Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing and Trading of Shares of Cumberland Municipal Bond ETF Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, 77384-77392 [2015-31328]
Download as PDF
77384
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 239 / Monday, December 14, 2015 / Notices
the captioned dockets are consistent
with the policies of 39 U.S.C. 3632,
3633, or 3642, 39 CFR part 3015, and 39
CFR part 3020, subpart B. Comments are
due no later than December 16, 2015.
The public portions of these filings can
be accessed via the Commission’s Web
site (https://www.prc.gov).
The Commission appoints Derrick D.
Dennis to serve as Public Representative
in these dockets.
III. Ordering Paragraphs
It is ordered:
1. The Commission establishes Docket
Nos. MC2016–28 and CP2016–34 to
consider the matters raised in each
docket.
2. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Derrick
D. Dennis is appointed to serve as an
officer of the Commission to represent
the interests of the general public in
these proceedings (Public
Representative).
3. Comments are due no later than
December 16, 2015.
4. The Secretary shall arrange for
publication of this order in the Federal
Register.
By the Commission.
Stacy L. Ruble,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–31373 Filed 12–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710–FW–P
POSTAL REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. MC2016–29 and CP2016–35;
Order No. 2859]
New Postal Product
Postal Regulatory Commission.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Commission is noticing a
recent Postal Service filing concerning
the addition of Priority Mail Contract
160 negotiated service agreement to the
competitive product list. This notice
informs the public of the filing, invites
public comment, and takes other
administrative steps.
DATES: Comments are due: December
16, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments
electronically via the Commission’s
Filing Online system at https://
www.prc.gov. Those who cannot submit
comments electronically should contact
the person identified in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section by
telephone for advice on filing
alternatives.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David A. Trissell, General Counsel, at
202–789–6820.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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SUMMARY:
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4. The Secretary shall arrange for
publication of this order in the Federal
Register.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Notice of Commission Action
III. Ordering Paragraphs
I. Introduction
In accordance with 39 U.S.C. 3642
and 39 CFR 3020.30 et seq., the Postal
Service filed a formal request and
associated supporting information to
add Priority Mail Contract 160 to the
competitive product list.1
The Postal Service
contemporaneously filed a redacted
contract related to the proposed new
product under 39 U.S.C. 3632(b)(3) and
39 CFR 3015.5. Request, Attachment B.
To support its Request, the Postal
Service filed a copy of the contract, a
copy of the Governors’ Decision
authorizing the product, proposed
changes to the Mail Classification
Schedule, a Statement of Supporting
Justification, a certification of
compliance with 39 U.S.C. 3633(a), and
an application for non-public treatment
of certain materials. It also filed
supporting financial workpapers.
II. Notice of Commission Action
The Commission establishes Docket
Nos. MC2016–29 and CP2016–35 to
consider the Request pertaining to the
proposed Priority Mail Contract 160
product and the related contract,
respectively.
The Commission invites comments on
whether the Postal Service’s filings in
the captioned dockets are consistent
with the policies of 39 U.S.C. 3632,
3633, or 3642, 39 CFR part 3015, and 39
CFR part 3020, subpart B. Comments are
due no later than December 16, 2015.
The public portions of these filings can
be accessed via the Commission’s Web
site (https://www.prc.gov).
The Commission appoints Kenneth R.
Moeller to serve as Public
Representative in these dockets.
III. Ordering Paragraphs
It is ordered:
1. The Commission establishes Docket
Nos. MC2016–29 and CP2016–35 to
consider the matters raised in each
docket.
2. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Kenneth
R. Moeller is appointed to serve as an
officer of the Commission to represent
the interests of the general public in
these proceedings (Public
Representative).
3. Comments are due no later than
December 16, 2015.
1 Request of the United States Postal Service to
Add Priority Mail Contract 160 to Competitive
Product List and Notice of Filing (Under Seal) of
Unredacted Governors’ Decision, Contract, and
Supporting Data, December 8, 2015 (Request).
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By the Commission.
Stacy L. Ruble,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–31374 Filed 12–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710–FW–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–76590; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2015–93]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed
Rule Change Relating to Listing and
Trading of Shares of Cumberland
Municipal Bond ETF Under NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600
December 8, 2015.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3
notice is hereby given that, on
November 24, 2015, NYSE Arca, Inc.
(the ‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested
persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares of the following under
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600
(‘‘Managed Fund Shares’’): Cumberland
Municipal Bond ETF. The text of the
proposed rule change is available on the
Exchange’s Web site at www.nyse.com,
at the principal office of the Exchange,
and at the Commission’s Public
Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
1 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
2 15
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 239 / Monday, December 14, 2015 / Notices
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
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1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) of the following
under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600,
which governs the listing and trading of
Managed Fund Shares:4 Cumberland
Municipal Bond ETF (the ‘‘Fund’’),5 a
series of the ETFis Series Trust I
(‘‘Trust’’).6
The investment adviser to the Fund
will be Virtus ETF Advisers LLC (the
4 A Managed Fund Share is a security that
represents an interest in an investment company
registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–1) (‘‘1940 Act’’) organized as
an open-end investment company or similar entity
that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by
its investment adviser consistent with its
investment objectives and policies. In contrast, an
open-end investment company that issues
Investment Company Units, listed and traded on
the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that
correspond generally to the price and yield
performance of a specific foreign or domestic stock
index, fixed income securities index or combination
thereof.
5 The Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘Commission’’) has approved listing and trading
on the Exchange of a number of actively managed
funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g., Securities
Exchange Act Release Nos. 69591 (May 16, 2013),
78 FR 30372 (May 22, 2013) (SR–NYSEArca–2013–
33) (order approving Exchange listing and trading
of International Bear ETF); 69061 (March 7, 2013),
78 FR 15990 (March 13, 2013) (SR–NYSEArca–
2013–01) (order approving Exchange listing and
trading of Newfleet Multi-Sector Income ETF). The
Commission has approved for Exchange listing and
trading shares of two actively managed funds of the
PIMCO ETF Trust that principally hold municipal
bonds. See Securities Exchange Act Release No.
60981 (November 10, 2009), 74 FR 59594
(November 18, 2009) (SR–NYSEArca–2009–79)
(order approving listing and trading of shares of the
PIMCO Short-Term Municipal Bond Strategy Fund
and PIMCO Intermediate Municipal Bond Strategy
Fund). The Commission also has approved listing
and trading on the Exchange of shares of the SPDR
Nuveen S&P High Yield Municipal Bond Fund
under Commentary .02 of NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3). See Securities Exchange Act Release
No.63881 (February 9, 2011), 76 FR 9065 (February
16, 2011) (SR–NYSEArca–2010–120).
6 The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On
May 20, 2015, the Trust filed with the Commission
an amendment to its registration statement on Form
N–1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C.
77a) (‘‘Securities Act’’), and under the 1940 Act
relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333–187668 and
811–22819) (‘‘Registration Statement’’). The
description of the operation of the Trust and the
Fund herein is based, in part, on the Registration
Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued
an order granting certain exemptive relief to the
Trust under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company
Act Release No. 30607 (July 23, 2013) (File No. 812–
14080) (‘‘Exemptive Order’’).
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17:36 Dec 11, 2015
Jkt 238001
‘‘Adviser’’). The Fund’s sub-adviser will
be Cumberland Advisors Inc. (‘‘SubAdviser’’). Virtus ETF Solutions LLC
will serve as the Fund’s operational
administrator. ETF Distributors LLC will
serve as the distributor (the
‘‘Distributor’’) of Fund Shares on an
agency basis. The Bank of New York
Mellon (the ‘‘Administrator’’) will serve
as the administrator, custodian, transfer
agent and fund accounting agent for the
Fund.
Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600
provides that, if the investment adviser
to the investment company issuing
Managed Fund Shares is affiliated with
a broker-dealer, such investment adviser
shall erect a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the
investment adviser and the brokerdealer with respect to access to
information concerning the composition
and/or changes to such investment
company portfolio.7 In addition,
Commentary .06 further requires that
personnel who make decisions on the
open-end fund’s portfolio composition
must be subject to procedures designed
to prevent the use and dissemination of
material nonpublic information
regarding the open-end fund’s portfolio.
The Adviser and Sub-Adviser are not
registered as broker-dealers. The
Adviser (but not the Sub-Adviser) is
affiliated with one or more brokerdealers and the Adviser has
implemented and will maintain a fire
wall with respect to each such brokerdealer affiliate regarding access to
information concerning the composition
and/or changes to the portfolio. In the
event (a) the Adviser or Sub-Adviser
become registered broker-dealers or
newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or
(b) any new adviser or sub-adviser is a
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 Sub-Adviser and their
related personnel are subject to the provisions of
Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers Act relating to
codes of ethics. This Rule requires investment
advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the
fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as
well as compliance with other applicable securities
laws. Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent
the communication and misuse of non-public
information by an investment adviser must be
consistent with Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers
Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)–7 under the Advisers
Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
provide investment advice to clients unless such
investment adviser has (i) adopted and
implemented written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the
investment adviser and its supervised persons, of
the Advisers Act and the Commission rules adopted
thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an
annual review regarding the adequacy of the
policies and procedures established pursuant to
subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness of their
implementation; and (iii) designated an individual
(who is a supervised person) responsible for
administering the policies and procedures adopted
under subparagraph (i) above.
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77385
registered broker-dealer or becomes
affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will
implement a fire wall with respect to its
relevant personnel or its broker-dealer
affiliate regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or
changes to the portfolio, and will be
subject to procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of
material non-public information
regarding such portfolio.
