Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of Merk Hard Currency ETF Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, 75423-75432 [2013-29492]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 2013 / Notices
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2013–57 and should be submitted on or
before January 2, 2014.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
The Exchange has neither solicited
nor received comments on the proposed
rule change.
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act. If the
Commission takes such action, the
Commission shall institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule
should be approved or disapproved.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.19
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Because the proposed rule change
does not (i) significantly affect the
protection of investors or the public
interest; (ii) impose any significant
burden on competition; and (iii) become
operative for 30 days from the date on
which it was filed, or such shorter time
as the Commission may designate, the
proposed rule change has become
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)
of the Act 16 and Rule 19b–4(f)(6)
thereunder.17
The Exchange has asked the
Commission to waive the 30-day
operative delay so that the proposal may
become operative immediately upon
filing. The Exchange stated that waiver
of this requirement will promote fair
competition among the exchanges by
allowing the Exchange to treat QOS in
ETF options in the same manner as QOS
in index options at the same time as
NYSE Arca and NYSE MKT. The
Exchange also stated that the proposal
would allow the Exchange to meet
investor demand for an expanded
number of QOS in ETF options,
allowing investors to meet investment
objectives, including hedging securities
positions, currently unavailable because
of the limited number of QOS in ETF
options available. For these reasons, the
Commission believes that the proposed
rule change presents no novel issues,
and waiver will allow the Exchange to
remain competitive with other
exchanges. Therefore, the Commission
designates the proposed rule change to
be operative upon filing.18
At any time within 60 days of the
filing of the proposed rule change, the
Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
IV. Solicitation of Comments
[FR Doc. 2013–29489 Filed 12–10–13; 8:45 am]
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:
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
Electronic Comments
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed
Rule Change To List and Trade Shares
of Merk Hard Currency ETF Under
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600
16 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6). As required under Rule
19b–4(f)(6)(iii), the Exchange provided the
Commission with written notice of its intent to file
the proposed rule change, along with a brief
description and the text of the proposed rule
change, at least five business days prior to the date
of filing of the proposed rule change, or such
shorter time as designated by the Commission.
18 For purposes only of waiving the 30-day
operative delay, the Commission has also
considered the proposed rule’s impact on
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See
15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
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17 17
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• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number
SR–BOX–2013–57 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–BOX–2013–57. This file
number should be included on the
subject line if email is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549, on official
business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the
filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal
office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change;
the Commission does not edit personal
identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–BOX–
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–70994; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2013–132]
December 5, 2013.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
notice is hereby given that, on
November 22, 2013, 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
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 the following under NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600 (‘‘Managed Fund
Shares’’): Merk Hard Currency ETF. The
text of the proposed rule change is
available on the Exchange’s Web site at
www.nyse.com, at the principal office of
the Exchange, and at the Commission’s
Public Reference Room.
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.
19 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 15 U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
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The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
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1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) of Merk Hard
Currency ETF (the ‘‘Fund’’) under NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 8.600, which governs
the listing and trading of Managed Fund
Shares 4 on the Exchange.5 The Shares
will be offered by Forum ETF Trust (the
‘‘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.6 Forum Investment Advisors,
LLC (‘‘Investment Manager’’) is the
investment manager of the Fund. Merk
Investments, LLC (‘‘Investment
Adviser’’) is the investment adviser of
the Fund.7 Foreside Fund Services LLC
4 A Managed Fund Share is a security that
represents an interest in an investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–1) (‘‘1940 Act’’) organized as
an open-end investment company or similar entity
that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by
its investment adviser consistent with its
investment objectives and policies. In contrast, an
open-end investment company that issues
Investment Company Units, listed and traded on
the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that
correspond generally to the price and yield
performance of a specific foreign or domestic stock
index, fixed income securities index or combination
thereof.
5 The Securities and Exchange Commission (the
‘‘Commission’’) has previously approved listing and
trading on the Exchange of a number of actively
managed funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g.,
Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 57801 (May
8, 2008), 73 FR 27878 (May 14, 2008) (SR–
NYSEArca–2008–31) (order approving Exchange
listing and trading of twelve actively-managed
funds of the WisdomTree Trust); 58564 (September
17, 2008), 73 FR 55194 (September 24, 2008) (SR–
NYSEArca–2008–86) (order approving Exchange
listing and trading of WisdomTree Dreyfus
Emerging Markets Fund).
6 The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On
April 12, 2013, the Trust filed with the Commission
an amended Form N–1A under the Securities Act
of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) (‘‘1933 Act’’), and under the
1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333–
180250 and 811–22679) (‘‘Registration Statement’’).
The description of the operation of the Trust and
the Fund herein is based in part on the Registration
Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued
an order granting certain exemptive relief to the
Trust under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company
Act Release No. 30549 (June 4, 2013) (File No. 812–
13915–01) (‘‘Exemptive Order’’).
7 The Investment Adviser will be responsible for
the day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund
and, as such, will make all investment decisions for
the Fund and is responsible for implementing the
Fund’s investment strategy. The Investment
Manager will develop the overall investment
program for the Fund (which includes working with
the Investment Adviser to define principal
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(‘‘Distributor’’) is the Fund’s principal
underwriter and distributer of the
Fund’s Shares. Atlantic Fund
Administration, LLC (‘‘Administrator’’),
an affiliate of the Investment Manager,
serves as the administrator for the Fund.
The Bank of New York Mellon
Corporation serves as custodian and
transfer agent for the Fund.
Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600
provides that, if the investment adviser
to the investment company issuing
Managed Fund Shares is affiliated with
a broker-dealer, such investment adviser
shall erect a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the
investment adviser and the brokerdealer with respect to access to
information concerning the composition
and/or changes to such investment
company portfolio. In addition,
Commentary .06 further requires that
personnel who make decisions on the
open-end fund’s portfolio composition
must be subject to procedures designed
to prevent the use and dissemination of
material nonpublic information
regarding the open-end fund’s
portfolio.8 Commentary .06 to Rule
8.600 is similar to Commentary .03(a)(i)
and (iii) to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3); however, Commentary .06 in
connection with the establishment of a
‘‘fire wall’’ between the investment
adviser and the broker-dealer reflects
the applicable open-end fund’s
portfolio, not an underlying benchmark
index, as is the case with index-based
funds. Neither the Investment Manager
nor the Investment Adviser is a brokerdealer or is affiliated with a brokerdealer. In the event (a) the Investment
Description of the Fund
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund’s investment
objective is to seek to profit from a rise
in hard currencies relative to the U.S.
dollar. The Fund will not be an index
fund. The Fund will be actively
managed and does not seek to replicate
the performance of a specified index.
According to the Registration
Statement, under normal market
conditions,9 the Fund will invest at
least 80% of the value of its net assets
(plus borrowings for investment
purposes) in a basket of hard currency
denominated investments composed of
high quality, short-term 10 debt
instruments, including sovereign debt,
physical gold and gold-related
securities.11
According to the Registration
Statement, the term ‘‘hard currencies’’ is
used to describe currencies of countries
pursuing what the Investment Adviser
believes to be ‘‘sound’’ monetary policy
and gold.12 Sound monetary policy is
investment strategies) and will be responsible for
overseeing and reporting to the Board of the Trust
regarding the Investment Adviser.
8 An investment adviser to an open-end fund is
required to be registered under the Investment
Advisers Act of 1940 (the ‘‘Advisers Act’’). As a
result, the Investment Manager and Investment
Adviser and their related personnel are subject to
the provisions of Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers
Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires
investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that
reflects the fiduciary nature of the relationship to
clients as well as compliance with other applicable
securities laws. Accordingly, procedures designed
to prevent the communication and misuse of nonpublic information by an investment adviser must
be consistent with Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers
Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)–7 under the Advisers
Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
provide investment advice to clients unless such
investment adviser has (i) adopted and
implemented written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the
investment adviser and its supervised persons, of
the Advisers Act and the Commission rules adopted
thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an
annual review regarding the adequacy of the
policies and procedures established pursuant to
subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness of their
implementation; and (iii) designated an individual
(who is a supervised person) responsible for
administering the policies and procedures adopted
under subparagraph (i) above.
9 The term ‘‘under normal market conditions’’
includes, but is not limited to, the absence of
adverse market, economic, political or other
conditions including extreme volatility or trading
halts in the fixed income markets or the financial
markets generally; operational issues causing
dissemination of inaccurate market information; or
force majeure type events such as systems failure,
natural or man-made disaster, act of God, armed
conflict, act of terrorism, riot or labor disruption or
any similar intervening circumstance.
10 According to the Fund, it will define ‘‘shortterm’’ based upon an instrument’s remaining
maturity period, not the initial maturity period. For
example, a twenty year bond with three months
remaining until maturity will be considered to be
a short-term debt instrument.
11 According to the Registration Statement, ‘‘goldrelated securities’’ are exchange-traded products
(‘‘ETPs’’) that invest directly in gold bullion. ETPs
that hold gold, physically or indirectly, are not
regulated under the 1940 Act and are not afforded
the protections afforded thereunder.
12 Provided that the Investment Adviser deems
the following currencies to be backed by sound
monetary policy, ‘‘hard currencies’’ include,
without limitation: Argentine Peso (ARS),
Australian Dollar (AUD), Brazilian Real (BRL),
British Pound (GBP), Canadian Dollar (CAD),
Chilean Peso (CLP), Chinese Renminbi (CNY),
Colombian Peso (COP), Czech Koruna (CZK),
Danish Krone (DKK), Euro (EUR), Hong Kong Dollar
(HKD), Hungarian Forint (HUF), Iceland Krona
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Manager or the Investment Adviser
becomes, or becomes newly affiliated
with, a broker-dealer, or (b) any new
investment adviser is or becomes
affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will
implement a fire wall with respect to its
relevant personnel or such broker-dealer
affiliate regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or
changes to the portfolio, and will be
subject to procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of
material non-public information
regarding such portfolio.
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defined by the Investment Adviser as a
monetary policy providing an
environment fostering long-term price
stability. The Investment Adviser
considers gold to be the only currency
with intrinsic value and, as such,
qualifies as a hard currency.
According to the Registration
Statement, the term ‘‘high quality’’
refers to debt instruments rated in the
top three ratings by a U.S. nationally
recognized ratings service, or that the
Investment Adviser considers
comparable in quality to debt
instruments rated in the top three
ratings.13
According to the Registration
Statement, the Investment Adviser will
determine currency allocations based on
an analysis of monetary policies
pursued by central banks and economic
environments. The Investment Adviser
will search for currencies that, in the
Investment Adviser’s opinion, are
backed by sound monetary policy or
gold. Once this determination has been
made, money market or other debt
instruments will be selected to create a
liquid portfolio of short duration and
high credit quality.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund will specifically
seek the currency risk of select countries
pursuing what the Investment Adviser
believes are sound monetary policies.
As long-term price stability is unlikely
to be achieved by most currencies, if
any, the Investment Adviser will focus
on a country’s monetary policy that
fosters such stability. The Investment
Adviser will invest in a basket of hard
currency denominated investments that
may include physical gold and goldrelated securities to reduce the Fund’s
exposure to the risks of any one
currency. The Investment Adviser may
adapt the currency allocations as its
analysis of monetary policies and
economic environments evolves.
(ISK), Indian Rupee (INR), Indonesian Rupiah (IDR),
Israeli Shekel (ILS), Japanese Yen (JPY), Malaysian
Ringgit (MYR), Mexican Peso (MXN), New Zealand
Dollar (NZD), Norwegian Krone (NOK), Pakistani
Rupee (PKR), Peruvian New Sol (PEN), Philippine
Peso (PHP), Polish Zloty (PLN), Russian Ruble
(RUB), Singapore Dollar (SGD), South African Rand
(ZAR), South Korean Won (KRW), Swedish Krona
(SEK), Swiss Franc (CHF), Taiwanese Dollar (TWD),
Thai Baht (THB), Thai Baht Onshore (THO),
Turkish Lira (TRY), U.S. Dollar (USD), and
successor currencies of the aforementioned
currencies, if any.
