Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Listing and Trading of Shares of the First Trust Managed Municipal Fund of First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund III, 10584-10591 [2014-03972]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 2014 / Notices
of the Fund are collectively referred to
herein as the ‘‘Shares.’’
The text of the proposed rule change
is available at https://
nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com/, at Nasdaq’s
principal office, and at the
Commission’s Public Reference Room.
applicable to a national securities
association.
IV. Conclusion
It is therefore ordered, pursuant to
Section 19(b)(2) of the Act,18 that the
proposed rule change (SR–FINRA–
2013–054) be, and it hereby is,
approved.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.19
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–03974 Filed 2–24–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–71572; File No. SR–
NASDAQ–2014–019]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; The
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of
Filing of Proposed Rule Change
Relating to the Listing and Trading of
Shares of the First Trust Managed
Municipal Fund of First Trust
Exchange-Traded Fund III
February 19, 2014.
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 February
7, 2014, The NASDAQ Stock Market
LLC (‘‘Nasdaq’’ or the ‘‘Exchange’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by Nasdaq. 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
Nasdaq proposes to list and trade the
shares of the First Trust Managed
Municipal ETF (the ‘‘Fund’’) of First
Trust Exchange-Traded Fund III (the
‘‘Trust’’) under Nasdaq Rule 5735
(‘‘Managed Fund Shares’’).3 The shares
18 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
3 The Commission approved Nasdaq Rule 5735 in
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57962 (June
13, 2008), 73 FR 35175 (June 20, 2008) (SR–
NASDAQ–2008–039). There are already multiple
actively-managed funds listed on the Exchange; see,
e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 69464
(April 26, 2013), 78 FR 25774 (May 2, 2013) (SR–
NASDAQ–2013–036) (order approving listing and
trading of First Trust Senior Loan Fund); 68972
(February 22, 2013), 78 FR 13721 (February 28,
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II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission,
Nasdaq included statements concerning
the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change. The text of these
statements may be examined at the
places specified in Item IV below.
Nasdaq has prepared summaries, set
forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of
the most significant aspects of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade the Shares of the Fund under
Nasdaq Rule 5735, which governs the
listing and trading of Managed Fund
Shares 4 on the Exchange. The Fund will
be an actively-managed exchange-traded
fund (‘‘ETF’’). The Shares will be
offered by the Trust, which was
established as a Massachusetts business
2013) (SR–NASDAQ–2012–147) (order approving
listing and trading of First Trust High Yield Long/
Short ETF); 66489 (February 29, 2012), 77 FR 13379
(March 6, 2012) (SR–NASDAQ–2012–004) (order
approving listing and trading of WisdomTree
Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund).
Additionally, the Commission has previously
approved the listing and trading of a number of
actively-managed funds on NYSE Arca, Inc.
pursuant to Rule 8.600 of that exchange. See, e.g.,
Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 68870
(February 8, 2013), 78 FR 11245 (February 15, 2013)
(SR–NYSEArca–2012–139) (order approving listing
and trading of First Trust Preferred Securities and
Income ETF); 64643 (June 10, 2011), 76 FR 35062
(June 15, 2011) (SR–NYSEArca–2011–21) (order
approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Global
Real Return Fund). The Exchange believes the
proposed rule change raises no significant issues
not previously addressed in those prior
Commission orders.
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) (the ‘‘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 Index
Fund Shares, listed and traded on the Exchange
under Nasdaq Rule 5705, 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.
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trust on January 9, 2008.5 The Trust is
registered with the Commission as an
investment company and has filed a
registration statement on Form N–1A
(‘‘Registration Statement’’) with the
Commission.6 The Fund will be a series
of the Trust.
First Trust Advisors L.P. will be the
investment adviser (‘‘Adviser’’) to the
Fund. First Trust Portfolios L.P. (the
‘‘Distributor’’) will be the principal
underwriter and distributor of the
Fund’s Shares. Brown Brothers
Harriman & Co. (‘‘BBH’’) will act as the
administrator, accounting agent,
custodian and transfer agent to the
Fund.
Paragraph (g) of Rule 5735 provides
that if the investment adviser to the
investment company issuing Managed
Fund Shares is affiliated with a brokerdealer, 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.7 In addition,
5 The Commission has issued an order, upon
which the Trust may rely, granting certain
exemptive relief under the 1940 Act. See
Investment Company Act Release No. 30029 (April
10, 2012) (File No. 812–13795) (the ‘‘Exemptive
Relief’’). In addition, on December 6, 2012, the staff
of the Commission’s Division of Investment
Management (‘‘Division’’) issued a no-action letter
(‘‘No-Action Letter’’) relating to the use of
derivatives by actively-managed ETFs. See NoAction Letter dated December 6, 2012 from
Elizabeth G. Osterman, Associate Director, Office of
Exemptive Applications, Division of Investment
Management. The No-Action Letter stated that the
Division would not recommend enforcement action
to the Commission under applicable provisions of
and rules under the 1940 Act if actively-managed
ETFs operating in reliance on specified orders
(which include the Exemptive Relief) invest in
options contracts, futures contracts or swap
agreements provided that they comply with certain
representations stated in the No-Action Letter.
6 See Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to
Registration Statement on Form N–1A for the Trust,
dated December 20, 2013 (File Nos. 333–176976
and 811–22245). The descriptions of the Fund and
the Shares contained herein are based, in part, on
information in the Registration Statement.
7 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 Adviser and its 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
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paragraph (g) 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, non-public information
regarding the open-end fund’s portfolio.
Rule 5735(g) is similar to Nasdaq Rule
5705(b)(5)(A)(i); however, paragraph (g)
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. The Adviser is not a brokerdealer, but it is affiliated with the
Distributor, a broker-dealer, and has
implemented a fire wall with respect to
its broker-dealer affiliate regarding
access to information concerning the
composition and/or changes to the
portfolio. In addition, personnel who
make decisions on the Fund’s portfolio
composition will be subject to
procedures designed to prevent the use
and dissemination of material nonpublic information regarding the Fund’s
portfolio. In the event (a) the Adviser or
any sub-adviser registers as a brokerdealer or becomes newly affiliated with
a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser
or sub-adviser is a registered brokerdealer or becomes affiliated with a
broker-dealer, it will implement a fire
wall with respect to its relevant
personnel and/or such broker-dealer
affiliate, as applicable, 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 nonpublic information regarding such
portfolio. The Fund currently does not
intend to use a sub-adviser.
First Trust Managed Municipal ETF
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Principal Investments
The primary investment objective of
the Fund will be to generate current
income that is exempt from regular
federal income taxes and its secondary
objective will be long-term capital
appreciation. Under normal market
conditions,8 the Fund will seek to
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.
8 The term ‘‘under normal market conditions’’ as
used herein 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
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achieve its investment objectives by
investing at least 80% of its net assets
(including investment borrowings) in
municipal debt securities that pay
interest that is exempt from regular
federal income taxes (collectively,
‘‘Municipal Securities’’).9 Municipal
Securities are generally issued by or on
behalf of states, territories or
possessions of the U.S. and the District
of Columbia and their political
subdivisions, agencies, authorities and
other instrumentalities. The types of
Municipal Securities in which the Fund
may invest include municipal lease
obligations (and certificates of
participation in such obligations),
municipal general obligation bonds,
municipal revenue bonds, municipal
notes, municipal cash equivalents,
private activity bonds (including
without limitation industrial
development bonds), and prerefunded 10 and escrowed to maturity
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.
For temporary defensive purposes, during the
initial invest-up period and during periods of high
cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may depart from
its principal investment strategies and invest part
or all of its assets in short-term debt securities,
money market funds and other cash equivalents, or
it may hold cash. (See ‘‘Other Investments’’ below.)
During such periods, the Fund may not be able to
achieve its investment objectives. The Fund may
adopt a defensive strategy when the Adviser
believes securities in which the Fund normally
invests have elevated risks due to political or
economic factors and in other extraordinary
circumstances.
9 Assuming compliance with the investment
requirements and limitations described herein
(including the 10% limitation on distressed
Municipal Securities described below), the Fund
may invest up to 100% of its net assets in
Municipal Securities that pay interest that generates
income subject to the federal alternative minimum
tax.
10 A pre-refunded municipal bond is a municipal
bond that has been refunded to a call date on or
before the final maturity of principal and remains
outstanding in the municipal market. The payment
of principal and interest of the pre-refunded
municipal bonds held by the Fund will be funded
from securities in a designated escrow account that
holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations
of the U.S. government (including its agencies and
instrumentalities). As the payment of principal and
interest is generated from securities held in a
designated escrow account, the pledge of the
municipality has been fulfilled and the original
pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer
in place. The escrow account securities pledged to
pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded
municipal bond do not guarantee the price
movement of the bond before maturity. Investment
in pre-refunded municipal bonds held by the Fund
may subject the Fund to interest rate risk, market
risk and credit risk. In addition, while a secondary
market exists for pre-refunded municipal bonds, if
the Fund sells pre-refunded municipal bonds prior
to maturity, the price received may be more or less
than the original cost, depending on market
conditions at the time of sale.