Description of the Fund
Principal Investments
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund will seek to
provide a competitive level of current
income exempt from federal income tax,
while preserving capital. The Fund,
under normal market conditions,8 will
invest at least eighty percent (80%) of
the Fund’s net assets in debt securities
whose interest is, in the opinion of bond
counsel for the issuer at the time of
issuance, exempt from U.S. federal
income tax (‘‘Municipal Bonds’’). The
Sub-Adviser will invest the Fund’s
assets using a barbell strategy, which
means that the Sub-Adviser will
overweight the Fund’s investments in
Municipal Bonds with maturities on the
short and long ends of the fixed income
yield curve, while underweighting
exposure to Municipal Bonds with
intermediate maturities.
According to the Registration
Statement, Municipal Bonds in which
the Fund may invest include one or
more of the following:
• General obligation bonds, which are
typically backed by the full faith, credit,
and taxing power of the issuer;
• revenue bonds, which are typically
secured by revenues generated by the
issuer;
• discount bonds, which may be
originally issued at a discount to par
value or sold at market price below par
value;
• premium bonds, which are sold at
a premium to par value;
• zero coupon bonds, which are
issued at an original issue discount,
with the full value, including accrued
interest, paid at maturity; and
• private activity bonds, which are
typically issued by or on behalf of local
or state government for the purpose of
financing the project of a private user.
8 The term ‘‘under normal market conditions’’
includes, but is not limited to, the absence of
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 manmade disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of
terrorism, riot or labor disruption or any similar
intervening circumstance.
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 239 / Monday, December 14, 2015 / Notices
The Fund will have no target duration
for its investment portfolio, and the
Sub-Adviser may target a shorter or
longer average portfolio duration based
on the Sub-Adviser’s forecast of interest
rates and view of fixed-income markets
generally.9 The Sub-Adviser will
generally apply a heavier weight toward
Municipal Bonds with shorter
maturities during periods of high
interest rates and longer maturities
during periods of lower interest rates.10
With respect to credit quality, under
normal market conditions, at least 90%
of the Fund’s assets invested in
Municipal Bonds will be in Municipal
Bonds rated ‘‘A’’ or better by at least one
major credit rating agency or, if unrated,
deemed to be of comparable quality by
the Sub-Adviser. From time to time, the
Fund may concentrate (i.e., invest more
than 25% of its total assets) in particular
sectors. The Fund may sell investments
for a variety of reasons, such as to adjust
the portfolio’s average maturity,
duration, or overall credit quality, or to
shift assets into and out of higheryielding or lower-yielding securities or
certain sectors.
According to the Registration
Statement, under normal market
conditions, at least 80% of the Fund’s
income will be exempt from federal
income taxes. However, a significant
portion of the Fund’s income could be
derived from securities subject to the
alternative minimum tax.
investment companies, and other types
of securities and instruments described
below. The equity portion of the Fund’s
portfolio may include common stocks
traded on securities exchanges or in the
over-the-counter (‘‘OTC’’) market. In
addition to common stocks, the equity
portion of the Fund’s portfolio may also
include exchange-traded and OTC
preferred stocks, and warrants.12
The Fund may purchase taxable
municipal bonds when the Sub-Adviser
believes they offer opportunities for the
Fund, or variable rate demand notes
(VRDNs) that pay interest monthly or
quarterly based on a floating rate that is
reset daily or weekly based on an index
of short-term municipal rates.
The Fund may invest in exchangetraded and OTC securities convertible
into common stock. Such securities
include the following: Convertible
bonds and convertible preferred
stocks.13
The Fund may invest directly and
indirectly in cash equivalents, namely,
money market instruments that include
the following: U.S. Government
obligations or corporate debt obligations
(including those subject to repurchase
agreements); banker’s acceptances 14
and certificates of deposit 15 of domestic
Other Investments
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While the Fund, under normal market
conditions, will invest at least eighty
percent (80%) of its assets in Municipal
Bonds, as described above, the Fund
may invest its remaining assets in other
assets and financial instruments, as
described below.
The Fund may invest in equity
securities, both directly and indirectly
through investment in shares of
exchange-traded funds (‘‘ETFs’’),11 other
9 Duration measures the interest rate sensitivity of
a debt security by assessing and weighting the
present value of the security’s payment pattern.
Generally, the longer the maturity, the greater the
duration and, therefore, the greater effect interest
rate changes have on the price of the security.
10 The Adviser represents that, under normal
market conditions, no Municipal Bond held by the
Fund will exceed 30% of the Fund’s net assets, and
the five most heavily weighted Municipal Bonds
held by the Fund will not in the aggregate account
for more than 50% of the Fund’s assets; and the
Fund will hold Municipal Bonds of a minimum of
13 non-affiliated issuers.
11 The ETFs in which the Fund may invest will
be registered under the 1940 Act and include
Investment Company Units (as described in NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)); Portfolio Depositary
Receipts (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.100); and Managed Fund Shares (as described in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600). Such ETFs all will
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Jkt 238001
be listed and traded in the U.S. on registered
exchanges.
12 With respect to its exchange-traded equity
securities investments, the Fund will normally
invest in equity securities that are listed and traded
on a U.S. exchange or in markets that are members
of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (‘‘ISG’’) or
parties to a comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement with the Exchange. In any case, not more
than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the
aggregate invested in equity securities (except for
non-exchange-traded investment company
securities) will consist of equity securities whose
principal market is not a member of ISG or a market
with which the Exchange does not have a
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. See
note 28, infra.
13 The criteria in note 11 above also will apply
to exchange-traded convertible preferred stocks and
exchange-traded stocks into which convertible
bonds may be converted.
14 Banker’s acceptances are time drafts drawn on
and ‘‘accepted’’ by a bank. When a bank ‘‘accepts’’
such a time draft, it assumes liability for its
payment. When the Fund acquires a banker’s
acceptance, the bank that ‘‘accepted’’ the time draft
is liable for payment of interest and principal when
due. The banker’s acceptance carries the full faith
and credit of such bank.
15 A certificate of deposit is an unsecured, interest
bearing debt obligation of a bank.
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Frm 00073
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
branches of banks, commercial paper,16
and master notes.17
In order to maintain sufficient
liquidity, to implement investment
strategies or for temporary defensive
purposes, the Fund may invest a
significant portion of its assets in shares
of one or more money market funds.
Generally, money market mutual funds
are registered investment companies
that seek to earn income consistent with
the preservation of capital and
maintenance of liquidity by investing
primarily in high quality money market
instruments.
The Fund may invest in the securities
of other investment companies in
compliance with Section 12(d)(1)(E), (F)
and (G) of the 1940 Act and the rules
thereunder.18
The Fund may write U.S. exchangetraded call and put options on
securities, ETFs or security indexes to
seek income or may purchase or write
U.S. exchange-traded put or call options
for hedging purposes.
The Fund may purchase securities on
a when-issued basis or for settlement at
a future date (forward commitment) if
the Fund holds sufficient liquid assets
to meet the purchase price.
Additionally, the Trust, on behalf of
the Fund, has claimed an exclusion
from the definition of the term
‘‘commodity pool operator’’ pursuant to
Rule 4.5 under the Commodity
Exchange Act, as amended (the ‘‘CEA’’).
Therefore, the Fund is not subject to
regulation or registration as a
commodity pool operator under the
CEA.
Investment Restrictions
The Fund may, from time to time,
take temporary defensive positions that
are inconsistent with its principal
investment strategies in an attempt to
respond to adverse market, economic,
political or other conditions. In such
circumstances, the Fund may also hold
up to 100% of its portfolio in cash and
cash equivalent positions.
16 Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term
debt obligation of a bank, corporation, or other
borrower. Commercial paper maturity generally
ranges from two to 270 days and is usually sold on
a discounted basis rather than as an interest-bearing
instrument. The Fund will invest directly in
commercial paper only if it is rated in one of the
top two rating categories by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch
or, if not rated, is of equivalent quality in the
Adviser’s opinion. Commercial paper may include
master notes of the same quality. Master notes are
unsecured obligations which are redeemable upon
demand of the holder and which permit the
investment of fluctuating amounts at varying rates
of interest.
17 Master notes may be acquired by the Fund
through the master note program of the Fund’s
custodian bank.
18 15 U.S.C. 80a–12(d)(1)(E), (F) and (G).
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The Fund may hold up to an aggregate
amount of 15% of its net assets in
illiquid assets (calculated at the time of
investment), consistent 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.19
The Fund will seek to qualify for
treatment as a regulated investment
company under the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986.20
The Fund’s investments will be
consistent with its investment objective
and will not be used to provide multiple
returns of a benchmark or to produce
leveraged returns.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Creation and Redemption of Shares
According to the Registration
Statement, the Trust will issue and sell
Shares of the Fund only in ‘‘Creation
Units’’ on a continuous basis through
the Distributor, at their net asset value
(‘‘NAV’’) next determined after receipt,
on any business day, for an order
received in proper form. All orders to
create Creation Units must be placed for
one or more Creation Unit size
aggregations of Shares (50,000 Shares
per Creation Unit). The Creation Unit
size is subject to change. Cash creations
will be the default mechanism for
creation of Shares.
However, the Fund will retain the
ability to utilize an in-kind mechanism
19 The Commission has stated that long-standing
Commission guidelines have required open-end
funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets
in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See
Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March
11, 2008), 73 FR 14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote
34. See also, Investment Company Act Release No.
5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December
31, 1970) (Statement Regarding ‘‘Restricted
Securities’’); Investment Company Act Release No.
18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20,
1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N–1A). A
fund’s portfolio security is illiquid if it cannot be
disposed of in the ordinary course of business
within seven days at approximately the value
ascribed to it by the fund. See Investment Company
Act Release No. 14983 (March 12, 1986), 51 FR
9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to
Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act); Investment
Company Act Release No. 17452 (April 23, 1990),
55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A
under the 1933 Act).
20 26 U.S.C. 851.