13 In determining which instruments are
comparable in quality to instruments rated in the
top three ratings, the Investment Adviser will
evaluate the relative creditworthiness of issuers and
the relative credit quality of debt issues.
Consideration may be given to an issuer’s financial
strength, capacity for timely payment and ability to
withstand adverse financial developments as well
as any ratings assigned to other instruments issued
by that issuer.
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According to the Registration
Statement, the Investment Adviser may
sacrifice yield in return for high credit
quality of debt securities. The
Investment Adviser may limit or
exclude currencies if, in the Investment
Adviser’s opinion, the potential for
appreciation is not backed by sound
monetary policy.
According to the Registration
Statement, if the Investment Adviser
deems a currency crisis likely, it is
possible that the Fund will restrict its
investments to a few currencies that
meet the Investment Adviser’s
investment criteria for sound monetary
policies and practices.
Investments
As noted above, according to the
Registration Statement, under normal
market conditions,14 the Fund will
invest at least 80% of the value of its net
assets (plus borrowings for investment
purposes) in ‘‘hard currency’’
denominated investments. The Fund
normally will invest in a basket of hard
currency denominated investments
composed of high quality, short-term
debt instruments,15 including sovereign
debt, physical gold and gold-related
securities.
According to the Registration
Statement, to try to reduce interest rate
and credit risk to its portfolio, the Fund
will seek to maintain a weighted average
portfolio maturity of less than eighteen
months, although the Fund may
maintain a weighted average portfolio
maturity of greater than eighteen
months at any given time. In addition,
the Fund will only buy money market
or other short-term debt instruments
that are rated in the top three ratings by
U.S. nationally recognized ratings
services or that the Investment Adviser
considers comparable in quality to
instruments rated in the top three
ratings.16
According to the Registration
Statement, the high quality, short term
debt instruments in which the Fund
will primarily invest include: U.S.
dollar and non-U.S. dollar denominated
money market instruments and similar
securities; debt obligations issued by the
U.S. and foreign national, provincial,
state or municipal governments or their
political subdivisions or agencies,
central banks, sovereign entities,
supranational organizations or special
purpose entities organized or backed by
any of the foregoing entities (‘‘Special
Purpose Entities’’); debt instruments
issued by U.S. and foreign
14 See
note 9, supra.
note 10, supra.
16 See note 13, supra.
15 See
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corporations 17; and debt obligations
issued by entities that the Investment
Adviser considers to be comparable to
entities in the categories enumerated
above.
According to the Registration
Statement, money market instruments
in which the Fund may invest include
short-term government securities,
floating and variable rate notes, CDs,
time deposits, bankers’ acceptances,
commercial paper and other short-term
liquid instruments.
According to the Registration
Statement, securities issued by the U.S.
Government in which the Fund may
invest include short-term U.S. Treasury
obligations and short-term debt
obligations. The Fund may also
purchase certificates not issued by the
U.S. Department of the Treasury, which
evidence ownership of future interest,
principal or interest and principal
payments on obligations issued by the
U.S. Department of the Treasury. The
Fund may invest in obligations issued
or guaranteed by U.S. Government
agencies.18 The Fund may also invest in
separated or divided U.S. Government
Securities.19 Foreign government
securities may include direct
obligations, as well as obligations
guaranteed by the foreign government
and obligations issued by Special
Purpose Entities.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in U.S.
and foreign corporate debt obligations.
Corporate debt obligations include
17 The Fund will typically invest only in debt
instruments that the Investment Adviser deems to
be sufficiently liquid at time of investment.
Generally a debt instruments must have $100
million (or an equivalent value if denominated in
a currency other than U.S. dollars) or more par
amount outstanding and significant par value
traded to be considered sufficiently liquid at the
time of investment. The Fund may invest up to 25%
of its total assets in debt instruments having a lower
par amount outstanding to the extent the
Investment Advisor determines such an investment
to be appropriate. In any such determination, the
Investment Advisor will evaluate the relative
creditworthiness of issuers and the relative credit
quality of debt issues. Consideration may be given
to an issuer’s financial strength, capacity for timely
payment and ability to withstand adverse financial
developments.
18 Obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S.
Government agencies include: (1) Obligations
issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies
and instrumentalities that are backed by the full
faith and credit of the U.S. Government and (2)
securities that are guaranteed by agencies or
instrumentalities of the U.S. Government but are
not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.
19 These instruments represent a single interest,
or principal, payment on a U.S. Government
Security that has been separated from all the other
interest payments as well as the security itself.
While the components of such instruments are
drawn from U.S. Government Securities, separated
or divided securities may be formed by nongovernmental institutions.
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corporate bonds, debentures, notes,
commercial paper and other similar
corporate debt instruments. In addition,
the Fund also may invest in corporate
debt securities registered and sold in the
U.S. by foreign issuers (sometimes
called Yankee bonds) and those sold
outside the U.S. by foreign or U.S.
issuers (sometimes called Eurobonds).
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in
investment grade debt securities and
non-investment grade debt securities.
Investment grade means rated in the top
four long-term rating categories, or
unrated and determined by the
Investment Adviser to be of comparable
quality. The Fund may invest up to 5%
of its total assets in non-investment
grade debt securities, including
defaulted securities, however the Fund
does not expect to invest up to 5% in
defaulted securities.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in
physical gold and gold-related
securities. To the extent that the Fund
invests in gold, it may do so by
investing directly in physical gold or
indirectly by investing through U.S.listed ETPs 20 that invest in gold bullion.
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Other Investments
According to the Registration
Statement, in addition to the principal
investments in hard currency
denominated investments described
above, the Fund may make certain other
investments.
According to the Registration
Statement, in addition to the U.S. listed
ETPs that the Fund may use as an
indirect investment in gold, the Fund
may invest in other ETPs, including
Exchange Traded Funds (‘‘ETFs’’) 21 and
Exchange Traded Notes (‘‘ETNs’’).22
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may enter into
repurchase agreements. If the Fund
enters into a repurchase agreement, it
will maintain possession of the
purchased securities and any
underlying collateral. The Fund may
20 Such ETPs may include the following
securities: Trust Issued Receipts (as described in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.200) and CommodityBased Trust Shares (as described in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.201). The Fund may invest in ETPs
which are not registered under the 1940 Act. The
Fund may invest in ETPs sponsored by the
Investment Adviser or its affiliates.
21 For purposes of this proposed rule change,
ETFs are securities that are registered pursuant to
the 1940 Act such as those listed and traded on the
Exchange pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rules
5.2(j)(3), 8.100 and 8.600.
22 For purposes of this proposed rule change,
ETNs are securities that are registered pursuant to
the 1933 Act such as those listed and traded on the
Exchange pursuant to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(6).
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also enter into reverse repurchase
agreements. A counterparty to a reverse
repurchase agreement must be a primary
dealer that reports to the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York or one of the
largest 100 commercial banks in the
United States.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in
exchange-listed common and preferred
stock, and warrants; however, according
to the Fund, it will not generally invest
in such investments. The Fund will not
invest in any non-U.S. equity securities.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in
sponsored American Depositary
Receipts (‘‘ADRs’’), European
Depositary Receipts (‘‘EDRs’’), Global
Depositary Receipts (‘‘GDRs’’), New
York Registered Shares (‘‘NYRs’’) or
American Depositary Shares
(‘‘ADSs’’).23 The Fund may invest in
sponsored, exchange traded depositary
receipts in order to obtain exposure to
foreign securities markets.24
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in
convertible securities. Convertible
securities include debt securities,
preferred stock or other securities that
may be converted into or exchanged for
a given amount of common stock of the
same or a different issuer during a
specified period and at a specified price
in the future.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may invest in
variable amount master demand notes.
All variable amount master demand
notes acquired by the Fund will be
payable within a prescribed notice
period not to exceed seven days.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may hold cash in
bank deposits in foreign currencies. The
23 ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or
trust company, evidence ownership of underlying
securities issued by a foreign company, and are
designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs
are issued by European financial institutions and
typically trade in Europe and GDRs are issued by
European financial institutions and typically trade
in both Europe and the United States. NYRs, also
known as Guilder Shares since most of the issuing
companies are Dutch, are U.S. dollar-denominated
certificates issued by foreign companies specifically
for the U.S. market. ADSs are shares issued under
a deposit agreement that represents an underlying
security in the issuer’s home country. (An ADS is
the actual share trading, while an ADR represents
a bundle of ADSs.)
24 The depositary receipts and NYRs in which the
Fund may invest will be limited to securities listed
on markets that are members of the Intermarket
Surveillance Group (‘‘ISG’’), which includes all U.S.
national securities exchanges and certain foreign
exchanges, or are parties to a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange.
The Fund will not invest in any depositary receipts
or NYRs that the Investment Adviser deems to be
illiquid or for which pricing information is not
readily available.
PO 00000
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Fund may conduct foreign currency
exchange transactions either on a spot
(cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in
the foreign exchange market or by
entering into a forward foreign currency
contract. The Fund may enter into
forward contracts in order to ‘‘lock in’’
the exchange rate between the currency
it will deliver and the currency it will
receive for the duration of the contract.
According to the Registration
Statement, for the purpose of hedging,
efficient portfolio management,
generating income and/or enhancement
of returns, the Fund may, from time to
time, enter into forward currency
contracts,25 including currency
forwards and cross currency forwards.
The Fund may enter into forward
currency contracts to hedge against risks
arising from securities the Fund owns or
anticipates purchasing, or the U.S.
dollar value of interest and dividends
paid on those securities.26 The Fund
may invest in a combination of forward
currency contracts and U.S. dollardenominated instruments in an attempt
to obtain an investment result that is
substantially the same as a direct
investment in a foreign currencydenominated instrument. For hedging
purposes, the Fund may invest in
forward currency contracts to hedge
either specific transactions (transaction
hedging) or portfolio positions (position
hedging).27
According to the Registration
Statement, in order to respond to
adverse market, economic, political or
other conditions, the Fund may assume
a temporary defensive position that is
inconsistent with its principal
investment strategies and invest,
without limitation, in cash or cash
equivalents (including commercial
paper, certificates of deposit, banker’s
acceptances and time deposits) which
may be U.S. dollar denominated.
25 A forward currency contract is an obligation to
purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date,
which may be any fixed number of days from the
date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at
a price set at the time of the contract.
26 To the extent the Fund retains various U.S.
fixed-income instruments to settle derivative
contracts, the Investment Adviser expects such
instruments to generate income for the Fund. The
value of such investments (to the extent used to
cover the Fund’s net exposure under the forward
foreign currency contracts and similar instruments)
and forward contracts and other instruments that
provide investment exposure to currencies will be
counted for purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy.
27 The Investment Adviser seeks to mitigate
counterparty risk associated with forward currency
contracts by employing multiple brokers to execute
trades and by monitoring the creditworthiness of
counterparties through analysis of credit ratings
available through U.S. nationally recognized ratings
services.
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emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Investment Restrictions
The Fund may hold up to an aggregate
amount of 15% of its net assets in
illiquid assets (calculated at the time of
investment), including Rule 144A
securities deemed illiquid by the
Investment Adviser consistent with
Commission guidance,28 and master
demand notes.29 The Fund will monitor
its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing
basis to determine whether, in light of
current circumstances, an adequate
level of liquidity is being maintained,
and will consider taking appropriate
steps in order to maintain adequate
liquidity if, through a change in values,
net assets, or other circumstances, more
than 15% of the Fund’s net assets are
held in illiquid securities. Illiquid assets
include securities subject to contractual
or other restrictions on resale and other
instruments that lack readily available
markets as determined in accordance
with Commission staff guidance.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund may not purchase
a security if, as a result, more than 25%
of its total assets would be invested in
securities of issuers conducting their
principal business activities in the same
industry.30 For purposes of this
limitation, there is no limit on
investments in U.S. Government
Securities and repurchase agreements
28 In reaching liquidity decisions, the Investment
Adviser may consider the following factors: the
frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the
number of dealers wishing to purchase or sell the
security and the number of other potential
purchasers; dealer undertakings to make a market
in the security; and the nature of the security and
the nature of the marketplace in which it trades
(e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the
method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of
transfer).