PO 00000
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10585
bonds. In addition, Municipal Securities
include securities issued by entities
whose underlying assets are municipal
bonds (for example, tender option bond
(TOB) trusts and custodial receipts
trusts). The Fund may invest in
Municipal Securities of any maturity.
The Fund will invest at least 65% of
its net assets in investment grade
securities, which are securities that are
rated at the time of investment in one
of the four highest credit quality
categories by at least one nationally
recognized statistical rating organization
rating that security or, if unrated,
determined by the Adviser to be of
comparable quality.11 The Fund will
consider pre-refunded or escrowed to
maturity bonds, regardless of rating, to
be investment grade securities. The
Fund may invest up to 35% of its net
assets in securities that are, at the time
of investment, rated below investment
grade (or securities that are unrated and
determined by the Adviser to be of
comparable quality), commonly referred
to as ‘‘high yield’’ or ‘‘junk’’ bonds. If,
subsequent to purchase by the Fund, a
security held by the Fund experiences a
decline in credit quality and falls below
investment grade, the Fund may
continue to hold the security and it will
not count toward the 35% investment
limitation.
Investments in Derivatives
To pursue its investment objectives,
the Fund may invest in interest rate
swaps,12 options, exchange-listed
options on futures contracts, futures
contracts and forward contracts. The use
of these derivative transactions may
allow the Fund to obtain net long or
short exposures to selected interest rates
or durations and/or to gain exposure to
Municipal Securities. These derivatives
may also be used to hedge risks,
including interest rate risks and credit
risks, associated with the Fund’s other
portfolio investments.
The Fund generally expects that no
more than 20% of the value of the
Fund’s net assets will be invested in
11 Comparable quality of unrated securities will
be determined by the Adviser based on
fundamental credit analysis of the unrated security
and comparable rated securities. On a best efforts
basis, the Adviser will attempt to make a rating
determination based on publicly available data. In
making a ‘‘comparable quality’’ determination, the
Adviser may consider, for example, whether the
issuer of the security has issued other rated
securities, the nature and provisions of the relevant
security, whether the obligations under the relevant
security are guaranteed by another entity and the
rating of such guarantor (if any), relevant cash
flows, macroeconomic analysis, and/or sector or
industry analysis.
12 To the extent practicable, the Fund will invest
in swaps cleared through the facilities of a
centralized clearing house.
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derivative instruments; however, there
will be no limitation on the Fund’s
investments in derivative instruments to
be used by the Fund solely for hedging
purposes.13 The Fund will only enter
into transactions in derivative
instruments with counterparties that the
Adviser reasonably believes are capable
of performing under the applicable
contract.14 The Fund’s investments in
derivative instruments will be
consistent with the Fund’s investment
objectives and the 1940 Act and will not
be used to seek to achieve a multiple or
inverse multiple of an index.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Other Investments
Under normal market conditions, the
Fund will invest substantially all of its
assets to meet its investment objectives
as described above. In addition, the
Fund may invest its assets as generally
described below.
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its
net assets in taxable municipal
securities. In addition, the Fund may
invest up to 10% of its net assets in
distressed Municipal Securities.15 The
Fund may also invest up to 10% of its
net assets in short-term debt securities,
money market funds and other cash
equivalents, or it may hold cash. The
percentage of the Fund invested in such
13 The Fund will limit its direct investments in
futures, options on futures and swaps to the extent
necessary for the Adviser to claim the exclusion
from regulation as a ‘‘commodity pool operator’’
with respect to the Fund under Rule 4.5
promulgated by the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission (‘‘CFTC’’), as such rule may be
amended from time to time. Under Rule 4.5 as
currently in effect, the Fund will limit its trading
activity in futures, options on futures and swaps
(excluding activity for ‘‘bona fide hedging
purposes,’’ as defined by the CFTC) such that it will
meet one of the following tests: (i) Aggregate initial
margin and premiums required to establish its
futures, options on futures and swap positions will
not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the
Fund’s portfolio, after taking into account
unrealized profits and losses on such positions; or
(ii) aggregate net notional value of its futures,
options on futures and swap positions will not
exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s
portfolio, after taking into account unrealized
profits and losses on such positions.
14 The Fund will seek, where possible, to use
counterparties, as applicable, whose financial status
is such that the risk of default is reduced; however,
the risk of losses resulting from default is still
possible. The Adviser will evaluate the
creditworthiness of counterparties on an ongoing
basis. In addition to information provided by credit
agencies, the Adviser’s analysis will evaluate each
approved counterparty using various methods of
analysis and may consider the Adviser’s past
experience with the counterparty, its known
disciplinary history and its share of market
participation.
15 Distressed Municipal Securities are Municipal
Securities that are currently in default and not
expected to pay the current coupon. If, subsequent
to purchase by the Fund, a Municipal Security held
by the Fund becomes distressed, the Fund may
continue to hold the Municipal Security and it will
not count toward the 10% limit.
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holdings will vary and will depend on
several factors, including market
conditions.
Short-term debt securities, which do
not include Municipal Securities, are
securities from issuers having a longterm debt rating of at least A by
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a
Division of The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. (‘‘S&P Ratings’’),
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
(‘‘Moody’s’’) or Fitch Ratings (‘‘Fitch’’)
and having a maturity of one year or
less. The use of temporary investments
will not be a part of a principal
investment strategy of the Fund.
Short-term debt securities are defined
to include, without limitation, the
following: (1) Fixed rate and floating
rate U.S. government securities,
including bills, notes and bonds
differing as to maturity and rates of
interest, which are either issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by
U.S. government agencies or
instrumentalities; (2) certificates of
deposit issued against funds deposited
in a bank or savings and loan
association; (3) bankers’ acceptances,
which are short-term credit instruments
used to finance commercial
transactions; (4) repurchase
agreements,16 which involve purchases
of debt securities; (5) bank time
deposits, which are monies kept on
deposit with banks or savings and loan
associations for a stated period of time
at a fixed rate of interest; and (6)
commercial paper, which is short-term
unsecured promissory notes. The Fund
may only invest in commercial paper
rated A–1 or higher by S&P Ratings,
Prime-1 or higher by Moody’s or F1 or
higher by Fitch.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its
net assets in the securities of other
investment companies, including
money market funds, closed-end funds,
open-end funds and other ETFs.17
16 The Fund intends to enter into repurchase
agreements only with financial institutions and
dealers believed by the Adviser to present minimal
credit risks in accordance with criteria approved by
the Board of Trustees of the Trust (‘‘Trust Board’’).
The Adviser will review and monitor the
creditworthiness of such institutions. The Adviser
will monitor the value of the collateral at the time
the transaction is entered into and at all times
during the term of the repurchase agreement.
17 An ETF is an investment company registered
under the 1940 Act that holds a portfolio of
securities. Many ETFs are designed to track the
performance of a securities index, including
industry, sector, country and region indexes. ETFs
included in the Fund will be listed and traded in
the U.S. on registered exchanges. The Fund may
invest in the securities of ETFs in excess of the
limits imposed under the 1940 Act pursuant to
exemptive orders obtained by other ETFs and their
sponsors from the Commission. In addition, the
Fund may invest in the securities of certain other
investment companies in excess of the limits
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
Adviser, in accordance with
Commission guidance.18 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
assets. 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.
The Fund may not invest 25% or
more of the value of its total assets in
securities of issuers in any one industry
or group of industries. This restriction
does not apply to (a) Municipal
Securities issued by governments or
political subdivisions of governments,
(b) obligations issued or guaranteed by
the U.S. government, its agencies or
instrumentalities, or (c) securities of
other investment companies.19
The Fund intends to qualify each year
as a regulated investment company
(‘‘RIC’’) under Subchapter M of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
The Fund will issue and redeem
Shares on a continuous basis at net asset
value (‘‘NAV’’) 20 only in large blocks of
imposed under the 1940 Act pursuant to an
exemptive order that the Trust has obtained from
the Commission. See Investment Company Act
Release No. 30377 (February 5, 2013) (File No. 812–
13895). The ETFs in which the Fund may invest
include Index Fund Shares (as described in Nasdaq
Rule 5705), Portfolio Depository Receipts (as
described in Nasdaq Rule 5705), and Managed Fund
Shares (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5735). While
the Fund may invest in inverse ETFs, the Fund will
not invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged (e.g., 2X
or –3X) ETFs.
18 In reaching liquidity decisions, the 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).
19 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).
20 The NAV of the Fund’s Shares generally will
be calculated once daily Monday through Friday as
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 2014 / Notices
Shares (‘‘Creation Units’’) in
transactions with authorized
participants, generally including brokerdealers and large institutional investors
(‘‘Authorized Participants’’). Creation
Units will consist of 50,000 Shares. As
described in the Registration Statement
and consistent with the Exemptive
Relief, the Fund will issue and redeem
Creation Units in exchange for an inkind portfolio of instruments or, under
certain circumstances, cash in lieu of
such instruments or a combination of
instruments and cash (the ‘‘Creation
Basket’’). In addition, if there is a
difference between the NAV attributable
to a Creation Unit and the market value
of the Creation Basket exchanged for the
Creation Unit, the party conveying
instruments with the lower value will
pay to the other an amount in cash
equal to the difference (referred to as the
‘‘Cash Component’’).