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17:36 Dec 11, 2015
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for creation of Shares, upon approval of
the Distributor. In such case, the
consideration for purchase of a Creation
Unit of the Fund generally will consist
of an in-kind deposit of ‘‘Deposit
Securities’’ for each Creation Unit
constituting a substantial replication, or
a representation, of the securities
included in the Fund’s portfolio and a
‘‘Cash Component’’ computed as
described below. Together, the Deposit
Securities and the Cash Component
constitute the ‘‘Fund Deposit’’, which
represents the minimum initial and
subsequent investment amount for a
Creation Unit of the Fund. The Cash
Component is an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the
Shares (per Creation Unit) and the
market value of the Deposit Securities.
If the Cash Component is a positive
number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit
exceeds the market value of the Deposit
Securities), the Cash Component will be
such positive amount. If the Cash
Component is a negative number (i.e.,
the NAV per Creation Unit is less than
the market value of the Deposit
Securities), the Cash Component will be
such negative amount, and the creator
will be entitled to receive cash from the
Fund in an amount equal to the Cash
Component. The Cash Component
serves the function of compensating for
any differences between the NAV per
Creation Unit and the market value of
the Deposit Securities.
The Administrator, through the
National Securities Clearing Corporation
(‘‘NSCC’’), will make available on each
business day, immediately prior to the
opening of business on the Exchange
(currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the
list of the names and the required
number of Shares of each Deposit
Security to be included in the current
Fund Deposit (based on information at
the end of the previous business day) for
the Fund. Such Fund Deposit will be
applicable, subject to any adjustments
as described below, in order to effect
creations of Creation Units of the Fund
until such time as the next-announced
composition of the Deposit Securities is
made available.
The identity and number of Shares of
the Deposit Securities required for the
Fund Deposit for the Fund will change
as rebalancing adjustments and
corporate action events occur from time
to time. In addition, the Trust reserves
the right to permit or require the
substitution of an amount of cash—i.e.,
a ‘‘cash in lieu’’ amount—to be added to
the Cash Component to replace any
Deposit Security that may not be
available in sufficient quantity for
delivery, that may not be eligible for
transfer or that may not be eligible for
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77387
trading by an ‘‘Authorized Participant’’
(as described below) or the investor for
which it is acting.
In addition to the list of names and
numbers of securities constituting the
current Deposit Securities of the Fund
Deposit, the Administrator, through
NSCC, also will make available on each
business day the estimated Cash
Component, effective through and
including the previous business day, per
outstanding Creation Unit of the Fund.
Procedures for Creation of Creation
Units
To be eligible to place orders to create
a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity
must be (i) a ‘‘Participating Party’’, i.e.,
a broker-dealer or other participant in
the clearing process through the
Continuous Net Settlement System of
NSCC (the ‘‘Clearing Process’’) or a
clearing agency that is registered with
the Commission, or (ii) a Depositary
Trust Company (‘‘DTC’’) Participant
and, in each case, must have executed
an agreement with the Trust, the
Distributor and the Administrator with
respect to creations and redemptions of
Creation Units (‘‘Participant
Agreement’’). A Participating Party and
DTC Participant are collectively referred
to as an ‘‘Authorized Participant’’.
All orders to create Creation Units
must be received by the Distributor no
later than the close of the regular trading
session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00
p.m., Eastern 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 of
the Fund as next determined on such
date after receipt of the order in proper
form.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in
Creation Units at their NAV next
determined after receipt of a redemption
request in proper form by the
Distributor and the Fund through the
Administrator and only on a business
day. Cash redemptions will be the
default mechanism for redemptions of
Shares.
However, the Fund will retain the
ability to utilize an in-kind mechanism
for redemption of Shares, upon approval
of the Distributor. In such case, the
redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit
generally consist of Deposit Securities,
as announced by the Administrator on
the business day of the request for
redemption received in proper form,
plus cash in an amount equal to the
difference between the NAV of the
Shares being redeemed, as next
determined after a receipt of a request
in proper form, and the value of the
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Deposit Securities (the ‘‘Cash
Redemption Amount’’), less a
redemption transaction fee. In the event
that the Deposit Securities have a value
greater than the NAV of the Shares, a
compensating cash payment equal to the
differential is required to be made by or
through an Authorized Participant by
the redeeming shareholder.
With respect to the Fund, the
Administrator, through NSCC, will
make available immediately prior to the
opening of business on the Exchange
(currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on
each business day, the Deposit
Securities that will be applicable
(subject to possible amendment or
correction) to redemption requests
received in proper form on that day.
Deposit Securities received on
redemption may not be identical to
Deposit Securities which are applicable
to creations of Creation Units.
If it is not possible to effect deliveries
of the Deposit Securities, the Trust may
in its discretion exercise its option to
redeem such shares in cash, and the
redeeming beneficial owner will be
required to receive its redemption
proceeds in cash. In addition, an
investor may request a redemption in
cash which the Fund may, in its sole
discretion, permit.21 In either case, the
investor will receive a cash payment
equal to the NAV of its Shares based on
the NAV of Shares of the Fund next
determined after the redemption request
is received in proper form (minus a
redemption transaction fee and
additional charge for requested cash
redemptions, to offset the Trust’s
brokerage and other transaction costs
associated with the disposition of
Deposit Securities). The Fund may also,
in its sole discretion, upon request of a
shareholder, provide such redeemer a
portfolio of securities which differs from
the exact composition of the Deposit
Securities but does not differ in NAV.
The right of redemption may be
suspended or the date of payment
postponed with respect to the Fund (1)
for any period during which the
Exchange is closed (other than
customary weekend and holiday
closings); (2) for any period during
which trading on the Exchange is
suspended or restricted; (3) for any
period during which an emergency
exists as a result of which disposal of
the Shares of the Fund or determination
of the Shares’ NAV is not reasonably
practicable; or (4) in such other
21 The Adviser represents that, to the extent the
Trust effects the creation or redemption of Shares
in cash, such transactions will be effected in the
same manner for all Authorized Participants.
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circumstance as is permitted by the
Commission.
Net Asset Value
The NAV per Share for the Fund will
be computed by dividing the value of
the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value
of its total assets less total liabilities) by
the total number of Shares outstanding,
rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses
and fees, including the management fee,
will be accrued daily and taken into
account for purposes of determining
NAV. The NAV of the Fund will be
determined as of the close of the regular
trading session on the Exchange
(ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on
each day that the Exchange is open. Any
assets or liabilities denominated in
currencies other than the U.S. dollar
will be converted into U.S. dollars at the
current market rates on the date of
valuation as quoted by one or more
sources.
The pricing and valuation of portfolio
securities will be determined in good
faith in accordance with procedures
approved by, and under the direction of,
the Trust’s Board of Trustees (‘‘Board’’).
In determining the value of the Fund’s
assets, equity securities will be
generally valued at market using
quotations from the primary market in
which they are traded. Debt securities
(other than short-term investments) will
be valued on the basis of broker quotes
or valuations provided by a pricing
service, which in determining value will
utilize information regarding recent
sales, market transactions in comparable
securities, quotations from dealers, and
various relationships between
securities. Other assets, such as accrued
interest, accrued dividends and cash
also will be included in determining the
NAV. The Fund normally will use third
party pricing services to obtain portfolio
security prices.
Municipal Bonds, money market
instruments, convertible bonds and
VRDNs will generally be valued at bid
prices received from independent
pricing services as of the announced
closing time for trading in fixed-income
instruments in the respective market.
Exchange-traded equity securities,
including common stocks, ETFs,
preferred stocks, convertible preferred
stocks and warrants, will be valued at
market value, which will generally be
determined using the last reported
official closing or last trading price on
the exchange or market on which the
security is primarily traded at the time
of valuation or, if no sale has occurred,
at the last quoted bid price on the
primary market or exchange on which
they are traded. If market prices are
unavailable or the Fund believes that
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they are unreliable, or when the value
of a security has been materially
affected by events occurring after the
relevant market closes, the Fund will
price those securities at fair value as
determined in good faith using methods
approved by the Trust’s Board.
Equity securities traded in the OTC
market, including common stocks,
preferred stocks, and warrants, will be
valued at the last reported sale price on
the valuation date. OTC traded
convertible preferred stocks will be
valued based on price quotations
obtained from a broker-dealer who
makes markets in such securities or
other equivalent indications of value
provided by a third-party pricing
service. Securities of non-exchangetraded investment company securities
registered under the 1940 Act, including
money market funds, will be valued at
NAV.
Option contracts will be valued at
their most recent sale price on the
applicable exchange. If no such sales are
reported, these contracts will be valued
at their most recent bid price.
To the extent the assets of the Fund
are invested in other open-end
investment companies that are
registered under the 1940 Act, the
Fund’s NAV will be calculated based
upon the NAVs reported by such
registered open-end investment
companies.
Securities and assets for which market
quotations are not readily available or
which cannot be accurately valued
using the Fund’s normal pricing
procedures will be valued by the Trust’s
Fair Value Pricing Committee at fair
value as determined in good faith under
policies approved by the Board. Fair
value pricing may be used, for example,
in situations where (i) portfolio
securities, such as securities with small
capitalizations, are so thinly traded that
there have been no transactions for that
security over an extended period of
time; (ii) an event occurs after the close
of the exchange on which a portfolio
security is principally traded that is
likely to change the value of the
portfolio security prior to the Fund’s
NAV calculation; (iii) the exchange on
which the portfolio security is
principally traded closes early; or (iv)
trading of the particular portfolio
security is halted during the day and
does not resume prior to the Fund’s
NAV calculation. The Board will
monitor and evaluate the Fund’s use of
fair value pricing, and periodically
reviews the results of any fair valuation
under the Trust’s policies.