29 See Investment Company Act Release No.
18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20,
1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N–1A)
(stating that Guide 4 ‘‘permit[s] a fund to invest up
to 15% of its assets in illiquid securities’’). The
Commission has stated that long-standing
Commission guidelines have required open-end
funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets
in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See
Investment Company Act Release No. 8901 (March
11, 2008), 73 FR 14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote
34. See also, Investment Company Act Release No.
5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December
31, 1970) (Statement Regarding ‘‘Restricted
Securities’’). A fund’s portfolio security is illiquid
if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course
of business within seven days at approximately the
value ascribed to it by the ETF. See Investment
Company Act Release No. 14983 (March 12, 1986),
51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting
amendments to Rule 2a–7 under the 1940 Act);
Investment Company Act Release No. 17452 (April
23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting
Rule 144A under the 1933 Act).
30 See Form N–1A, Item 9. The Commission has
taken the position that a fund is concentrated if it
invests more than 25% of the value of its total
assets in any one industry. See, e.g., Investment
Company Act Release No. 9011 (October 30, 1975),
40 FR 54241 (November 21, 1975).
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Jkt 232001
covering U.S. Government Securities.
With respect to foreign government
securities, the Fund treats each foreign
government or sovereign as its own
industry.
Although the Fund intends to invest
in a variety of securities and
instruments, the fund will be
considered ‘‘non-diversified’ for the
purposes of the 1940 Act, which means
that it may invest more of its assets in
the securities of a smaller number of
issuers than if it were a diversified
fund.31
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund will use leveraged
investment techniques only when the
Investment Adviser believes that the
leveraging and the returns available to
the Fund from investing the cash will
provide investors with a potentially
higher return. Such leveraged
investment techniques include
borrowing, repurchase agreements,
reverse repurchase agreements and
securities lending. The Fund will not
invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged
ETPs. Such investments will not be
used to enhance the leverage of the
Fund as a whole and will otherwise be
consistent with the Fund’s investment
objective.
The Fund will not directly invest in
options contracts, futures contracts or
swap agreements.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund intends, for each
taxable year, to qualify for treatment as
a ‘‘regulated investment company’’
under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.32
The Fund will not invest in any nonU.S. equity securities, except for
exposure to those that may underlie a
depositary receipt or NYR.33
Net Asset Value
The Fund will calculate its net asset
value (‘‘NAV’’) as of the close of trading
on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time) on each weekday except
on days when the Exchange is closed.
The NAV will be determined by taking
the market value of the total assets of
the Fund, subtracting the liabilities of
the Fund, and then dividing the result
(net assets) by the number of
outstanding shares of the Fund. Because
the Fund will invest in instruments that
trade on foreign markets on days when
the Exchange is closed, the value of the
Fund’s investments may change on days
on which shareholders will not be able
to purchase Fund shares.
31 The diversification standard is set forth in
Section 5(b)(2) of the 1940 Act, (15 U.S.C. 80a5(b)(2)).
32 26 U.S.C. 851.
33 See note 26, supra [sic].
PO 00000
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75427
The Fund will value securities for
which market quotations are readily
available at current market value, except
for money-market instruments with a
maturity of sixty days or less, which
may be valued at amortized cost.
Securities for which market quotations
are readily available will be valued
using the last reported sales price
provided by independent pricing
services as of the close of trading on the
Exchange. In the absence of sales, such
securities will be valued at the mean of
the last bid and asked price. Nonexchange traded securities for which
quotations are readily available will be
valued at the mean between the current
bid and asked price. Debt securities may
be valued at prices supplied by the
Fund’s pricing agents based on broker or
dealer supplied valuations or matrix
pricing, a method of valuing securities
by reference to the value of other
securities with similar characteristics
such as rating, interest rate and
maturity. Forward currency contracts
will be valued at the mean of bid and
ask prices for the time period
interpolated from rates reported by an
independent pricing service for
proximate time periods. Investments in
open-end registered investment
companies will be valued at their NAV.
Investments in other ETPs will be
valued using market price.
Market quotations may not be readily
available or may be unreliable if, among
other things, (1) the exchange on which
the security is principally traded closes
early, (2) trading in a security was
halted during the day and did not
resume prior to the time the Fund
calculates its NAV or (3) events occur
after the close of the securities markets
on which the securities primarily trade
but before the time the Fund calculates
its NAV.
If market prices are not readily
available or the Fund reasonably
believes that they are unreliable, such as
in the case of a security value that has
been materially affected by events
occurring after the relevant market
closes, the Fund will be required to
value the securities at fair value as
determined in good faith using
procedures approved by the Board of
Trustees of the Trust (‘‘Board’’) and in
accordance with the 1940 Act The
Board has delegated day-to-day
responsibility for fair value
determinations to a Valuation
Committee, members of which are
appointed by the Board. Fair valuation
may be based on subjective factors and,
as a result, the fair value price of a
security may differ from that security’s
market price and may not be the price
at which the security may be sold. Fair
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valuation could result in a different
NAV than a NAV determined by using
market quotes.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Creation and Redemption of Shares
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund will offer and issue
shares in aggregations of Shares
(‘‘Creation Units’’) on a continuous
basis, at the net asset value per share
(‘‘NAV’’) 34 next determined after
receipt of an order in proper form on
any business day. A Creation Unit is
currently an aggregation of 50,000
Shares. Creation Units may only be
purchased or redeemed by certain large
institutional investors who have entered
into agreements with the Fund’s
Distributor (‘‘Authorized Participants’’).
The consideration for a Creation Unit
of the Fund is the ‘‘Fund Deposit.’’ The
Fund Deposit will consist of a specified
all-cash payment (‘‘All-Cash Payment’’)
or a basket of securities to be deposited
to purchase a Creation Unit (the ‘‘InKind Creation Basket’’) and a specified
cash payment (the ‘‘Cash Component’’)
as determined by the Investment
Adviser to be in the best interest of the
Fund. Any positions in the Fund’s
portfolio that cannot be transferred in
kind will be represented by cash in the
Cash Component and not in the In-Kind
Creation Basket. The Fund expects that
Fund Deposits will typically consist of
All-Cash Payments. The Cash
Component will typically include a
‘‘Balancing Amount’’ reflecting the
difference, if any, between the NAV of
a Creation Unit and the market value of
the securities in the In-Kind Creation
Basket.
Fund Shares may be redeemed only in
Creation Units at their NAV next
determined after receipt of a redemption
request in proper form on a business
day. The redemption proceeds for a
Creation Unit will consist of a basket of
securities to be received upon
redemption of a Creation Unit (the ‘‘InKind Redemption Basket’’) and a
specified cash payment (the ‘‘Cash
Redemption Amount’’) or an All-Cash
Payment, in all instances equal to the
value of a Creation Unit. The Fund
expects that Fund redemptions will
typically consist of In-Kind Redemption
Baskets and a Cash Redemption
Amount. The Cash Redemption Amount
34 The Fund will calculate its NAV as of the close
of trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern time (‘‘E.T.’’)) on each weekday except days
when the Exchange is closed. The NAV will be
determined by taking the market value of the total
assets of the Fund, subtracting the liabilities of the
Fund, and then dividing the result (net assets) by
the number of outstanding Shares of the Fund. For
more information regarding the valuation of Fund
investments in calculating the Fund’s NAV, see the
Registration Statement.
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17:00 Dec 10, 2013
Jkt 232001
will typically include a Balancing
Amount reflecting the difference, if any,
between the NAV of a Creation Unit and
the market value of the securities in the
In-Kind Redemption Basket.
The Investment Manager or the
Investment Adviser, through the
National Securities Clearing Corporation
(‘‘NSCC’’), will make available on each
business day,35 immediately prior to the
opening of business on the Exchange
(currently 9:30 a.m., E.T.), (a) the AllCash Payment for the Fund for that day
(based on information about the Fund’s
portfolio at the end of the previous
business day) (subject to amendment or
correction); (b) in the event the Fund
requires an In-Kind Creation Basket and
Cash Component, a list of names and
the required quantity of each security in
the In-Kind Creation Basket to be
included in the current Fund Deposit
for the Fund (based on information
about the Fund’s portfolio at the end of
the previous business day) (subject to
amendment or correction) and the
estimated Cash Component, effective
through and including the previous
business day, per Creation Unit; and (c)
if different from the In-Kind Creation
Basket and All-Cash Payment, the
composition of the In-Kind Redemption
Basket and/or an amount of cash that
will be applicable to redemption
requests (subject to possible amendment
or correction). According to the
Investment Adviser, this information
may be subject to amendment or
correction as the values of the
instruments in the Fund’s portfolio
change, or the instruments in the Fund’s
portfolio change. Creations and
redemptions will be at the next
determined NAV.
Additional information regarding the
Trust and the Shares, including
investment strategies, risks, creation and
redemption procedures, fees, portfolio
holdings disclosure policies,
distributions and taxes is included in
the Registration Statement. All terms
relating to the Fund that are referred to,
but not defined in, this proposed rule
change are defined in the Registration
Statement.
Availability of Information
The Fund’s Web site
(www.merkfunds.com), which will be
publicly available prior to the public
offering of Shares, will include a form
of the prospectus for the Fund that may
be downloaded. The Web site will
include additional quantitative
information updated on a daily basis,
35 Orders from Authorized Participants to create
or redeem Creation Units will only be accepted on
a business day.
PO 00000
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including, for the Fund: (1) The prior
business day’s reported NAV, mid-point
of the bid/ask spread at the time of
calculation of such NAV (the ‘‘Bid/Ask
Price’’),36 and a calculation of the
premium and discount of the Bid/Ask
Price against the NAV; and (2) data in
chart format displaying the frequency
distribution of discounts and premiums
of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the
NAV, within appropriate ranges, for
each of the four previous calendar
quarters. On each business day, before
commencement of trading in Shares in
the Core Trading Session 37 on the
Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its
Web site the identities and quantities of
the portfolio of securities and other
assets (the ‘‘Disclosed Portfolio’’) 38 held
by the Fund that will form the basis for
the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the
end of the business day.39 The Web site
and information will be publicly
available at no charge.
On a daily basis, the Fund will
disclose for each portfolio security and
other financial instrument of the Fund
the following information: Ticker
symbol (if applicable), name or
description of security and financial
instrument, number of shares or dollar
value of securities and financial
instruments held in the portfolio, and
percentage weighting of securities and
financial instruments in the portfolio.
The Web site information will be
publicly available at no charge.
In addition, for the Fund, an
estimated value, defined in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600 as the ‘‘Portfolio
Indicative Value,’’ that reflects an
estimated intraday value of the Fund’s
portfolio, will be disseminated. The
Portfolio Indicative Value will be based
upon the current value for the
components of the Disclosed Portfolio.
36 The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be
determined using the midpoint of the highest bid
and the lowest offer on the Exchange as of the time
of calculation of the Fund’s NAV. The records
relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the
Fund and/or its service providers.
37 The Core Trading Session is 9:30 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. E.T.
38 The Exchange notes that NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii) provides that the Reporting
Authority that provides the Disclosed Portfolio
must implement and maintain, or be subject to,
procedures designed to prevent the use and
dissemination of material non-public information
regarding the actual components of the portfolio.
39 Under accounting procedures followed by the
Fund, trades made on the prior business day (‘‘T’’)
will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current
business day (‘‘T+1’’). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, portfolio trades that are executed prior to
the opening of the Exchange on any business day
may be booked and reflected in NAV on such
business day. Accordingly, the Fund 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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In addition, the Portfolio Indicative
Value, as defined in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.600(c)(3), will be widely
disseminated by one or more major
market data vendors at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading
Session.40 The dissemination of the
Portfolio Indicative Value, together with
the Disclosed Portfolio, will allow
investors to determine the value of the
underlying portfolio of the Fund on a
daily basis and to provide a close
estimate of that value throughout the
trading day.