Creations and redemptions must be
made by an Authorized Participant or
through a firm that is either a member
of the National Securities Clearing
Corporation (‘‘NSCC’’) or a Depository
Trust Company participant, that, in each
case, must have executed an agreement
that has been agreed to by the
Distributor and BBH with respect to
creations and redemptions of Creation
Units. All standard orders to create
Creation Units must be received by the
transfer agent no later than the closing
time of the regular trading session on
the New York Stock Exchange
(ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the
‘‘Closing Time’’), in each case on the
date such order is placed in order for
the creation of Creation Units to be
effected based on the NAV of Shares as
next determined on such date after
receipt of the order in proper form.
Shares may be redeemed only in
Creation Units at their NAV next
determined after receipt, not later than
the Closing Time, of a redemption
request in proper form by the Fund
through the transfer agent and only on
a business day.
The Fund’s custodian, through the
NSCC, will make available on each
business day, prior to the opening of
business of the Exchange, the list of the
names and quantities of the instruments
comprising the Creation Basket, as well
as the estimated Cash Component (if
any), for that day. The published
Creation Basket will apply until a new
of the close of regular trading on the New York
Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time
(the ‘‘NAV Calculation Time’’). NAV per Share will
be calculated by dividing the Fund’s net assets by
the number of Fund Shares outstanding. For more
information regarding the valuation of Fund
investments in calculating the Fund’s NAV, see the
Registration Statement.
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Creation Basket is announced on the
following business day.
Net Asset Value
The Fund’s NAV will be determined
as of the close of trading (normally 4:00
p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New
York Stock Exchange is open for
business. NAV will be calculated for the
Fund by taking the market price of the
Fund’s total assets, including interest or
dividends accrued but not yet collected,
less all liabilities, and dividing such
amount by the total number of Shares
outstanding. The result, rounded to the
nearest cent, will be the NAV per Share.
All valuations will be subject to review
by the Trust Board or its delegate.
The Fund’s investments will be
valued daily at market value or, in the
absence of market value with respect to
any investment, at fair value, in each
case in accordance with valuation
procedures (which may be revised from
time to time) adopted by the Trust
Board (‘‘Valuation Procedures’’) and in
accordance with the 1940 Act. A market
valuation generally means a valuation
(i) obtained from an exchange, an
independent pricing service (‘‘Pricing
Service’’), or a major market maker (or
dealer) or (ii) based on a price quotation
or other equivalent indication of value
supplied by an exchange, a Pricing
Service, or a major market maker (or
dealer). The information summarized
below is based on the Valuation
Procedures as currently in effect;
however, as noted above, the Valuation
Procedures are amended from time to
time and, therefore, such information is
subject to change.
Certain securities in which the Fund
may invest will not be listed on any
securities exchange or board of trade.
Such securities will typically be bought
and sold by institutional investors in
individually negotiated private
transactions that function in many
respects like an over-the-counter
secondary market, although typically no
formal market makers will exist. Certain
securities, particularly debt securities,
will have few or no trades, or trade
infrequently, and information regarding
a specific security may not be widely
available or may be incomplete.
Accordingly, determinations of the fair
value of debt securities may be based on
infrequent and dated information.
Because there is less reliable, objective
data available, elements of judgment
may play a greater role in valuation of
debt securities than for other types of
securities. Typically, debt securities
(other than those described in the next
sentence) will be valued using
information provided by a Pricing
Service. Debt securities having a
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10587
remaining maturity of 60 days or less
when purchased will be valued at cost
adjusted for amortization of premiums
and accretion of discounts.
Equity securities (including ETFs and
closed-end funds) listed on any
exchange other than the Exchange will
be valued at the last sale price on the
business day as of which such value is
being determined. Equity securities
(including ETFs and closed-end funds)
listed on the Exchange will be valued at
the official closing price on the business
day as of which such value is being
determined. If there has been no sale on
such day, or no official closing price in
the case of securities traded on the
Exchange, the securities will be valued
using fair value pricing, as described
below. Equity securities traded on more
than one securities exchange will be
valued at the last sale price or official
closing price, as applicable, on the
business day as of which such value is
being determined at the close of the
exchange representing the principal
market for such securities. Non-fixed
income securities traded in the over-thecounter market will be valued at the
midpoint between the bid and the asked
price, if available, and otherwise at the
closing bid prices. Registered open-end
management investment companies
(other than ETFs, which will be valued
as described above) will be valued at
their net asset values as reported by
such registered open-end management
investment companies to Pricing
Services.
Exchange-traded options and futures
contracts will be valued at the closing
price in the market where such
contracts are principally traded. Overthe-counter futures contracts and
options will be valued at the midpoint
between the bid and the asked price, if
available, and otherwise at the closing
bid prices.
Interest rate swaps will be valued
using a Pricing Service or, if the Pricing
Service does not provide a value, the
Adviser’s pricing committee will then
attempt to obtain one or more quotes
provided by the selling dealer or
financial institution and will value the
swaps accordingly.
Certain securities may not be able to
be priced by pre-established pricing
methods. Such securities may be valued
by the Trust Board or its delegate at fair
value. The use of fair value pricing by
the Fund will be governed by the
Valuation Procedures and conducted in
accordance with the provisions of the
1940 Act. Valuing the Fund’s securities
using fair value pricing will result in
using prices for those securities that
may differ from current market
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valuations or official closing prices on
the applicable exchange.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Availability of Information
The Fund’s Web site
(www.ftportfolios.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 the Shares’ ticker, Cusip and
exchange information along with
additional quantitative information
updated on a daily basis, including, for
the Fund: (1) Daily trading volume, the
prior business day’s reported NAV and
closing price, mid-point of the bid/ask
spread at the time of calculation of such
NAV (the ‘‘Bid/Ask Price’’),21 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 Regular Market
Session 22 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’’ as defined in
Nasdaq Rule 5735(c)(2)) held by the
Fund that will form the basis for the
Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of
the business day.23 The Disclosed
Portfolio will include, as applicable, the
names, quantities, percentage
weightings and market values of the
portfolio securities and other assets held
by the Fund. The Web site information
will be publicly available at no charge.
In addition, for the Fund, an
estimated value, defined in Rule
5735(c)(3) as the ‘‘Intraday Indicative
Value,’’ that reflects an estimated
intraday value of the Fund’s Disclosed
Portfolio, will be disseminated.
Moreover, the Intraday Indicative Value,
21 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 its service providers.
22 See Nasdaq Rule 4120(b)(4) (describing the
three trading sessions on the Exchange: (1) PreMarket Session from 4 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Eastern
time; (2) Regular Market Session from 9:30 a.m. to
4 p.m. or 4:15 p.m., Eastern time; and (3) PostMarket Session from 4 p.m. or 4:15 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
Eastern time).
23 Under accounting procedures to be 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’’). 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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17:58 Feb 24, 2014
Jkt 232001
available on the NASDAQ OMX
Information LLC proprietary index data
service,24 will be based upon the current
value for the components of the
Disclosed Portfolio and will be updated
and widely disseminated by one or
more major market data vendors and
broadly displayed at least every 15
seconds during the Regular Market
Session. The Intraday Indicative Value
will be based on quotes and closing
prices from the securities’ local market
and may not reflect events that occur
subsequent to the local market’s close.
Premiums and discounts between the
Intraday Indicative Value and the
market price may occur. This should not
be viewed as a ‘‘real time’’ update of the
NAV per Share of the Fund, which is
calculated only once a day.
The dissemination of the Intraday
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 will provide a close estimate of that
value throughout the trading day.
Investors will also be able to obtain
the Fund’s Statement of Additional
Information (‘‘SAI’’), the Fund’s annual
and semi-annual reports (together,
‘‘Shareholder Reports’’), and its Form
N–CSR and Form N–SAR, filed twice a
year. The Fund’s SAI and Shareholder
Reports will be available free upon
request from the Fund, 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 will be
available via Nasdaq proprietary quote
and trade services, as well as in
accordance with the Unlisted Trading
Privileges and the Consolidated Tape
Association plans for the Shares. One
source of price information for
Municipal Securities is the Electronic
Municipal Market Access (‘‘EMMA’’) of
the Municipal Securities Rulemaking
24 Currently, the NASDAQ OMX Global Index
Data Service (‘‘GIDS’’) is the NASDAQ OMX global
index data feed service, offering real-time updates,
daily summary messages, and access to widely
followed indexes and Intraday Indicative Values for
ETFs. GIDS provides investment professionals with
the daily information needed to track or trade
NASDAQ OMX indexes, listed ETFs, or third-party
partner indexes and ETFs.