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Availability of Information
The Fund’s Web site
(www.cumberetfs.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 Fund’s Web site
will include additional quantitative
information updated on a daily basis,
including, for the Fund, (1) daily trading
volume, the prior business day’s
reported closing price, NAV and midpoint of the bid/ask spread at the time
of calculation of such NAV (the ‘‘Bid/
Ask Price’’),22 and a calculation of the
premium and discount of the Bid/Ask
Price against the NAV, and (2) data in
chart format displaying the frequency
distribution of discounts and premiums
of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the
NAV, within appropriate ranges, for
each of the four previous calendar
quarters. On each business day, before
commencement of trading in Shares in
the Core Trading Session on the
Exchange, the Fund’s Web site will
disclose the Disclosed Portfolio that will
form the basis for the Fund’s calculation
of NAV at the end of the business day.23
The Fund will disclose on the Fund’s
Web site the following information
regarding each portfolio holding, as
applicable to the type of holding: Ticker
symbol, CUSIP number or other
identifier, if any; a description of the
holding (including the type of holding);
the identity of the security, index or
other asset or instrument underlying the
holding, if any; for options, the option
strike price; quantity held (as measured
by, for example, par value, notional
value or number of shares, contracts or
units); maturity date, if any; coupon
rate, if any; effective date, if any; market
value of the holding; and the percentage
weighting of the holding in the Fund’s
portfolio. The Web site information will
be publicly available at no charge.
In addition, a basket composition file,
which includes the security names and
share quantities, if applicable, required
to be delivered in exchange for the
Fund’s Shares, together with estimates
and actual cash components, will be
publicly disseminated daily prior to the
opening of the Exchange via the NSCC.
The basket represents one Creation Unit
22 The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund’s Shares will be
determined using the mid-point 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.
23 Under accounting procedures followed by the
Fund, trades made on the prior business day (‘‘T’’)
will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current
business day (‘‘T+1’’). 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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17:36 Dec 11, 2015
Jkt 238001
of the Fund. The NAV of Shares of the
Fund will normally be determined as of
the close of the regular trading session
on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time) on each business day.
Authorized Participants may refer to the
basket composition file for information
regarding securities and financial
instruments that may comprise the
Fund’s basket on a given day.
The approximate value of the Fund’s
investments on a per-Share basis, the
Indicative Intra-Day Value (‘‘IIV’’), will
be disseminated every 15 seconds
during the Exchange Core Trading
Session. The IIV should not be viewed
as a ‘‘real-time’’ update of NAV because
the IIV will be calculated by an
independent third party and may not be
calculated in the exact same manner as
NAV, which will be computed daily.
The IIV for the Fund will be
calculated by dividing the ‘‘Estimated
Fund Value’’ as of the time of the
calculation by the total number of
outstanding Shares. ‘‘Estimated Fund
Value’’ is the sum of the estimated
amount of cash held in the Fund’s
portfolio, the estimated amount of
accrued interest owing to the Fund and
the estimated value of the securities
held in the Fund’s portfolio, minus the
estimated amount of the Fund’s
liabilities. The IIV will be calculated
based on the same portfolio holdings
disclosed on the Fund’s Web site. In
determining the estimated value for
each of the component securities, the
IIV will use last sale, market prices or
other methods that would be considered
appropriate for pricing securities held
by registered investment companies.
Investors can also obtain the Trust’s
Statement of Additional Information
(‘‘SAI’’), the Fund’s shareholder reports,
and its Form N–CSR and Form N–SAR,
filed twice a year. The Trust’s SAI and
Shareholder Reports will be available
free upon request from the Trust, and
those documents and the Form N–CSR
and Form N–SAR may be viewed onscreen or downloaded from the
Commission’s Web site at www.sec.gov.
Information regarding market price and
trading volume of the Shares will be
continually available on a real-time
basis throughout the day on brokers’
computer screens and other electronic
services. Information regarding the
previous day’s closing price and trading
volume information for the Shares will
be published daily in the financial
section of newspapers.
Quotation and last sale information
for the Shares and the underlying U.S.
exchange-traded equity securities will
be available via the Consolidated Tape
Association (‘‘CTA’’) high-speed line,
and from the national securities
PO 00000
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77389
exchange on which they are listed. Price
information regarding non-U.S.
exchange-traded equity securities held
by the Fund will be available from the
exchanges trading such assets.
Quotation information from brokers
and dealers or pricing services will be
available for Municipal Bonds, taxable
municipal bonds, convertible bonds,
VRDNs, and cash equivalents. Price
information for investment company
securities (other than ETFs) will be
available from the applicable
investment company’s Web site and
from market data vendors. Price
information for OTC equity securities
will be available from major market data
vendors. Pricing information regarding
each asset class in which the Fund will
invest will generally be available
through nationally recognized data
service providers through subscription
agreements. Quotation and last sale
information for exchange-traded options
will be available via the Options Price
Reporting Authority and from the
applicable U.S. options exchange. In
addition, the IIV, (which is the Portfolio
Indicative Value, as defined in NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3)), will be
widely disseminated at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading
Session by one or more major market
data vendors.24 The dissemination of
the IIV, 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.
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.25 Trading in Shares of the
Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker
parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.12 have been reached. Trading also
may be halted because of market
conditions or for reasons that, in the
view of the Exchange, make trading in
the Shares inadvisable. These may
include: (1) The extent to which trading
is not occurring in the securities and/or
the financial instruments comprising
the Disclosed Portfolio of the Fund; or
(2) whether other unusual conditions or
circumstances detrimental to the
maintenance of a fair and orderly
market are present. Trading in the
Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca
24 Currently, it is the Exchange’s understanding
that several major market data vendors display and/
or make widely available IIVs taken from CTA or
other data feeds.
25 See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12,
Commentary .04.
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Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets
forth circumstances under which Shares
of the Fund may be halted.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be
equity securities, thus rendering trading
in the Shares subject to the Exchange’s
existing rules governing the trading of
equity securities. Shares will trade on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4 a.m.
to 8 p.m., Eastern Time in accordance
with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34
(Opening, Core, and Late Trading
Sessions). The Exchange has
appropriate rules to facilitate
transactions in the Shares during all
trading sessions. As provided in NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03,
the minimum price variation (‘‘MPV’’)
for quoting and entry of orders in equity
securities traded on the NYSE Arca
Marketplace is $0.01, with the exception
of securities that are priced less than
$1.00 for which the MPV for order entry
is $0.0001.
The Shares will conform to the initial
and continued listing criteria under
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600.
Consistent with NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii), the Adviser will
implement and maintain, or be subject
to, procedures designed to prevent the
use and dissemination of material nonpublic information regarding the actual
components of the Fund’s portfolio. The
Exchange represents that, for initial
and/or continued listing, the Fund will
be in compliance with Rule 10A–3 26
under the Act, as provided by NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A minimum of
100,000 Shares will be outstanding at
the commencement of trading on the
Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a
representation from the issuer of the
Shares that the NAV per Share will be
calculated daily and that the NAV and
the Disclosed Portfolio 27 as defined in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2)
will be made available to all market
participants at the same time. The
Fund’s investments will be consistent
with the Fund’s investment objective
and will not be used to enhance
leverage.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading
in the Shares will be subject to the
existing trading surveillances,
administered by the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (‘‘FINRA’’) on
behalf of the Exchange, or by regulatory
staff of the Exchange, which are
designed to detect violations of
26 17
CFR 240.10A–3.
term ‘‘Disclosed Portfolio’’ is defined in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2).
27 The
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Exchange rules and applicable federal
securities laws. 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 federal
securities laws applicable to trading on
the Exchange.28
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.29
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or
regulatory staff of the Exchange, will
communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares, options and
certain exchange-traded equity
securities with other markets and other
entities that are members of the ISG, and
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or
regulatory staff of the Exchange, may
obtain trading information regarding
trading in the Shares, options and
certain exchange-traded equity
securities from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may
obtain information regarding trading in
the Shares, options and certain
exchange-traded equity securities from
markets and other entities that are
members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement. In
addition, FINRA, on behalf of the
Exchange, is able to access, as needed,
trade information for certain fixed
income securities held by the Fund
reported to FINRA’s Trade Reporting
and Compliance Engine (‘‘TRACE’’).
FINRA also can access data obtained
from the Municipal Securities
Rulemaking Board (‘‘MSRB’’) relating to
municipal bond trading activity for
surveillance purposes in connection
with trading in the Shares.
In addition, the Exchange also has a
general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public
information by its employees.
28 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.
29 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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Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
Equity Trading Permit Holders in an
Information Bulletin (‘‘Bulletin’’) of the
special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss
the following: (1) The procedures for
purchases and redemptions of Shares in
Creation Unit aggregations (and that
Shares are not individually redeemable);
(2) NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a),
which imposes a duty of due diligence
on its Equity Trading Permit Holders to
learn the essential facts relating to every
customer prior to trading the Shares; (3)
the risks involved in trading the Shares
during the Opening and Late Trading
Sessions when an updated IIV will not
be calculated or publicly disseminated;
(4) how information regarding the IIV
and the Disclosed Portfolio is
disseminated; (5) the requirement that
Equity Trading Permit Holders deliver a
prospectus to investors purchasing
newly issued Shares prior to or
concurrently with the confirmation of a
transaction; and (6) trading information.
In addition, the Bulletin will
reference that the Fund is subject to
various fees and expenses described in
the Registration Statement. The Bulletin
will discuss any exemptive, no-action,
and interpretive relief granted by the
Commission from any rules under the
Act. The Bulletin will also disclose that
the NAV for the Shares will be
calculated after 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time
each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Act for this
proposed rule change is the requirement
under Section 6(b)(5) 30 that an
exchange have rules that are designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices, to promote just and
equitable principles of trade, to remove
impediments to, and perfect the
mechanism of a free and open market
and, in general, to protect investors and
the public interest.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices in that the Shares will
be listed and traded on the Exchange
pursuant to the initial and continued
listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 8.600. The Exchange has in place
surveillance procedures that are
adequate to properly monitor trading in
the Shares in all trading sessions and to
deter and detect violations of Exchange
rules and applicable federal securities
30 15
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laws. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange,
or regulatory staff of the Exchange, will
communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares, options and
certain exchange-traded equity
securities with other markets and other
entities that are members of the ISG, and
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or
regulatory staff of the Exchange, may
obtain trading information regarding
trading in the Shares, options and
certain exchange-traded equity
securities from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may
obtain information regarding trading in
the Shares, options and certain
exchange-traded equity securities from
markets and other entities that are
members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement. In
addition, FINRA, on behalf of the
Exchange, is able to access, as needed,
trade information for certain fixed
income securities held by the Fund
reported to TRACE. FINRA also can
access data obtained from the MSRB
relating to municipal bond trading
activity for surveillance purposes in
connection with trading in the Shares.
