Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Amending Section 902.04 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, 90893-90895 [2016-30079]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 241 / Thursday, December 15, 2016 / Notices
Clear Europe continues to consider), no
material comments were received on the
provisions relating to the German antiboycott ordinance. ICE Clear Europe has
commenced a further public
consultation relating to the proposed
changes to the Rules discussed here. ICE
Clear Europe will notify the
Commission of any written comments
received by ICE Clear Europe.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become
effective upon filing pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A) 12 of the Act and Rule 19b–
4(f)(4)(i) 13 thereunder because it effects
a change in an existing service of a
registered clearing agency that does not
adversely affect the safeguarding of
securities or funds in the custody or
control of the clearing agency or for
which it is responsible, and does not
significantly affect the respective rights
or obligations of the clearing agency or
persons using its clearing service,
within the meaning of Rule 19b–
4(f)(4)(i). At any time within 60 days of
the filing of the proposed rule change,
the Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act.
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Section, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549, on official
business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such
filings will also be available for
inspection and copying at the principal
office of ICE Clear Europe and on ICE
Clear Europe’s Web site at https://
www.theice.com/clear-europe/
regulation#rule-filings.
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–ICEEU–2016–014 and
should be submitted on or before
January 5, 2017.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.14
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
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–
ICEEU–2016–014 on the subject line.
rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing,
including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act.
Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–ICEEU–2016–014. 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
[FR Doc. 2016–30080 Filed 12–14–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
[Release No. 34–79515; File No. SR–NYSE–
2016–80]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New
York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of
Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of
Proposed Rule Change Amending
Section 902.04 of the NYSE Listed
Company Manual
December 9, 2016.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’
or ‘‘Exchange Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4
thereunder,3 notice is hereby given that,
on November 30, 2016, New York Stock
14 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 15 U.S.C. 78a.
3 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
90893
Exchange LLC (‘‘NYSE’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’)
filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the selfregulatory organization. The
Commission is publishing this notice to
solicit comments on the proposed rule
change from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend
Section 902.04 of the NYSE Listed
Company Manual (the ‘‘Manual’’) to
adopt a fee discount for issuers that list
20 or more closed-end funds on the
Exchange. 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
Section 902.04 of the Manual to adopt
a fee discount for issuers that list 20 or
more closed-end funds on the Exchange.
The proposed new discount will take
effect on January 1, 2017. Currently,
fund families that list between three and
14 closed-end funds receive a 5%
discount off the calculated Annual Fee
for each fund listed, and those with 15
or more listed closed-end funds receive
a discount of 15%.4 Aggregate Annual
Fees for any fund family are capped at
$1,000,000 in any given year.
Currently, a small number of fund
families benefit from the $1,000,000 fee
cap. In most cases, fund families that
benefit from the cap have a significant
number of funds listed on the Exchange
1 15
12 15
13 17
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(4) [sic].
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15:19 Dec 14, 2016
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4 Closed-end funds are charged Annual Fees at a
rate of $0.001025 per share.
E:\FR\FM\15DEN1.SGM
15DEN1
90894
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 241 / Thursday, December 15, 2016 / Notices
rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
and would otherwise have paid fees far
in excess of $1,000,000. Therefore, the
effective discount they receive to their
uncapped fees typically exceeds 50%.
There are a number of other, smaller
fund families that have 20 or more
funds listed on the Exchange whose
aggregate fees approach but do not
exceed $1,000,000 and who therefore do
not benefit from the cap. Consequently,
those fund families pay fees at a far
higher effective fee rate than is paid by
those fund families whose fees are
capped. The purpose of the proposed
50% discount is to significantly reduce
this disparity.
The Exchange believes that a
reduction in the effective fee rate paid
by fund families that have 20 or more
listed funds, but do not benefit from the
cap, would create an incentive for them
to initiate new funds, increasing
competition in the industry. In
particular, the Exchange believes that
the proposed amendment may create an
incentive for fund families to create a
greater number of smaller funds than is
currently the case, as smaller funds are
particularly concerned about limiting
their operating costs.
The Exchange believes that it is not
unfairly discriminatory to provide a
greater discount for fund families listing
more than [sic] 20 funds than for
smaller fund families, as a significant
amount of the costs of conducting the
Exchange’s regulatory activities and
providing client services with respect to
a fund family are fixed costs and,
consequently, the cost to the Exchange
of servicing any incremental fund are
smaller when that fund is part of a
larger fund family than when it is part
of a smaller fund family.
