Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 2 and Order Approving on an Accelerated Basis a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 2, To List and Trade Shares of the GraniteShares Platinum Trust Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E, 58884-58891 [2017-26915]
Download as PDF
58884
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 239 / Thursday, December 14, 2017 / Notices
IV. Solicitation of Comments
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 not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. In terms of
inter-market competition, the Exchange
notes that it operates in a highly
competitive market in which market
participants can readily favor competing
venues if they deem fee levels at a
particular venue to be excessive, or
rebate opportunities available at other
venues to be more favorable.
The Exchange’s proposal to exclude
electronic Options Transaction Charges
for options overlying NDX from the
Monthly Market Maker Cap does not
impose an undue burden on intramarket competition because the
Exchange will uniformly exclude
electronic options overlying NDX from
the Monthly Market Maker Cap. The
Exchange’s proposal to exclude options
overlying NDX from the PIXL Pricing in
Section IV, Part A does not impose an
undue burden on intra-market
competition because the Exchange will
uniformly exclude options overlying
NDX from PIXL pricing. The Exchange’s
proposal to exclude options overlying
NDX from Eligible Contracts for
purposes of qualifying for a MARS
Payment does not impose an undue
burden on intra-market competition
because the Exchange will uniformly
exclude options overlying NDX from
MARS.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were either
solicited or received.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become
effective pursuant to Section
19(b)(3)(A)(ii) of the Act.25
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: (i) Necessary or appropriate in
the public interest; (ii) for the protection
of investors; or (iii) otherwise in
furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
If the Commission takes such action, the
Commission shall institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule
should be approved or disapproved.
25 15
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:
21:28 Dec 13, 2017
Jkt 244001
• 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–
Phlx–2017–102 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–Phlx–2017–102. 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 website (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 website viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street NE,
Washington, DC 20549, on official
business days between the hours of
10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the
filing also will be available for
inspection and copying at the principal
office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change.
Persons submitting comments are
cautioned that we do not redact or edit
personal identifying information from
comment submissions. You should
submit only information that you wish
to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File
Number SR–Phlx–2017–102 and should
be submitted on or before January 4,
2018.
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[FR Doc. 2017–26916 Filed 12–13–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Electronic Comments
U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(ii).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.26
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
Sfmt 4703
[Release No. 34–82249; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2017–110]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of
Amendment No. 2 and Order
Approving on an Accelerated Basis a
Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by
Amendment No. 2, To List and Trade
Shares of the GraniteShares Platinum
Trust Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E
December 8, 2017.
I. Introduction
On September 12, 2017, NYSE Arca,
Inc. (‘‘NYSE Arca’’ or ‘‘Exchange’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’), pursuant
to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule
19b–4 thereunder,2 a proposed rule
change to list and trade shares of the
GraniteShares Platinum Trust under
NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E. The proposed
rule change was published for comment
in the Federal Register on September
27, 2017.3 On October 24, 2017, the
Exchange filed Amendment No. 1 to the
proposed rule change, which
superseded the proposed rule change as
originally filed. On November 16, 2017,
the Exchange filed Amendment No. 2 to
the proposed rule change, which
superseded the proposed rule change as
modified by Amendment No. 1.4 The
26 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 81675
(Sept. 21, 2017), 82 FR 45080.
4 In Amendment No. 2, the Exchange: (1) Clarified
the permitted investments of the Trust (as defined
herein); (2) supplemented its description of the
duties of the Trust Custodian (as defined herein);
(3) provided information about platinum futures; (4)
supplemented its description of the process of
Share (as defined herein) redemptions; (5)
supplemented its description of how the Trust’s net
asset value (‘‘NAV’’) will be calculated; (6)
increased the minimum number of Shares that the
Exchange will require to be outstanding at the
commencement of trading; (7) expanded the
circumstances in which the Exchange would or
might halt trading in the Shares; (8) specified that
the Shares would trade in all of the Exchange’s
trading sessions; (9) represented that platinum
futures trade on significant exchanges, including
NYMEX (as defined herein), which is regulated by
the CFTC (as defined herein) and is a member of
ISG (as defined herein); and (10) made certain
1 15
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Commission has not received any
comments on the proposed rule change.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on
Amendment No. 2 from interested
persons, and is approving the proposed
rule change, as modified by Amendment
No. 2, on an accelerated basis.
II. Description of the Proposed Rule
Change, as Modified by Amendment
No. 2
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 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
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
7 15
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
technical corrections. Amendment No. 2 is
available at: https://www.sec.gov/comments/srnysearca-2017-110/nysearca2017110-2693353161502.pdf.
5 On September 8, 2017, the Trust submitted to
the Commission its draft registration statement on
Form S–1 (the ‘‘Registration Statement’’) under the
Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) (‘‘Securities
Act’’). The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act,
enacted on April 5, 2012, added Section 6(e) to the
Securities Act. Section 6(e) of the Securities Act
provides that an ‘‘emerging growth company’’ may
confidentially submit to the Commission a draft
registration statement for confidential, non-public
review by the Commission staff prior to public
filing, provided that the initial confidential
submission and all amendments thereto shall be
publicly filed not later than 21 days before the date
on which the issuer conducts a road show, as such
term is defined in Securities Act Rule 433(h)(4). An
emerging growth company is defined in Section
2(a)(19) of the Securities Act as an issuer with less
than $1,000,000,000 total annual gross revenues
during its most recently completed fiscal year. The
Trust meets the definition of an emerging growth
company and consequently has submitted its Form
S–1 Registration Statement on a confidential basis
with the Commission.
6 Commodity-Based Trust Shares are securities
issued by a trust that represents investors’ discrete
identifiable and undivided beneficial ownership
interest in the commodities deposited into the
Trust.
21:28 Dec 13, 2017
Jkt 244001
U.S.C. 80a–1.
U.S.C. 1.
9 The Trustee is responsible for the day-to-day
administration of the Trust. The responsibilities of
the Trustee include (1) processing orders for the
creation and redemption of Baskets; (2)
coordinating with the Custodian the receipt and
delivery of platinum transferred to, or by, the Trust
in connection with each issuance and redemption
of Baskets; (3) calculating the net asset value of the
Trust on each business day; and (4) selling the
Trust’s platinum as needed to cover the Trust’s
expenses. The Trust does not have a Board of
Directors or persons acting in a similar capacity.
10 The Custodian is responsible for safekeeping
the platinum owned by the Trust. The Custodian is
appointed by the Trustee and is responsible to the
Trustee under the Trust’s platinum custody
agreements. The Custodian will facilitate the
transfer of platinum in and out of the Trust through
the unallocated platinum accounts it may maintain
for each Authorized Participant or unallocated
platinum accounts that may be maintained for an
Authorized Participant by another platinumclearing bank approved by the London Platinum
and Palladium Market (‘‘LPPM’’), and through the
loco London account maintained for the Trust by
the Custodian on an unallocated basis pursuant to
the trust unallocated account agreement (the ‘‘Trust
Unallocated Account’’). The Custodian is
responsible for allocating specific bars of platinum
to the loco London account maintained for the
Trust by the Custodian on an allocated basis
pursuant to the Trust agreement (the ‘‘Trust
Allocated Account’’). The Custodian will provide
the Trustee with regular reports detailing the
platinum transfers in and out of the Trust
Unallocated Account with the Custodian and
identifying the platinum bars held in the Trust
Allocated Account.
11 Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61219
(December 22, 2009), 74 FR 68886 (December 29,
2009) (SR–NYSEArca–2009–95).
12 Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61220
(December 22, 2009), 74 FR 68895 (December 29,
2009) (SR–NYSEArca–2009–94).
13 Securities Exchange Act Release No. 68430
(December 13, 2012), 77 FR 75239 (December 13,
2012) [sic] (SR–NYSEArca–2012–111).
14 With respect to the application of Rule 10A–
3 (17 CFR 240.10A–3) under the Act, the Trust
relies on the exemption contained in Rule 10A–
3(c)(7).
8 17
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) of the
GraniteShares Platinum Trust (the
‘‘Trust’’), under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–
E.5 Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E, the
Exchange may propose to list and/or
trade pursuant to unlisted trading
privileges (‘‘UTP’’) Commodity-Based
Trust Shares.6
The Trust will not be registered as an
investment company under the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended,7 and is not required to
register under such act. The Trust is not
a commodity pool for purposes of the
Commodity Exchange Act, as amended.8
The Sponsor of the Trust is
GraniteShares LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company. The Bank of New
York Mellon is the trustee of the Trust
(the ‘‘Trustee’’) 9 and ICBC Standard
Bank PLC is the custodian of the Trust
(the ‘‘Custodian’’).10
The Commission has previously
approved listing on the Exchange under
NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E of other
precious metals and platinum-based
commodity trusts, including the ETFS
Platinum Trust,11 the ETFS Palladium
Trust,12 and the Sprott Physical
Platinum and Palladium Trust.13
The Exchange represents that the
Shares satisfy the requirements of NYSE
Arca Rule 8.201–E and thereby qualify
for listing on the Exchange.14
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58885
Operation of the Trust 15
The investment objective of the Trust
will be for the Shares to reflect the
performance of the price of platinum,
less the expenses and liabilities of the
Trust. The Trust will issue Shares
which represent units of fractional
undivided beneficial interest in and
ownership of the Trust.
The Trust will not hold or trade in
any instrument or asset on any futures
exchange or over the counter (‘‘OTC’’)
other than physical platinum bullion.
The Trust will take delivery of physical
platinum bullion that complies with the
LPPM platinum delivery rules.
The Shares are intended to constitute
a simple and cost-effective means of
making an investment similar to an
investment in platinum. Although the
Shares are not the exact equivalent of an
investment in platinum, they provide
investors with an alternative that allows
a level of participation in the platinum
market through the securities market.
Operation of the Platinum Market
The global trade in platinum consists
of OTC transactions in spot, forwards,
and options and other derivatives,
together with exchange traded futures
and options.