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Board (‘‘MSRB’’).25 Additionally, the
MSRB offers trade data subscription
services that permit subscribers to
obtain information about municipal
securities transactions. Quotation
information from brokers and dealers or
Pricing Services will also be available
for fixed income securities generally.
Intraday executable price information
for fixed income securities, equity
securities and derivatives will be
available from major broker-dealer firms
and major market data vendors. For
exchange-traded assets, intraday price
information will also be available
directly from the applicable listing
exchanges. Intraday price information
will also generally be available through
subscription services, such as
Bloomberg, Markit, and Thomson
Reuters, which can be accessed by
Authorized Participants and other
investors.
Additional information regarding the
Fund and the Shares, including
investment strategies, risks, creation and
redemption procedures, fees, Fund
holdings disclosure policies,
distributions and taxes will be included
in the Registration Statement. All terms
relating to the Fund that are referred to,
but not defined in, this proposed rule
change will be defined in the
Registration Statement.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will be subject to Rule
5735, 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 26 under
the Act. 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 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. Nasdaq will halt trading in
the Shares under the conditions
specified in Nasdaq Rules 4120 and
4121, including the trading pauses
under Nasdaq Rules 4120(a)(11) and
25 A source of price information for other types
of fixed income securities is the Trade Reporting
and Compliance Engine (‘‘TRACE’’) of the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (‘‘FINRA’’).
26 See 17 CFR 240.10A–3.
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(12). 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 other assets constituting 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 also will be subject to Rule
5735(d)(2)(D), which sets forth
circumstances under which Shares of
the Fund may be halted.
Trading Rules
Nasdaq deems the Shares to be equity
securities, thus rendering trading in the
Shares subject to Nasdaq’s existing rules
governing the trading of equity
securities. Nasdaq will allow trading in
the Shares from 4:00 a.m. until 8:00
p.m., Eastern time. The Exchange has
appropriate rules to facilitate
transactions in the Shares during all
trading sessions. As provided in Nasdaq
Rule 5735(b)(3), the minimum price
variation for quoting and entry of orders
in Managed Fund Shares traded on the
Exchange is $0.01.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading
in the Shares will be subject to the
existing trading surveillances,
administered by both Nasdaq and also
FINRA on behalf of the Exchange,
which are designed to detect violations
of Exchange rules and applicable federal
securities laws.27 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 with other markets
and other entities that are members of
the Intermarket Surveillance Group
27 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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17:58 Feb 24, 2014
Jkt 232001
(‘‘ISG’’),28 and FINRA may obtain
trading information regarding trading in
the Shares from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may
obtain information regarding trading in
the Shares from markets and other
entities that are members of ISG, which
includes securities and futures
exchanges, or with which the Exchange
has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.
Moreover, FINRA, on behalf of the
Exchange, will be able to access, as
needed, trade information for certain
fixed income securities held by the
Fund reported to FINRA’s TRACE.
At least 90% of the Fund’s net assets
that are invested in exchange-traded
futures and exchange-traded options (in
the aggregate) will be invested in
instruments that trade in markets that
are members of ISG or are parties to a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement with the Exchange.
In addition, the Exchange also has a
general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public
information by its employees.
Information Circular
Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
members in an Information Circular of
the special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Information Circular
will discuss the following: (1) The
procedures for purchases and
redemptions of Shares in Creation Units
(and that Shares are not individually
redeemable); (2) Nasdaq Rule 2111A,
which imposes suitability obligations on
Nasdaq members with respect to
recommending transactions in the
Shares to customers; (3) how
information regarding the Intraday
Indicative Value is disseminated; (4) the
risks involved in trading the Shares
during the Pre-Market and Post-Market
Sessions when an updated Intraday
Indicative Value will not be calculated
or publicly disseminated; (5) the
requirement that members 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 Information Circular
will advise members, prior to the
commencement of trading, of the
prospectus delivery requirements
applicable to the Fund. Members
purchasing Shares from the Fund for
28 For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all
components of the Disclosed Portfolio may trade on
markets that are members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.
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10589
resale to investors will deliver a
prospectus to such investors. The
Information Circular will also discuss
any exemptive, no-action and
interpretive relief granted by the
Commission from any rules under the
Act.
Additionally, the Information Circular
will reference that the Fund is subject
to various fees and expenses described
in the Registration Statement. The
Information Circular will also disclose
the trading hours of the Shares of the
Fund and the applicable NAV
Calculation Time for the Shares. The
Information Circular will disclose that
information about the Shares of the
Fund will be publicly available on the
Fund’s Web site.
2. Statutory Basis
Nasdaq believes that the proposal is
consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act
in general and Section 6(b)(5) of the Act
in particular in that it is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices, to promote just and
equitable principles of trade, to foster
cooperation and coordination with
persons engaged in facilitating
transactions in securities, and to remove
impediments to and perfect the
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 Nasdaq Rule 5735. The
Exchange represents that trading in the
Shares will be subject to the existing
trading surveillances, administered by
both Nasdaq and also FINRA on behalf
of the Exchange, which are designed to
detect violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities laws.
The Adviser is not a broker-dealer,
but it is affiliated with a broker-dealer
and is required to implement a ‘‘fire
wall’’ with respect to such broker-dealer
affiliate regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or
changes to the Fund’s portfolio. In
addition, paragraph (g) of Nasdaq Rule
5735 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 non-public information
regarding the open-end fund’s portfolio.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange,
will communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares with other markets
and other entities that are members of
ISG, and FINRA may obtain trading
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emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 2014 / Notices
information regarding trading in the
Shares from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may
obtain information regarding trading in
the Shares from markets and other
entities that are members of ISG, which
includes securities and futures
exchanges, or with which the Exchange
has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.
Moreover, FINRA, on behalf of the
Exchange, will be able to access, as
needed, trade information for certain
fixed income securities held by the
Fund reported to FINRA’s TRACE. At
least 90% of the Fund’s net assets that
are invested in exchange-traded futures
and exchange-traded options (in the
aggregate) will be invested in
instruments that trade in markets that
are members of ISG or are parties to a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement with the Exchange.
The primary investment objective of
the Fund will be to generate current
income that is exempt from regular
federal income taxes and its secondary
objective will be long-term capital
appreciation. Under normal market
conditions, the Fund will seek to
achieve its investment objectives by
investing at least 80% of its net assets
(including investment borrowings) in
Municipal Securities. The Fund will
invest at least 65% of its net assets in
investment grade securities. The Fund
may invest up to 10% of its net assets
in taxable municipal securities and up
to 10% of its net assets in distressed
Municipal Securities. The Fund
generally expects that no more than
20% of the value of the Fund’s net
assets will be invested in derivative
instruments; however, there will be no
limitation on the Fund’s investments in
derivative instruments to be used by the
Fund solely for hedging purposes. The
Fund’s investments in derivatives will
be consistent with the Fund’s
investment objectives and the 1940 Act
and will not be used to seek to achieve
a multiple or inverse multiple of an
index. Also, 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
Adviser, in accordance with
Commission guidance. 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
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17:58 Feb 24, 2014
Jkt 232001
Fund’s net assets are held in illiquid
assets. 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.
The Fund’s investments will be
valued daily at market value or, in the
absence of market value with respect to
any investment, at fair value, in each
case in accordance with the Valuation
Procedures and in accordance with the
1940 Act.
The proposed rule change is designed
to promote just and equitable principles
of trade and to protect investors and the
public interest in that 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
will be publicly available regarding the
Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting
market transparency. Moreover, the
Intraday Indicative Value, available on
the NASDAQ OMX Information LLC
proprietary index data service, will be
widely disseminated by one or more
major market data vendors and broadly
displayed at least every 15 seconds
during the Regular Market Session. On
each business day, before
commencement of trading in Shares in
the Regular Market 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 for the Shares will
be available via Nasdaq proprietary
quote and trade services, as well as in
accordance with the Unlisted Trading
Privileges and the Consolidated Tape
Association plans for the Shares. One
source of price information for
Municipal Securities is the MSRB’s
EMMA. Additionally, the MSRB offers
trade data subscription services that
permit subscribers to obtain information
about municipal securities transactions.
Quotation information from brokers and
dealers or Pricing Services will also be
available for fixed income securities
generally. Intraday executable price
information for fixed income securities,
equity securities and derivatives will be
available from major broker-dealer firms
and major market data vendors. For
exchange-traded assets, intraday price
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information will also be available
directly from the applicable listing
exchanges. Intraday price information
will also generally be available through
subscription services, such as
Bloomberg, Markit, and Thomson
Reuters, which can be accessed by
Authorized Participants and other
investors.
The Fund’s Web site will include a
form of the prospectus for the Fund and
additional data relating to NAV and
other applicable quantitative
information. Trading in Shares of the
Fund will be halted under the
conditions specified in Nasdaq Rules
4120 and 4121 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 Nasdaq
Rule 5735(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 Intraday 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,
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will
communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares with other markets
and other entities that are members of
ISG and FINRA may obtain trading
information regarding trading in the
Shares from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may
obtain information regarding trading in
the Shares from markets and other
entities that are members of ISG, which
includes securities and futures
exchanges, or with which the Exchange
has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.