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed fee discount will have any
effect on its ability to fund its regulatory
activities.
The Exchange also proposes to amend
Section 902.04 to remove obsolete
references to fee levels that are no
longer applicable.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is consistent with
Section 6(b) of the Exchange Act,5 in
general, and furthers the objectives of
Sections 6(b)(4) 6 of the Exchange Act,
in particular, in that it is designed to
provide for the equitable allocation of
reasonable dues, fees, and other charges
and is not designed to permit unfair
discrimination among its members and
issuers and other persons using its
facilities. The Exchange also believes
5 15
U.S.C. 78f(b).
6 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:19 Dec 14, 2016
Jkt 241001
that the proposed rule change is
consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the
Exchange Act, in particular in that it is
designed to promote just and equitable
principles of trade, to foster cooperation
and coordination with persons engaged
in regulating, clearing, settling,
processing information with respect to,
and facilitating transactions in
securities, to remove impediments to
and perfect the mechanism of a free and
open market and a national market
system, and, in general, to protect
investors and the public interest.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is consistent with
Sections 6(b)(4) and 6(b)(5) of the
Exchange Act in that it represents an
equitable allocation of fees and does not
unfairly discriminate among listed
companies. In particular, the Exchange
believes the proposal represents an
equitable allocation of fees and is not
unfairly discriminatory because it
would create an effective fee rate for a
group of smaller fund families that is
more consistent with the effective fee
rate paid by larger fund families that
benefit from the fee cap provision of the
rule. The proposed amendment would
also promote competition, as it would
lower the costs of operating a fund for
many issuers and will therefore
incentivize those issuers to create new
funds.
The Exchange believes that it is not
unfairly discriminatory to provide a
greater discount for fund families listing
more than [sic] 20 funds than for
smaller fund families, as a significant
amount of the costs of conducting the
Exchange’s regulatory activities and
providing client services with respect to
a fund family are fixed costs and,
consequently, the cost to the Exchange
of servicing any incremental fund are
smaller when that fund is part of a
larger fund family than when it is part
of a smaller fund family.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Exchange Act.
The proposed rule change is designed to
provide a group of smaller issuers of
closed-end funds with an effective fee
rate that is closer to the effective rate
charged to larger issuers that benefit
from the rule’s fee cap provision. The
market for listing services is extremely
competitive. Each listing exchange has a
different fee schedule that applies to
issuers seeking to list securities on its
exchange. Issuers have the option to list
their securities on these alternative
PO 00000
Frm 00123
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
venues based on the fees charged and
the value provided by each listing.
Because issuers have a choice to list
their securities on a different national
securities exchange, the Exchange does
not believe that the proposed fee change
imposes a burden on competition.
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
The foregoing rule change is effective
upon filing pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A) 7 of the Act and
subparagraph (f)(2) of Rule 19b–4 8
thereunder, because it establishes a due,
fee, or other charge imposed by the
Exchange.
At any time within 60 days of the
filing of such proposed rule change, the
Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act. If the
Commission takes such action, the
Commission shall institute proceedings
under Section 19(b)(2)(B) 9 of the Act to
determine whether the proposed rule
change should be approved or
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–
NYSE–2016–80 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–NYSE–2016–80. This file
7 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(2).
9 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
8 17
E:\FR\FM\15DEN1.SGM
15DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 241 / Thursday, December 15, 2016 / Notices
number should be included on the
subject line if email is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549 on official
business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such
filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal
office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change;
the Commission does not edit personal
identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–NYSE–
2016–80, and should be submitted on or
before January 5, 2017.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.10
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016–30079 Filed 12–14–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–79523; File No. SR–
BatsBZX–2016–84)
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Bats
BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing
and Immediate Effectiveness of a
Proposed Rule Change to Rule 21.5 of
Bats BZX Exchange, Inc. To Extend
Through June 30, 2017, the Penny Pilot
Program in Options Classes in Certain
Issues
rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
December 9, 2016.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2
notice is hereby given that on November
10 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
1 15
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:19 Dec 14, 2016
Jkt 241001
30, 2016, Bats BZX Exchange, Inc. (the
‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘BZX’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule
change as described in Items I, II and III
below, which Items have been prepared
by the Exchange. The Exchange has
designated this proposal as a ‘‘noncontroversial’’ proposed rule change
pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the
Act 3 and Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii)
thereunder,4 which renders it effective
upon filing with the Commission. 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 filed a proposal to
extend through June 30, 2017, the Penny
Pilot Program (‘‘Penny Pilot’’) in options
classes in certain issues (‘‘Pilot
Program’’) previously approved by the
Commission.5 The text of the proposed
rule change is available at the
Exchange’s Web site at
www.batstrading.com, at the principal
office of the Exchange, and at the
Commission’s Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
Exchange included statements
concerning the purpose of and basis for
the proposed rule change and discussed
any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of these
statements may be examined at the
places specified in Item IV below. The
Exchange has prepared summaries, set
forth in Sections A, B, and C below, of
the most significant 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 purpose of this filing is to extend
the Penny Pilot, which was previously
approved by the Commission, through
3 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6)(iii).