According to the Registration
Statement, most trading in physical
platinum is conducted on the OTC
market, predominantly in Zurich and
London. The LPPM coordinates various
OTC market activities, including
clearing and vaulting, acts as the
principal intermediary between
physical platinum market participants
and the relevant regulators, promotes
good trading practices and develops
standard market documentation. In
addition, the LPPM promotes refining
standards for the platinum market by
maintaining the ‘‘London/Zurich Good
Delivery List,’’ which are the lists of
LPPM accredited melters and assayers
of platinum.
The most significant platinum futures
exchanges are the New York Mercantile
Exchange, Inc. (‘‘NYMEX’’), a subsidiary
of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Group (the ‘‘CME Group’’), and the
Tokyo Commodity Exchange.16 U.S.
futures exchanges are registered with
the Commodities Futures Trading
Commission (‘‘CFTC’’) and seek to
provide a neutral, regulated marketplace
for the trading of derivatives contracts
for commodities, such as futures,
15 The description of the operation of the Trust,
the Shares and the platinum market contained
herein are based, in part, on the Registration
Statement. See note 5, supra.
16 NYMEX is a member of the Intermarket
Surveillance Group (‘‘ISG’’).
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options and certain swaps. The
platinum contract market is of
significant size and liquidity.
The basis for settlement and delivery
of a spot trade is payment (generally in
US dollars) two business days after the
trade date against delivery. Delivery of
the platinum can either be by physical
delivery or through the clearing systems
to an unallocated account. The unit of
trade in London and Zurich is the troy
ounce, whose conversion between
grams is: 1,000 grams is equivalent to
32.1507465 troy ounces, and one troy
ounce is equivalent to 31.1034768
grams.
A good delivery platinum plate or
ingot is acceptable for delivery in
settlement of a transaction on the OTC
market (a ‘‘Good Delivery Platinum
Plate or Ingot’’). A Good Delivery
Platinum Plate or Ingot must contain
between 32 and 192 troy ounces of
platinum with a minimum fineness (or
purity) of 999.5 parts per 1,000
(99.95%). A Good Delivery Platinum
Plate or Ingot must also bear the stamp
of one of the melters and assayers who
are on the LPPM approved list. Unless
otherwise specified, the platinum spot
price always refers to the ‘‘Good
Delivery Standards’’ set by the LPPM.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
The Trust will create and redeem
Shares on a continuous basis in one or
more blocks of 15,000 Shares (a block of
15,000 Shares is called a ‘‘Basket’’). As
described below, the Trust will issue
Shares in Baskets to certain authorized
participants (‘‘Authorized Participants’’)
on an ongoing basis. Baskets of Shares
will only be issued or redeemed in
exchange for an amount of platinum
represented by the aggregate number of
Shares issued or redeemed. No Shares
will be issued unless the Custodian has
allocated to the Trust’s account the
corresponding amount of platinum.
Initially, a Basket will require delivery
of 1,500 ounces of platinum. The
amount of platinum necessary for the
creation of a Basket, or to be received
upon redemption of a Basket, will
decrease over the life of the Trust, due
to the payment or accrual of fees and
other expenses or liabilities payable by
the Trust.
Baskets may be created or redeemed
only by Authorized Participants. Orders
must be placed by 3:59 p.m. Eastern
Time (‘‘E.T.’’). The day on which a Trust
receives a valid purchase or redemption
order is the order date.
Each Authorized Participant must be
a registered broker-dealer, a participant
in Depository Trust Corporation
(‘‘DTC’’), have entered into an
agreement with the Trustee (the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:28 Dec 13, 2017
Jkt 244001
‘‘Authorized Participant Agreement’’)
and have established a platinum
unallocated account with the Custodian
or another LPPM-approved platinum
clearing bank. The Authorized
Participant Agreement provides the
procedures for the creation and
redemption of Baskets and for the
delivery of platinum in connection with
such creations or redemptions.
According to the Registration
Statement, Authorized Participants,
acting on authority of the registered
holder of Shares or on their own
account, may surrender Baskets of
Shares in exchange for the
corresponding amount of platinum
(measured in ounces) announced by the
Trustee (the ‘‘Basket Amount’’). Upon
surrender of such Shares and payment
of the Trustee’s applicable fee and of
any expenses, taxes or charges (such as
stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or
fees), the Trustee will deliver to the
order of the redeeming Authorized
Participant the amount of platinum
corresponding to the redeemed Baskets.
Shares can only be surrendered for
redemption in Baskets of 15,000 Shares
each.
Before surrendering Baskets of Shares
for redemption, an Authorized
Participant must deliver to the Trustee
a written request indicating the number
of Baskets it intends to redeem. The date
the Trustee receives that order
determines the Basket Amount to be
received in exchange. However, orders
received by the Trustee after 3:59 p.m.
E.T. on a business day or on a business
day when the London Bullion Market
Association (‘‘LBMA’’) Platinum Price
PM or other applicable benchmark price
is not announced, will not be accepted.
The redemption distribution from the
Trust will consist of a credit to the
redeeming Authorized Participant’s
unallocated account representing the
amount of the platinum held by the
Trust evidenced by the Shares being
redeemed as of the date of the
redemption order.
Net Asset Value
The NAV of the Trust will be
calculated by subtracting the Trust’s
expenses and liabilities on any day from
the value of the platinum owned by the
Trust on that day; the NAV per Share
will be obtained by dividing the NAV of
the Trust on a given day by the number
of Shares outstanding on that day. On
each day on which the Exchange is open
for regular trading, the Trustee will
determine the NAV as promptly as
practicable after 4:00 p.m. E.T. The
Trustee will value the Trust’s platinum
on the basis of LBMA Platinum Price
PM. If there is no LBMA Platinum Price
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
PM on any day, the Trustee is
authorized to use the LBMA Platinum
Price AM announced on that day. If
neither price is available for that day,
the Trustee will value the Trust’s
platinum based on the most recently
announced LBMA Platinum Price PM or
LBMA Platinum Price AM. If the
Sponsor determines that such price is
inappropriate to use, the Sponsor will
identify an alternate basis for evaluation
to be employed by the Trustee by
consulting other public sources of
pricing information. For instance, the
Sponsor could use the platinum spot
price published by Bloomberg.
Authorized Participants will offer
Shares in the secondary market at an
offering price that will vary, depending
on, among other factors, the price of
platinum and the trading price of the
Shares on the Exchange at the time of
offer. Authorized Participants will not
receive from the Trust, the Sponsor, the
Trustee or any of their affiliates any fee
or other compensation in connection
with the offering of the Shares.
Secondary Market Trading
While the Trust seeks to reflect
generally the performance of the price of
platinum less the Trust’s expenses and
liabilities, Shares may trade at, above or
below their NAV. The NAV of Shares
will fluctuate with changes in the
market value of the Trust’s assets. The
trading prices of Shares will fluctuate in
accordance with changes in their NAV
as well as market supply and demand.
The amount of the discount or premium
in the trading price relative to the NAV
may be influenced by non-concurrent
trading hours between the major
platinum markets and the Exchange.
While the Shares trade on the Exchange
until 8:00 p.m. E.T., liquidity in the
market for platinum may be reduced
after the close of the major world
platinum markets, including London,
Zurich and NYMEX. As a result, during
this time, trading spreads, and the
resulting premium or discount, on
Shares may widen.
Availability of Information Regarding
Platinum
Currently, the Consolidated Tape Plan
does not provide for dissemination of
the spot price of a commodity such as
platinum over the Consolidated Tape.
However, there will be disseminated
over the Consolidated Tape the last sale
price for the Shares, as is the case for
all equity securities traded on the
Exchange (including exchange-traded
funds). In addition, there is a
considerable amount of platinum price
and market information available on
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sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
public websites and through
professional and subscription services.
Investors may obtain platinum pricing
information on a 24-hour basis based on
the spot price for an ounce of platinum
from various financial information
service providers, such as Reuters and
Bloomberg. Reuters and Bloomberg
provide at no charge on their websites
delayed information regarding the spot
price of platinum and last sale prices of
platinum futures, as well as information
about news and developments in the
platinum market. Reuters and
Bloomberg also offer a professional
service to subscribers for a fee that
provides information on platinum
prices directly from market participants.
ICAP plc provides an electronic trading
platform called EBS for the trading of
spot platinum, as well as a feed of realtime streaming prices, delivered as
record-based digital data from the EBS
platform to its customer’s market data
platform via Bloomberg or Reuters.
Complete real-time data for platinum
futures and options prices traded on the
NYMEX are available by subscription
from Reuters and Bloomberg. The
NYMEX also provides delayed futures
and options information on current and
past trading sessions and market news
free of charge on its website. There are
a variety of other public websites
providing information on platinum,
ranging from those specializing in
precious metals to sites maintained by
major newspapers, such as The Wall
Street Journal.
Availability of Information
The intraday indicative value (‘‘IIV’’)
per Share for the Shares will be
disseminated by one or more major
market data vendors at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading
Session. The IIV will be calculated
based on the amount of platinum held
by the Trust and a price of platinum
derived from updated bids and offers
indicative of the spot price of
platinum.17
The website for the Trust
(www.graniteshares.com) will contain
the following information, on a per
Share basis, for the Trust: (a) The midpoint of the bid-ask price 18 at the close
of trading (‘‘Bid/Ask Price’’), and a
calculation of the premium or discount
of such price against such NAV; and (b)
data in chart format displaying the
17 The IIV on a per Share basis disseminated
during the Core Trading Session should not be
viewed as a real-time update of the NAV, which is
calculated once a day.
18 The bid-ask price of the Shares will be
determined using the highest bid and lowest offer
on the Consolidated Tape as of the time of
calculation of the closing day NAV.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:28 Dec 13, 2017
Jkt 244001
frequency distribution of discounts and
premiums of the Bid/Ask Price against
the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for
each of the four previous calendar
quarters. The website for the Trust will
also provide the Trust’s prospectus.