Furthermore, as noted above, investors
will have ready access to information
regarding the Fund’s holdings, the
Intraday Indicative Value, the Disclosed
Portfolio, and quotation and last sale
information for the Shares.
For the above reasons, Nasdaq
believes the proposed rule change is
consistent with the requirements of
Section 6(b)(5) of the Act.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 37 / Tuesday, February 25, 2014 / Notices
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. The
Exchange believes that the proposed
rule change will facilitate the listing and
trading of an additional type of activelymanaged exchange-traded fund 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
Written comments were neither
solicited nor received.
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 (i)
as the Commission may designate up to
90 days of such date if it finds such
longer period to be appropriate and
publishes its reasons for so finding or
(ii) as to which the Exchange consents,
the Commission shall: (a) By order
approve or disapprove such proposed
rule change, or (b) institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule
change should be disapproved.
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 Nasdaq. 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–NASDAQ–2014–019 and
should be submitted on or before March
18, 2014.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.29
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–03972 Filed 2–24–14; 8:45 am]
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–
NASDAQ–2014–019 on the subject line.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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:
Self-Regulatory Organizations; The
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change Relating to the
Options Regulatory Fee
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary,
Securities and Exchange Commission,
Station Place, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NASDAQ–2014–019. 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
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:58 Feb 24, 2014
Jkt 232001
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–71570; File No. SR–
NASDAQ–2014–018]
February 19, 2014.
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 February
11, 2014, The NASDAQ Stock Market
LLC (‘‘NASDAQ’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’)
the proposed rule change as described
in Items I, II, and III, below, which Items
have been prepared by NASDAQ. The
29 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
PO 00000
Frm 00126
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
10591
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 the Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
NASDAQ proposes to modify Chapter
XV, entitled ‘‘Options Pricing,’’ at
Section 5 governing pricing for
NASDAQ members using the NASDAQ
Options Market (‘‘NOM’’), NASDAQ’s
facility for executing and routing
standardized equity and index options.
Specifically, NOM proposes to amend
its fees to specify the frequency with
which the Exchange may change the
Options Regulatory Fee (‘‘ORF’’).
While the changes proposed herein
are effective upon filing, the Exchange
has designated that the amendments be
operative on March 3, 2014.
The text of the proposed rule change
is available on the Exchange’s Web site
at https://
www.nasdaq.cchwallstreet.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
Exchange included statements
concerning the purpose of and basis for
the proposed rule change. The text of
these 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 aspects of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
NASDAQ proposes to amend its Rules
at Chapter XV, Section 5 to specify the
frequency with which the Exchange
may change the ORF. The ORF is
assessed by the Exchange on each
member for all options transactions
executed or cleared by the member that
are cleared by The Options Clearing
Corporation (‘‘OCC’’) in the customer
range (i.e., transactions that clear in the
customer account of the member’s
clearing firm at OCC) regardless of the
exchange on which the transaction
occurs.3 The fee is collected indirectly
3 NOM Participants who do not transact an
equities business on the NASDAQ Stock Market
LLC in a calendar year receive a refund of the fees
Continued
E:\FR\FM\25FEN1.SGM
25FEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10584-10591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03972]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-71572; File No. SR-NASDAQ-2014-019]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC;
Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Listing and
Trading of Shares of the First Trust Managed Municipal Fund of First
Trust Exchange-Traded Fund III
February 19, 2014.
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 February 7, 2014, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (``Nasdaq'' or the
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in in Items I,
II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by Nasdaq. The
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
Nasdaq proposes to list and trade the shares of the First Trust
Managed Municipal ETF (the ``Fund'') of First Trust Exchange-Traded
Fund III (the ``Trust'') under Nasdaq Rule 5735 (``Managed Fund
Shares'').\3\ The shares of the Fund are collectively referred to
herein as the ``Shares.''
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\3\ The Commission approved Nasdaq Rule 5735 in Securities
Exchange Act Release No. 57962 (June 13, 2008), 73 FR 35175 (June
20, 2008) (SR-NASDAQ-2008-039). There are already multiple actively-
managed funds listed on the Exchange; see, e.g., Securities Exchange
Act Release Nos. 69464 (April 26, 2013), 78 FR 25774 (May 2, 2013)
(SR-NASDAQ-2013-036) (order approving listing and trading of First
Trust Senior Loan Fund); 68972 (February 22, 2013), 78 FR 13721
(February 28, 2013) (SR-NASDAQ-2012-147) (order approving listing
and trading of First Trust High Yield Long/Short ETF); 66489
(February 29, 2012), 77 FR 13379 (March 6, 2012) (SR-NASDAQ-2012-
004) (order approving listing and trading of WisdomTree Emerging
Markets Corporate Bond Fund). Additionally, the Commission has
previously approved the listing and trading of a number of actively-
managed funds on NYSE Arca, Inc. pursuant to Rule 8.600 of that
exchange. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 68870
(February 8, 2013), 78 FR 11245 (February 15, 2013) (SR-NYSEArca-
2012-139) (order approving listing and trading of First Trust
Preferred Securities and Income ETF); 64643 (June 10, 2011), 76 FR
35062 (June 15, 2011) (SR-NYSEArca-2011-21) (order approving listing
and trading of WisdomTree Global Real Return Fund). The Exchange
believes the proposed rule change raises no significant issues not
previously addressed in those prior Commission orders.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The text of the proposed rule change is available at https://nasdaq.cchwallstreet.com/, at Nasdaq's principal office, 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, Nasdaq included statements
concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change. The
text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in
Item IV below. Nasdaq has prepared summaries, set forth in Sections A,
B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade the Shares of the Fund
under Nasdaq Rule 5735, which governs the listing and trading of
Managed Fund Shares \4\ on the Exchange. The Fund will be an actively-
managed exchange-traded fund (``ETF''). The Shares will be offered by
the Trust, which was established as a Massachusetts business trust on
January 9, 2008.\5\ The Trust is registered with the Commission as an
investment company and has filed a registration statement on Form N-1A
(``Registration Statement'') with the Commission.\6\ The Fund will be a
series of the Trust.
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\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) (the ``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 Index Fund Shares, listed
and traded on the Exchange under Nasdaq Rule 5705, 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 Commission has issued an order, upon which the Trust may
rely, granting certain exemptive relief under the 1940 Act. See
Investment Company Act Release No. 30029 (April 10, 2012) (File No.
812-13795) (the ``Exemptive Relief''). In addition, on December 6,
2012, the staff of the Commission's Division of Investment
Management (``Division'') issued a no-action letter (``No-Action
Letter'') relating to the use of derivatives by actively-managed
ETFs. See No-Action Letter dated December 6, 2012 from Elizabeth G.
Osterman, Associate Director, Office of Exemptive Applications,
Division of Investment Management. The No-Action Letter stated that
the Division would not recommend enforcement action to the
Commission under applicable provisions of and rules under the 1940
Act if actively-managed ETFs operating in reliance on specified
orders (which include the Exemptive Relief) invest in options
contracts, futures contracts or swap agreements provided that they
comply with certain representations stated in the No-Action Letter.
\6\ See Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement
on Form N-1A for the Trust, dated December 20, 2013 (File Nos. 333-
176976 and 811-22245). The descriptions of the Fund and the Shares
contained herein are based, in part, on information in the
Registration Statement.
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First Trust Advisors L.P. will be the investment adviser
(``Adviser'') to the Fund. First Trust Portfolios L.P. (the
``Distributor'') will be the principal underwriter and distributor of
the Fund's Shares. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (``BBH'') will act as
the administrator, accounting agent, custodian and transfer agent to
the Fund.
Paragraph (g) of Rule 5735 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.\7\ In addition,
[[Page 10585]]
paragraph (g) 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, non-public
information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio. Rule 5735(g) is
similar to Nasdaq Rule 5705(b)(5)(A)(i); however, paragraph (g) 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. The Adviser is not a broker-dealer, but it is
affiliated with the Distributor, a broker-dealer, and has implemented a
fire wall with respect to its broker-dealer affiliate regarding access
to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the
portfolio. In addition, personnel who make decisions on the Fund's
portfolio composition will be subject to procedures designed to prevent
the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding
the Fund's portfolio. In the event (a) the Adviser or any sub-adviser
registers as a broker-dealer or becomes newly affiliated with a broker-
dealer, or (b) any new adviser or sub-adviser is a registered broker-
dealer or becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement a
fire wall with respect to its relevant personnel and/or such broker-
dealer affiliate, as applicable, 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 Fund
currently does not intend to use a sub-adviser.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ 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 Adviser and its 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
First Trust Managed Municipal ETF
Principal Investments
The primary investment objective of the Fund will be to generate
current income that is exempt from regular federal income taxes and its
secondary objective will be long-term capital appreciation. Under
normal market conditions,\8\ the Fund will seek to achieve its
investment objectives by investing at least 80% of its net assets
(including investment borrowings) in municipal debt securities that pay
interest that is exempt from regular federal income taxes
(collectively, ``Municipal Securities'').\9\ Municipal Securities are
generally issued by or on behalf of states, territories or possessions
of the U.S. and the District of Columbia and their political
subdivisions, agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities. The
types of Municipal Securities in which the Fund may invest include
municipal lease obligations (and certificates of participation in such
obligations), municipal general obligation bonds, municipal revenue
bonds, municipal notes, municipal cash equivalents, private activity
bonds (including without limitation industrial development bonds), and
pre-refunded \10\ and escrowed to maturity bonds. In addition,
Municipal Securities include securities issued by entities whose
underlying assets are municipal bonds (for example, tender option bond
(TOB) trusts and custodial receipts trusts). The Fund may invest in
Municipal Securities of any maturity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ The term ``under normal market conditions'' as used herein
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. For temporary
defensive purposes, during the initial invest-up period and during
periods of high cash inflows or outflows, the Fund may depart from
its principal investment strategies and invest part or all of its
assets in short-term debt securities, money market funds and other
cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. (See ``Other Investments''
below.) During such periods, the Fund may not be able to achieve its
investment objectives. The Fund may adopt a defensive strategy when
the Adviser believes securities in which the Fund normally invests
have elevated risks due to political or economic factors and in
other extraordinary circumstances.