5 The rules of BZX Options, including rules
applicable to BZX Options’ participation in the
Penny Pilot, were approved on January 26, 2010.
See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61419
(January 26, 2010), 75 FR 5157 (February 1, 2010)
(SR–BATS–2009–031). BZX Options commenced
operations on February 26, 2010. The Penny Pilot
was most recently extended for BZX Options
through December 31, 2016. See Securities
Exchange Act Release No. 78032 (June 10, 2016), 81
FR 39307 (June 16, 2016) (SR–BatsBZX–2016–23).
4 17
PO 00000
Frm 00124
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
90895
June 30, 2017, and to provide revised
dates for adding replacement issues to
the Pilot Program. The Exchange
proposes that any Pilot Program issues
that have been delisted may be replaced
on the second trading day following
January 1, 2017. The replacement issues
will be selected based on trading
activity for the most recent six month
period excluding the month
immediately preceding the replacement
(i.e., beginning June 1, 2016, and ending
November 30, 2016).
The Exchange represents that the
Exchange has the necessary system
capacity to continue to support
operation of the Penny Pilot. The
Exchange believes the benefits to public
customers and other market participants
who will be able to express their true
prices to buy and sell options have been
demonstrated to outweigh the increase
in quote traffic.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that its
proposal is consistent with the
requirements of the Act and the rules
and regulations thereunder that are
applicable to a national securities
exchange, and, in particular, with the
requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act.6
In particular, the proposal is consistent
with Section 6(b)(5) of the Act 7 because
it would promote just and equitable
principles of trade, remove
impediments to, and perfect the
mechanism of, a free and open market
and a national market system. The
Exchange believes that the Pilot
Program promotes just and equitable
principles of trade by enabling public
customers and other market participants
to express their true prices to buy and
sell options. Accordingly, the Exchange
believes that the proposal is consistent
with the Act because it will allow the
Exchange to extend the Pilot Program
prior to its expiration on December 31,
2016. The Exchange notes that this
proposal does not propose any new
policies or provisions that are unique or
unproven, but instead relates to the
continuation of an existing program that
operates on a pilot basis.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. In this
regard, the Exchange notes that the rule
change is being proposed in order to
continue the Pilot Program, which is a
6 15
7 15
E:\FR\FM\15DEN1.SGM
U.S.C. 78f(b).
U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
15DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 241 (Thursday, December 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90893-90895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30079]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-79515; File No. SR-NYSE-2016-80]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC;
Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change
Amending Section 902.04 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual
December 9, 2016.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (``Act'' or ``Exchange Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\
notice is hereby given that, on November 30, 2016, New York Stock
Exchange LLC (``NYSE'' or ``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (``Commission'') the proposed rule change as
described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared
by the self-regulatory organization. The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested
persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
\3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to amend Section 902.04 of the NYSE Listed
Company Manual (the ``Manual'') to adopt a fee discount for issuers
that list 20 or more closed-end funds on the Exchange. 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 Section 902.04 of the Manual to
adopt a fee discount for issuers that list 20 or more closed-end funds
on the Exchange. The proposed new discount will take effect on January
1, 2017. Currently, fund families that list between three and 14
closed-end funds receive a 5% discount off the calculated Annual Fee
for each fund listed, and those with 15 or more listed closed-end funds
receive a discount of 15%.\4\ Aggregate Annual Fees for any fund family
are capped at $1,000,000 in any given year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Closed-end funds are charged Annual Fees at a rate of
$0.001025 per share.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently, a small number of fund families benefit from the
$1,000,000 fee cap. In most cases, fund families that benefit from the
cap have a significant number of funds listed on the Exchange
[[Page 90894]]
and would otherwise have paid fees far in excess of $1,000,000.