Finally, the Trust’s website will provide
the prior day’s closing price of the
Shares as traded in the U.S. market. In
addition, information regarding market
price and trading volume of the Shares
will be continually available on a realtime 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.
Criteria for Initial and Continued Listing
The Trust will be subject to the
criteria in NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E(e)
for initial and continued listing of the
Shares.
A minimum of two Baskets or 30,000
Shares will be required to be
outstanding at the start of trading,
which is equivalent to 3,000 ounces of
platinum. The Exchange believes that
the anticipated minimum number of
Shares outstanding at the start of trading
is sufficient to provide adequate market
liquidity.
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. Trading in the Shares
on the Exchange will occur during all
three trading sessions in accordance
with NYSE Arca Rule 7.34–E(a). The
Exchange has appropriate rules to
facilitate transactions in the Shares
during all trading sessions. As provided
in NYSE Arca Rule 7.6–E, 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 quoting and order entry is
$0.0001.
Further, NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E sets
forth certain restrictions on ETP Holders
acting as registered Market Makers in
the Shares to facilitate surveillance.
Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E(g), an
ETP Holder 19 acting as a registered
Market Maker in the Shares is required
to provide the Exchange with
19 An ‘‘ETP Holder’’ means a sole proprietorship,
partnership, corporation, limited liability company
or other organization in good standing that is a
registered broker-dealer and has been issued an
Equity Trading Permit by the Exchange. See NYSE
Arca Rule 1.1(n) and (o).
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information relating to its trading in the
underlying platinum, related futures or
options on futures, or any other related
derivatives. Commentary .04 of NYSE
Arca Rule 11.3 requires an ETP Holder
acting as a registered Market Maker in
the Shares and its affiliates to establish,
maintain and enforce written policies
and procedures reasonably designed to
prevent the misuse of any material
nonpublic information with respect to
such products, any components of the
related products, any physical asset or
commodity underlying the product,
applicable currencies, underlying
indexes, related futures or options on
futures, and any related derivative
instruments (including the Shares).
As a general matter, the Exchange has
regulatory jurisdiction over its ETP
Holders and their associated persons,
which include any person or entity
controlling an ETP Holder. A subsidiary
or affiliate of an ETP Holder that does
business only in commodities or futures
contracts would not be subject to
Exchange jurisdiction, but the Exchange
could obtain information regarding the
activities of such subsidiary or affiliate
through surveillance sharing agreements
with regulatory organizations of which
such subsidiary or affiliate is a member.
With respect to trading halts, the
Exchange may consider all relevant
factors in exercising its discretion to
halt or suspend trading in the Shares.
Trading on the Exchange in the Shares
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
conditions in the underlying platinum
market have caused disruptions and/or
lack of trading, or (2) whether other
unusual conditions or circumstances
detrimental to the maintenance of a fair
and orderly market are present. In
addition, trading in Shares will be
subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant
to the Exchange’s ‘‘circuit breaker’’
rule.20 The Exchange will halt trading in
the Shares if the NAV of the Trust is not
calculated or disseminated daily or if
not made available to all participants at
the same time. The Exchange may halt
trading during the day in which an
interruption occurs to the dissemination
of the IIV, as described above. If the
interruption to the dissemination of the
IIV persists past the trading day in
which it occurs, the Exchange will halt
trading no later than the beginning of
the trading day following the
interruption. The Exchange will also
consider halting trading on a business
20 See
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sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
day when the LBMA Platinum Price PM
or other applicable benchmark price is
not announced.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading
in the Shares will be subject to the
existing trading surveillances
administered by the Exchange, as well
as cross-market surveillances
administered by the Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority (‘‘FINRA’’) on
behalf of the Exchange, which are
designed to detect violations of
Exchange rules and applicable federal
securities laws.21 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.
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.
The Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of
the Exchange, or both, will
communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares with other markets
and other entities that are members of
the ISG, and the Exchange or FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, or both, may
obtain trading information regarding
trading in the Shares from such markets
and other entities. In addition, the
Exchange may obtain information
regarding trading in the Shares from
markets and other entities that are
members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.22
Also, pursuant to NYSE Arca Rule
8.201–E(g), the Exchange is able to
obtain information regarding trading in
the Shares and the underlying platinum,
platinum futures contracts, options on
platinum futures, or any other platinum
derivative, through ETP Holders acting
as registered Market Makers, in
connection with such ETP Holders’
proprietary or customer trades through
ETP Holders which they effect on any
relevant market.
21 FINRA conducts cross-market surveillances on
behalf of the Exchange pursuant to a regulatory
services agreement. The Exchange is responsible for
FINRA’s performance under this regulatory services
agreement.
22 For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org.
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In addition, the Exchange also has a
general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public
information by its employees.
All statements and representations
made in this filing regarding (a) the
description of the portfolio or reference
assets, (b) limitations on portfolio
holdings or reference assets, or (c) the
applicability of Exchange listing rules
specified in this rule filing shall
constitute continued listing
requirements for listing the Shares of
the Trust on the Exchange.
The issuer has represented to the
Exchange that it will advise the
Exchange of any failure by the Trust to
comply with the continued listing
requirements, and, pursuant to its
obligations under Section 19(g)(1) of the
Act, the Exchange will monitor for
compliance with the continued listing
requirements. If the Trust is not in
compliance with the applicable listing
requirements, the Exchange will
commence delisting procedures under
NYSE Arca Rule 5.5–E(m).
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin
of the special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Information Bulletin
will discuss the following: (1) The
procedures for purchases and
redemptions of Shares in Baskets
(including noting that Shares are not
individually redeemable); (2) NYSE
Arca Rule 9.2–E(a), which imposes a
duty of due diligence on its ETP Holders
to learn the essential facts relating to
every customer prior to trading the
Shares; (3) how information regarding
the IIV is disseminated; (4) the
requirement that ETP Holders deliver a
prospectus to investors purchasing
newly issued Shares prior to or
concurrently with the confirmation of a
transaction; (5) the possibility that
trading spreads and the resulting
premium or discount on the Shares may
widen as a result of reduced liquidity of
platinum trading during the Core and
Late Trading Sessions after the close of
the major world platinum markets; and
(6) trading information. For example,
the Information Bulletin will advise ETP
Holders, prior to the commencement of
trading, of the prospectus delivery
requirements applicable to the Trust.
The Exchange notes that investors
purchasing Shares directly from the
Trust will receive a prospectus. ETP
Holders purchasing Shares from the
Trust for resale to investors will deliver
a prospectus to such investors.
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In addition, the Information Bulletin
will reference that the Trust is subject
to various fees and expenses as will be
described in the Registration Statement.
The Information Bulletin will also
reference the fact that there is no
regulated source of last sale information
regarding physical platinum, that the
Commission has no jurisdiction over the
trading of platinum as a physical
commodity, and that the CFTC has
regulatory jurisdiction over the trading
of platinum futures contracts and
options on platinum futures contracts.
The Information Bulletin will also
discuss any relief, if granted, by the
Commission or the staff from any rules
under the Act.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Act for this
proposed rule change is the requirement
under Section 6(b)(5) 23 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 Rule
8.201–E. The Exchange has in place
surveillance procedures that are
adequate to properly monitor trading in
the Shares in all trading sessions and to
deter and detect violations of Exchange
rules and applicable federal securities
laws. The Exchange 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. The most significant
platinum futures exchange in the U.S. is
the NYMEX, which is a member of ISG.
U.S. futures exchanges are registered
with the CFTC and seek to provide a
neutral, regulated marketplace for the
trading of derivatives contracts for
commodities, such as futures, options
and certain swaps. The platinum
contract market is of significant size and
liquidity.
The proposed rule change is designed
to promote just and equitable principles
of trade and to protect investors and the
public interest in that there is a
considerable amount of platinum price
and platinum market information
available on public websites and
23 15
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through professional and subscription
services. Investors may obtain platinum
pricing information on a 24-hour basis
based on the spot price for an ounce of
platinum from various financial
information service providers. ICAP’s
EBS platform also provides an
electronic trading platform to
institutions such as bullion banks and
dealers for the trading of spot platinum,
as well as a feed of live streaming prices
to market data subscribers.
The NAV of the Trust will be
published by the Sponsor on each day
that the NYSE Arca is open for regular
trading and will be posted on the Trust’s
website. The IIV relating to the Shares
will be widely disseminated by one or
more major market data vendors at least
every 15 seconds during the Core
Trading Session. The Trust’s website
will also provide the Trust’s prospectus,
as well as the two most recent reports
to stockholders. In addition, 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.
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 exchange-traded
product that will enhance competition
among market participants, to the
benefit of investors and the marketplace.
As noted above, the Exchange has in
place surveillance procedures relating to
trading in the Shares and may obtain
information via ISG from other
exchanges that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has entered
into a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. In addition, as noted
above, investors will have ready access
to information regarding platinum
pricing.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act. The
Exchange believes the proposed rule
change will enhance competition by
accommodating Exchange trading of an
additional exchange-traded product
relating to physical platinum.
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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. Discussion and Commission
Findings
After careful review, the Commission
finds that the Exchange’s proposed rule
change, as modified by Amendment No.