\9\ Assuming compliance with the investment requirements and
limitations described herein (including the 10% limitation on
distressed Municipal Securities described below), the Fund may
invest up to 100% of its net assets in Municipal Securities that pay
interest that generates income subject to the federal alternative
minimum tax.
\10\ A pre-refunded municipal bond is a municipal bond that has
been refunded to a call date on or before the final maturity of
principal and remains outstanding in the municipal market. The
payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded municipal
bonds held by the Fund will be funded from securities in a
designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or
other obligations of the U.S. government (including its agencies and
instrumentalities). As the payment of principal and interest is
generated from securities held in a designated escrow account, the
pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original
pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The
escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest
of the pre-refunded municipal bond do not guarantee the price
movement of the bond before maturity. Investment in pre-refunded
municipal bonds held by the Fund may subject the Fund to interest
rate risk, market risk and credit risk. In addition, while a
secondary market exists for pre-refunded municipal bonds, if the
Fund sells pre-refunded municipal bonds prior to maturity, the price
received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on
market conditions at the time of sale.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund will invest at least 65% of its net assets in investment
grade securities, which are securities that are rated at the time of
investment in one of the four highest credit quality categories by at
least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization rating
that security or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be of
comparable quality.\11\ The Fund will consider pre-refunded or escrowed
to maturity bonds, regardless of rating, to be investment grade
securities. The Fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in
securities that are, at the time of investment, rated below investment
grade (or securities that are unrated and determined by the Adviser to
be of comparable quality), commonly referred to as ``high yield'' or
``junk'' bonds. If, subsequent to purchase by the Fund, a security held
by the Fund experiences a decline in credit quality and falls below
investment grade, the Fund may continue to hold the security and it
will not count toward the 35% investment limitation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ Comparable quality of unrated securities will be determined
by the Adviser based on fundamental credit analysis of the unrated
security and comparable rated securities. On a best efforts basis,
the Adviser will attempt to make a rating determination based on
publicly available data. In making a ``comparable quality''
determination, the Adviser may consider, for example, whether the
issuer of the security has issued other rated securities, the nature
and provisions of the relevant security, whether the obligations
under the relevant security are guaranteed by another entity and the
rating of such guarantor (if any), relevant cash flows,
macroeconomic analysis, and/or sector or industry analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Investments in Derivatives
To pursue its investment objectives, the Fund may invest in
interest rate swaps,\12\ options, exchange-listed options on futures
contracts, futures contracts and forward contracts. The use of these
derivative transactions may allow the Fund to obtain net long or short
exposures to selected interest rates or durations and/or to gain
exposure to Municipal Securities. These derivatives may also be used to
hedge risks, including interest rate risks and credit risks, associated
with the Fund's other portfolio investments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ To the extent practicable, the Fund will invest in swaps
cleared through the facilities of a centralized clearing house.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund generally expects that no more than 20% of the value of
the Fund's net assets will be invested in
[[Page 10586]]
derivative instruments; however, there will be no limitation on the
Fund's investments in derivative instruments to be used by the Fund
solely for hedging purposes.\13\ The Fund will only enter into
transactions in derivative instruments with counterparties that the
Adviser reasonably believes are capable of performing under the
applicable contract.\14\ The Fund's investments in derivative
instruments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objectives
and the 1940 Act and will not be used to seek to achieve a multiple or
inverse multiple of an index.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ The Fund will limit its direct investments in futures,
options on futures and swaps to the extent necessary for the Adviser
to claim the exclusion from regulation as a ``commodity pool
operator'' with respect to the Fund under Rule 4.5 promulgated by
the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC''), as such rule
may be amended from time to time. Under Rule 4.5 as currently in
effect, the Fund will limit its trading activity in futures, options
on futures and swaps (excluding activity for ``bona fide hedging
purposes,'' as defined by the CFTC) such that it will meet one of
the following tests: (i) Aggregate initial margin and premiums
required to establish its futures, options on futures and swap
positions will not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund's
portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses
on such positions; or (ii) aggregate net notional value of its
futures, options on futures and swap positions will not exceed 100%
of the liquidation value of the Fund's portfolio, after taking into
account unrealized profits and losses on such positions.
\14\ The Fund will seek, where possible, to use counterparties,
as applicable, whose financial status is such that the risk of
default is reduced; however, the risk of losses resulting from
default is still possible. The Adviser will evaluate the
creditworthiness of counterparties on an ongoing basis. In addition
to information provided by credit agencies, the Adviser's analysis
will evaluate each approved counterparty using various methods of
analysis and may consider the Adviser's past experience with the
counterparty, its known disciplinary history and its share of market
participation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Investments
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest substantially
all of its assets to meet its investment objectives as described above.
In addition, the Fund may invest its assets as generally described
below.
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its net assets in taxable
municipal securities. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its
net assets in distressed Municipal Securities.\15\ The Fund may also
invest up to 10% of its net assets in short-term debt securities, money
market funds and other cash equivalents, or it may hold cash. The
percentage of the Fund invested in such holdings will vary and will
depend on several factors, including market conditions.
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\15\ Distressed Municipal Securities are Municipal Securities
that are currently in default and not expected to pay the current
coupon. If, subsequent to purchase by the Fund, a Municipal Security
held by the Fund becomes distressed, the Fund may continue to hold
the Municipal Security and it will not count toward the 10% limit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Short-term debt securities, which do not include Municipal
Securities, are securities from issuers having a long-term debt rating
of at least A by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, a Division of The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (``S&P Ratings''), Moody's Investors
Service, Inc. (``Moody's'') or Fitch Ratings (``Fitch'') and having a
maturity of one year or less. The use of temporary investments will not
be a part of a principal investment strategy of the Fund.
Short-term debt securities are defined to include, without
limitation, the following: (1) Fixed rate and floating rate U.S.
government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to
maturity and rates of interest, which are either issued or guaranteed
by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. government agencies or
instrumentalities; (2) certificates of deposit issued against funds
deposited in a bank or savings and loan association; (3) bankers'
acceptances, which are short-term credit instruments used to finance
commercial transactions; (4) repurchase agreements,\16\ which involve
purchases of debt securities; (5) bank time deposits, which are monies
kept on deposit with banks or savings and loan associations for a
stated period of time at a fixed rate of interest; and (6) commercial
paper, which is short-term unsecured promissory notes. The Fund may
only invest in commercial paper rated A-1 or higher by S&P Ratings,
Prime-1 or higher by Moody's or F1 or higher by Fitch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ The Fund intends to enter into repurchase agreements only
with financial institutions and dealers believed by the Adviser to
present minimal credit risks in accordance with criteria approved by
the Board of Trustees of the Trust (``Trust Board''). The Adviser
will review and monitor the creditworthiness of such institutions.