The Fund may not purchase or hold
illiquid assets if, in the aggregate, more
than 15% of its net assets would be
invested in illiquid assets. The Adviser
and Sub-Adviser are not registered as
broker-dealers but the Adviser is
affiliated with one or more brokerdealers and has implemented and will
maintain a fire wall with respect to each
such broker-dealer affiliate regarding
access to information concerning the
composition and/or changes to the
portfolio.
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
is publicly available regarding the Fund
and the Shares, thereby promoting
market transparency. Quotation and last
sale information for the Shares and the
underlying U.S. exchange-traded equity
securities will be available via the CTA
high-speed line, and from the national
securities exchange on which they are
listed. The Fund will disclose on the
Fund’s Web site the following
information regarding each portfolio
holding, as applicable to the type of
holding: Ticker symbol, CUSIP number
or other identifier, if any; a description
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17:36 Dec 11, 2015
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of the holding (including the type of
holding); the identity of the security,
index or other asset or instrument
underlying the holding, if any; for
options, the option strike price; quantity
held (as measured by, for example, par
value, notional value or number of
shares, contracts or units); maturity
date, if any; coupon rate, if any;
effective date, if any; market value of the
holding; and the percentage weighting
of the holding in the Fund’s portfolio.
Moreover, prior to the commencement
of trading, the Exchange will inform its
Equity Trading Permit Holders in an
Information Bulletin of the special
characteristics and risks associated with
trading the Shares. Trading in Shares of
the Fund will be halted if the circuit
breaker parameters in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached or
because of market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the
Exchange, make trading in the Shares
inadvisable. Trading in the Shares will
be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth
circumstances under which Shares of
the Fund may be halted. In addition, as
noted above, investors will have ready
access to information regarding the
Fund’s holdings, the IIV, 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
principally holds municipal bonds and
that will enhance competition among
market participants, to the benefit of
investors and the marketplace. As noted
above, the Exchange has in place
surveillance procedures relating to
trading in the Shares and may obtain
information via ISG from other
exchanges that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has entered
into a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. In addition, as noted
above, investors will have ready access
to information regarding the Fund’s
holdings, the IIV, the Disclosed
Portfolio, and quotation and last sale
information for the Shares.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purpose of the Act. The Exchange
notes that the proposed rule change will
facilitate the listing and trading of an
additional type of actively-managed
PO 00000
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Sfmt 4703
77391
exchange-traded product that
principally holds municipal bonds and
that will enhance competition among
market participants, to the benefit of
investors and the marketplace.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal
Register or up to 90 days (i) as the
Commission may designate if it finds
such longer period to be appropriate
and publishes its reasons for so finding
or (ii) as to which the self-regulatory
organization consents, the Commission
will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove
the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine
whether the proposed rule change
should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing,
including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act.
Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
NYSEArca–2015–93 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Brent J. Fields, Secretary, Securities
and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street
NE., Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2015–93. 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
E:\FR\FM\14DEN1.SGM
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77392
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 239 / Monday, December 14, 2015 / Notices
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Section, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549 on official
business days between 10:00 a.m. and
3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing will also
be available for inspection and copying
at the NYSE’s principal office and on its
Internet Web site at www.nyse.com. All
comments received will be posted
without change; the Commission does
not edit personal identifying
information from submissions. You
should submit only information that
you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2015–93 and
should be submitted on or before
January 4, 2016.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.31
Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–31328 Filed 12–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Dated: December 8, 2015.
Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
[FR Doc. 2015–31359 Filed 12–11–15; 8:45 am]
Upon Written Request Copies Available
From: Securities and Exchange
Commission, Office of FOIA Services,
100 F Street NE., Washington, DC
20549–2736.
Extension: Form T–6.
OMB Control No. 3235–0391, SEC File No.
270–344.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
collected must be filed with the
Commission and is publicly available.
Form T–6 takes approximately 17
burden hours per response and is filed
by approximately 1 respondent
annually. We estimate that 25% of the
17 hours (4.25 hours) is prepared by the
filer for an annual reporting burden of
4.25 hours (4.25 hours per response × 1
response).
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid
control number.
The public may view the background
documentation for this information
collection at the following Web site,
www.reginfo.gov. Comments should be
directed to: (i) Desk Officer for the
Securities and Exchange Commission,
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Room 10102, New Executive
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503,
or by sending an email to: Shagufta_
Ahmed@omb.eop.gov; and (ii) Pamela
Dyson, Director/Chief Information
Officer, Securities and Exchange
Commission, c/o Remi Pavlik-Simon,
100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549
or send an email to: PRA_Mailbox@
sec.gov. Comments must be submitted to
OMB within 30 days of this notice.
Notice is hereby given that, pursuant
to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities
and Exchange Commission
(‘‘Commission’’) has submitted to the
Office of Management and Budget this
request for extension of the previously
approved collection of information
discussed below.
Form T–6 (17 CFR 269.9) is an
application for eligibility and
qualification for a foreign person or
corporation under the Trust Indenture
Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. 77aaa et seq.).
Form T–6 provides the basis for
determining whether a foreign person or
corporation is eligible to serve as a
trustee for qualified indenture. Form T–
6 is filed on occasion. The information
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–76591; File No. SR–NYSE–
2015–63]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change Amending the
NYSE Listed Company Manual To
Provide That Any Senior Official of a
Listed Company With the Rank of
Corporate Secretary or Higher Can
Sign the Written Request of a Listed
Company Seeking To Change Its
Designated Market Maker Unit
Required by Section 806.01 of the
Manual
December 8, 2015.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on November
1 15
31 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:36 Dec 11, 2015
2 17
Jkt 238001
PO 00000
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
CFR 240.19b–4.
Frm 00079
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
25, 2015, New York Stock Exchange
LLC (‘‘NYSE’’ or the ‘‘Exchange’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘SEC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’)
the proposed rule change as described
in Items I and II below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested
persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend the
NYSE Listed Company Manual (the
‘‘Manual’’) to provide that any senior
official of a listed company with the
rank of Corporate Secretary or higher
can sign the written request of a listed
company seeking to change its
designated market maker (‘‘DMM’’) unit
required by Section 806.01 of the
Manual. The filing also proposes to
replace outdated references throughout
the Manual to ‘‘Specialists’’ with
references to ‘‘DMMs’’ and update the
text of Section 402.09(E) to reflect the
current text of NYSE Rule 460. The
proposed rule change is available on the
Exchange’s Web site at www.nyse.com,
at the principal office of the Exchange,
and at the Commission’s Public
Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to amend the
Manual to provide that any senior
official of a listed company with the
rank of Corporate Secretary or higher
can sign the written request of a listed
company seeking to change its DMM
unit required by Section 806.01 of the
Manual. The filing also proposes to
replace outdated references throughout
the Manual to ‘‘Specialists’’ with
E:\FR\FM\14DEN1.SGM
14DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 239 (Monday, December 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77384-77392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31328]
=======================================================================
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-76590; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2015-93]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing
of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing and Trading of Shares of
Cumberland Municipal Bond ETF Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600
December 8, 2015.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (the ``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby
given that, on November 24, 2015, NYSE Arca, Inc. (the ``Exchange'' or
``NYSE Arca'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II,
and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The
Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the following
under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (``Managed Fund Shares''):
Cumberland Municipal Bond ETF. The text of the proposed rule change is
available on the Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.com, at the principal
office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at
[[Page 77385]]
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most
significant parts of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (``Shares'') of the
following under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, which governs the
listing and trading of Managed Fund Shares:\4\ Cumberland Municipal
Bond ETF (the ``Fund''),\5\ a series of the ETFis Series Trust I
(``Trust'').\6\
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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) (``1940 Act'') organized as an
open-end investment company or similar entity that invests in a
portfolio of securities selected by its investment adviser
consistent with its investment objectives and policies. In contrast,
an open-end investment company that issues Investment Company Units,
listed and traded on the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that correspond
generally to the price and yield performance of a specific foreign
or domestic stock index, fixed income securities index or
combination thereof.
\5\ The Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') has
approved listing and trading on the Exchange of a number of actively
managed funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act
Release Nos. 69591 (May 16, 2013), 78 FR 30372 (May 22, 2013) (SR-
NYSEArca-2013-33) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of
International Bear ETF); 69061 (March 7, 2013), 78 FR 15990 (March
13, 2013) (SR-NYSEArca-2013-01) (order approving Exchange listing
and trading of Newfleet Multi-Sector Income ETF). The Commission has
approved for Exchange listing and trading shares of two actively
managed funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust that principally hold municipal
bonds. See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 60981 (November 10,
2009), 74 FR 59594 (November 18, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-79) (order
approving listing and trading of shares of the PIMCO Short-Term
Municipal Bond Strategy Fund and PIMCO Intermediate Municipal Bond
Strategy Fund). The Commission also has approved listing and trading
on the Exchange of shares of the SPDR Nuveen S&P High Yield
Municipal Bond Fund under Commentary .02 of NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3). See Securities Exchange Act Release No.63881 (February 9,
2011), 76 FR 9065 (February 16, 2011) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-120).
\6\ The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On May 20, 2015,
the Trust filed with the Commission an amendment to its registration
statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C.
77a) (``Securities Act''), and under the 1940 Act relating to the
Fund (File Nos. 333-187668 and 811-22819) (``Registration
Statement''). The description of the operation of the Trust and the
Fund herein is based, in part, on the Registration Statement. In
addition, the Commission has issued an order granting certain
exemptive relief to the Trust under the 1940 Act. See Investment
Company Act Release No. 30607 (July 23, 2013) (File No. 812-14080)
(``Exemptive Order'').