2, to list and trade the Shares is
consistent with the Act and the rules
and regulations thereunder applicable to
a national securities exchange.24 In
particular, the Commission finds that
the proposed rule change is consistent
with Section 6(b)(5) of the Exchange
Act,25 which requires, among other
things, that the Exchange’s rules be
designed to prevent fraudulent and
manipulative acts and practices,
promote just and equitable principles of
trade, 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
Commission notes that the Exchange
has represented that it will be able to
share surveillance information with a
significant, regulated market for trading
futures on platinum.26 The Commission
also notes that it previously approved
the listing and trading on the Exchange
of other platinum-based commodity
trusts.27
The Commission also finds that the
proposal is consistent with Section
11A(a)(1)(C)(iii) of the Act,28 which sets
forth Congress’ finding that it is in the
public interest and appropriate for the
protection of investors and the
maintenance of fair and orderly markets
to assure the availability to brokers,
dealers, and investors of information
with respect to quotations for and
transactions in securities. The last-sale
price of the Shares will be disseminated
24 In approving this proposed rule change, the
Commission has considered the proposed rule’s
impact on efficiency, competition, and capital
formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
25 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
26 Specifically, according to the Exchange,
NYMEX, which is regulated by the CFTC, is a
member of the ISG, which will allow the Exchange
to obtain surveillance information. See Amendment
No. 2, supra note 4, at 6, 14.
27 See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No.
61219 (Dec. 22, 2009), 74 FR 68886 (Dec. 29, 2009)
(SR–NYSEArca–2009–95) (approving the listing and
trading of the ETFS Platinum Trust). See also
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 68430 (Dec.
13, 2012), 77 FR 75239 (Dec. 19, 2012) (SR–
NYSEArca–2012–111) (approving the listing and
trading of the Sprott Physical Platinum and
Palladium Trust).
28 15 U.S.C. 78k–1(a)(1)(C)(iii).
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58889
over the Consolidated Tape. In addition,
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.
The Commission believes that the
proposed rule change is reasonably
designed to promote fair disclosure of
information that may be necessary to
price the Shares appropriately. NYSE
Arca Rule 8.201–E(e)(2)(v) requires that
an IIV (which is referred to in the rule
as the ‘‘Indicative Trust Value’’) be
calculated and disseminated at least
every 15 seconds. The IIV will be
calculated based on the amount of
platinum held by the Trust and a price
of platinum derived from updated bids
and offers indicative of the spot price of
platinum.29 The Exchange states that the
IIV relating to the Shares will be widely
disseminated by one or more major
market data vendors at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading
Session.30 According to the Exchange,
there is a considerable amount of
information about platinum markets
available on public websites and
through professional and subscription
services, and investors may obtain
platinum pricing information on a 24hour basis based on the spot price for an
ounce of platinum from various
financial information service
providers.31
Additionally, the NAV of the Trust
will be published by the Sponsor on
each day that the NYSE Arca is open for
regular trading and will be posted on
the Trust’s website.32 The Trust also
will publish the following information
on its website: (1) The mid-point of the
29 See
Amendment No. 2, supra note 4, at 9.
id.
31 See id. The Exchange states that Reuters and
Bloomberg, for example, provide at no charge on
their websites delayed information regarding the
spot price of platinum and last sale prices of
platinum, as well as information about news and
developments in the platinum market. Reuters and
Bloomberg also offer a professional service to
subscribers for a fee that provides information on
platinum prices directly from market participants.
ICAP plc provides an electronic trading platform
called EBS for the trading of spot platinum, as well
as a feed of real-time streaming prices, delivered as
record-based digital data from the EBS platform to
its customer’s market data platform via Bloomberg
or Reuters. Complete real-time data for platinum
futures and options prices traded on NYMEX are
available by subscription from Reuters and
Bloomberg. There are a variety of other public
websites providing information on platinum,
ranging from those specializing in precious metals
to sites maintained by major newspapers. See id.
32 See id. at 14.
30 See
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Bid/Ask Price, and a calculation of the
premium or discount of such price
against such NAV; (2) data in chart
format displaying the frequency
distribution of discounts and premiums
of the Bid/Ask Price against the NAV,
within appropriate ranges, for each of
the four previous calendar quarters; (3)
the Trust’s prospectus, as well as the
two most recent reports to stockholders;
and (4) the prior day’s closing price of
the Shares as traded in the U.S.
market.33
The Commission also believes that the
proposal is reasonably designed to
prevent trading when a reasonable
degree of transparency cannot be
assured. With respect to trading halts,
the Exchange may consider all relevant
factors in exercising its discretion to
halt or suspend trading in the Shares.
Trading on the Exchange in the Shares
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
conditions in the underlying platinum
market have caused disruptions or lack
of trading, or (2) whether other unusual
conditions or circumstances detrimental
to the maintenance of a fair and orderly
market are present. In addition, trading
in Shares will be subject to trading halts
caused by extraordinary market
volatility pursuant to the Exchange’s
‘‘circuit breaker’’ rule.34 The Exchange
will halt trading in the Shares if the
NAV of the Trust is not calculated or
disseminated daily or if not made
available to all participants at the same
time.35 The Exchange may halt trading
during the day in which an interruption
occurs to the dissemination of the IIV;
if the interruption to the dissemination
of the IIV persists past the trading day
in which it occurs, the Exchange will
halt trading no later than the beginning
of the trading day following the
interruption.36
Additionally, the Commission notes
that market makers in the Shares would
be subject to the requirements of NYSE
Arca Rule 8.201–E(g), which allow the
Exchange to ensure that they do not use
their positions to violate the
requirements of Exchange rules or
applicable federal securities laws.37
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
33 See
id. at 10, 14.
id. at 11, n.18 and accompanying text.
35 See id. at 11.
36 See id.
37 Commentary .04 of NYSE Arca Equities Rule
11.3 requires that an ETP Holder acting as a
registered market maker in the Shares, and its
affiliates, establish, maintain and enforce written
policies and procedures reasonably designed to
prevent the misuse of any material nonpublic
information with respect to such products, any
34 See
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In support of this proposal, the
Exchange has made the following
additional representations:
(1) The Shares will be listed and
traded on the Exchange pursuant to the
initial and continued listing criteria in
NYSE Arca Rule 8.201–E.38
(2) The Exchange has appropriate
rules to facilitate transactions in the
Shares during all trading sessions.39
(3) The Exchange deems the Shares to
be equity securities.40
(4) The Exchange also has a general
policy prohibiting the distribution of
material, non-public information by its
employees.41
(5) Trading in the Shares will be
subject to the existing trading
surveillances administered by the
Exchange, as well as cross-market
surveillances administered by FINRA on
behalf of the Exchange, which are
designed to detect violations of
Exchange rules and applicable federal
securities laws, and 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.42
(6) The Exchange or FINRA, on behalf
of the Exchange, or both, will
communicate as needed regarding
trading in the Shares with other markets
and other entities that are members of
the ISG, and the Exchange or FINRA, on
behalf of the Exchange, or both, may
obtain trading information regarding
trading in the Shares from such markets
and other entities. In addition, the
Exchange may obtain information
regarding trading in the Shares from
markets and other entities that are
members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.43
(7) Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin
of the special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Information Bulletin
components of the related products, any physical
asset or commodity underlying the product,
applicable currencies, underlying indexes, related
futures or options on futures, and any related
derivative instruments.
38 See Amendment No. 2, supra note 4, at 14.
39 See id. at 10.
40 See id. The Commission notes that, as a result,
trading of the Shares will be subject to the
Exchange’s existing rules governing the trading of
equity securities.
41 See id. at 12.
42 FINRA conducts cross-market surveillances on
behalf of the Exchange pursuant to a regulatory
services agreement. The Exchange is responsible for
FINRA’s performance under this regulatory services
agreement. See id. at 12, n.19.
43 See id. at 12.
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will discuss the following: (1) The
procedures for purchases and
redemptions of Shares in Baskets
(including noting that Shares are not
individually redeemable); (2) NYSE
Arca Rule 9.2–E(a), which imposes a
duty of due diligence on its ETP Holders
to learn the essential facts relating to
every customer prior to trading the
Shares; (3) how information regarding
the IIV is disseminated; (4) ETP Holders
deliver a prospectus to investors
purchasing newly issued Shares prior to
or concurrently with the confirmation of
a transaction; (5) the possibility that
trading spreads and the resulting
premium or discount on the Shares may
widen as a result of reduced liquidity of
platinum trading during the Core and
Late Trading Sessions after the close of
the major world platinum markets; and
(6) trading information.44
(8) All statements and representations
made in the Exchange’s filing regarding
(a) the description of the portfolio or
reference assets, (b) limitations on
portfolio holdings or reference assets, or
(c) the applicability of Exchange listing
rules specified in this rule filing shall
constitute continued listing
requirements for listing the Shares of
the Trust on the Exchange.45
(9) The issuer has represented to the
Exchange that it will advise the
Exchange of any failure by the Trust to
comply with the continued listing
requirements and, pursuant to its
obligations under Section 19(g)(1) of the
Act, the Exchange will monitor for
compliance with the continued listing
requirements. If the Trust is not in
compliance with the applicable listing
requirements, the Exchange will
commence delisting procedures under
the NYSE Arca Rule 5.5–E(m).46
This approval order is based on all of
the Exchange’s representations—
including those set forth above and in
Amendment No. 2—and the Exchange’s
description of the Trust.
For the foregoing reasons, the
Commission finds that the proposed
rule change, as modified by Amendment
No. 2, is consistent with Section 6(b)(5)
of the Act 47 and the rules and
regulations thereunder applicable to a
national securities exchange.
IV. Solicitation of Comments on
Amendment No. 2 to the Proposed Rule
Change
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning Amendment No.
44 See
id. at 13.
id. at 12–13.
46 See id. at 13.
47 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
45 See
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2 to the proposed rule change.
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–2017–110 on the subject
line.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
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–NYSEArca–2017–110. 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 website (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 website 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 this
filing will also be available for
inspection and copying at the principal
office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change.
Persons submitting comments are
cautioned that we do not redact or edit
personal identifying information from
comment submissions. You should
submit only information that you wish
to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2017–110 and
should be submitted on or before
January 4, 2018.
V. Accelerated Approval of Proposed
Rule Change, as Modified by
Amendment No. 2
The Commission finds good cause to
approve the proposed rule change, as
modified by Amendment No. 2, prior to
the 30th day after the date of
publication of notice of Amendment No.