The Adviser will monitor the value of the collateral at the time the
transaction is entered into and at all times during the term of the
repurchase agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the securities
of other investment companies, including money market funds, closed-end
funds, open-end funds and other ETFs.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ An ETF is an investment company registered under the 1940
Act that holds a portfolio of securities. Many ETFs are designed to
track the performance of a securities index, including industry,
sector, country and region indexes. ETFs included in the Fund will
be listed and traded in the U.S. on registered exchanges. The Fund
may invest in the securities of ETFs in excess of the limits imposed
under the 1940 Act pursuant to exemptive orders obtained by other
ETFs and their sponsors from the Commission. In addition, the Fund
may invest in the securities of certain other investment companies
in excess of the limits imposed under the 1940 Act pursuant to an
exemptive order that the Trust has obtained from the Commission. See
Investment Company Act Release No. 30377 (February 5, 2013) (File
No. 812-13895). The ETFs in which the Fund may invest include Index
Fund Shares (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5705), Portfolio Depository
Receipts (as described in Nasdaq Rule 5705), and Managed Fund Shares
(as described in Nasdaq Rule 5735). While the Fund may invest in
inverse ETFs, the Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse
leveraged (e.g., 2X or -3X) ETFs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Adviser, in
accordance with Commission guidance.\18\ 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 assets. 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ In reaching liquidity decisions, the 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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund may not invest 25% or more of the value of its total
assets in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of
industries. This restriction does not apply to (a) Municipal Securities
issued by governments or political subdivisions of governments, (b)
obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies
or instrumentalities, or (c) securities of other investment
companies.\19\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ 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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The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment
company (``RIC'') under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
The Fund will issue and redeem Shares on a continuous basis at net
asset value (``NAV'') \20\ only in large blocks of
[[Page 10587]]
Shares (``Creation Units'') in transactions with authorized
participants, generally including broker-dealers and large
institutional investors (``Authorized Participants''). Creation Units
will consist of 50,000 Shares. As described in the Registration
Statement and consistent with the Exemptive Relief, the Fund will issue
and redeem Creation Units in exchange for an in-kind portfolio of
instruments or, under certain circumstances, cash in lieu of such
instruments or a combination of instruments and cash (the ``Creation
Basket''). In addition, if there is a difference between the NAV
attributable to a Creation Unit and the market value of the Creation
Basket exchanged for the Creation Unit, the party conveying instruments
with the lower value will pay to the other an amount in cash equal to
the difference (referred to as the ``Cash Component'').
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\20\ The NAV of the Fund's Shares generally will be calculated
once daily Monday through Friday as of the close of regular trading
on the New York Stock Exchange, generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time
(the ``NAV Calculation Time''). NAV per Share will be calculated by
dividing the Fund's net assets by the number of Fund Shares
outstanding. For more information regarding the valuation of Fund
investments in calculating the Fund's NAV, see the Registration
Statement.
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Creations and redemptions must be made by an Authorized Participant
or through a firm that is either a member of the National Securities
Clearing Corporation (``NSCC'') or a Depository Trust Company
participant, that, in each case, must have executed an agreement that
has been agreed to by the Distributor and BBH with respect to creations
and redemptions of Creation Units. All standard orders to create
Creation Units must be received by the transfer agent no later than the
closing time of the regular trading session on the New York Stock
Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the ``Closing Time''),
in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation
of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares as next
determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form.
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next
determined after receipt, not later than the Closing Time, of a
redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the transfer
agent and only on a business day.
The Fund's custodian, through the NSCC, will make available on each
business day, prior to the opening of business of the Exchange, the
list of the names and quantities of the instruments comprising the
Creation Basket, as well as the estimated Cash Component (if any), for
that day. The published Creation Basket will apply until a new Creation
Basket is announced on the following business day.
Net Asset Value
The Fund's NAV will be determined as of the close of trading
(normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the New York Stock
Exchange is open for business. NAV will be calculated for the Fund by
taking the market price of the Fund's total assets, including interest
or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and
dividing such amount by the total number of Shares outstanding. The
result, rounded to the nearest cent, will be the NAV per Share. All
valuations will be subject to review by the Trust Board or its
delegate.
The Fund's investments will be valued daily at market value or, in
the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair
value, in each case in accordance with valuation procedures (which may
be revised from time to time) adopted by the Trust Board (``Valuation
Procedures'') and in accordance with the 1940 Act. A market valuation
generally means a valuation (i) obtained from an exchange, an
independent pricing service (``Pricing Service''), or a major market
maker (or dealer) or (ii) based on a price quotation or other
equivalent indication of value supplied by an exchange, a Pricing
Service, or a major market maker (or dealer). The information
summarized below is based on the Valuation Procedures as currently in
effect; however, as noted above, the Valuation Procedures are amended
from time to time and, therefore, such information is subject to
change.
Certain securities in which the Fund may invest will not be listed
on any securities exchange or board of trade. Such securities will
typically be bought and sold by institutional investors in individually
negotiated private transactions that function in many respects like an
over-the-counter secondary market, although typically no formal market
makers will exist. Certain securities, particularly debt securities,
will have few or no trades, or trade infrequently, and information
regarding a specific security may not be widely available or may be
incomplete. Accordingly, determinations of the fair value of debt
securities may be based on infrequent and dated information. Because
there is less reliable, objective data available, elements of judgment
may play a greater role in valuation of debt securities than for other
types of securities. Typically, debt securities (other than those
described in the next sentence) will be valued using information
provided by a Pricing Service. Debt securities having a remaining
maturity of 60 days or less when purchased will be valued at cost
adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts.
Equity securities (including ETFs and closed-end funds) listed on
any exchange other than the Exchange will be valued at the last sale
price on the business day as of which such value is being determined.
Equity securities (including ETFs and closed-end funds) listed on the
Exchange will be valued at the official closing price on the business
day as of which such value is being determined. If there has been no
sale on such day, or no official closing price in the case of
securities traded on the Exchange, the securities will be valued using
fair value pricing, as described below. Equity securities traded on
more than one securities exchange will be valued at the last sale price
or official closing price, as applicable, on the business day as of
which such value is being determined at the close of the exchange
representing the principal market for such securities. Non-fixed income
securities traded in the over-the-counter market will be valued at the
midpoint between the bid and the asked price, if available, and
otherwise at the closing bid prices. Registered open-end management
investment companies (other than ETFs, which will be valued as
described above) will be valued at their net asset values as reported
by such registered open-end management investment companies to Pricing
Services.
Exchange-traded options and futures contracts will be valued at the
closing price in the market where such contracts are principally
traded. Over-the-counter futures contracts and options will be valued
at the midpoint between the bid and the asked price, if available, and
otherwise at the closing bid prices.
Interest rate swaps will be valued using a Pricing Service or, if
the Pricing Service does not provide a value, the Adviser's pricing
committee will then attempt to obtain one or more quotes provided by
the selling dealer or financial institution and will value the swaps
accordingly.
Certain securities may not be able to be priced by pre-established
pricing methods. Such securities may be valued by the Trust Board or
its delegate at fair value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund
will be governed by the Valuation Procedures and conducted in
accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act. Valuing the Fund's
securities using fair value pricing will result in using prices for
those securities that may differ from current market
[[Page 10588]]
valuations or official closing prices on the applicable exchange.
Availability of Information
The Fund's Web site (www.ftportfolios.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 the Shares' ticker, Cusip and exchange information along
with additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis,
including, for the Fund: (1) Daily trading volume, the prior business
day's reported NAV and closing price, mid-point of the bid/ask spread
at the time of calculation of such NAV (the ``Bid/Ask Price''),\21\ 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 Regular Market Session \22\ 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'' as defined in Nasdaq Rule 5735(c)(2)) held by
the Fund that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at
the end of the business day.\23\ The Disclosed Portfolio will include,
as applicable, the names, quantities, percentage weightings and market
values of the portfolio securities and other assets held by the Fund.
The Web site information will be publicly available at no charge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\21\ 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 its service
providers.
\22\ See Nasdaq Rule 4120(b)(4) (describing the three trading
sessions on the Exchange: (1) Pre-Market Session from 4 a.m. to 9:30
a.m., Eastern time; (2) Regular Market Session from 9:30 a.m. to 4
p.m. or 4:15 p.m., Eastern time; and (3) Post-Market Session from 4
p.m. or 4:15 p.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time).
\23\ Under accounting procedures to be 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''). 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, for the Fund, an estimated value, defined in Rule
5735(c)(3) as the ``Intraday Indicative Value,'' that reflects an
estimated intraday value of the Fund's Disclosed Portfolio, will be
disseminated. Moreover, the Intraday Indicative Value, available on the
NASDAQ OMX Information LLC proprietary index data service,\24\ will be
based upon the current value for the components of the Disclosed
Portfolio and will be updated and widely disseminated by one or more
major market data vendors and broadly displayed at least every 15
seconds during the Regular Market Session. The Intraday Indicative
Value will be based on quotes and closing prices from the securities'
local market and may not reflect events that occur subsequent to the
local market's close. Premiums and discounts between the Intraday
Indicative Value and the market price may occur. This should not be
viewed as a ``real time'' update of the NAV per Share of the Fund,
which is calculated only once a day.
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\24\ Currently, the NASDAQ OMX Global Index Data Service
(``GIDS'') is the NASDAQ OMX global index data feed service,
offering real-time updates, daily summary messages, and access to
widely followed indexes and Intraday Indicative Values for ETFs.
GIDS provides investment professionals with the daily information
needed to track or trade NASDAQ OMX indexes, listed ETFs, or third-
party partner indexes and ETFs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The dissemination of the Intraday 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 will provide
a close estimate of that value throughout the trading day.
