Statutory Basis
IV. Solicitation of Comments
The basis under the Exchange Act for
this proposed rule change is the
requirement under Section 6(b)(5) 11
that an exchange have rules that are
designed to prevent fraudulent and
manipulative acts and practices, to
promote just and equitable principles of
trade, to remove impediments to, and
perfect the mechanism of a free and
open market and, in general, to protect
investors and the public interest. The
Exchange believes that the proposed
rule change will facilitate the listing and
trading of an additional type of
exchange-traded product that will
enhance competition among market
participants, to the benefit of investors
and the marketplace. In addition, the
listing and trading criteria set forth in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) and
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing,
including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act.
Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
10 Commentary .02(a)(4) to NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 5.2(j)(3) provides that no component fixedincome security (excluding Treasury Securities and
GSE Securities) shall represent more than 30% of
the weight of the index or portfolio, and the five
most heavily weighted component fixed-income
securities in the index or portfolio shall not in the
aggregate account for more than 65% of the weight
of the index or portfolio.
11 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal
Register or within such longer period
up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may
designate if it finds such longer period
to be appropriate and publishes its
reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which
the self-regulatory organization
consents, the Commission will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove
the proposed rule change, or
(B) Institute proceedings to determine
whether the proposed rule change
should be disapproved.
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an e-mail to rulecomments@sec.gov. Please include File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2010–120 on
the subject line.
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary,
Securities and Exchange Commission,
100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC
20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2010–120. This
file number should be included on the
subject line if e-mail is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 4 / Thursday, January 6, 2011 / Notices
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090 on official
business days between 10 a.m. and 3
p.m. Copies of the filing will also be
available for inspection and copying at
the Exchange’s principal office. All
comments received will be posted
without change; the Commission does
not edit personal identifying
information from submissions. You
should submit only information that
you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2010–120 and
should be submitted on or before
January 27, 2011.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.12
Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010–33362 Filed 1–5–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–63625; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2010–119]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed
Rule Change To List and Trade Shares
of the Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund
Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.200
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
December 30, 2010.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that, on December
20, 2010, NYSE Arca, Inc. (the
‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed with
the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I and II below, which Items have
been prepared by the self-regulatory
organization. The Commission is
publishing this notice to solicit
12 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
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15:07 Jan 05, 2011
Jkt 223001
comments on the proposed rule change
from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares of the Teucrium WTI Crude
Oil Fund under NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.200. The text of the proposed
rule change is available at the Exchange,
the Commission’s Public Reference
Room, and https://www.nyse.com.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.200,
Commentary .02 permits the trading of
Trust Issued Receipts (‘‘TIRs’’) either by
listing or pursuant to unlisted trading
privileges (‘‘UTP’’).3 The Exchange
proposes to list and trade shares
(‘‘Shares’’) of the Teucrium WTI Crude
Oil Fund (the ‘‘Fund’’) pursuant to NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 8.200.
The Exchange notes that the
Commission has previously approved
the listing and trading of other issues of
Trust Issued Receipts on the American
Stock Exchange LLC,4 trading on NYSE
Arca pursuant to unlisted trading
privileges (‘‘UTP’’),5 and listing on NYSE
Arca.6 Among these is the Teucrium
3 Commentary .02 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.200 applies to TIRs that invest in ‘‘Financial
Instruments.’’ The term ‘‘Financial Instruments,’’ as
defined in Commentary .02(b)(4) to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.200, means any combination of
investments, including cash; securities; options on
securities and indices; futures contracts; options on
futures contracts; forward contracts; equity caps,
collars and floors; and swap agreements.
4 See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No.
58161 (July 15, 2008), 73 FR 42380 (July 21, 2008)
(SR–Amex–2008–39).
5 See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No.
58163 (July 15, 2008), 73 FR 42391 (July 21, 2008)
(SR–NYSEArca–2008–73).
6 See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No.
58457 (September 3, 2008), 73 FR 52711 (September
10, 2008) (SR–NYSEArca–2008–91).