2 in the Federal Register. Amendment
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No. 2 supplements the proposal by
providing additional information
regarding the Trust and the platinum
futures market, and by expanding the
circumstances in which the Exchange
would or might halt trading in the
Shares. These changes assisted the
Commission in evaluating the Shares’
susceptibility to manipulation, and in
determining that the listing and trading
of the Shares is consistent with the
protection of investors and the public
interest. Accordingly, the Commission
finds good cause, pursuant to Section
19(b)(2) of the Exchange Act,48 to
approve the proposed rule change, as
modified by Amendment No. 2, on an
accelerated basis.
VI. Conclusion
It is therefore ordered, pursuant to
Section 19(b)(2) of the Exchange Act,49
that the proposed rule change (SR–
NYSEArca–2017–110), as modified by
Amendment No. 2, be, and it hereby is,
approved on an accelerated basis.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.50
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–26915 Filed 12–13–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–82284; File No. SR–BX–
2017–023]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Nasdaq
BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing of
Amendment No. 2 to a Proposed Rule
Change To Adopt Rule 7004 and
Chapter XV, Section 11
December 11, 2017.
On May 2, 2017, Nasdaq BX, Inc.
(‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘BX’’) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(‘‘Commission’’), pursuant to Section
19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 (‘‘Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4
thereunder,2 a proposed rule change to
adopt a fee schedule to establish the fees
for Industry Members related to the
National Market System Plan Governing
the Consolidated Audit Trail (‘‘CAT
NMS Plan’’). The proposed rule change
was published in the Federal Register
for comment on May 22, 2017.3 The
48 15
U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).
49 Id.
50 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
3 See Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 80697
(May 16, 2017), 82 FR 23398 (May 22, 2017)
(‘‘Original Proposal’’).
1 15
PO 00000
Frm 00100
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
58891
Commission received seven comment
letters on the proposed rule change,4
and a response to comments from the
Participants.5 On June 30, 2017, the
Commission temporarily suspended and
initiated proceedings to determine
whether to approve or disapprove the
proposed rule change.6 The Commission
thereafter received seven comment
letters,7 and a response to comments
4 Since the CAT NMS Plan Participants’ proposed
rule changes to adopt fees to be charged to Industry
Members to fund the consolidated audit trail are
substantively identical, the Commission is
considering all comments received on the proposed
rule changes regardless of the comment file to
which they were submitted. See text accompanying
notes 13–15 infra, for a list of the CAT NMS Plan
Participants. See Letter from Theodore R. Lazo,
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel,
Securities Industry and Financial Markets
Association, to Brent J. Fields, Secretary,
Commission (dated June 6, 2017), available at:
https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-batsbzx-2017-38/
batsbzx201738-1788188-153228.pdf; Letter from
Patricia L. Cerny and Steven O’Malley, Compliance
Consultants, to Brent J. Fields, Secretary,
Commission (dated June 12, 2017), available at:
https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-cboe-2017-040/
cboe2017040-1799253-153675.pdf; Letter from
Daniel Zinn, General Counsel, OTC Markets Group
Inc., to Eduardo A. Aleman, Assistant Secretary,
Commission (dated June 13, 2017), available at:
https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-finra-2017-011/
finra2017011-1801717-153703.pdf; Letter from
Joanna Mallers, Secretary, FIA Principal Traders
Group, to Brent J. Fields, Secretary, Commission
(dated June 22, 2017), available at: https://
www.sec.gov/comments/sr-cboe-2017–040/
cboe2017040–1819670–154195.pdf; Letter from
Stuart J. Kaswell, Executive Vice President and
Managing Director, General Counsel, Managed
Funds Association, to Brent J. Fields, Secretary,
Commission (dated June 23, 2017), available at:
https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-finra-2017-011/
finra2017011-1822454-154283.pdf; and Letter from
Suzanne H. Shatto, Investor, to Commission (dated
June 27, 2017), available at: https://www.sec.gov/
comments/sr-batsedgx-2017-22/batsedgx201722154443.pdf. The Commission also received a
comment letter which is not pertinent to these
proposed rule changes. See Letter from Christina
Crouch, Smart Ltd., to Brent J. Fields, Secretary,
Commission (dated June 5, 2017), available at:
https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-batsbzx-2017-38/
batsbzx201738-1785545-153152.htm.
5 See Letter from CAT NMS Plan Participants to
Brent J. Fields, Secretary, Commission (dated June
29, 2017), available at: https://www.sec.gov/
comments/sr-batsbyx-2017-11/batsbyx2017111832632-154584.pdf.
6 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 81067
(June 30, 2017), 82 FR 31656 (July 7, 2017).
7 See Letter from W. Hardy Callcott, Partner,
Sidley Austin LLP, to Brent J. Fields, Secretary,
Commission (dated July 27, 2017), available at:
https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-batsbyx-2017-11/
batsbyx201711-2148338-157737.pdf; Letter from
Kevin Coleman, General Counsel and Chief
Compliance Officer, Belvedere Trading LLC, to
Brent J. Fields, Secretary, Commission (dated July
28, 2017), available at: https://www.sec.gov/
comments/sr-batsbyx-2017-11/batsbyx2017112148360-157740.pdf; Letter from Joanna Mallers,
Secretary, FIA Principal Traders Group, to Brent J.
Fields, Secretary, Commission (dated July 28, 2017),
available at: https://www.sec.gov/comments/srbatsbyx-2017-11/batsbyx201711-2151228157745.pdf; Letter from Theodore R. Lazo,
Managing Director and Associate General Counsel,
E:\FR\FM\14DEN1.SGM
Continued
14DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 239 (Thursday, December 14, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58884-58891]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26915]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-82249; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2017-110]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing
of Amendment No. 2 and Order Approving on an Accelerated Basis a
Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 2, To List and Trade
Shares of the GraniteShares Platinum Trust Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E
December 8, 2017.
I. Introduction
On September 12, 2017, NYSE Arca, Inc. (``NYSE Arca'' or
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(``Commission''), pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (``Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ a
proposed rule change to list and trade shares of the GraniteShares
Platinum Trust under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E. The proposed rule change
was published for comment in the Federal Register on September 27,
2017.\3\ On October 24, 2017, the Exchange filed Amendment No. 1 to the
proposed rule change, which superseded the proposed rule change as
originally filed. On November 16, 2017, the Exchange filed Amendment
No. 2 to the proposed rule change, which superseded the proposed rule
change as modified by Amendment No. 1.\4\ The
[[Page 58885]]
Commission has not received any comments on the proposed rule change.
The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on
Amendment No. 2 from interested persons, and is approving the proposed
rule change, as modified by Amendment No. 2, on an accelerated basis.
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\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
\3\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 81675 (Sept. 21,
2017), 82 FR 45080.
\4\ In Amendment No. 2, the Exchange: (1) Clarified the
permitted investments of the Trust (as defined herein); (2)
supplemented its description of the duties of the Trust Custodian
(as defined herein); (3) provided information about platinum
futures; (4) supplemented its description of the process of Share
(as defined herein) redemptions; (5) supplemented its description of
how the Trust's net asset value (``NAV'') will be calculated; (6)
increased the minimum number of Shares that the Exchange will
require to be outstanding at the commencement of trading; (7)
expanded the circumstances in which the Exchange would or might halt
trading in the Shares; (8) specified that the Shares would trade in
all of the Exchange's trading sessions; (9) represented that
platinum futures trade on significant exchanges, including NYMEX (as
defined herein), which is regulated by the CFTC (as defined herein)
and is a member of ISG (as defined herein); and (10) made certain
technical corrections. Amendment No. 2 is available at: https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nysearca-2017-110/nysearca2017110-2693353-161502.pdf.
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II. Description of the Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment
No. 2
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 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
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (``Shares'') of the
GraniteShares Platinum Trust (the ``Trust''), under NYSE Arca Rule
8.201-E.\5\ Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E, the Exchange may propose to
list and/or trade pursuant to unlisted trading privileges (``UTP'')
Commodity-Based Trust Shares.\6\
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\5\ On September 8, 2017, the Trust submitted to the Commission
its draft registration statement on Form S-1 (the ``Registration
Statement'') under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a)
(``Securities Act''). The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act,
enacted on April 5, 2012, added Section 6(e) to the Securities Act.
Section 6(e) of the Securities Act provides that an ``emerging
growth company'' may confidentially submit to the Commission a draft
registration statement for confidential, non-public review by the
Commission staff prior to public filing, provided that the initial
confidential submission and all amendments thereto shall be publicly
filed not later than 21 days before the date on which the issuer
conducts a road show, as such term is defined in Securities Act Rule
433(h)(4). An emerging growth company is defined in Section 2(a)(19)
of the Securities Act as an issuer with less than $1,000,000,000
total annual gross revenues during its most recently completed
fiscal year. The Trust meets the definition of an emerging growth
company and consequently has submitted its Form S-1 Registration
Statement on a confidential basis with the Commission.
\6\ Commodity-Based Trust Shares are securities issued by a
trust that represents investors' discrete identifiable and undivided
beneficial ownership interest in the commodities deposited into the
Trust.
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The Trust will not be registered as an investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,\7\ and is not required to
register under such act. The Trust is not a commodity pool for purposes
of the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended.\8\
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\7\ 15 U.S.C. 80a-1.
\8\ 17 U.S.C. 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sponsor of the Trust is GraniteShares LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company. The Bank of New York Mellon is the trustee of the
Trust (the ``Trustee'') \9\ and ICBC Standard Bank PLC is the custodian
of the Trust (the ``Custodian'').\10\
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\9\ The Trustee is responsible for the day-to-day administration
of the Trust. The responsibilities of the Trustee include (1)
processing orders for the creation and redemption of Baskets; (2)
coordinating with the Custodian the receipt and delivery of platinum
transferred to, or by, the Trust in connection with each issuance
and redemption of Baskets; (3) calculating the net asset value of
the Trust on each business day; and (4) selling the Trust's platinum
as needed to cover the Trust's expenses. The Trust does not have a
Board of Directors or persons acting in a similar capacity.