Investors will also be able to obtain the Fund's Statement of
Additional Information (``SAI''), the Fund's annual and semi-annual
reports (together, ``Shareholder Reports''), and its Form N-CSR and
Form N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Fund's SAI and Shareholder Reports
will be available free upon request from the Fund, 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 will be available
via Nasdaq proprietary quote and trade services, as well as in
accordance with the Unlisted Trading Privileges and the Consolidated
Tape Association plans for the Shares. One source of price information
for Municipal Securities is the Electronic Municipal Market Access
(``EMMA'') of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (``MSRB'').\25\
Additionally, the MSRB offers trade data subscription services that
permit subscribers to obtain information about municipal securities
transactions. Quotation information from brokers and dealers or Pricing
Services will also be available for fixed income securities generally.
Intraday executable price information for fixed income securities,
equity securities and derivatives will be available from major broker-
dealer firms and major market data vendors. For exchange-traded assets,
intraday price information will also be available directly from the
applicable listing exchanges. Intraday price information will also
generally be available through subscription services, such as
Bloomberg, Markit, and Thomson Reuters, which can be accessed by
Authorized Participants and other investors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\25\ A source of price information for other types of fixed
income securities is the Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine
(``TRACE'') of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(``FINRA'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional information regarding the Fund and the Shares, including
investment strategies, risks, creation and redemption procedures, fees,
Fund holdings disclosure policies, distributions and taxes will be
included in the Registration Statement. All terms relating to the Fund
that are referred to, but not defined in, this proposed rule change
will be defined in the Registration Statement.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will be subject to Rule 5735, 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 \26\ under the
Act. 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
will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio
will be made available to all market participants at the same time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\26\ See 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. Nasdaq will halt trading in the
Shares under the conditions specified in Nasdaq Rules 4120 and 4121,
including the trading pauses under Nasdaq Rules 4120(a)(11) and
[[Page 10589]]
(12). 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 other assets constituting 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 also will be
subject to Rule 5735(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under
which Shares of the Fund may be halted.
Trading Rules
Nasdaq deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus rendering
trading in the Shares subject to Nasdaq's existing rules governing the
trading of equity securities. Nasdaq will allow trading in the Shares
from 4:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., Eastern time. The Exchange has
appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all
trading sessions. As provided in Nasdaq Rule 5735(b)(3), the minimum
price variation for quoting and entry of orders in Managed Fund Shares
traded on the Exchange is $0.01.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject
to the existing trading surveillances, administered by both Nasdaq and
also FINRA on behalf of the Exchange, which are designed to detect
violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities
laws.\27\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\27\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 with other markets and other entities
that are members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG''),\28\
and FINRA may obtain trading information regarding trading in the
Shares from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange
may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares from markets and
other entities that are members of ISG, which includes securities and
futures exchanges, or with which the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Moreover, FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, will be able to access, as needed, trade
information for certain fixed income securities held by the Fund
reported to FINRA's TRACE.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\28\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all components of the
Disclosed Portfolio may trade on markets that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
At least 90% of the Fund's net assets that are invested in
exchange-traded futures and exchange-traded options (in the aggregate)
will be invested in instruments that trade in markets that are members
of ISG or are parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement
with the Exchange.
In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Information Circular
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its
members in an Information Circular of the special characteristics and
risks associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the Information
Circular will discuss the following: (1) The procedures for purchases
and redemptions of Shares in Creation Units (and that Shares are not
individually redeemable); (2) Nasdaq Rule 2111A, which imposes
suitability obligations on Nasdaq members with respect to recommending
transactions in the Shares to customers; (3) how information regarding
the Intraday Indicative Value is disseminated; (4) the risks involved
in trading the Shares during the Pre-Market and Post-Market Sessions
when an updated Intraday Indicative Value will not be calculated or
publicly disseminated; (5) the requirement that members 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 Information Circular will advise members, prior to
the commencement of trading, of the prospectus delivery requirements
applicable to the Fund. Members purchasing Shares from the Fund for
resale to investors will deliver a prospectus to such investors. The
Information Circular will also discuss any exemptive, no-action and
interpretive relief granted by the Commission from any rules under the
Act.
Additionally, the Information Circular will reference that the Fund
is subject to various fees and expenses described in the Registration
Statement. The Information Circular will also disclose the trading
hours of the Shares of the Fund and the applicable NAV Calculation Time
for the Shares. The Information Circular will disclose that information
about the Shares of the Fund will be publicly available on the Fund's
Web site.
2. Statutory Basis
Nasdaq believes that the proposal is consistent with Section 6(b)
of the Act in general and Section 6(b)(5) of the Act in particular in
that it is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and
practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to foster
cooperation and coordination with persons engaged in facilitating
transactions in securities, and to remove impediments to and perfect
the 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 Nasdaq Rule 5735. The
Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject to the
existing trading surveillances, administered by both Nasdaq and also
FINRA on behalf of the Exchange, which are designed to detect
violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.
The Adviser is not a broker-dealer, but it is affiliated with a
broker-dealer and is required to implement a ``fire wall'' with respect
to such broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's portfolio. In
addition, paragraph (g) of Nasdaq Rule 5735 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 non-public information regarding the
open-end fund's portfolio.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed
regarding trading in the Shares with other markets and other entities
that are members of ISG, and FINRA may obtain trading
[[Page 10590]]
information regarding trading in the Shares from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding
trading in the Shares from markets and other entities that are members
of ISG, which includes securities and futures exchanges, or with which
the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement. Moreover, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will be able to
access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income
securities held by the Fund reported to FINRA's TRACE. At least 90% of
the Fund's net assets that are invested in exchange-traded futures and
exchange-traded options (in the aggregate) will be invested in
instruments that trade in markets that are members of ISG or are
parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the
Exchange.
The primary investment objective of the Fund will be to generate
current income that is exempt from regular federal income taxes and its
secondary objective will be long-term capital appreciation. Under
normal market conditions, the Fund will seek to achieve its investment
objectives by investing at least 80% of its net assets (including
investment borrowings) in Municipal Securities. The Fund will invest at
least 65% of its net assets in investment grade securities. The Fund
may invest up to 10% of its net assets in taxable municipal securities
and up to 10% of its net assets in distressed Municipal Securities. The
Fund generally expects that no more than 20% of the value of the Fund's
net assets will be invested in derivative instruments; however, there
will be no limitation on the Fund's investments in derivative
instruments to be used by the Fund solely for hedging purposes. The
Fund's investments in derivatives will be consistent with the Fund's
investment objectives and the 1940 Act and will not be used to seek to
achieve a multiple or inverse multiple of an index. Also, 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 Adviser, in accordance with
Commission guidance. 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 assets. 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.
The Fund's investments will be valued daily at market value or, in
the absence of market value with respect to any investment, at fair
value, in each case in accordance with the Valuation Procedures and in
accordance with the 1940 Act.
The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable
principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in
that 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 will be publicly available regarding the Fund and the
Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. Moreover, the Intraday
Indicative Value, available on the NASDAQ OMX Information LLC
proprietary index data service, will be widely disseminated by one or
more major market data vendors and broadly displayed at least every 15
seconds during the Regular Market Session. On each business day, before
commencement of trading in Shares in the Regular Market 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 for the
Shares will be available via Nasdaq proprietary quote and trade
services, as well as in accordance with the Unlisted Trading Privileges
and the Consolidated Tape Association plans for the Shares. One source
of price information for Municipal Securities is the MSRB's EMMA.
Additionally, the MSRB offers trade data subscription services that
permit subscribers to obtain information about municipal securities
transactions. Quotation information from brokers and dealers or Pricing
Services will also be available for fixed income securities generally.
Intraday executable price information for fixed income securities,
equity securities and derivatives will be available from major broker-
dealer firms and major market data vendors. For exchange-traded assets,
intraday price information will also be available directly from the
applicable listing exchanges. Intraday price information will also
generally be available through subscription services, such as
Bloomberg, Markit, and Thomson Reuters, which can be accessed by
Authorized Participants and other investors.
The Fund's Web site will include a form of the prospectus for the
Fund and additional data relating to NAV and other applicable
quantitative information. Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted
under the conditions specified in Nasdaq Rules 4120 and 4121 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 Nasdaq Rule 5735(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 Intraday 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, FINRA, on behalf of the
Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares
with other markets and other entities that are members of ISG and FINRA
may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares from
such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain
information regarding trading in the Shares from markets and other
entities that are members of ISG, which includes securities and futures
exchanges, or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement. Furthermore, as noted above, investors
will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings,
the Intraday Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation
and last sale information for the Shares.
For the above reasons, Nasdaq believes the proposed rule change is
consistent with the requirements of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act.
[[Page 10591]]
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange believes that
the proposed rule change will facilitate the listing and trading of an
additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded fund 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
Written comments were neither solicited nor received.
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 (i) as the Commission may
designate up to 90 days of such date if it finds such longer period to
be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to
which the Exchange consents, the Commission shall: (a) By order approve
or disapprove such proposed rule change, or (b) institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule change should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's Internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ); or
Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-NASDAQ-2014-019 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, Station Place, 100 F
Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NASDAQ-2014-019. 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 Nasdaq. 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-NASDAQ-2014-019 and
should be submitted on or before March 18, 2014.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\29\
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\29\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-03972 Filed 2-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P