PO 00000
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807
Corn Fund, a series of the Teucrium
Commodity Trust (‘‘Trust’’).7 In addition,
the Commission has approved other
exchange-traded fund-like products
linked to the performance of underlying
commodities.8
The Shares represent beneficial
ownership interests in the Fund, as
described in the Registration Statement
for the Fund.9 The Fund is a commodity
pool that is a series of the Trust, a
Delaware statutory trust. The Fund is
managed and controlled by Teucrium
Trading, LLC (‘‘Sponsor’’). The Sponsor
is a Delaware limited liability company
that is registered as a commodity pool
operator (‘‘CPO’’) with the Commodity
Futures Trading Commission (‘‘CFTC’’)
and is a member of the National Futures
Association.
Teucrium WTI Crude Oil Fund
According to the Registration
Statement, the investment objective of
the Fund is to have the daily changes in
percentage terms of the Shares’ net asset
value (‘‘NAV’’) reflect the daily changes
in percentage terms of a weighted
average of the closing settlement prices
for futures contracts for Western Texas
Intermediate (‘‘WTI’’) crude oil, also
known as Texas Light Sweet crude oil
(‘‘Oil Futures Contracts’’) traded on the
New York Mercantile Exchange
(‘‘NYMEX’’), specifically (1) the nearest
to spot June or December Oil Futures
Contract, weighted 35%; (2) the June or
December Oil Futures Contract
following the aforementioned (1),
weighted 30%; and (3) the December Oil
Futures Contract following the
aforementioned (2),10 weighted 35%;
before taking Fund expenses and
interest income into account. This
weighted average of the three referenced
7 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 62213
(June 3, 2010), 75 FR 32828 (June 9, 2010) (SR–
NYSEArca–2010–22) (order approving listing on the
Exchange of Teucrium Corn Fund).
8 See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos.
57456 (March 7, 2008), 73 FR 13599 (March 13,
2008) (SR–NYSEArca–2007–91) (order granting
accelerated approval for NYSE Arca listing the
iShares GS Commodity Trusts); 59781 (April 17,
2009), 74 FR 18771 (April 24, 2009) (SR–
NYSEArca–2009–28) (order granting accelerated
approval for NYSE Arca listing the ETFS Silver
Trust); 59895 (May 8, 2009), 74 FR 22993 (May 15,
2009) (SR–NYSEArca–2009–40) (order granting
accelerated approval for NYSE Arca listing the
ETFS Gold Trust); 61219 (December 22, 2009), 74
FR 68886 (December 29, 2009) (order approving
listing on NYSE Arca of the ETFS Platinum Trust).
9 See registration statement on Amendment No. 1
to Form S–1 for Teucrium Commodity Trust, dated
September 7, 2010 (File No. 333–167594)
(‘‘Registration Statement’’). The discussion herein
relating to the Trust and the Shares is based on the
Registration Statement.
10 See e-mail from Michael Cavalier, Chief
Counsel, NYSE Euronext, to Christopher W. Chow,
Special Counsel, Commission, dated December 22,
2010.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 805-807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-33362]
=======================================================================
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-63624; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2010-120]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing
of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing and Trading Shares of the
SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield Municipal Bond ETF
December 30, 2010.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given
that, on December 21, 2010, NYSE Arca, Inc. (``Exchange'' or ``NYSE
Arca'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I and
II below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the SPDR Nuveen
S&P High Yield Municipal Bond ETF under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3), Commentary .02. The text of the proposed rule change is
available at the Exchange, the Commission's Public Reference Room, and
https://www.nyse.com.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most
significant parts of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (``Shares'') of the
following series of the SPDR Series Trust (``Trust'') under NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), Commentary .02, which governs the listing and
trading of Investment Company Units (``Units''), based on the S&P
Municipal Yield Index (``Index''): SPDR Nuveen S&P HighYield Municipal
Bond ETF (``Fund'' or ``ETF'').\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ The Commission has previously approved listing and trading
of Units based on certain fixed income indexes. See, e.g.,
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 48662 (October 20, 2003), 68 FR
61535 (October 28, 2003) (SR-PCX-2003-41) (approving listing and
trading pursuant to unlisted trading privileges (``UTP'') of fixed
income funds and the UTP trading of certain iShares[reg] fixed
income funds). In addition, the Commission has approved NYSE Arca
generic listing rules for Units based on a fixed income index in
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 55783 (May 17, 2007), 72 FR
29194 (May 24, 2007) (SR-NYSEArca-2007-36). The Commission has
approved pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the Exchange Act the
listing on the American Stock Exchange (``Amex'') of exchange traded
funds based on fixed income indexes. See, e.g., Securities Exchange
Act Release No. 48534 (September 24, 2003), 68 FR 56353 (September
30, 2003) (SR-Amex-2003-75) (order approving listing on Amex of
eight series of iShares Lehman Bond Funds). In addition, the
Commission has approved two actively managed funds of the PIMCO ETF
Trust that hold municipal bonds. See Securities Exchange Act Release
No. 60981 (August 27, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-79) (order approving
PIMCO Short-Term Municipal Bond Strategy Fund and PIMCO Intermediate
Municipal Bond Strategy Fund, among others).