Investors can also obtain the Trust’s
Statement of Additional Information
(‘‘SAI’’), the Fund’s Shareholder
Reports, and its Form N–CSR and Form
N–SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust’s
SAI and Shareholder Reports will be
available free upon request from the
Trust, and those documents and the
Form N–CSR and Form N–SAR may be
viewed on-screen or downloaded from
the Commission’s Web site at
www.sec.gov. Information regarding
market price and trading volume of the
Shares will be continually available on
a real-time basis throughout the day on
brokers’ computer screens and other
electronic services. Information
regarding the previous day’s closing
price and trading volume information
for the Shares will be published daily in
the financial section of newspapers.
Quotation and last sale information
for the Shares and underlying U.S.
exchange-traded equities, including,
without limitation, ETPs (including
ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred
stock and warrants, depositary receipts,
and NYRs, will be available via the
Consolidated Tape Association (‘‘CTA’’)
high-speed line. Quotation information
from brokers and dealers or pricing
services will be available for fixed
income securities, other money market
instruments, and repurchase and reverse
repurchase agreements held by the
Fund. Price information for the Fund’s
portfolio securities and other
instruments is generally readily
available through major market data
vendors, automated quotation systems,
published or other public sources and/
or, for listed securities, the securities
exchange on which they are listed and
traded. Investors may obtain on a 24hour basis gold pricing information
based on the spot price for an ounce of
gold from various financial information
service providers, such as Reuters and
Bloomberg. Reuters and Bloomberg
provide at no charge on their Web sites
40 Currently, it is the Exchange’s understanding
that several major market data vendors display and/
or make widely available Portfolio Indicative
Values published on CTA or other data feeds.
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17:00 Dec 10, 2013
Jkt 232001
delayed information regarding the spot
price of gold, as well as information
about news and developments in the
gold market. Reuters and Bloomberg
also offer a professional service to
subscribers for a fee that provides
information on gold prices directly from
market participants. ICAP plc provides
an electronic trading platform called
EBS for the trading of spot gold, as well
as a feed of live streaming prices to
Reuters and Moneyline Telerate
subscribers. There are a variety of other
public Web sites providing information
on gold, ranging from those specializing
in precious metals to sites maintained
by major newspapers, such as The Wall
Street Journal. In addition, the daily
London noon Fix is publicly available at
no charge at www.thebulliondesk.com.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will be subject to NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 8.600, which sets
forth the initial and continued listing
criteria applicable to Managed Fund
Shares. The Exchange represents that,
for initial and/or continued listing, the
Fund must be in compliance with Rule
10A–3 41 under the Exchange Act, as
provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares will
be outstanding at the commencement of
trading on the Exchange. The Exchange
will obtain a representation from the
issuer of the Shares that the NAV per
Share for the Fund will be calculated
daily and that the NAV and the
Disclosed Portfolio will be made
available to all market participants at
the same time.
Trading Halts
With respect to trading halts, the
Exchange may consider all relevant
factors in exercising its discretion to
halt or suspend trading in the Shares of
the Fund. Shares of the Fund will be
halted if the ‘‘circuit breaker’’
parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.12 are reached. Trading may be halted
because of market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the
Exchange, make trading in the Shares
inadvisable. These may include: (1) The
extent to which trading is not occurring
in the securities and/or the financial
instruments comprising the Disclosed
Portfolio of the Fund; or (2) whether
other unusual conditions or
circumstances detrimental to the
maintenance of a fair and orderly
market are present. Trading in the
Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets
forth circumstances under which Shares
of the Fund may be halted.
41 See
PO 00000
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75429
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be
equity securities, thus rendering trading
in the Shares subject to the Exchange’s
existing rules governing the trading of
equity securities. Shares will trade on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4 a.m.
to 8 p.m. E.T. in accordance with NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core,
and Late Trading Sessions). The
Exchange has appropriate rules to
facilitate transactions in the Shares
during all trading sessions. As provided
in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6,
Commentary .03, the minimum price
variation (‘‘MPV’’) for quoting and entry
of orders in equity securities traded on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace is $0.01,
with the exception of securities that are
priced less than $1.00 for which the
MPV for order entry is $0.0001.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading
in the Shares will be subject to the
existing trading surveillances,
administered by the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (‘‘FINRA’’) on
behalf of the Exchange, which are
designed to detect violations of
Exchange rules and applicable federal
securities laws.42 The Exchange
represents that these procedures are
adequate to properly monitor Exchange
trading of the Shares in all trading
sessions and to deter and detect
violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities laws.
The surveillances referred to above
generally focus on detecting securities
trading outside their normal patterns,
which could be indicative of
manipulative or other violative activity.
When such situations are detected,
surveillance analysis follows and
investigations are opened, where
appropriate, to review the behavior of
all relevant parties for all relevant
trading violations.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange,
will communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares and underlying
equity securities (including, without
limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and
ETNs), common and preferred stock and
warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and
any other exchange-traded products)
with other markets and other entities
that are members of the Intermarket
Surveillance Group (‘‘ISG’’), and FINRA,
on behalf of the Exchange, may obtain
trading information regarding trading in
the Shares and underlying equity
securities (including, without
42 FINRA surveils trading on the Exchange
pursuant to a regulatory services agreement. The
Exchange is responsible for FINRA’s performance
under this regulatory services agreement.
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emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and
ETNs), common and preferred stock and
warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and
any other exchange-traded products)
from such markets and other entities. In
addition, the Exchange may obtain
information regarding trading in the
Shares and underlying equity securities
(including, without limitation, ETPs
(including ETFs and ETNs), common
and preferred stock and warrants,
depositary receipts, NYRs and any other
exchange-traded products) from markets
that are members of ISG or with which
the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement.43 The ETPs (including ETFs
and ETNs), common and preferred stock
and warrants, depositary receipts and
NYRs in which the Fund may invest all
will be listed and traded on an exchange
which is a member of ISG or with which
the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement. In addition, FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, is able to access,
as needed, trade information for certain
fixed income securities held by the
Fund reported to FINRA’s Trade
Reporting and Compliance Engine
(‘‘TRACE’’).
In addition, the Exchange also has a
general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public
information by its employees.
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
Equity Trading Permit Holders in an
Information Bulletin (‘‘Bulletin’’) of the
special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss
the following: (1) The procedures for
purchases and redemptions of Shares in
Creation Unit aggregations (and that
Shares are not individually redeemable);
(2) NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a),
which imposes a duty of due diligence
on its Equity Trading Permit Holders to
learn the essential facts relating to every
customer prior to trading the Shares; (3)
the risks involved in trading the Shares
during the Opening and Late Trading
Sessions when an updated Portfolio
Indicative Value will not be calculated
or publicly disseminated; (4) how
information regarding the Portfolio
Indicative Value is disseminated; (5) the
requirement that Equity Trading Permit
Holders deliver a prospectus to
investors purchasing newly issued
43 For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all
of the components of the Disclosed Portfolio for the
Fund may trade on exchanges that are members of
ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
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17:00 Dec 10, 2013
Jkt 232001
Shares prior to or concurrently with the
confirmation of a transaction; and (6)
trading information. In addition, the
Bulletin will reference that the Fund is
subject to various fees and expenses
described in the Registration Statement.
The Bulletin will discuss any
exemptive, no-action, and interpretive
relief granted by the Commission from
any rules under the Exchange Act. The
Bulletin will also disclose that the NAV
for the Shares will be calculated after
4:00 p.m. E.T. each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Exchange Act for
this proposed rule change is the
requirement under Section 6(b)(5) 44
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 is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices in that the Shares will
be listed and traded on the Exchange
pursuant to the initial and continued
listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.600. The Exchange has in place
surveillance procedures that are
adequate to properly monitor trading in
the Shares in all trading sessions and to
deter and detect violations of Exchange
rules and applicable federal securities
laws. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange,
will communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares and underlying
equity securities (including, without
limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and
ETNs), common and preferred stock and
warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and
any other exchange-traded products)
with other markets and other entities
that are members of ISG, and FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, may obtain
trading information regarding trading in
the Shares and underlying equity
securities (including, without
limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and
ETNs), common and preferred stock and
warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and
any other exchange-traded products)
from such markets and other entities. In
addition, the Exchange may obtain
information regarding trading in the
Shares and underlying equity securities
(including, without limitation, ETPs
(including ETFs and ETNs), common
and preferred stock and warrants,
depositary receipts, NYRs and any other
exchange-traded products) from markets
that are members of ISG or with which
44 15
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
Frm 00102
Fmt 4703
the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement. FINRA, on behalf of the
Exchange, is able to access, as needed,
trade information for certain fixed
income securities held by the Fund
reported to TRACE. The ETPs
(including ETFs and ETNs), common
and preferred stock and warrants,
depositary receipts and NYRs in which
the Fund may invest all will be listed
and traded on an exchange which is a
member of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.
According to the Registration Statement,
the Fund normally will invest in a
basket of hard currency denominated
investments composed of high quality,
short-term debt instruments, including
sovereign debt, and in gold and goldrelated securities. The Fund will
typically maintain a weighted average
portfolio maturity of less than eighteen
months and only buy money market or
other short-term debt instruments that
are rated in the top three ratings by U.S.
nationally recognized ratings services or
that the Investment Adviser considers
comparable in quality to instruments
rated in the top three ratings. The Fund
will typically invest only in debt
instruments that the Investment Adviser
deems to be sufficiently liquid at time
of investment. Generally a debt
instrument must have $100 million (or
an equivalent value if denominated in a
currency other than U.S. dollars) or
more par amount outstanding and
significant par value traded to be
sufficiently liquid at the time of
investment. The Fund may invest up to
25% of its total assets in debt
instruments having a lower par amount
outstanding to the extent the Investment
Advisor determines such an investment
to be appropriate. Leveraged investment
techniques will not be used to enhance
the leverage of the Fund as a whole and
will otherwise be consistent with the
Fund’s investment objective. The Fund
will not invest in leveraged or inverse
leveraged ETPs. The Fund will not hold
in the aggregate illiquid assets,
including Rule 144A Securities deemed
illiquid by the Investment Adviser
consistent with Commission guidance,
and master demand notes, in excess of
15% of its net assets.45 The Fund will
not invest in any non-U.S. equity
securities. The Fund will not directly
invest in options contracts, futures
contracts or swap agreements.
The proposed rule change is designed
to promote just and equitable principles
of trade and to protect investors and the
public interest in that neither the
45 See
Sfmt 4703
E:\FR\FM\11DEN1.SGM
note 28, supra.
11DEN1
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 2013 / Notices
Investment Adviser nor the Investment
Manager is or is affiliated with a brokerdealer. In the event (a) the Investment
Manager or Investment Adviser
becomes, or becomes newly affiliated
with, a broker-dealer, or (b) any new
investment adviser becomes affiliated
with a broker-dealer, it will implement
a fire wall with respect to its relevant
personnel or such broker-dealer affiliate
regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or
changes to the portfolio, and will be
subject to procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of
material non-public information
regarding such portfolio. The Exchange
will obtain a representation from the
issuer of the Shares that the NAV per
Share will be calculated daily and that
the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio
will be made available to all market
participants at the same time. In
addition, a large amount of information
is publicly available regarding the Fund
and the Shares, thereby promoting
market transparency. Price information
for the debt instruments, gold-related
securities, and other instruments,
including securities of other investment
companies, common and preferred
stock, warrants, depositary receipts and
NYRs held by the Fund will be available
through major market data vendors and/
or the securities exchange on which
they are listed and traded. Moreover, the
Portfolio Indicative Value, as defined in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3),
will be widely disseminated by one or
more major market data vendors at least
every 15 seconds during the Core
Trading Session. On each business day,
before commencement of trading in
Shares in the Core Trading Session on
the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on
its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that
will form the basis for the Fund’s
calculation of NAV at the end of the
business day. Information regarding
market price and trading volume of the
Shares will be continually available on
a real-time basis throughout the day on
brokers’ computer screens and other
electronic services, and quotation and
last sale information will be available
via the CTA high-speed line. The Web
site for the Fund will include a form of
the prospectus for the Fund and
additional data relating to NAV and
other applicable quantitative
information. Moreover, prior to the
commencement of trading, the Exchange
will inform its Equity Trading Permit
Holders in an Information Bulletin of
the special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Trading in Shares of the Fund will be
halted if the circuit breaker parameters
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17:00 Dec 10, 2013
Jkt 232001
in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have
been reached or because of market
conditions or for reasons that, in the
view of the Exchange, make trading in
the Shares inadvisable, and trading in
the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets
forth circumstances under which Shares
of the Fund may be halted. In addition,
as noted above, investors will have
ready access to information regarding
the Fund’s holdings, the Portfolio
Indicative Value, the Disclosed
Portfolio, and quotation and last sale
information for the Shares.