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The investment adviser to the Fund will be Virtus ETF Advisers LLC
(the ``Adviser''). The Fund's sub-adviser will be Cumberland Advisors
Inc. (``Sub-Adviser''). Virtus ETF Solutions LLC will serve as the
Fund's operational administrator. ETF Distributors LLC will serve as
the distributor (the ``Distributor'') of Fund Shares on an agency
basis. The Bank of New York Mellon (the ``Administrator'') will serve
as the administrator, custodian, transfer agent and fund accounting
agent for the Fund.
Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600 provides that, if the investment
adviser to the investment company issuing Managed Fund Shares is
affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser shall erect a
``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer with
respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or
changes to such investment company portfolio.\7\ In addition,
Commentary .06 further requires that personnel who make decisions on
the open-end fund's portfolio composition must be subject to procedures
designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material nonpublic
information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio. The Adviser and
Sub-Adviser are not registered as broker-dealers. The Adviser (but not
the Sub-Adviser) is affiliated with one or more broker-dealers and the
Adviser has implemented and will maintain a fire wall with respect to
each such broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information
concerning the composition and/or changes to the portfolio. In the
event (a) the Adviser or Sub-Adviser become registered broker-dealers
or 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 or its broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to
information concerning the composition and/or changes to the portfolio,
and will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and
dissemination of material non-public information regarding such
portfolio.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\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 Sub-Adviser and their related
personnel are subject to the provisions of Rule 204A-1 under the
Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires
investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the
fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as well as
compliance with other applicable securities laws. Accordingly,
procedures designed to prevent the communication and misuse of non-
public information by an investment adviser must be consistent with
Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under
the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
provide investment advice to clients unless such investment adviser
has (i) adopted and implemented written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the investment adviser
and its supervised persons, of the Advisers Act and the Commission
rules adopted thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an annual
review regarding the adequacy of the policies and procedures
established pursuant to subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness
of their implementation; and (iii) designated an individual (who is
a supervised person) responsible for administering the policies and
procedures adopted under subparagraph (i) above.
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Description of the Fund
Principal Investments
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will seek to
provide a competitive level of current income exempt from federal
income tax, while preserving capital. The Fund, under normal market
conditions,\8\ will invest at least eighty percent (80%) of the Fund's
net assets in debt securities whose interest is, in the opinion of bond
counsel for the issuer at the time of issuance, exempt from U.S.
federal income tax (``Municipal Bonds''). The Sub-Adviser will invest
the Fund's assets using a barbell strategy, which means that the Sub-
Adviser will overweight the Fund's investments in Municipal Bonds with
maturities on the short and long ends of the fixed income yield curve,
while underweighting exposure to Municipal Bonds with intermediate
maturities.
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\8\ The term ``under normal market conditions'' includes, but is
not limited to, the absence of 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Registration Statement, Municipal Bonds in which
the Fund may invest include one or more of the following:
General obligation bonds, which are typically backed by
the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the issuer;
revenue bonds, which are typically secured by revenues
generated by the issuer;
discount bonds, which may be originally issued at a
discount to par value or sold at market price below par value;
premium bonds, which are sold at a premium to par value;
zero coupon bonds, which are issued at an original issue
discount, with the full value, including accrued interest, paid at
maturity; and
private activity bonds, which are typically issued by or
on behalf of local or state government for the purpose of financing the
project of a private user.
[[Page 77386]]
The Fund will have no target duration for its investment portfolio,
and the Sub-Adviser may target a shorter or longer average portfolio
duration based on the Sub-Adviser's forecast of interest rates and view
of fixed-income markets generally.\9\ The Sub-Adviser will generally
apply a heavier weight toward Municipal Bonds with shorter maturities
during periods of high interest rates and longer maturities during
periods of lower interest rates.\10\
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\9\ Duration measures the interest rate sensitivity of a debt
security by assessing and weighting the present value of the
security's payment pattern. Generally, the longer the maturity, the
greater the duration and, therefore, the greater effect interest
rate changes have on the price of the security.
\10\ The Adviser represents that, under normal market
conditions, no Municipal Bond held by the Fund will exceed 30% of
the Fund's net assets, and the five most heavily weighted Municipal
Bonds held by the Fund will not in the aggregate account for more
than 50% of the Fund's assets; and the Fund will hold Municipal
Bonds of a minimum of 13 non-affiliated issuers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
With respect to credit quality, under normal market conditions, at
least 90% of the Fund's assets invested in Municipal Bonds will be in
Municipal Bonds rated ``A'' or better by at least one major credit
rating agency or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality by the
Sub-Adviser. From time to time, the Fund may concentrate (i.e., invest
more than 25% of its total assets) in particular sectors. The Fund may
sell investments for a variety of reasons, such as to adjust the
portfolio's average maturity, duration, or overall credit quality, or
to shift assets into and out of higher-yielding or lower-yielding
securities or certain sectors.
According to the Registration Statement, under normal market
conditions, at least 80% of the Fund's income will be exempt from
federal income taxes. However, a significant portion of the Fund's
income could be derived from securities subject to the alternative
minimum tax.
Other Investments
While the Fund, under normal market conditions, will invest at
least eighty percent (80%) of its assets in Municipal Bonds, as
described above, the Fund may invest its remaining assets in other
assets and financial instruments, as described below.
The Fund may invest in equity securities, both directly and
indirectly through investment in shares of exchange-traded funds
(``ETFs''),\11\ other investment companies, and other types of
securities and instruments described below. The equity portion of the
Fund's portfolio may include common stocks traded on securities
exchanges or in the over-the-counter (``OTC'') market. In addition to
common stocks, the equity portion of the Fund's portfolio may also
include exchange-traded and OTC preferred stocks, and warrants.\12\
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\11\ The ETFs in which the Fund may invest will be registered
under the 1940 Act and include Investment Company Units (as
described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)); Portfolio
Depositary Receipts (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.100);
and Managed Fund Shares (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600). Such ETFs all will be listed and traded in the U.S. on
registered exchanges.
\12\ With respect to its exchange-traded equity securities
investments, the Fund will normally invest in equity securities that
are listed and traded on a U.S. exchange or in markets that are
members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG'') or parties
to a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement with the Exchange.
In any case, not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the
aggregate invested in equity securities (except for non-exchange-
traded investment company securities) will consist of equity
securities whose principal market is not a member of ISG or a market
with which the Exchange does not have a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. See note 28, infra.
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The Fund may purchase taxable municipal bonds when the Sub-Adviser
believes they offer opportunities for the Fund, or variable rate demand
notes (VRDNs) that pay interest monthly or quarterly based on a
floating rate that is reset daily or weekly based on an index of short-
term municipal rates.
The Fund may invest in exchange-traded and OTC securities
convertible into common stock. Such securities include the following:
Convertible bonds and convertible preferred stocks.\13\
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\13\ The criteria in note 11 above also will apply to exchange-
traded convertible preferred stocks and exchange-traded stocks into
which convertible bonds may be converted.
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The Fund may invest directly and indirectly in cash equivalents,
namely, money market instruments that include the following: U.S.
Government obligations or corporate debt obligations (including those
subject to repurchase agreements); banker's acceptances \14\ and
certificates of deposit \15\ of domestic branches of banks, commercial
paper,\16\ and master notes.\17\
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\14\ Banker's acceptances are time drafts drawn on and
``accepted'' by a bank. When a bank ``accepts'' such a time draft,
it assumes liability for its payment. When the Fund acquires a
banker's acceptance, the bank that ``accepted'' the time draft is
liable for payment of interest and principal when due. The banker's
acceptance carries the full faith and credit of such bank.
\15\ A certificate of deposit is an unsecured, interest bearing
debt obligation of a bank.
\16\ Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term debt
obligation of a bank, corporation, or other borrower. Commercial
paper maturity generally ranges from two to 270 days and is usually
sold on a discounted basis rather than as an interest-bearing
instrument. The Fund will invest directly in commercial paper only
if it is rated in one of the top two rating categories by Moody's,
S&P or Fitch or, if not rated, is of equivalent quality in the
Adviser's opinion. Commercial paper may include master notes of the
same quality. Master notes are unsecured obligations which are
redeemable upon demand of the holder and which permit the investment
of fluctuating amounts at varying rates of interest.
\17\ Master notes may be acquired by the Fund through the master
note program of the Fund's custodian bank.
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In order to maintain sufficient liquidity, to implement investment
strategies or for temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest a
significant portion of its assets in shares of one or more money market
funds. Generally, money market mutual funds are registered investment
companies that seek to earn income consistent with the preservation of
capital and maintenance of liquidity by investing primarily in high
quality money market instruments.
The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies
in compliance with Section 12(d)(1)(E), (F) and (G) of the 1940 Act and
the rules thereunder.\18\
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\18\ 15 U.S.C. 80a-12(d)(1)(E), (F) and (G).
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The Fund may write U.S. exchange-traded call and put options on
securities, ETFs or security indexes to seek income or may purchase or
write U.S. exchange-traded put or call options for hedging purposes.
The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or for
settlement at a future date (forward commitment) if the Fund holds
sufficient liquid assets to meet the purchase price.
Additionally, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has claimed an
exclusion from the definition of the term ``commodity pool operator''
pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the
``CEA''). Therefore, the Fund is not subject to regulation or
registration as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
Investment Restrictions
The Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions
that are inconsistent with its principal investment strategies in an
attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political or other
conditions. In such circumstances, the Fund may also hold up to 100% of
its portfolio in cash and cash equivalent positions.
[[Page 77387]]
The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net
assets in illiquid assets (calculated at the time of investment),
consistent 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.\19\
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\19\ The Commission has stated that long-standing Commission
guidelines have required open-end funds to hold no more than 15% of
their net assets in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets.
See Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March 11, 2008), 73 FR
14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote 34. See also, Investment Company
Act Release No. 5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December 31,
1970) (Statement Regarding ``Restricted Securities''); Investment
Company Act Release No. 18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March
20, 1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N-1A). A fund's portfolio
security is illiquid if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary
course of business within seven days at approximately the value
ascribed to it by the fund. See Investment Company Act Release No.
14983 (March 12, 1986), 51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting
amendments to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act); Investment Company Act
Release No. 17452 (April 23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990)
(adopting Rule 144A under the 1933 Act).
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The Fund will seek to qualify for treatment as a regulated
investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.\20\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\20\ 26 U.S.C. 851.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund's investments will be consistent with its investment
objective and will not be used to provide multiple returns of a
benchmark or to produce leveraged returns.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
According to the Registration Statement, the Trust will issue and
sell Shares of the Fund only in ``Creation Units'' on a continuous
basis through the Distributor, at their net asset value (``NAV'') next
determined after receipt, on any business day, for an order received in
proper form. All orders to create Creation Units must be placed for one
or more Creation Unit size aggregations of Shares (50,000 Shares per
Creation Unit). The Creation Unit size is subject to change. Cash
creations will be the default mechanism for creation of Shares.
However, the Fund will retain the ability to utilize an in-kind
mechanism for creation of Shares, upon approval of the Distributor. In
such case, the consideration for purchase of a Creation Unit of the
Fund generally will consist of an in-kind deposit of ``Deposit
Securities'' for each Creation Unit constituting a substantial
replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the
Fund's portfolio and a ``Cash Component'' computed as described below.
Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the
``Fund Deposit'', which represents the minimum initial and subsequent
investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The Cash Component
is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per
Creation Unit) and the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the
Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit
exceeds the market value of the Deposit Securities), the Cash Component
will be such positive amount. If the Cash Component is a negative
number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the market value
of the Deposit Securities), the Cash Component will be such negative
amount, and the creator will be entitled to receive cash from the Fund
in an amount equal to the Cash Component. The Cash Component serves the
function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per
Creation Unit and the market value of the Deposit Securities.
The Administrator, through the National Securities Clearing
Corporation (``NSCC''), will make available on each business day,
immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently
9:30 a.m., Eastern Time), the list of the names and the required number
of Shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund
Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous business day)
for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit will be applicable, subject to any
adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of
Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next-announced
composition of the Deposit Securities is made available.
The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities
required for the Fund Deposit for the Fund will change as rebalancing
adjustments and corporate action events occur from time to time. In
addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the
substitution of an amount of cash--i.e., a ``cash in lieu'' amount--to
be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may
not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery, that may not be
eligible for transfer or that may not be eligible for trading by an
``Authorized Participant'' (as described below) or the investor for
which it is acting.
In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities
constituting the current Deposit Securities of the Fund Deposit, the
Administrator, through NSCC, also will make available on each business
day the estimated Cash Component, effective through and including the
previous business day, per outstanding Creation Unit of the Fund.
Procedures for Creation of Creation Units
To be eligible to place orders to create a Creation Unit of the
Fund, an entity must be (i) a ``Participating Party'', i.e., a broker-
dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the
Continuous Net Settlement System of NSCC (the ``Clearing Process'') or
a clearing agency that is registered with the Commission, or (ii) a
Depositary Trust Company (``DTC'') Participant and, in each case, must
have executed an agreement with the Trust, the Distributor and the
Administrator with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation
Units (``Participant Agreement''). A Participating Party and DTC
Participant are collectively referred to as an ``Authorized
Participant''.
All orders to create Creation Units must be received by the
Distributor no later than the close of the regular trading session on
the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern 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 of the Fund as next
determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form.
Redemption of Creation Units
Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next
determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the
Distributor and the Fund through the Administrator and only on a
business day. Cash redemptions will be the default mechanism for
redemptions of Shares.
However, the Fund will retain the ability to utilize an in-kind
mechanism for redemption of Shares, upon approval of the Distributor.
In such case, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally
consist of Deposit Securities, as announced by the Administrator on the
business day of the request for redemption received in proper form,
plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the
Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request
in proper form, and the value of the
[[Page 77388]]
Deposit Securities (the ``Cash Redemption Amount''), less a redemption
transaction fee. In the event that the Deposit Securities have a value
greater than the NAV of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal
to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized
Participant by the redeeming shareholder.
With respect to the Fund, the Administrator, through NSCC, will
make available immediately prior to the opening of business on the
Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each business day, the
Deposit Securities that will be applicable (subject to possible
amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form
on that day. Deposit Securities received on redemption may not be
identical to Deposit Securities which are applicable to creations of
Creation Units.
If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Deposit
Securities, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to
redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming beneficial owner will be
required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an
investor may request a redemption in cash which the Fund may, in its
sole discretion, permit.\21\ In either case, the investor will receive
a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of
Shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is
received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and
additional charge for requested cash redemptions, to offset the Trust's
brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition
of Deposit Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon
request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of
securities which differs from the exact composition of the Deposit
Securities but does not differ in NAV.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\21\ The Adviser represents that, to the extent the Trust
effects the creation or redemption of Shares in cash, such
transactions will be effected in the same manner for all Authorized
Participants.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment
postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the
Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings);
(2) for any period during which trading on the Exchange is suspended or
restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a
result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of
the Shares' NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other
circumstance as is permitted by the Commission.
Net Asset Value
The NAV per Share for the Fund will be computed by dividing the
value of the net assets of the Fund (i.e., the value of its total
assets less total liabilities) by the total number of Shares
outstanding, rounded to the nearest cent. Expenses and fees, including
the management fee, will be accrued daily and taken into account for
purposes of determining NAV. The NAV of the Fund will be determined as
of the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily
4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that the Exchange is open. Any
assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S.
dollar will be converted into U.S. dollars at the current market rates
on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more sources.
The pricing and valuation of portfolio securities will be
determined in good faith in accordance with procedures approved by, and
under the direction of, the Trust's Board of Trustees (``Board''). In
determining the value of the Fund's assets, equity securities will be
generally valued at market using quotations from the primary market in
which they are traded. Debt securities (other than short-term
investments) will be valued on the basis of broker quotes or valuations
provided by a pricing service, which in determining value will utilize
information regarding recent sales, market transactions in comparable
securities, quotations from dealers, and various relationships between
securities. Other assets, such as accrued interest, accrued dividends
and cash also will be included in determining the NAV. The Fund
normally will use third party pricing services to obtain portfolio
security prices.
Municipal Bonds, money market instruments, convertible bonds and
VRDNs will generally be valued at bid prices received from independent
pricing services as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-
income instruments in the respective market.
Exchange-traded equity securities, including common stocks, ETFs,
preferred stocks, convertible preferred stocks and warrants, will be
valued at market value, which will generally be determined using the
last reported official closing or last trading price on the exchange or
market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of
valuation or, if no sale has occurred, at the last quoted bid price on
the primary market or exchange on which they are traded. If market
prices are unavailable or the Fund believes that they are unreliable,
or when the value of a security has been materially affected by events
occurring after the relevant market closes, the Fund will price those
securities at fair value as determined in good faith using methods
approved by the Trust's Board.
Equity securities traded in the OTC market, including common
stocks, preferred stocks, and warrants, will be valued at the last
reported sale price on the valuation date. OTC traded convertible
preferred stocks will be valued based on price quotations obtained from
a broker-dealer who makes markets in such securities or other
equivalent indications of value provided by a third-party pricing
service. Securities of non-exchange-traded investment company
securities registered under the 1940 Act, including money market funds,
will be valued at NAV.
Option contracts will be valued at their most recent sale price on
the applicable exchange. If no such sales are reported, these contracts
will be valued at their most recent bid price.
To the extent the assets of the Fund are invested in other open-end
investment companies that are registered under the 1940 Act, the Fund's
NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs reported by such registered
open-end investment companies.
Securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily
available or which cannot be accurately valued using the Fund's normal
pricing procedures will be valued by the Trust's Fair Value Pricing
Committee at fair value as determined in good faith under policies
approved by the Board. Fair value pricing may be used, for example, in
situations where (i) portfolio securities, such as securities with
small capitalizations, are so thinly traded that there have been no
transactions for that security over an extended period of time; (ii) an
event occurs after the close of the exchange on which a portfolio
security is principally traded that is likely to change the value of
the portfolio security prior to the Fund's NAV calculation; (iii) the
exchange on which the portfolio security is principally traded closes
early; or (iv) trading of the particular portfolio security is halted
during the day and does not resume prior to the Fund's NAV calculation.
The Board will monitor and evaluate the Fund's use of fair value
pricing, and periodically reviews the results of any fair valuation
under the Trust's policies.
[[Page 77389]]
Availability of Information
The Fund's Web site (www.cumberetfs.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 Fund's Web
site will include additional quantitative information updated on a
daily basis, including, for the Fund, (1) daily trading volume, the
prior business day's reported closing price, NAV and mid-point of the
bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such NAV (the ``Bid/Ask
Price''),\22\ and a calculation of the premium and discount of the Bid/
Ask Price against the NAV, and (2) data in chart format displaying the
frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the daily Bid/Ask
Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four
previous calendar quarters. On each business day, before commencement
of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the
Fund's Web site will disclose the Disclosed Portfolio that will form
the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business
day.\23\
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\22\ The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund's Shares will be determined
using the mid-point 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.
\23\ Under accounting procedures followed by the Fund, trades
made on the prior business day (``T'') will be booked and reflected
in NAV on the current business day (``T+1''). 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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The Fund will disclose on the Fund's Web site the following
information regarding each portfolio holding, as applicable to the type
of holding: Ticker symbol, CUSIP number or other identifier, if any; a
description of the holding (including the type of holding); the
identity of the security, index or other asset or instrument underlying
the holding, if any; for options, the option strike price; quantity
held (as measured by, for example, par value, notional value or number
of shares, contracts or units); maturity date, if any; coupon rate, if
any; effective date, if any; market value of the holding; and the
percentage weighting of the holding in the Fund's portfolio. The Web
site information will be publicly available at no charge.