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The SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield Municipal Bond ETF \4\ seeks to
provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond
generally to the price and yield performance of the Index, which tracks
the U.S. municipal bond market, and to provide income that is exempt
from regular federal income taxes.\5\
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\4\ Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC is the Index
Sponsor with respect to the Index. The Index Sponsor is not
affiliated with a broker-dealer and has implemented procedures
designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material, non-
public information regarding the Index.
\5\ See the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A under
the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) and the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a), dated February 22, 2010 (File
No. 333-57793 and 811-08839) (``Registration Statement''). The
description of the operation of the Trust and the Fund herein is
based on the Registration Statement.
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The Exchange is submitting this proposed rule change because the
Index for the Fund does not meet all of the ``generic'' listing
requirements of Commentary .02(a)(2) to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3) applicable to listing of Units based on U.S. indexes. The
Index meets all such requirements except for those set forth in
Commentary .02(a)(2).\6\ Specifically, as of December 20, 2010, 26.47%
of the weight of the Index components have a minimum principal amount
outstanding of $100 million or more.
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\6\ Commentary .02(a)(2) to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)
provides that components that in the aggregate account for at least
75% of the weight of the index or portfolio each shall have a
minimum principal amount outstanding of $100 million or more.
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According to the Registration Statement, the Index is designed to
measure the performance of high yield municipal bonds issued by U.S.
states and territories or local governments or agencies, such that
interest on the securities is exempt from U.S. federal income tax, but
may be subject to the alternative minimum tax and to state and local
income taxes. High yield securities are generally rated below
investment grade and are commonly referred to as ``junk bonds.'' The
Index is a sub-set of the Standard & Poor's/Investortools Municipal
Bond Index and the Standard & Poor's/Investortools High Yield Bond
Index and includes publicly issued U.S. dollar denominated, fixed rate,
municipal bonds that have a remaining maturity of at least one year.
The Index consists of categories of bonds in the following
proportions: (i) 70% of the Index constituents are components of the
Standard & Poor's/Investortools High Yield Bond Index, which are non-
rated or are rated below investment grade; (ii) 20% of the Index
constituents are components of the Standard & Poor's/Investortools Bond
Index that are rated Baa3, Baa2, or Baa1 by Moody's Investors Service,
or BBB-, BBB, or BBB+ by Standard and Poor's or Fitch; and (iii) 10% of
the Index constituents are components of the Standard & Poor's/
Investortools Bond Index that are rated A3, A2, or A1 by Moody's
Investor Services, or A-, A, or A+ by Standard & Poor's or Fitch. Bonds
that have been escrowed will not be included in the Index. Prerefunded
bonds will not be included in the Index. Where the ratings assigned by
the agencies are not consistent, the Index will use the middle rating
if three ratings are available, and the lower of
[[Page 806]]
two ratings if only two ratings are available.\7\
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\7\ The Standard & Poor's/Investortools Municipal Bond Index is
composed of bonds held by managed municipal bond fund customers of
Standard & Poor's Securities Pricing, Inc. that are priced daily.
Index calculations are provided by Investortools, Inc. Only bonds
with total outstanding amounts of $2,000,000 or more qualify for
inclusion. The Standard and Poor's/Investortools Municipal Bond High
Yield Index is comprised of all bonds in the Standard and Poor's/
Investortools Municipal Bond Index that are non-rated or whose
ratings are BB+ S&P and/or BA-1 Moody's or lower. This index does
not contain bonds that are prerefunded or are escrowed to maturity.
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As of December 20, 2010, there were approximately 21,141 issues
included in the Index.