The proposed rule change is designed
to perfect the mechanism of a free and
open market and, in general, to protect
investors and the public interest in that
it will facilitate the listing and trading
of an additional type of activelymanaged exchange-traded product that
will enhance competition among market
participants, to the benefit of investors
and the marketplace. As noted above,
the Exchange has in place surveillance
procedures relating to trading in the
Shares and may obtain information via
ISG from other exchanges that are
members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has entered into a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement. In addition, as noted above,
investors will have ready access to
information regarding the Fund’s
holdings, the Portfolio Indicative Value,
the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation
and last sale information for the Shares.
The proposed rule change is designed to
promote just and equitable principles of
trade and to protect investors and the
public interest in that there is a
considerable amount of gold price and
gold market information available on
public Web sites and through
professional and subscription services.
Investors may obtain on a 24-hour basis
gold pricing information based on the
spot price for an ounce of gold from
various financial information service
providers. In addition, the London AM
Fix and London PM Fix are publicly
available at no charge at
www.thebulliondesk.com. The Trust’s
daily (or as determined by the
Investment Manager in accordance with
the amended and restated trust
agreement) NAV is posted on the Trust’s
Web site as soon as practicable.
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 purpose of the Exchange Act. The
Exchange notes that the proposed rule
change will facilitate the listing and
PO 00000
Frm 00103
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
75431
trading of an additional type of activelymanaged exchange-traded product that
will enhance competition among market
participants, to the benefit of investors
and the marketplace.
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 after publication (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 email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
NYSEArca–2013–132 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–2013–132. This
file number should be included on the
subject line if email is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
E:\FR\FM\11DEN1.SGM
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75432
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 238 / Wednesday, December 11, 2013 / Notices
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549, on official
business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the
filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal
office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change;
the Commission does not edit personal
identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–
NYSEArca–2013–132 and should be
submitted on or before January 2, 2014.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.46
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013–29492 Filed 12–10–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–70997; File No. SR–NYSE–
2013–78]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change To Amend Its
Price List To Specify the Exclusion of
Odd Lot Transactions From
Consolidated Average Daily Volume
Calculations for a Limited Period of
Time for Purposes of Certain
Transaction Pricing on the Exchange
Through January 31, 2014
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
December 5, 2013.
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
November 22, 2013, New York Stock
Exchange LLC (‘‘NYSE’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’)
filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the self46 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:00 Dec 10, 2013
Jkt 232001
regulatory organization. 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
The Exchange proposes to amend its
Price List to specify the exclusion of
odd lot transactions from consolidated
average daily volume (‘‘CADV’’)
calculations for a limited period of time
for purposes of certain transaction
pricing on the Exchange. The text of the
proposed rule change is available on the
Exchange’s Web site at www.nyse.com,
at the principal office of the Exchange,
and at the Commission’s Public
Reference Room.
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 amend its
Price List to specify the exclusion of
odd lot transactions from CADV
calculations for a limited period of time
for purposes of certain transaction
pricing on the Exchange. The Exchange
proposes to implement the Price List
change on December 9, 2013.
The Exchange provides a member or
member organization with the
opportunity to qualify for one or more
pricing tiers based on its level of activity
during a particular month. Each tier has
a corresponding fee or credit that
applies to the member’s or member
organization’s transactions during the
month. Generally, a qualifying member
or member organization would be
subject to a lower transaction fee or a
higher transaction credit, depending on
the particular tier. Many of these tiers
use a specific percentage of CADV in
NYSE-listed securities (i.e., Tape A
securities) during the billing month
(‘‘NYSE CADV’’) as a threshold that a
PO 00000
Frm 00104
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
member’s or member organization’s
activity must meet or exceed in order to
qualify for the particular tier. For
example, in order to qualify for a
reduced fee of $0.00055 per share for
executions of market at-the-close
(‘‘MOC’’) and limit at-the-close (‘‘LOC’’)
orders, a member or member
organization must execute an average
daily volume (‘‘ADV’’) of MOC/LOC
activity on the Exchange during the
month that is at least 0.375% of NYSE
CADV. As an additional example,
transaction pricing for a member or
member organization that is a
Designated Market Maker (‘‘DMM’’) can
depend on whether the security is
considered ‘‘More Active’’ or ‘‘Less
Active.’’ Such a determination is based
on the CADV for the security in the
previous month.3
CADV is a measure of transactions in
Tape A, Tape B and Tape C securities
reported to the consolidated tape. NYSE
CADV is a measure of transactions only
in Tape A securities reported to the
consolidated tape. Transactions in Tape
A securities that are not reported to the
consolidated tape are not included in
NYSE CADV for purposes of the Price
List. An odd lot transaction, which is
generally an execution of less than 100
shares, is not currently reported to the
consolidated tape and is therefore not
currently included in NYSE CADV.4
Beginning December 9, 2013, odd lot
transactions will be reported to the
consolidated tape.5 The Exchange
proposes to amend the Price List to
specify that odd lot transactions
3 A ‘‘More Active’’ security is one with CADV in
the previous month equal to or greater than one
million shares. A ‘‘Less Active security is one with
CADV in the previous month of less than one
million shares.
4 See NYSE Rule 55. A round lot is generally an
execution of 100 shares or a multiple thereof.
5 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 70794
(October 31, 2013), 78 FR 66789 (November 6, 2013)
(SR–CTA–2013–05) (Order Approving the
Eighteenth Substantive Amendment to the Second
Restatement of the CTA Plan). See also Securities
Exchange Act Release No. 70793 (October 31, 2013),
78 FR 66788 (November 6, 2013) (File No. S7–24–
89) (Order Approving Amendment No. 30 to the
Joint Self-Regulatory Organization Plan Governing
the Collection, Consolidation and Dissemination of
Quotation and Transaction Information for NasdaqListed Securities Traded on Exchanges on an
Unlisted Trading Privileges Basis). See also
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 70898
(November 19, 2013), 78 FR 70386 (November 25,
2013) (SR–NYSE–2013–75). See also
announcements regarding December 9, 2013
implementation date, available at https://
cta.nyxdata.com/cta/popup/news/2385 and https://
www.nasdaqtrader.com/
TraderNews.aspx?id=uva2013-11. If the inclusion
of odd lot transactions in the consolidated tape is
delayed to a date after December 9, 2013, the
manner of inclusion or exclusion of odd lot
transactions described in this proposal for purposes
of billing on the Exchange would similarly take
effect on such later date.
E:\FR\FM\11DEN1.SGM
11DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75423-75432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29492]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-70994; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2013-132]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing
of Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of Merk Hard Currency
ETF Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600
December 5, 2013.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (the ``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby
given that, on November 22, 2013, 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
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
\3\ 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 the following under NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (``Managed Fund Shares''): Merk Hard Currency
ETF. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the
Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.com, at the principal office of the
Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
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.
[[Page 75424]]
The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C
below, of the most significant parts of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (``Shares'') of Merk
Hard Currency ETF (the ``Fund'') under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600,
which governs the listing and trading of Managed Fund Shares \4\ on the
Exchange.\5\ The Shares will be offered by Forum ETF Trust (the
``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.\6\ Forum Investment Advisors, LLC (``Investment
Manager'') is the investment manager of the Fund. Merk Investments, LLC
(``Investment Adviser'') is the investment adviser of the Fund.\7\
Foreside Fund Services LLC (``Distributor'') is the Fund's principal
underwriter and distributer of the Fund's Shares. Atlantic Fund
Administration, LLC (``Administrator''), an affiliate of the Investment
Manager, serves as the administrator for the Fund. The Bank of New York
Mellon Corporation serves as custodian and transfer agent for the Fund.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ A Managed Fund Share is a security that represents an
interest in an investment company registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1) (``1940 Act'') organized as an
open-end investment company or similar entity that invests in a
portfolio of securities selected by its investment adviser
consistent with its investment objectives and policies. In contrast,
an open-end investment company that issues Investment Company Units,
listed and traded on the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that correspond
generally to the price and yield performance of a specific foreign
or domestic stock index, fixed income securities index or
combination thereof.
\5\ The Securities and Exchange Commission (the ``Commission'')
has previously approved listing and trading on the Exchange of a
number of actively managed funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g.,
Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 57801 (May 8, 2008), 73 FR
27878 (May 14, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2008-31) (order approving Exchange
listing and trading of twelve actively-managed funds of the
WisdomTree Trust); 58564 (September 17, 2008), 73 FR 55194
(September 24, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-2008-86) (order approving Exchange
listing and trading of WisdomTree Dreyfus Emerging Markets Fund).
\6\ The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On April 12,
2013, the Trust filed with the Commission an amended Form N-1A under
the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) (``1933 Act''), and under
the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-180250 and 811-
22679) (``Registration Statement''). The description of the
operation of the Trust and the Fund herein is based in part on the
Registration Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued an
order granting certain exemptive relief to the Trust under the 1940
Act. See Investment Company Act Release No. 30549 (June 4, 2013)
(File No. 812-13915-01) (``Exemptive Order'').
\7\ The Investment Adviser will be responsible for the day-to-
day portfolio management of the Fund and, as such, will make all
investment decisions for the Fund and is responsible for
implementing the Fund's investment strategy. The Investment Manager
will develop the overall investment program for the Fund (which
includes working with the Investment Adviser to define principal
investment strategies) and will be responsible for overseeing and
reporting to the Board of the Trust regarding the Investment
Adviser.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600 provides that, if the investment
adviser to the investment company issuing Managed Fund Shares is
affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser shall 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 such investment company portfolio. In addition, Commentary
.06 further requires that personnel who make decisions on the open-end
fund's portfolio composition must be subject to procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of material nonpublic information
regarding the open-end fund's portfolio.\8\ Commentary .06 to Rule
8.600 is similar to Commentary .03(a)(i) and (iii) to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3); however, Commentary .06 in connection with the
establishment of a ``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and the
broker-dealer reflects the applicable open-end fund's portfolio, not an
underlying benchmark index, as is the case with index-based funds.
Neither the Investment Manager nor the Investment Adviser is a broker-
dealer or is affiliated with a broker-dealer. In the event (a) the
Investment Manager or the Investment Adviser becomes, or becomes newly
affiliated with, a broker-dealer, or (b) any new investment adviser is
or becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement a fire
wall with respect to its relevant personnel or such broker-dealer
affiliate regarding access to information concerning the composition
and/or changes to the portfolio, and will be subject to procedures
designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public
information regarding such portfolio.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be
registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ``Advisers
Act''). As a result, the Investment Manager and Investment Adviser
and their related personnel are subject to the provisions of Rule
204A-1 under the Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule
requires investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects
the fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as well as
compliance with other applicable securities laws. Accordingly,
procedures designed to prevent the communication and misuse of non-
public information by an investment adviser must be consistent with
Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under
the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
provide investment advice to clients unless such investment adviser
has (i) adopted and implemented written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the investment adviser
and its supervised persons, of the Advisers Act and the Commission
rules adopted thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an annual
review regarding the adequacy of the policies and procedures
established pursuant to subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness
of their implementation; and (iii) designated an individual (who is
a supervised person) responsible for administering the policies and
procedures adopted under subparagraph (i) above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description of the Fund
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund's investment
objective is to seek to profit from a rise in hard currencies relative
to the U.S. dollar. The Fund will not be an index fund. The Fund will
be actively managed and does not seek to replicate the performance of a
specified index.