\10\ The Custodian is responsible for safekeeping the platinum
owned by the Trust. The Custodian is appointed by the Trustee and is
responsible to the Trustee under the Trust's platinum custody
agreements. The Custodian will facilitate the transfer of platinum
in and out of the Trust through the unallocated platinum accounts it
may maintain for each Authorized Participant or unallocated platinum
accounts that may be maintained for an Authorized Participant by
another platinum-clearing bank approved by the London Platinum and
Palladium Market (``LPPM''), and through the loco London account
maintained for the Trust by the Custodian on an unallocated basis
pursuant to the trust unallocated account agreement (the ``Trust
Unallocated Account''). The Custodian is responsible for allocating
specific bars of platinum to the loco London account maintained for
the Trust by the Custodian on an allocated basis pursuant to the
Trust agreement (the ``Trust Allocated Account''). The Custodian
will provide the Trustee with regular reports detailing the platinum
transfers in and out of the Trust Unallocated Account with the
Custodian and identifying the platinum bars held in the Trust
Allocated Account.
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The Commission has previously approved listing on the Exchange
under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E of other precious metals and platinum-
based commodity trusts, including the ETFS Platinum Trust,\11\ the ETFS
Palladium Trust,\12\ and the Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium
Trust.\13\
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\11\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61219 (December 22,
2009), 74 FR 68886 (December 29, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-95).
\12\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61220 (December 22,
2009), 74 FR 68895 (December 29, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-94).
\13\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 68430 (December 13,
2012), 77 FR 75239 (December 13, 2012) [sic] (SR-NYSEArca-2012-111).
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The Exchange represents that the Shares satisfy the requirements of
NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E and thereby qualify for listing on the
Exchange.\14\
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\14\ With respect to the application of Rule 10A-3 (17 CFR
240.10A-3) under the Act, the Trust relies on the exemption
contained in Rule 10A-3(c)(7).
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Operation of the Trust \15\
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\15\ The description of the operation of the Trust, the Shares
and the platinum market contained herein are based, in part, on the
Registration Statement. See note 5, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The investment objective of the Trust will be for the Shares to
reflect the performance of the price of platinum, less the expenses and
liabilities of the Trust. The Trust will issue Shares which represent
units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of
the Trust.
The Trust will not hold or trade in any instrument or asset on any
futures exchange or over the counter (``OTC'') other than physical
platinum bullion. The Trust will take delivery of physical platinum
bullion that complies with the LPPM platinum delivery rules.
The Shares are intended to constitute a simple and cost-effective
means of making an investment similar to an investment in platinum.
Although the Shares are not the exact equivalent of an investment in
platinum, they provide investors with an alternative that allows a
level of participation in the platinum market through the securities
market.
Operation of the Platinum Market
The global trade in platinum consists of OTC transactions in spot,
forwards, and options and other derivatives, together with exchange
traded futures and options.
According to the Registration Statement, most trading in physical
platinum is conducted on the OTC market, predominantly in Zurich and
London. The LPPM coordinates various OTC market activities, including
clearing and vaulting, acts as the principal intermediary between
physical platinum market participants and the relevant regulators,
promotes good trading practices and develops standard market
documentation. In addition, the LPPM promotes refining standards for
the platinum market by maintaining the ``London/Zurich Good Delivery
List,'' which are the lists of LPPM accredited melters and assayers of
platinum.
The most significant platinum futures exchanges are the New York
Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (``NYMEX''), a subsidiary of the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange Group (the ``CME Group''), and the Tokyo Commodity
Exchange.\16\ U.S. futures exchanges are registered with the
Commodities Futures Trading Commission (``CFTC'') and seek to provide a
neutral, regulated marketplace for the trading of derivatives contracts
for commodities, such as futures,
[[Page 58886]]
options and certain swaps. The platinum contract market is of
significant size and liquidity.
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\16\ NYMEX is a member of the Intermarket Surveillance Group
(``ISG'').
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The basis for settlement and delivery of a spot trade is payment
(generally in US dollars) two business days after the trade date
against delivery. Delivery of the platinum can either be by physical
delivery or through the clearing systems to an unallocated account. The
unit of trade in London and Zurich is the troy ounce, whose conversion
between grams is: 1,000 grams is equivalent to 32.1507465 troy ounces,
and one troy ounce is equivalent to 31.1034768 grams.
A good delivery platinum plate or ingot is acceptable for delivery
in settlement of a transaction on the OTC market (a ``Good Delivery
Platinum Plate or Ingot''). A Good Delivery Platinum Plate or Ingot
must contain between 32 and 192 troy ounces of platinum with a minimum
fineness (or purity) of 999.5 parts per 1,000 (99.95%). A Good Delivery
Platinum Plate or Ingot must also bear the stamp of one of the melters
and assayers who are on the LPPM approved list. Unless otherwise
specified, the platinum spot price always refers to the ``Good Delivery
Standards'' set by the LPPM.
Creation and Redemption of Shares
The Trust will create and redeem Shares on a continuous basis in
one or more blocks of 15,000 Shares (a block of 15,000 Shares is called
a ``Basket''). As described below, the Trust will issue Shares in
Baskets to certain authorized participants (``Authorized
Participants'') on an ongoing basis. Baskets of Shares will only be
issued or redeemed in exchange for an amount of platinum represented by
the aggregate number of Shares issued or redeemed. No Shares will be
issued unless the Custodian has allocated to the Trust's account the
corresponding amount of platinum. Initially, a Basket will require
delivery of 1,500 ounces of platinum. The amount of platinum necessary
for the creation of a Basket, or to be received upon redemption of a
Basket, will decrease over the life of the Trust, due to the payment or
accrual of fees and other expenses or liabilities payable by the Trust.
Baskets may be created or redeemed only by Authorized Participants.
Orders must be placed by 3:59 p.m. Eastern Time (``E.T.''). The day on
which a Trust receives a valid purchase or redemption order is the
order date.
Each Authorized Participant must be a registered broker-dealer, a
participant in Depository Trust Corporation (``DTC''), have entered
into an agreement with the Trustee (the ``Authorized Participant
Agreement'') and have established a platinum unallocated account with
the Custodian or another LPPM-approved platinum clearing bank. The
Authorized Participant Agreement provides the procedures for the
creation and redemption of Baskets and for the delivery of platinum in
connection with such creations or redemptions.
According to the Registration Statement, Authorized Participants,
acting on authority of the registered holder of Shares or on their own
account, may surrender Baskets of Shares in exchange for the
corresponding amount of platinum (measured in ounces) announced by the
Trustee (the ``Basket Amount''). Upon surrender of such Shares and
payment of the Trustee's applicable fee and of any expenses, taxes or
charges (such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees), the
Trustee will deliver to the order of the redeeming Authorized
Participant the amount of platinum corresponding to the redeemed
Baskets. Shares can only be surrendered for redemption in Baskets of
15,000 Shares each.
Before surrendering Baskets of Shares for redemption, an Authorized
Participant must deliver to the Trustee a written request indicating
the number of Baskets it intends to redeem. The date the Trustee
receives that order determines the Basket Amount to be received in
exchange. However, orders received by the Trustee after 3:59 p.m. E.T.
on a business day or on a business day when the London Bullion Market
Association (``LBMA'') Platinum Price PM or other applicable benchmark
price is not announced, will not be accepted.
The redemption distribution from the Trust will consist of a credit
to the redeeming Authorized Participant's unallocated account
representing the amount of the platinum held by the Trust evidenced by
the Shares being redeemed as of the date of the redemption order.
Net Asset Value
The NAV of the Trust will be calculated by subtracting the Trust's
expenses and liabilities on any day from the value of the platinum
owned by the Trust on that day; the NAV per Share will be obtained by
dividing the NAV of the Trust on a given day by the number of Shares
outstanding on that day. On each day on which the Exchange is open for
regular trading, the Trustee will determine the NAV as promptly as
practicable after 4:00 p.m. E.T. The Trustee will value the Trust's
platinum on the basis of LBMA Platinum Price PM. If there is no LBMA
Platinum Price PM on any day, the Trustee is authorized to use the LBMA
Platinum Price AM announced on that day. If neither price is available
for that day, the Trustee will value the Trust's platinum based on the
most recently announced LBMA Platinum Price PM or LBMA Platinum Price
AM. If the Sponsor determines that such price is inappropriate to use,
the Sponsor will identify an alternate basis for evaluation to be
employed by the Trustee by consulting other public sources of pricing
information. For instance, the Sponsor could use the platinum spot
price published by Bloomberg.
Authorized Participants will offer Shares in the secondary market
at an offering price that will vary, depending on, among other factors,
the price of platinum and the trading price of the Shares on the
Exchange at the time of offer. Authorized Participants will not receive
from the Trust, the Sponsor, the Trustee or any of their affiliates any
fee or other compensation in connection with the offering of the
Shares.
Secondary Market Trading
While the Trust seeks to reflect generally the performance of the
price of platinum less the Trust's expenses and liabilities, Shares may
trade at, above or below their NAV. The NAV of Shares will fluctuate
with changes in the market value of the Trust's assets. The trading
prices of Shares will fluctuate in accordance with changes in their NAV
as well as market supply and demand. The amount of the discount or
premium in the trading price relative to the NAV may be influenced by
non-concurrent trading hours between the major platinum markets and the
Exchange. While the Shares trade on the Exchange until 8:00 p.m. E.T.,
liquidity in the market for platinum may be reduced after the close of
the major world platinum markets, including London, Zurich and NYMEX.
As a result, during this time, trading spreads, and the resulting
premium or discount, on Shares may widen.