The Exchange represents that: (1) Except for Commentary .02(a)(2)
to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), the Shares of the Fund currently
satisfy all of the generic listing standards under NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 5.2(j)(3); (2) the continued listing standards under NYSE Arca
Equities Rules 5.2(j)(3) and 5.5(g)(2) applicable to Units shall apply
to the Shares; and (3) the Trust is required to comply with Rule 10A-3
\8\ under the Exchange Act for the initial and continued listing of the
Shares. In addition, the Exchange represents that the Shares will
comply with all other requirements applicable to Units including, but
not limited to, requirements relating to the dissemination of key
information such as the value of the Index and Intraday Indicative
Value, rules governing the trading of equity securities, trading hours,
trading halts, surveillance, and the Information Bulletin to ETP
Holders, as set forth in Exchange rules applicable to Units and prior
Commission orders approving the generic listing rules applicable to the
listing and trading of Units.\9\
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\8\ 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
\9\ See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 55783 (May
17, 2007), 72 FR 29194 (May 24, 2007) (SR-NYSEArca-2007-36) (order
approving NYSE Arca generic listing standards for Units based on a
fixed income index); 44551 (July 12, 2001), 66 FR 37716 (July 19,
2001) (SR-PCX-2001-14) (order approving generic listing standards
for Units and Portfolio Depositary Receipts); 41983 (October 6,
1999), 64 FR 56008 (October 15, 1999) (SR-PCX-98-29) (order
approving rules for listing and trading of Units).
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As of December 20, 2010, there were approximately 21,141 issues
included in the Index and 46.47% of the weight of the Index components
was comprised of individual maturities that were part of an entire
municipal bond offering with a minimum original principal amount
outstanding of $100 million or more for all maturities of the offering.
In addition, the total dollar amount outstanding of issues in the Index
was approximately $532.82 billion and the average dollar amount
outstanding of issues in the Index was approximately $25.22 million.
Further, the most heavily weighted component represents 0.86% of the
weight of the Index and the five most heavily weighted components
represent 2.52% of the weight of the Index.\10\ Therefore, the Exchange
believes that, notwithstanding that the Index does not satisfy the
criterion in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), Commentary .02(a)(2),
the Index is sufficiently broad-based to deter potential manipulation,
given that the Index is comprised of approximately 21,141 issues. In
addition, the Index securities are sufficiently liquid to deter
potential manipulation in that a substantial portion (46.47%) of the
Index weight is comprised of maturities that are part of a minimum
original principal amount outstanding of $100 million or more; and in
view of the substantial total dollar amount outstanding and the average
dollar amount outstanding of Index issues, as referenced above.
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\10\ Commentary .02(a)(4) to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)
provides that no component fixed-income security (excluding Treasury
Securities and GSE Securities) shall represent more than 30% of the
weight of the index or portfolio, and the five most heavily weighted
component fixed-income securities in the index or portfolio shall
not in the aggregate account for more than 65% of the weight of the
index or portfolio.
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Detailed descriptions of the Fund, the Index, procedures for
creating and redeeming Shares, transaction fees and expenses,
dividends, distributions, taxes, risks, and reports to be distributed
to beneficial owners of the Shares can be found in the Registration
Statement or on the Web site for the Fund (https://www.spdr.com), as
applicable.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Exchange Act for this proposed rule change is
the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \11\ that an exchange have rules
that are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and
practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove
impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market
and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest. The
Exchange believes that the proposed rule change will facilitate the
listing and trading of an additional type of exchange-traded product
that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit
of investors and the marketplace. In addition, the listing and trading
criteria set forth in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) and Commentary
.02 thereto are intended to protect investors and the public interest.
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\11\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the
proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register or within such longer period up to 90 days (i) as the
Commission may designate if it finds such longer period to be
appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to
which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove the proposed rule change, or
(B) Institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule
change should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's Internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an e-mail to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2010-120 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2010-120. This
file number should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used.
To help the Commission process and review your comments more
efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all
comments on the Commission's
[[Page 807]]
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with
respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission,
and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change
between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be
withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C.
552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the
Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC
20549-1090 on official business days between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies
of the filing will also be available for inspection and copying at the
Exchange's principal office. All comments received will be posted
without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying
information from submissions. You should submit only information that
you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2010-120 and should be submitted on or before
January 27, 2011.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\12\
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\12\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-33362 Filed 1-5-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P