According to the Registration Statement, under normal market
conditions,\9\ the Fund will invest at least 80% of the value of its
net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in a basket of
hard currency denominated investments composed of high quality, short-
term \10\ debt instruments, including sovereign debt, physical gold and
gold-related securities.\11\
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\9\ The term ``under normal market conditions'' includes, but is
not limited to, the absence of adverse market, economic, political
or other conditions including extreme volatility or trading halts in
the fixed income markets or the financial markets generally;
operational issues causing dissemination of inaccurate market
information; or force majeure type events such as systems failure,
natural or man-made disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of
terrorism, riot or labor disruption or any similar intervening
circumstance.
\10\ According to the Fund, it will define ``short-term'' based
upon an instrument's remaining maturity period, not the initial
maturity period. For example, a twenty year bond with three months
remaining until maturity will be considered to be a short-term debt
instrument.
\11\ According to the Registration Statement, ``gold-related
securities'' are exchange-traded products (``ETPs'') that invest
directly in gold bullion. ETPs that hold gold, physically or
indirectly, are not regulated under the 1940 Act and are not
afforded the protections afforded thereunder.
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According to the Registration Statement, the term ``hard
currencies'' is used to describe currencies of countries pursuing what
the Investment Adviser believes to be ``sound'' monetary policy and
gold.\12\ Sound monetary policy is
[[Page 75425]]
defined by the Investment Adviser as a monetary policy providing an
environment fostering long-term price stability. The Investment Adviser
considers gold to be the only currency with intrinsic value and, as
such, qualifies as a hard currency.
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\12\ Provided that the Investment Adviser deems the following
currencies to be backed by sound monetary policy, ``hard
currencies'' include, without limitation: Argentine Peso (ARS),
Australian Dollar (AUD), Brazilian Real (BRL), British Pound (GBP),
Canadian Dollar (CAD), Chilean Peso (CLP), Chinese Renminbi (CNY),
Colombian Peso (COP), Czech Koruna (CZK), Danish Krone (DKK), Euro
(EUR), Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), Hungarian Forint (HUF), Iceland Krona
(ISK), Indian Rupee (INR), Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), Israeli Shekel
(ILS), Japanese Yen (JPY), Malaysian Ringgit (MYR), Mexican Peso
(MXN), New Zealand Dollar (NZD), Norwegian Krone (NOK), Pakistani
Rupee (PKR), Peruvian New Sol (PEN), Philippine Peso (PHP), Polish
Zloty (PLN), Russian Ruble (RUB), Singapore Dollar (SGD), South
African Rand (ZAR), South Korean Won (KRW), Swedish Krona (SEK),
Swiss Franc (CHF), Taiwanese Dollar (TWD), Thai Baht (THB), Thai
Baht Onshore (THO), Turkish Lira (TRY), U.S. Dollar (USD), and
successor currencies of the aforementioned currencies, if any.
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According to the Registration Statement, the term ``high quality''
refers to debt instruments rated in the top three ratings by a U.S.
nationally recognized ratings service, or that the Investment Adviser
considers comparable in quality to debt instruments rated in the top
three ratings.\13\
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\13\ In determining which instruments are comparable in quality
to instruments rated in the top three ratings, the Investment
Adviser will evaluate the relative creditworthiness of issuers and
the relative credit quality of debt issues. Consideration may be
given to an issuer's financial strength, capacity for timely payment
and ability to withstand adverse financial developments as well as
any ratings assigned to other instruments issued by that issuer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, the Investment Adviser
will determine currency allocations based on an analysis of monetary
policies pursued by central banks and economic environments. The
Investment Adviser will search for currencies that, in the Investment
Adviser's opinion, are backed by sound monetary policy or gold. Once
this determination has been made, money market or other debt
instruments will be selected to create a liquid portfolio of short
duration and high credit quality.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will specifically
seek the currency risk of select countries pursuing what the Investment
Adviser believes are sound monetary policies. As long-term price
stability is unlikely to be achieved by most currencies, if any, the
Investment Adviser will focus on a country's monetary policy that
fosters such stability. The Investment Adviser will invest in a basket
of hard currency denominated investments that may include physical gold
and gold-related securities to reduce the Fund's exposure to the risks
of any one currency. The Investment Adviser may adapt the currency
allocations as its analysis of monetary policies and economic
environments evolves.
According to the Registration Statement, the Investment Adviser may
sacrifice yield in return for high credit quality of debt securities.
The Investment Adviser may limit or exclude currencies if, in the
Investment Adviser's opinion, the potential for appreciation is not
backed by sound monetary policy.
According to the Registration Statement, if the Investment Adviser
deems a currency crisis likely, it is possible that the Fund will
restrict its investments to a few currencies that meet the Investment
Adviser's investment criteria for sound monetary policies and
practices.
Investments
As noted above, according to the Registration Statement, under
normal market conditions,\14\ the Fund will invest at least 80% of the
value of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in
``hard currency'' denominated investments. The Fund normally will
invest in a basket of hard currency denominated investments composed of
high quality, short-term debt instruments,\15\ including sovereign
debt, physical gold and gold-related securities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\ See note 9, supra.
\15\ See note 10, supra.
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According to the Registration Statement, to try to reduce interest
rate and credit risk to its portfolio, the Fund will seek to maintain a
weighted average portfolio maturity of less than eighteen months,
although the Fund may maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity of
greater than eighteen months at any given time. In addition, the Fund
will only buy money market or other short-term debt instruments that
are rated in the top three ratings by U.S. nationally recognized
ratings services or that the Investment Adviser considers comparable in
quality to instruments rated in the top three ratings.\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ See note 13, supra.
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According to the Registration Statement, the high quality, short
term debt instruments in which the Fund will primarily invest include:
U.S. dollar and non-U.S. dollar denominated money market instruments
and similar securities; debt obligations issued by the U.S. and foreign
national, provincial, state or municipal governments or their political
subdivisions or agencies, central banks, sovereign entities,
supranational organizations or special purpose entities organized or
backed by any of the foregoing entities (``Special Purpose Entities'');
debt instruments issued by U.S. and foreign corporations \17\; and debt
obligations issued by entities that the Investment Adviser considers to
be comparable to entities in the categories enumerated above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ The Fund will typically invest only in debt instruments
that the Investment Adviser deems to be sufficiently liquid at time
of investment. Generally a debt instruments must have $100 million
(or an equivalent value if denominated in a currency other than U.S.
dollars) or more par amount outstanding and significant par value
traded to be considered sufficiently liquid at the time of
investment. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in
debt instruments having a lower par amount outstanding to the extent
the Investment Advisor determines such an investment to be
appropriate. In any such determination, the Investment Advisor will
evaluate the relative creditworthiness of issuers and the relative
credit quality of debt issues. Consideration may be given to an
issuer's financial strength, capacity for timely payment and ability
to withstand adverse financial developments.
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According to the Registration Statement, money market instruments
in which the Fund may invest include short-term government securities,
floating and variable rate notes, CDs, time deposits, bankers'
acceptances, commercial paper and other short-term liquid instruments.
According to the Registration Statement, securities issued by the
U.S. Government in which the Fund may invest include short-term U.S.
Treasury obligations and short-term debt obligations. The Fund may also
purchase certificates not issued by the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, which evidence ownership of future interest, principal or
interest and principal payments on obligations issued by the U.S.
Department of the Treasury. The Fund may invest in obligations issued
or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies.\18\ The Fund may also invest
in separated or divided U.S. Government Securities.\19\ Foreign
government securities may include direct obligations, as well as
obligations guaranteed by the foreign government and obligations issued
by Special Purpose Entities.
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\18\ Obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government
agencies include: (1) Obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S.
Government agencies and instrumentalities that are backed by the
full faith and credit of the U.S. Government and (2) securities that
are guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S.
Government but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the
U.S.
\19\ These instruments represent a single interest, or
principal, payment on a U.S. Government Security that has been
separated from all the other interest payments as well as the
security itself. While the components of such instruments are drawn
from U.S. Government Securities, separated or divided securities may
be formed by non-governmental institutions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
U.S. and foreign corporate debt obligations. Corporate debt obligations
include
[[Page 75426]]
corporate bonds, debentures, notes, commercial paper and other similar
corporate debt instruments. In addition, the Fund also may invest in
corporate debt securities registered and sold in the U.S. by foreign
issuers (sometimes called Yankee bonds) and those sold outside the U.S.
by foreign or U.S. issuers (sometimes called Eurobonds).
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
investment grade debt securities and non-investment grade debt
securities. Investment grade means rated in the top four long-term
rating categories, or unrated and determined by the Investment Adviser
to be of comparable quality. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total
assets in non-investment grade debt securities, including defaulted
securities, however the Fund does not expect to invest up to 5% in
defaulted securities.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
physical gold and gold-related securities. To the extent that the Fund
invests in gold, it may do so by investing directly in physical gold or
indirectly by investing through U.S.-listed ETPs \20\ that invest in
gold bullion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ Such ETPs may include the following securities: Trust
Issued Receipts (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.200) and
Commodity-Based Trust Shares (as described in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.201). The Fund may invest in ETPs which are not registered
under the 1940 Act. The Fund may invest in ETPs sponsored by the
Investment Adviser or its affiliates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Investments
According to the Registration Statement, in addition to the
principal investments in hard currency denominated investments
described above, the Fund may make certain other investments.
According to the Registration Statement, in addition to the U.S.
listed ETPs that the Fund may use as an indirect investment in gold,
the Fund may invest in other ETPs, including Exchange Traded Funds
(``ETFs'') \21\ and Exchange Traded Notes (``ETNs'').\22\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\21\ For purposes of this proposed rule change, ETFs are
securities that are registered pursuant to the 1940 Act such as
those listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to NYSE Arca
Equities Rules 5.2(j)(3), 8.100 and 8.600.
\22\ For purposes of this proposed rule change, ETNs are
securities that are registered pursuant to the 1933 Act such as
those listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 5.2(j)(6).
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According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may enter into
repurchase agreements. If the Fund enters into a repurchase agreement,
it will maintain possession of the purchased securities and any
underlying collateral. The Fund may also enter into reverse repurchase
agreements. A counterparty to a reverse repurchase agreement must be a
primary dealer that reports to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or
one of the largest 100 commercial banks in the United States.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
exchange-listed common and preferred stock, and warrants; however,
according to the Fund, it will not generally invest in such
investments. The Fund will not invest in any non-U.S. equity
securities.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
sponsored American Depositary Receipts (``ADRs''), European Depositary
Receipts (``EDRs''), Global Depositary Receipts (``GDRs''), New York
Registered Shares (``NYRs'') or American Depositary Shares
(``ADSs'').\23\ The Fund may invest in sponsored, exchange traded
depositary receipts in order to obtain exposure to foreign securities
markets.\24\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\23\ ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company,
evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign
company, and are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs
are issued by European financial institutions and typically trade in
Europe and GDRs are issued by European financial institutions and
typically trade in both Europe and the United States. NYRs, also
known as Guilder Shares since most of the issuing companies are
Dutch, are U.S. dollar-denominated certificates issued by foreign
companies specifically for the U.S. market. ADSs are shares issued
under a deposit agreement that represents an underlying security in
the issuer's home country. (An ADS is the actual share trading,
while an ADR represents a bundle of ADSs.)
\24\ The depositary receipts and NYRs in which the Fund may
invest will be limited to securities listed on markets that are
members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG''), which
includes all U.S. national securities exchanges and certain foreign
exchanges, or are parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement with the Exchange. The Fund will not invest in any
depositary receipts or NYRs that the Investment Adviser deems to be
illiquid or for which pricing information is not readily available.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
convertible securities. Convertible securities include debt securities,
preferred stock or other securities that may be converted into or
exchanged for a given amount of common stock of the same or a different
issuer during a specified period and at a specified price in the
future.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in
variable amount master demand notes. All variable amount master demand
notes acquired by the Fund will be payable within a prescribed notice
period not to exceed seven days.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may hold cash in
bank deposits in foreign currencies. The Fund may conduct foreign
currency exchange transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the
spot rate prevailing in the foreign exchange market or by entering into
a forward foreign currency contract. The Fund may enter into forward
contracts in order to ``lock in'' the exchange rate between the
currency it will deliver and the currency it will receive for the
duration of the contract.