Availability of Information Regarding Platinum
Currently, the Consolidated Tape Plan does not provide for
dissemination of the spot price of a commodity such as platinum over
the Consolidated Tape. However, there will be disseminated over the
Consolidated Tape the last sale price for the Shares, as is the case
for all equity securities traded on the Exchange (including exchange-
traded funds). In addition, there is a considerable amount of platinum
price and market information available on
[[Page 58887]]
public websites and through professional and subscription services.
Investors may obtain platinum pricing information on a 24-hour
basis based on the spot price for an ounce of platinum from various
financial information service providers, such as Reuters and Bloomberg.
Reuters and Bloomberg provide at no charge on their websites delayed
information regarding the spot price of platinum and last sale prices
of platinum futures, as well as information about news and developments
in the platinum market. Reuters and Bloomberg also offer a professional
service to subscribers for a fee that provides information on platinum
prices directly from market participants. ICAP plc provides an
electronic trading platform called EBS for the trading of spot
platinum, as well as a feed of real-time streaming prices, delivered as
record-based digital data from the EBS platform to its customer's
market data platform via Bloomberg or Reuters.
Complete real-time data for platinum futures and options prices
traded on the NYMEX are available by subscription from Reuters and
Bloomberg. The NYMEX also provides delayed futures and options
information on current and past trading sessions and market news free
of charge on its website. There are a variety of other public websites
providing information on platinum, ranging from those specializing in
precious metals to sites maintained by major newspapers, such as The
Wall Street Journal.
Availability of Information
The intraday indicative value (``IIV'') per Share for the Shares
will be disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least
every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session. The IIV will be
calculated based on the amount of platinum held by the Trust and a
price of platinum derived from updated bids and offers indicative of
the spot price of platinum.\17\
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\17\ The IIV on a per Share basis disseminated during the Core
Trading Session should not be viewed as a real-time update of the
NAV, which is calculated once a day.
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The website for the Trust (www.graniteshares.com) will contain the
following information, on a per Share basis, for the Trust: (a) The
mid-point of the bid-ask price \18\ at the close of trading (``Bid/Ask
Price''), and a calculation of the premium or discount of such price
against such NAV; and (b) data in chart format displaying the frequency
distribution of discounts and premiums of the Bid/Ask Price against the
NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four previous calendar
quarters. The website for the Trust will also provide the Trust's
prospectus. Finally, the Trust's website will provide the prior day's
closing price of the Shares as traded in the U.S. market. In addition,
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.
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\18\ The bid-ask price of the Shares will be determined using
the highest bid and lowest offer on the Consolidated Tape as of the
time of calculation of the closing day NAV.
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Criteria for Initial and Continued Listing
The Trust will be subject to the criteria in NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-
E(e) for initial and continued listing of the Shares.
A minimum of two Baskets or 30,000 Shares will be required to be
outstanding at the start of trading, which is equivalent to 3,000
ounces of platinum. The Exchange believes that the anticipated minimum
number of Shares outstanding at the start of trading is sufficient to
provide adequate market liquidity.
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. Trading in the Shares
on the Exchange will occur during all three trading sessions in
accordance with NYSE Arca Rule 7.34-E(a). The Exchange has appropriate
rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all trading
sessions. As provided in NYSE Arca Rule 7.6-E, 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 quoting and order entry is $0.0001.
Further, NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E sets forth certain restrictions on
ETP Holders acting as registered Market Makers in the Shares to
facilitate surveillance. Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E(g), an ETP Holder
\19\ acting as a registered Market Maker in the Shares is required to
provide the Exchange with information relating to its trading in the
underlying platinum, related futures or options on futures, or any
other related derivatives. Commentary .04 of NYSE Arca Rule 11.3
requires an ETP Holder acting as a registered Market Maker in the
Shares and its affiliates to establish, maintain and enforce written
policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of
any material nonpublic information with respect to such products, any
components of the related products, any physical asset or commodity
underlying the product, applicable currencies, underlying indexes,
related futures or options on futures, and any related derivative
instruments (including the Shares).
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\19\ An ``ETP Holder'' means a sole proprietorship, partnership,
corporation, limited liability company or other organization in good
standing that is a registered broker-dealer and has been issued an
Equity Trading Permit by the Exchange. See NYSE Arca Rule 1.1(n) and
(o).
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As a general matter, the Exchange has regulatory jurisdiction over
its ETP Holders and their associated persons, which include any person
or entity controlling an ETP Holder. A subsidiary or affiliate of an
ETP Holder that does business only in commodities or futures contracts
would not be subject to Exchange jurisdiction, but the Exchange could
obtain information regarding the activities of such subsidiary or
affiliate through surveillance sharing agreements with regulatory
organizations of which such subsidiary or affiliate is a member.
With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all
relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend
trading in the Shares. Trading on the Exchange in the Shares 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 conditions in the underlying platinum
market have caused disruptions and/or lack of trading, or (2) whether
other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the
maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. In addition,
trading in Shares will be subject to trading halts caused by
extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the Exchange's ``circuit
breaker'' rule.\20\ The Exchange will halt trading in the Shares if the
NAV of the Trust is not calculated or disseminated daily or if not made
available to all participants at the same time. The Exchange may halt
trading during the day in which an interruption occurs to the
dissemination of the IIV, as described above. If the interruption to
the dissemination of the IIV persists past the trading day in which it
occurs, the Exchange will halt trading no later than the beginning of
the trading day following the interruption. The Exchange will also
consider halting trading on a business
[[Page 58888]]
day when the LBMA Platinum Price PM or other applicable benchmark price
is not announced.
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\20\ See NYSE Arca Rule 7.12-E.
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Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject
to the existing trading surveillances administered by the Exchange, as
well as cross-market surveillances administered by the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (``FINRA'') on behalf of the Exchange,
which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities laws.\21\ 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.
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\21\ FINRA conducts cross-market surveillances on behalf of 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.
The Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or both, will
communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares with other
markets and other entities that are members of the ISG, and the
Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or both, may obtain
trading information regarding trading in the Shares from such markets
and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information
regarding trading in the Shares from markets and other entities that
are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.\22\
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\22\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org.
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Also, pursuant to NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E(g), the Exchange is able
to obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and the
underlying platinum, platinum futures contracts, options on platinum
futures, or any other platinum derivative, through ETP Holders acting
as registered Market Makers, in connection with such ETP Holders'
proprietary or customer trades through ETP Holders which they effect on
any relevant market.
In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
All statements and representations made in this filing regarding
(a) the description of the portfolio or reference assets, (b)
limitations on portfolio holdings or reference assets, or (c) the
applicability of Exchange listing rules specified in this rule filing
shall constitute continued listing requirements for listing the Shares
of the Trust on the Exchange.
The issuer has represented to the Exchange that it will advise the
Exchange of any failure by the Trust to comply with the continued
listing requirements, and, pursuant to its obligations under Section
19(g)(1) of the Act, the Exchange will monitor for compliance with the
continued listing requirements. If the Trust is not in compliance with
the applicable listing requirements, the Exchange will commence
delisting procedures under NYSE Arca Rule 5.5-E(m).
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special characteristics
and risks associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the
Information Bulletin will discuss the following: (1) The procedures for
purchases and redemptions of Shares in Baskets (including noting that
Shares are not individually redeemable); (2) NYSE Arca Rule 9.2-E(a),
which imposes a duty of due diligence on its ETP Holders to learn the
essential facts relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares;
(3) how information regarding the IIV is disseminated; (4) the
requirement that ETP Holders deliver a prospectus to investors
purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the
confirmation of a transaction; (5) the possibility that trading spreads
and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen as a
result of reduced liquidity of platinum trading during the Core and
Late Trading Sessions after the close of the major world platinum
markets; and (6) trading information. For example, the Information
Bulletin will advise ETP Holders, prior to the commencement of trading,
of the prospectus delivery requirements applicable to the Trust. The
Exchange notes that investors purchasing Shares directly from the Trust
will receive a prospectus. ETP Holders purchasing Shares from the Trust
for resale to investors will deliver a prospectus to such investors.
In addition, the Information Bulletin will reference that the Trust
is subject to various fees and expenses as will be described in the
Registration Statement. The Information Bulletin will also reference
the fact that there is no regulated source of last sale information
regarding physical platinum, that the Commission has no jurisdiction
over the trading of platinum as a physical commodity, and that the CFTC
has regulatory jurisdiction over the trading of platinum futures
contracts and options on platinum futures contracts.
The Information Bulletin will also discuss any relief, if granted,
by the Commission or the staff from any rules under the Act.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Act for this proposed rule change is the
requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \23\ 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.
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\23\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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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 Rule 8.201-E. The
Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are adequate to
properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to
deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal
securities laws. The Exchange 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. The most
significant platinum futures exchange in the U.S. is the NYMEX, which
is a member of ISG. U.S. futures exchanges are registered with the CFTC
and seek to provide a neutral, regulated marketplace for the trading of
derivatives contracts for commodities, such as futures, options and
certain swaps. The platinum contract market is of significant size and
liquidity.
The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable
principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in
that there is a considerable amount of platinum price and platinum
market information available on public websites and
[[Page 58889]]
through professional and subscription services. Investors may obtain
platinum pricing information on a 24-hour basis based on the spot price
for an ounce of platinum from various financial information service
providers. ICAP's EBS platform also provides an electronic trading
platform to institutions such as bullion banks and dealers for the
trading of spot platinum, as well as a feed of live streaming prices to
market data subscribers.
The NAV of the Trust will be published by the Sponsor on each day
that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading and will be posted on
the Trust's website. The IIV relating to the Shares will be widely
disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading Session. The Trust's website will also
provide the Trust's prospectus, as well as the two most recent reports
to stockholders. In addition, 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.
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 exchange-traded product that will enhance
competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and
the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance
procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may obtain information
via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready
access to information regarding platinum pricing.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange believes the
proposed rule change will enhance competition by accommodating Exchange
trading of an additional exchange-traded product relating to physical
platinum.