Therefore, the effective discount they receive to their uncapped fees
typically exceeds 50%.
There are a number of other, smaller fund families that have 20 or
more funds listed on the Exchange whose aggregate fees approach but do
not exceed $1,000,000 and who therefore do not benefit from the cap.
Consequently, those fund families pay fees at a far higher effective
fee rate than is paid by those fund families whose fees are capped. The
purpose of the proposed 50% discount is to significantly reduce this
disparity.
The Exchange believes that a reduction in the effective fee rate
paid by fund families that have 20 or more listed funds, but do not
benefit from the cap, would create an incentive for them to initiate
new funds, increasing competition in the industry. In particular, the
Exchange believes that the proposed amendment may create an incentive
for fund families to create a greater number of smaller funds than is
currently the case, as smaller funds are particularly concerned about
limiting their operating costs.
The Exchange believes that it is not unfairly discriminatory to
provide a greater discount for fund families listing more than [sic] 20
funds than for smaller fund families, as a significant amount of the
costs of conducting the Exchange's regulatory activities and providing
client services with respect to a fund family are fixed costs and,
consequently, the cost to the Exchange of servicing any incremental
fund are smaller when that fund is part of a larger fund family than
when it is part of a smaller fund family.
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed fee discount will
have any effect on its ability to fund its regulatory activities.
The Exchange also proposes to amend Section 902.04 to remove
obsolete references to fee levels that are no longer applicable.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent
with Section 6(b) of the Exchange Act,\5\ in general, and furthers the
objectives of Sections 6(b)(4) \6\ of the Exchange Act, in particular,
in that it is designed to provide for the equitable allocation of
reasonable dues, fees, and other charges and is not designed to permit
unfair discrimination among its members and issuers and other persons
using its facilities. The Exchange also believes that the proposed rule
change is consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the Exchange Act, in
particular in that it is designed to promote just and equitable
principles of trade, to foster cooperation and coordination with
persons engaged in regulating, clearing, settling, processing
information with respect to, and facilitating transactions in
securities, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanism of a
free and open market and a national market system, and, in general, to
protect investors and the public interest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
\6\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent
with Sections 6(b)(4) and 6(b)(5) of the Exchange Act in that it
represents an equitable allocation of fees and does not unfairly
discriminate among listed companies. In particular, the Exchange
believes the proposal represents an equitable allocation of fees and is
not unfairly discriminatory because it would create an effective fee
rate for a group of smaller fund families that is more consistent with
the effective fee rate paid by larger fund families that benefit from
the fee cap provision of the rule. The proposed amendment would also
promote competition, as it would lower the costs of operating a fund
for many issuers and will therefore incentivize those issuers to create
new funds.
The Exchange believes that it is not unfairly discriminatory to
provide a greater discount for fund families listing more than [sic] 20
funds than for smaller fund families, as a significant amount of the
costs of conducting the Exchange's regulatory activities and providing
client services with respect to a fund family are fixed costs and,
consequently, the cost to the Exchange of servicing any incremental
fund are smaller when that fund is part of a larger fund family than
when it is part of a smaller fund family.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Exchange Act. The proposed rule
change is designed to provide a group of smaller issuers of closed-end
funds with an effective fee rate that is closer to the effective rate
charged to larger issuers that benefit from the rule's fee cap
provision. The market for listing services is extremely competitive.
Each listing exchange has a different fee schedule that applies to
issuers seeking to list securities on its exchange. Issuers have the
option to list their securities on these alternative venues based on
the fees charged and the value provided by each listing. Because
issuers have a choice to list their securities on a different national
securities exchange, the Exchange does not believe that the proposed
fee change imposes a burden on competition.
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
The foregoing rule change is effective upon filing pursuant to
Section 19(b)(3)(A) \7\ of the Act and subparagraph (f)(2) of Rule 19b-
4 \8\ thereunder, because it establishes a due, fee, or other charge
imposed by the Exchange.
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\7\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
\8\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(2).
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At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings under
Section 19(b)(2)(B) \9\ of the Act to determine whether the proposed
rule change should be approved or disapproved.
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\9\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
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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-NYSE-2016-80 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-NYSE-2016-80. This file
[[Page 90895]]
number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help
the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549 on official business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available
for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All
comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does
not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should
submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSE-2016-80, and should be
submitted on or before January 5, 2017.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\10\
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\10\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-30079 Filed 12-14-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P