According to the Registration Statement, for the purpose of
hedging, efficient portfolio management, generating income and/or
enhancement of returns, the Fund may, from time to time, enter into
forward currency contracts,\25\ including currency forwards and cross
currency forwards. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts
to hedge against risks arising from securities the Fund owns or
anticipates purchasing, or the U.S. dollar value of interest and
dividends paid on those securities.\26\ The Fund may invest in a
combination of forward currency contracts and U.S. dollar-denominated
instruments in an attempt to obtain an investment result that is
substantially the same as a direct investment in a foreign currency-
denominated instrument. For hedging purposes, the Fund may invest in
forward currency contracts to hedge either specific transactions
(transaction hedging) or portfolio positions (position hedging).\27\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\25\ A forward currency contract is an obligation to purchase or
sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed
number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the
parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.
\26\ To the extent the Fund retains various U.S. fixed-income
instruments to settle derivative contracts, the Investment Adviser
expects such instruments to generate income for the Fund. The value
of such investments (to the extent used to cover the Fund's net
exposure under the forward foreign currency contracts and similar
instruments) and forward contracts and other instruments that
provide investment exposure to currencies will be counted for
purposes of the Fund's 80% policy.
\27\ The Investment Adviser seeks to mitigate counterparty risk
associated with forward currency contracts by employing multiple
brokers to execute trades and by monitoring the creditworthiness of
counterparties through analysis of credit ratings available through
U.S. nationally recognized ratings services.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, in order to respond to
adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, the Fund may
assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its
principal investment strategies and invest, without limitation, in cash
or cash equivalents (including commercial paper, certificates of
deposit, banker's acceptances and time deposits) which may be U.S.
dollar denominated.
[[Page 75427]]
Investment Restrictions
The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net
assets in illiquid assets (calculated at the time of investment),
including Rule 144A securities deemed illiquid by the Investment
Adviser consistent with Commission guidance,\28\ and master demand
notes.\29\ The Fund will monitor its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing
basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, an
adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will consider
taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate liquidity if,
through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, more
than 15% of the Fund's net assets are held in illiquid securities.
Illiquid assets include securities subject to contractual or other
restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily
available markets as determined in accordance with Commission staff
guidance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\28\ In reaching liquidity decisions, the Investment Adviser may
consider the following factors: the frequency of trades and quotes
for the security; the number of dealers wishing to purchase or sell
the security and the number of other potential purchasers; dealer
undertakings to make a market in the security; and the nature of the
security and the nature of the marketplace in which it trades (e.g.,
the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting
offers, and the mechanics of transfer).
\29\ See Investment Company Act Release No. 18612 (March 12,
1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20, 1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form
N-1A) (stating that Guide 4 ``permit[s] a fund to invest up to 15%
of its assets in illiquid securities''). The Commission has stated
that long-standing Commission guidelines have required open-end
funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets in illiquid
securities and other illiquid assets. See Investment Company Act
Release No. 8901 (March 11, 2008), 73 FR 14618 (March 18, 2008),
footnote 34. See also, Investment Company Act Release No. 5847
(October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December 31, 1970) (Statement
Regarding ``Restricted Securities''). A fund's portfolio security is
illiquid if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course of
business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to it
by the ETF. See Investment Company Act Release No. 14983 (March 12,
1986), 51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to Rule 2a-7
under the 1940 Act); Investment Company Act Release No. 17452 (April
23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A under
the 1933 Act).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may not purchase
a security if, as a result, more than 25% of its total assets would be
invested in securities of issuers conducting their principal business
activities in the same industry.\30\ For purposes of this limitation,
there is no limit on investments in U.S. Government Securities and
repurchase agreements covering U.S. Government Securities. With respect
to foreign government securities, the Fund treats each foreign
government or sovereign as its own industry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\30\ See Form N-1A, Item 9. The Commission has taken the
position that a fund is concentrated if it invests more than 25% of
the value of its total assets in any one industry. See, e.g.,
Investment Company Act Release No. 9011 (October 30, 1975), 40 FR
54241 (November 21, 1975).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Although the Fund intends to invest in a variety of securities and
instruments, the fund will be considered ``non-diversified' for the
purposes of the 1940 Act, which means that it may invest more of its
assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than if it were
a diversified fund.\31\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\31\ The diversification standard is set forth in Section
5(b)(2) of the 1940 Act, (15 U.S.C. 80a-5(b)(2)).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will use
leveraged investment techniques only when the Investment Adviser
believes that the leveraging and the returns available to the Fund from
investing the cash will provide investors with a potentially higher
return. Such leveraged investment techniques include borrowing,
repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements and securities
lending. The Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged
ETPs. Such investments will not be used to enhance the leverage of the
Fund as a whole and will otherwise be consistent with the Fund's
investment objective.
The Fund will not directly invest in options contracts, futures
contracts or swap agreements.
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund intends, for each
taxable year, to qualify for treatment as a ``regulated investment
company'' under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended.\32\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\32\ 26 U.S.C. 851.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund will not invest in any non-U.S. equity securities, except
for exposure to those that may underlie a depositary receipt or
NYR.\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\33\ See note 26, supra [sic].
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Asset Value
The Fund will calculate its net asset value (``NAV'') as of the
close of trading on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on
each weekday except on days when the Exchange is closed. The NAV will
be determined by taking the market value of the total assets of the
Fund, subtracting the liabilities of the Fund, and then dividing the
result (net assets) by the number of outstanding shares of the Fund.
Because the Fund will invest in instruments that trade on foreign
markets on days when the Exchange is closed, the value of the Fund's
investments may change on days on which shareholders will not be able
to purchase Fund shares.
The Fund will value securities for which market quotations are
readily available at current market value, except for money-market
instruments with a maturity of sixty days or less, which may be valued
at amortized cost. Securities for which market quotations are readily
available will be valued using the last reported sales price provided
by independent pricing services as of the close of trading on the
Exchange. In the absence of sales, such securities will be valued at
the mean of the last bid and asked price. Non-exchange traded
securities for which quotations are readily available will be valued at
the mean between the current bid and asked price. Debt securities may
be valued at prices supplied by the Fund's pricing agents based on
broker or dealer supplied valuations or matrix pricing, a method of
valuing securities by reference to the value of other securities with
similar characteristics such as rating, interest rate and maturity.
Forward currency contracts will be valued at the mean of bid and ask
prices for the time period interpolated from rates reported by an
independent pricing service for proximate time periods. Investments in
open-end registered investment companies will be valued at their NAV.
Investments in other ETPs will be valued using market price.
Market quotations may not be readily available or may be unreliable
if, among other things, (1) the exchange on which the security is
principally traded closes early, (2) trading in a security was halted
during the day and did not resume prior to the time the Fund calculates
its NAV or (3) events occur after the close of the securities markets
on which the securities primarily trade but before the time the Fund
calculates its NAV.
If market prices are not readily available or the Fund reasonably
believes that they are unreliable, such as in the case of a security
value that has been materially affected by events occurring after the
relevant market closes, the Fund will be required to value the
securities at fair value as determined in good faith using procedures
approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (``Board'') and in
accordance with the 1940 Act The Board has delegated day-to-day
responsibility for fair value determinations to a Valuation Committee,
members of which are appointed by the Board. Fair valuation may be
based on subjective factors and, as a result, the fair value price of a
security may differ from that security's market price and may not be
the price at which the security may be sold. Fair
[[Page 75428]]
valuation could result in a different NAV than a NAV determined by
using market quotes.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will offer and
issue shares in aggregations of Shares (``Creation Units'') on a
continuous basis, at the net asset value per share (``NAV'') \34\ next
determined after receipt of an order in proper form on any business
day. A Creation Unit is currently an aggregation of 50,000 Shares.
Creation Units may only be purchased or redeemed by certain large
institutional investors who have entered into agreements with the
Fund's Distributor (``Authorized Participants'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\34\ The Fund will calculate its NAV as of the close of trading
on the Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time (``E.T.'')) on
each weekday except days when the Exchange is closed. The NAV will
be determined by taking the market value of the total assets of the
Fund, subtracting the liabilities of the Fund, and then dividing the
result (net assets) by the number of outstanding Shares of the Fund.
For more information regarding the valuation of Fund investments in
calculating the Fund's NAV, see the Registration Statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The consideration for a Creation Unit of the Fund is the ``Fund
Deposit.'' The Fund Deposit will consist of a specified all-cash
payment (``All-Cash Payment'') or a basket of securities to be
deposited to purchase a Creation Unit (the ``In-Kind Creation Basket'')
and a specified cash payment (the ``Cash Component'') as determined by
the Investment Adviser to be in the best interest of the Fund. Any
positions in the Fund's portfolio that cannot be transferred in kind
will be represented by cash in the Cash Component and not in the In-
Kind Creation Basket. The Fund expects that Fund Deposits will
typically consist of All-Cash Payments. The Cash Component will
typically include a ``Balancing Amount'' reflecting the difference, if
any, between the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the
securities in the In-Kind Creation Basket.
Fund Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV
next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form on
a business day. The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit will
consist of a basket of securities to be received upon redemption of a
Creation Unit (the ``In-Kind Redemption Basket'') and a specified cash
payment (the ``Cash Redemption Amount'') or an All-Cash Payment, in all
instances equal to the value of a Creation Unit. The Fund expects that
Fund redemptions will typically consist of In-Kind Redemption Baskets
and a Cash Redemption Amount. The Cash Redemption Amount will typically
include a Balancing Amount reflecting the difference, if any, between
the NAV of a Creation Unit and the market value of the securities in
the In-Kind Redemption Basket.
The Investment Manager or the Investment Adviser, through the
National Securities Clearing Corporation (``NSCC''), will make
available on each business day,\35\ immediately prior to the opening of
business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., E.T.), (a) the All-Cash
Payment for the Fund for that day (based on information about the
Fund's portfolio at the end of the previous business day) (subject to
amendment or correction); (b) in the event the Fund requires an In-Kind
Creation Basket and Cash Component, a list of names and the required
quantity of each security in the In-Kind Creation Basket to be included
in the current Fund Deposit for the Fund (based on information about
the Fund's portfolio at the end of the previous business day) (subject
to amendment or correction) and the estimated Cash Component, effective
through and including the previous business day, per Creation Unit; and
(c) if different from the In-Kind Creation Basket and All-Cash Payment,
the composition of the In-Kind Redemption Basket and/or an amount of
cash that will be applicable to redemption requests (subject to
possible amendment or correction). According to the Investment Adviser,
this information may be subject to amendment or correction as the
values of the instruments in the Fund's portfolio change, or the
instruments in the Fund's portfolio change. Creations and redemptions
will be at the next determined NAV.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\35\ Orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem
Creation Units will only be accepted on a business day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional information regarding the Trust and the Shares,
including investment strategies, risks, creation and redemption
procedures, fees, portfolio holdings disclosure policies, distributions
and taxes is included in the Registration Statement. All terms relating
to the Fund that are referred to, but not defined in, this proposed
rule change are defined in the Registration Statement.
Availability of Information
The Fund's Web site (www.merkfunds.com), which will be publicly
available prior to the public offering of Shares, will include a form
of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Web site
will include additional quantitative information updated on a daily
basis, including, for the Fund: (1) The prior business day's reported
NAV, mid-point of the bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such
NAV (the ``Bid/Ask Price''),\36\ and a calculation of the premium and
discount of the Bid/Ask Price against the NAV; and (2) data in chart
format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums
of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges,
for each of the four previous calendar quarters. On each business day,
before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session
\37\ on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the
identities and quantities of the portfolio of securities and other
assets (the ``Disclosed Portfolio'') \38\ held by the Fund that will
form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the
business day.\39\ The Web site and information will be publicly
available at no charge.
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\36\ The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be determined using the
midpoint of the highest bid and the lowest offer on the Exchange as
of the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV. The records relating
to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the Fund and/or its service
providers.
\37\ The Core Trading Session is 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. E.T.
\38\ The Exchange notes that NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii) provides that the Reporting Authority that
provides the Disclosed Portfolio must implement and maintain, or be
subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination
of material non-public information regarding the actual components
of the portfolio.