In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security
names and share quantities, if applicable, required to be delivered in
exchange for the Fund's Shares, together with estimates and actual cash
components, will be publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of
the Exchange via the NSCC. The basket represents one Creation Unit of
the Fund. The NAV of Shares of the Fund will normally be determined as
of the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily
4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each business day. Authorized Participants
may refer to the basket composition file for information regarding
securities and financial instruments that may comprise the Fund's
basket on a given day.
The approximate value of the Fund's investments on a per-Share
basis, the Indicative Intra-Day Value (``IIV''), will be disseminated
every 15 seconds during the Exchange Core Trading Session. The IIV
should not be viewed as a ``real-time'' update of NAV because the IIV
will be calculated by an independent third party and may not be
calculated in the exact same manner as NAV, which will be computed
daily.
The IIV for the Fund will be calculated by dividing the ``Estimated
Fund Value'' as of the time of the calculation by the total number of
outstanding Shares. ``Estimated Fund Value'' is the sum of the
estimated amount of cash held in the Fund's portfolio, the estimated
amount of accrued interest owing to the Fund and the estimated value of
the securities held in the Fund's portfolio, minus the estimated amount
of the Fund's liabilities. The IIV will be calculated based on the same
portfolio holdings disclosed on the Fund's Web site. In determining the
estimated value for each of the component securities, the IIV will use
last sale, market prices or other methods that would be considered
appropriate for pricing securities held by registered investment
companies.
Investors can also obtain the Trust's Statement of Additional
Information (``SAI''), the Fund's shareholder reports, and its Form N-
CSR and Form N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust's SAI and Shareholder
Reports will be available free upon request from the Trust, and those
documents and the Form N-CSR and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or
downloaded from the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. Information
regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be
continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on
brokers' computer screens and other electronic services. Information
regarding the previous day's closing price and trading volume
information for the Shares will be published daily in the financial
section of newspapers.
Quotation and last sale information for the Shares and the
underlying U.S. exchange-traded equity securities will be available via
the Consolidated Tape Association (``CTA'') high-speed line, and from
the national securities exchange on which they are listed. Price
information regarding non-U.S. exchange-traded equity securities held
by the Fund will be available from the exchanges trading such assets.
Quotation information from brokers and dealers or pricing services
will be available for Municipal Bonds, taxable municipal bonds,
convertible bonds, VRDNs, and cash equivalents. Price information for
investment company securities (other than ETFs) will be available from
the applicable investment company's Web site and from market data
vendors. Price information for OTC equity securities will be available
from major market data vendors. Pricing information regarding each
asset class in which the Fund will invest will generally be available
through nationally recognized data service providers through
subscription agreements. Quotation and last sale information for
exchange-traded options will be available via the Options Price
Reporting Authority and from the applicable U.S. options exchange. In
addition, the IIV, (which is the Portfolio Indicative Value, as defined
in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3)), will be widely disseminated at
least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session by one or more
major market data vendors.\24\ The dissemination of the IIV, 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\24\ Currently, it is the Exchange's understanding that several
major market data vendors display and/or make widely available IIVs
taken from CTA or other data feeds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.\25\ Trading in Shares of the Fund
will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 7.12 have been reached. Trading also may be halted because of
market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange,
make trading in the Shares inadvisable. These may include: (1) The
extent to which trading is not occurring in the securities and/or the
financial instruments comprising the Disclosed Portfolio of the Fund;
or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to
the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. Trading in
the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca
[[Page 77390]]
Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under
which Shares of the Fund may be halted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\25\ See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12, Commentary .04.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus
rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing
rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern Time in
accordance with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core, and Late
Trading Sessions). The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate
transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03, the minimum price
variation (``MPV'') for quoting and entry of orders in equity
securities traded on the NYSE Arca Marketplace is $0.01, with the
exception of securities that are priced less than $1.00 for which the
MPV for order entry is $0.0001.
The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing
criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. Consistent with NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii), the Adviser will implement and
maintain, or be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and
dissemination of material non-public information regarding the actual
components of the Fund's portfolio. The Exchange represents that, for
initial and/or continued listing, the Fund will be in compliance with
Rule 10A-3 \26\ under the Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares will be outstanding at the
commencement of trading on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a
representation from the issuer of the Shares that the NAV per Share
will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio
\27\ as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2) will be made
available to all market participants at the same time. The Fund's
investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and
will not be used to enhance leverage.
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\26\ 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
\27\ The term ``Disclosed Portfolio'' is defined in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2).
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Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject
to the existing trading surveillances, administered by the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (``FINRA'') on behalf of the Exchange, or
by regulatory staff of the Exchange, which are designed to detect
violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.
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 federal securities
laws applicable to trading on the Exchange.\28\
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\28\ FINRA surveils trading on the Exchange pursuant to a
regulatory services agreement. The Exchange is responsible for
FINRA's performance under this regulatory services agreement.
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The surveillances referred to above generally focus on detecting
securities trading outside their normal patterns, which could be
indicative of manipulative or other violative activity. When such
situations are detected, surveillance analysis follows and
investigations are opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of
all relevant parties for all relevant trading violations.\29\
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\29\ 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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FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or regulatory staff of the
Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares,
options and certain exchange-traded equity securities with other
markets and other entities that are members of the ISG, and FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, or regulatory staff of the Exchange, may obtain
trading information regarding trading in the Shares, options and
certain exchange-traded equity securities from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding
trading in the Shares, options and certain exchange-traded equity
securities from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. In addition, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, is
able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income
securities held by the Fund reported to FINRA's Trade Reporting and
Compliance Engine (``TRACE''). FINRA also can access data obtained from
the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (``MSRB'') relating to
municipal bond trading activity for surveillance purposes in connection
with trading in the Shares.
In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its
Equity Trading Permit Holders in an Information Bulletin (``Bulletin'')
of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the
Shares. Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss the following: (1) The
procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Creation Unit
aggregations (and that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2)
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence
on its Equity Trading Permit Holders to learn the essential facts
relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) the risks
involved in trading the Shares during the Opening and Late Trading
Sessions when an updated IIV will not be calculated or publicly
disseminated; (4) how information regarding the IIV and the Disclosed
Portfolio is disseminated; (5) the requirement that Equity Trading
Permit Holders deliver a prospectus to investors purchasing newly
issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the confirmation of a
transaction; and (6) trading information.
In addition, the Bulletin will reference that the Fund is subject
to various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement.
The Bulletin will discuss any exemptive, no-action, and interpretive
relief granted by the Commission from any rules under the Act. The
Bulletin will also disclose that the NAV for the Shares will be
calculated after 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Act for this proposed rule change is the
requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \30\ that an exchange have rules that
are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices,
to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove
impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market
and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\30\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the
Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the
initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
8.600. The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are
adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading
sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities
[[Page 77391]]
laws. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or regulatory staff of the
Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares,
options and certain exchange-traded equity securities with other
markets and other entities that are members of the ISG, and FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, or regulatory staff of the Exchange, may obtain
trading information regarding trading in the Shares, options and
certain exchange-traded equity securities from such markets and other
entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding
trading in the Shares, options and certain exchange-traded equity
securities from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. In addition, FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, is
able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income
securities held by the Fund reported to TRACE. FINRA also can access
data obtained from the MSRB relating to municipal bond trading activity
for surveillance purposes in connection with trading in the Shares. The
Fund may not purchase or hold illiquid assets if, in the aggregate,
more than 15% of its net assets would be invested in illiquid assets.
The Adviser and Sub-Adviser are not registered as broker-dealers but
the Adviser is affiliated with one or more broker-dealers and has
implemented and will maintain a fire wall with respect to each such
broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information concerning the
composition and/or changes to the portfolio.
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 is publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares,
thereby promoting market transparency. Quotation and last sale
information for the Shares and the underlying U.S. exchange-traded
equity securities will be available via the CTA high-speed line, and
from the national securities exchange on which they are listed. The
Fund will disclose on the Fund's Web site the following information
regarding each portfolio holding, as applicable to the type of holding:
Ticker symbol, CUSIP number or other identifier, if any; a description
of the holding (including the type of holding); the identity of the
security, index or other asset or instrument underlying the holding, if
any; for options, the option strike price; quantity held (as measured
by, for example, par value, notional value or number of shares,
contracts or units); maturity date, if any; coupon rate, if any;
effective date, if any; market value of the holding; and the percentage
weighting of the holding in the Fund's portfolio. Moreover, prior to
the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its Equity
Trading Permit Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special
characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Trading
in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters
in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached or because of market
conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make
trading in the Shares inadvisable. Trading in the Shares will be
subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth
circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In
addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to
information regarding the Fund's holdings, the IIV, 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
principally holds municipal bonds and that will enhance competition
among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the
marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance
procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may obtain information
via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready
access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the IIV, the
Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the
Shares.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purpose of the Act. The Exchange notes that the
proposed rule change will facilitate the listing and trading of an
additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that
principally holds municipal bonds and that will enhance competition
among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the
marketplace.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the
proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register or up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may designate
if it finds such longer period to be appropriate and publishes its
reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which the self-regulatory
organization consents, the Commission will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule
change should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's Internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2015-93 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Brent J. Fields,
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2015-93. 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
[[Page 77392]]
communications relating to the proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from
the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission's Public
Reference Section, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549 on official
business days between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing
will also be available for inspection and copying at the NYSE's
principal office and on its Internet Web site at www.nyse.com. All
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2015-93 and should
be submitted on or before January 4, 2016.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\31\
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\31\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Brent J. Fields,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-31328 Filed 12-11-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P