\39\ Under accounting procedures followed by the Fund, trades
made on the prior business day (``T'') will be booked and reflected
in NAV on the current business day (``T+1''). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, portfolio trades that are executed prior to the opening
of the Exchange on any business day may be booked and reflected in
NAV on such business day. Accordingly, the Fund 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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On a daily basis, the Fund will disclose for each portfolio
security and other financial instrument of the Fund the following
information: Ticker symbol (if applicable), name or description of
security and financial instrument, number of shares or dollar value of
securities and financial instruments held in the portfolio, and
percentage weighting of securities and financial instruments in the
portfolio. The Web site information will be publicly available at no
charge.
In addition, for the Fund, an estimated value, defined in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600 as the ``Portfolio Indicative Value,'' that
reflects an estimated intraday value of the Fund's portfolio, will be
disseminated. The Portfolio Indicative Value will be based upon the
current value for the components of the Disclosed Portfolio.
[[Page 75429]]
In addition, the Portfolio Indicative Value, as defined in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3), will be widely disseminated by one or more
major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Core
Trading Session.\40\ The dissemination of the Portfolio Indicative
Value, together with the Disclosed Portfolio, will allow investors to
determine the value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a daily
basis and to provide a close estimate of that value throughout the
trading day.
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\40\ Currently, it is the Exchange's understanding that several
major market data vendors display and/or make widely available
Portfolio Indicative Values published on CTA or other data feeds.
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Investors can also obtain the Trust's Statement of Additional
Information (``SAI''), the Fund's Shareholder Reports, and its Form N-
CSR and Form N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust's SAI and Shareholder
Reports will be available free upon request from the Trust, and those
documents and the Form N-CSR and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or
downloaded from the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. Information
regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be
continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on
brokers' computer screens and other electronic services. Information
regarding the previous day's closing price and trading volume
information for the Shares will be published daily in the financial
section of newspapers.
Quotation and last sale information for the Shares and underlying
U.S. exchange-traded equities, including, without limitation, ETPs
(including ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred stock and warrants,
depositary receipts, and NYRs, will be available via the Consolidated
Tape Association (``CTA'') high-speed line. Quotation information from
brokers and dealers or pricing services will be available for fixed
income securities, other money market instruments, and repurchase and
reverse repurchase agreements held by the Fund. Price information for
the Fund's portfolio securities and other instruments is generally
readily available through major market data vendors, automated
quotation systems, published or other public sources and/or, for listed
securities, the securities exchange on which they are listed and
traded. Investors may obtain on a 24-hour basis gold pricing
information based on the spot price for an ounce of gold from various
financial information service providers, such as Reuters and Bloomberg.
Reuters and Bloomberg provide at no charge on their Web sites delayed
information regarding the spot price of gold, as well as information
about news and developments in the gold market. Reuters and Bloomberg
also offer a professional service to subscribers for a fee that
provides information on gold prices directly from market participants.
ICAP plc provides an electronic trading platform called EBS for the
trading of spot gold, as well as a feed of live streaming prices to
Reuters and Moneyline Telerate subscribers. There are a variety of
other public Web sites providing information on gold, ranging from
those specializing in precious metals to sites maintained by major
newspapers, such as The Wall Street Journal. In addition, the daily
London noon Fix is publicly available at no charge at
www.thebulliondesk.com.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, which
sets forth the initial and continued listing criteria applicable to
Managed Fund Shares. The Exchange represents that, for initial and/or
continued listing, the Fund must be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 \41\
under the Exchange Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A
minimum of 100,000 Shares will be outstanding at the commencement of
trading on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a representation from
the issuer of the Shares that the NAV per Share for the Fund will be
calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio will be
made available to all market participants at the same time.
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\41\ See 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
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Trading Halts
With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all
relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend
trading in the Shares of the Fund. Shares of the Fund will be halted if
the ``circuit breaker'' parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 are
reached. Trading may be halted because of market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares
inadvisable. These may include: (1) The extent to which trading is not
occurring in the securities and/or the financial instruments comprising
the Disclosed Portfolio of the Fund; or (2) whether other unusual
conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair
and orderly market are present. Trading in the Shares will be subject
to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth
circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted.
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus
rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing
rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. E.T. in accordance with
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core, and Late Trading
Sessions). The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate
transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03, the minimum price
variation (``MPV'') for quoting and entry of orders in equity
securities traded on the NYSE Arca Marketplace is $0.01, with the
exception of securities that are priced less than $1.00 for which the
MPV for order entry is $0.0001.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject
to the existing trading surveillances, administered by the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (``FINRA'') on behalf of the Exchange,
which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities laws.\42\ The Exchange represents that
these procedures are adequate to properly monitor Exchange trading of
the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations
of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.
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\42\ FINRA surveils trading on the Exchange pursuant to a
regulatory services agreement. The Exchange is responsible for
FINRA's performance under this regulatory services agreement.
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The surveillances referred to above generally focus on detecting
securities trading outside their normal patterns, which could be
indicative of manipulative or other violative activity. When such
situations are detected, surveillance analysis follows and
investigations are opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of
all relevant parties for all relevant trading violations.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed
regarding trading in the Shares and underlying equity securities
(including, without limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and ETNs), common
and preferred stock and warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and any
other exchange-traded products) with other markets and other entities
that are members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG''), and
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, may obtain trading information
regarding trading in the Shares and underlying equity securities
(including, without
[[Page 75430]]
limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred stock
and warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and any other exchange-traded
products) from such markets and other entities. In addition, the
Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and
underlying equity securities (including, without limitation, ETPs
(including ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred stock and warrants,
depositary receipts, NYRs and any other exchange-traded products) from
markets that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place
a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.\43\ The ETPs (including
ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred stock and warrants, depositary
receipts and NYRs in which the Fund may invest all will be listed and
traded on an exchange which is a member of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
In addition, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, is able to access, as
needed, trade information for certain fixed income securities held by
the Fund reported to FINRA's Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine
(``TRACE'').
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\43\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all of the components
of the Disclosed Portfolio for the Fund may trade on exchanges that
are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
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In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its
Equity Trading Permit Holders in an Information Bulletin (``Bulletin'')
of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the
Shares. Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss the following: (1) The
procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Creation Unit
aggregations (and that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2)
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence
on its Equity Trading Permit Holders to learn the essential facts
relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) the risks
involved in trading the Shares during the Opening and Late Trading
Sessions when an updated Portfolio Indicative Value will not be
calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the
Portfolio Indicative Value is disseminated; (5) the requirement that
Equity Trading Permit Holders deliver a prospectus to investors
purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the
confirmation of a transaction; and (6) trading information. In
addition, the Bulletin will reference that the Fund is subject to
various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement. The
Bulletin will discuss any exemptive, no-action, and interpretive relief
granted by the Commission from any rules under the Exchange Act. The
Bulletin will also disclose that the NAV for the Shares will be
calculated after 4:00 p.m. E.T. each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Exchange Act for this proposed rule change is
the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \44\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\44\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the
Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the
initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600. The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are
adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading
sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities laws. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange,
will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and
underlying equity securities (including, without limitation, ETPs
(including ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred stock and warrants,
depositary receipts, NYRs and any other exchange-traded products) with
other markets and other entities that are members of ISG, and FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, may obtain trading information regarding
trading in the Shares and underlying equity securities (including,
without limitation, ETPs (including ETFs and ETNs), common and
preferred stock and warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and any other
exchange-traded products) from such markets and other entities. In
addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the
Shares and underlying equity securities (including, without limitation,
ETPs (including ETFs and ETNs), common and preferred stock and
warrants, depositary receipts, NYRs and any other exchange-traded
products) from markets that are members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, is able to access, as needed, trade
information for certain fixed income securities held by the Fund
reported to TRACE. The ETPs (including ETFs and ETNs), common and
preferred stock and warrants, depositary receipts and NYRs in which the
Fund may invest all will be listed and traded on an exchange which is a
member of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement. According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund normally will invest in a basket of hard currency
denominated investments composed of high quality, short-term debt
instruments, including sovereign debt, and in gold and gold-related
securities. The Fund will typically maintain a weighted average
portfolio maturity of less than eighteen months and only buy money
market or other short-term debt instruments that are rated in the top
three ratings by U.S. nationally recognized ratings services or that
the Investment Adviser considers comparable in quality to instruments
rated in the top three ratings. The Fund will typically invest only in
debt instruments that the Investment Adviser deems to be sufficiently
liquid at time of investment. Generally a debt instrument must have
$100 million (or an equivalent value if denominated in a currency other
than U.S. dollars) or more par amount outstanding and significant par
value traded to be sufficiently liquid at the time of investment. The
Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in debt instruments
having a lower par amount outstanding to the extent the Investment
Advisor determines such an investment to be appropriate. Leveraged
investment techniques will not be used to enhance the leverage of the
Fund as a whole and will otherwise be consistent with the Fund's
investment objective. The Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse
leveraged ETPs. The Fund will not hold in the aggregate illiquid
assets, including Rule 144A Securities deemed illiquid by the
Investment Adviser consistent with Commission guidance, and master
demand notes, in excess of 15% of its net assets.\45\ The Fund will not
invest in any non-U.S. equity securities. The Fund will not directly
invest in options contracts, futures contracts or swap agreements.
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\45\ See note 28, supra.
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The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable
principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in
that neither the
[[Page 75431]]
Investment Adviser nor the Investment Manager is or is affiliated with
a broker-dealer. In the event (a) the Investment Manager or Investment
Adviser becomes, or becomes newly affiliated with, a broker-dealer, or
(b) any new investment adviser becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer,
it will implement a fire wall with respect to its relevant personnel or
such broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information concerning
the composition and/or changes to the portfolio, and will be subject to
procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material
non-public information regarding such portfolio. The Exchange will
obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the NAV per
Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed
Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same
time. In addition, a large amount of information is publicly available
regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market
transparency. Price information for the debt instruments, gold-related
securities, and other instruments, including securities of other
investment companies, common and preferred stock, warrants, depositary
receipts and NYRs held by the Fund will be available through major
market data vendors and/or the securities exchange on which they are
listed and traded. Moreover, the Portfolio Indicative Value, as defined
in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3), will be widely disseminated by
one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during
the Core Trading Session. On each business day, before commencement of
trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the Fund
will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that will form
the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business
day. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the
Shares will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout
the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic services, and
quotation and last sale information will be available via the CTA high-
speed line. The Web site for the Fund will include a form of the
prospectus for the Fund and additional data relating to NAV and other
applicable quantitative information. Moreover, prior to the
commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its Equity Trading
Permit Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special
characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Trading
in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters
in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached or because of market
conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make
trading in the Shares inadvisable, and trading in the Shares will be
subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth
circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In
addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to
information regarding the Fund's holdings, the Portfolio Indicative
Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information
for the Shares.
The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a
free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the
public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of
an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that
will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of
investors and the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in
place surveillance procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may
obtain information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG
or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement. In addition, as noted above, investors
will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings,
the Portfolio Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation
and last sale information for the Shares. The proposed rule change is
designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade and to
protect investors and the public interest in that there is a
considerable amount of gold price and gold market information available
on public Web sites and through professional and subscription services.
Investors may obtain on a 24-hour basis gold pricing information based
on the spot price for an ounce of gold from various financial
information service providers. In addition, the London AM Fix and
London PM Fix are publicly available at no charge at
www.thebulliondesk.com. The Trust's daily (or as determined by the
Investment Manager in accordance with the amended and restated trust
agreement) NAV is posted on the Trust's Web site as soon as
practicable.
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 purpose of the Exchange Act. The Exchange notes
that the proposed rule change will facilitate the listing and trading
of an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that
will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of
investors and the marketplace.
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 after
publication (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 email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2013-132 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-2013-132. This
file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all
written statements
[[Page 75432]]
with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those
that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions
of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE., Washington,
DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and
3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing also will be available for inspection
and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit
personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit
only information that you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2013-132 and should
be submitted on or before January 2, 2014.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\46\
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\46\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-29492 Filed 12-10-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P