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. Discussion and Commission Findings
After careful review, the Commission finds that the Exchange's
proposed rule change, as modified by Amendment No. 2, to list and trade
the Shares is consistent with the Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder applicable to a national securities exchange.\24\ In
particular, the Commission finds that the proposed rule change is
consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the Exchange Act,\25\ which
requires, among other things, that the Exchange's rules be designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, promote just
and equitable principles of trade, 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
Commission notes that the Exchange has represented that it will be able
to share surveillance information with a significant, regulated market
for trading futures on platinum.\26\ The Commission also notes that it
previously approved the listing and trading on the Exchange of other
platinum-based commodity trusts.\27\
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\24\ In approving this proposed rule change, the Commission has
considered the proposed rule's impact on efficiency, competition,
and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
\25\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
\26\ Specifically, according to the Exchange, NYMEX, which is
regulated by the CFTC, is a member of the ISG, which will allow the
Exchange to obtain surveillance information. See Amendment No. 2,
supra note 4, at 6, 14.
\27\ See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release No. 61219 (Dec.
22, 2009), 74 FR 68886 (Dec. 29, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-95)
(approving the listing and trading of the ETFS Platinum Trust). See
also Securities Exchange Act Release No. 68430 (Dec. 13, 2012), 77
FR 75239 (Dec. 19, 2012) (SR-NYSEArca-2012-111) (approving the
listing and trading of the Sprott Physical Platinum and Palladium
Trust).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commission also finds that the proposal is consistent with
Section 11A(a)(1)(C)(iii) of the Act,\28\ which sets forth Congress'
finding that it is in the public interest and appropriate for the
protection of investors and the maintenance of fair and orderly markets
to assure the availability to brokers, dealers, and investors of
information with respect to quotations for and transactions in
securities. The last-sale price of the Shares will be disseminated over
the Consolidated Tape. In addition, 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\28\ 15 U.S.C. 78k-1(a)(1)(C)(iii).
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The Commission believes that the proposed rule change is reasonably
designed to promote fair disclosure of information that may be
necessary to price the Shares appropriately. NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-
E(e)(2)(v) requires that an IIV (which is referred to in the rule as
the ``Indicative Trust Value'') be calculated and disseminated at least
every 15 seconds. The IIV will be calculated based on the amount of
platinum held by the Trust and a price of platinum derived from updated
bids and offers indicative of the spot price of platinum.\29\ The
Exchange states that the IIV relating to the Shares will be widely
disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading Session.\30\ According to the Exchange,
there is a considerable amount of information about platinum markets
available on public websites and through professional and subscription
services, and investors may obtain platinum pricing information on a
24-hour basis based on the spot price for an ounce of platinum from
various financial information service providers.\31\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\29\ See Amendment No. 2, supra note 4, at 9.
\30\ See id.
\31\ See id. The Exchange states that Reuters and Bloomberg, for
example, provide at no charge on their websites delayed information
regarding the spot price of platinum and last sale prices of
platinum, as well as information about news and developments in the
platinum market. Reuters and Bloomberg also offer a professional
service to subscribers for a fee that provides information on
platinum prices directly from market participants. ICAP plc provides
an electronic trading platform called EBS for the trading of spot
platinum, as well as a feed of real-time streaming prices, delivered
as record-based digital data from the EBS platform to its customer's
market data platform via Bloomberg or Reuters. Complete real-time
data for platinum futures and options prices traded on NYMEX are
available by subscription from Reuters and Bloomberg. There are a
variety of other public websites providing information on platinum,
ranging from those specializing in precious metals to sites
maintained by major newspapers. See id.
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Additionally, the NAV of the Trust will be published by the Sponsor
on each day that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading and will be
posted on the Trust's website.\32\ The Trust also will publish the
following information on its website: (1) The mid-point of the
[[Page 58890]]
Bid/Ask Price, and a calculation of the premium or discount of such
price against such NAV; (2) data in chart format displaying the
frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the Bid/Ask Price
against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four
previous calendar quarters; (3) the Trust's prospectus, as well as the
two most recent reports to stockholders; and (4) the prior day's
closing price of the Shares as traded in the U.S. market.\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\32\ See id. at 14.
\33\ See id. at 10, 14.
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The Commission also believes that the proposal is reasonably
designed to prevent trading when a reasonable degree of transparency
cannot be assured. With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may
consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or
suspend trading in the Shares. Trading on the Exchange in the Shares
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 conditions in the underlying platinum
market have caused disruptions or lack of trading, or (2) whether other
unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a
fair and orderly market are present. In addition, trading in Shares
will be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market
volatility pursuant to the Exchange's ``circuit breaker'' rule.\34\ The
Exchange will halt trading in the Shares if the NAV of the Trust is not
calculated or disseminated daily or if not made available to all
participants at the same time.\35\ The Exchange may halt trading during
the day in which an interruption occurs to the dissemination of the
IIV; if the interruption to the dissemination of the IIV persists past
the trading day in which it occurs, the Exchange will halt trading no
later than the beginning of the trading day following the
interruption.\36\
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\34\ See id. at 11, n.18 and accompanying text.
\35\ See id. at 11.
\36\ See id.
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Additionally, the Commission notes that market makers in the Shares
would be subject to the requirements of NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-E(g),
which allow the Exchange to ensure that they do not use their positions
to violate the requirements of Exchange rules or applicable federal
securities laws.\37\
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\37\ Commentary .04 of NYSE Arca Equities Rule 11.3 requires
that an ETP Holder acting as a registered market maker in the
Shares, and its affiliates, establish, maintain and enforce written
policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of
any material nonpublic information with respect to such products,
any components of the related products, any physical asset or
commodity underlying the product, applicable currencies, underlying
indexes, related futures or options on futures, and any related
derivative instruments.
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In support of this proposal, the Exchange has made the following
additional representations:
(1) The Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant
to the initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Rule 8.201-
E.\38\
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\38\ See Amendment No. 2, supra note 4, at 14.
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(2) The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions
in the Shares during all trading sessions.\39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\39\ See id. at 10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities.\40\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\40\ See id. The Commission notes that, as a result, trading of
the Shares will be subject to the Exchange's existing rules
governing the trading of equity securities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4) The Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.\41\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\41\ See id. at 12.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) Trading in the Shares will be subject to the existing trading
surveillances administered by the Exchange, as well as cross-market
surveillances administered by FINRA on behalf of the Exchange, which
are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable
federal securities laws, and 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.\42\
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\42\ FINRA conducts cross-market surveillances on behalf of the
Exchange pursuant to a regulatory services agreement. The Exchange
is responsible for FINRA's performance under this regulatory
services agreement. See id. at 12, n.19.
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(6) The Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or both, will
communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares with other
markets and other entities that are members of the ISG, and the
Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or both, may obtain
trading information regarding trading in the Shares from such markets
and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information
regarding trading in the Shares from markets and other entities that
are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a
comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.\43\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\43\ See id. at 12.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform
its ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special
characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Information Bulletin will discuss the following: (1)
The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Baskets
(including noting that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2)
NYSE Arca Rule 9.2-E(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence on its
ETP Holders to learn the essential facts relating to every customer
prior to trading the Shares; (3) how information regarding the IIV is
disseminated; (4) ETP Holders deliver a prospectus to investors
purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the
confirmation of a transaction; (5) the possibility that trading spreads
and the resulting premium or discount on the Shares may widen as a
result of reduced liquidity of platinum trading during the Core and
Late Trading Sessions after the close of the major world platinum
markets; and (6) trading information.\44\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\44\ See id. at 13.
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(8) All statements and representations made in the Exchange's
filing regarding (a) the description of the portfolio or reference
assets, (b) limitations on portfolio holdings or reference assets, or
(c) the applicability of Exchange listing rules specified in this rule
filing shall constitute continued listing requirements for listing the
Shares of the Trust on the Exchange.\45\
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\45\ See id. at 12-13.
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(9) The issuer has represented to the Exchange that it will advise
the Exchange of any failure by the Trust to comply with the continued
listing requirements and, pursuant to its obligations under Section
19(g)(1) of the Act, the Exchange will monitor for compliance with the
continued listing requirements. If the Trust is not in compliance with
the applicable listing requirements, the Exchange will commence
delisting procedures under the NYSE Arca Rule 5.5-E(m).\46\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\46\ See id. at 13.
This approval order is based on all of the Exchange's representations--
including those set forth above and in Amendment No. 2--and the
Exchange's description of the Trust.
For the foregoing reasons, the Commission finds that the proposed
rule change, as modified by Amendment No. 2, is consistent with Section
6(b)(5) of the Act \47\ and the rules and regulations thereunder
applicable to a national securities exchange.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\47\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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IV. Solicitation of Comments on Amendment No. 2 to the Proposed Rule
Change
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning Amendment No.
[[Page 58891]]
2 to the proposed rule change. 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 [email protected]. Please include
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2017-110 on the subject line.
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-NYSEArca-2017-110. 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 website (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 website 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 this filing will also be available for inspection
and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments
received will be posted without change. Persons submitting comments are
cautioned that we do not redact or edit personal identifying
information from comment submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2017-110 and should be
submitted on or before January 4, 2018.
V. Accelerated Approval of Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by
Amendment No. 2
The Commission finds good cause to approve the proposed rule
change, as modified by Amendment No. 2, prior to the 30th day after the
date of publication of notice of Amendment No. 2 in the Federal
Register. Amendment No. 2 supplements the proposal by providing
additional information regarding the Trust and the platinum futures
market, and by expanding the circumstances in which the Exchange would
or might halt trading in the Shares. These changes assisted the
Commission in evaluating the Shares' susceptibility to manipulation,
and in determining that the listing and trading of the Shares is
consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest.
Accordingly, the Commission finds good cause, pursuant to Section
19(b)(2) of the Exchange Act,\48\ to approve the proposed rule change,
as modified by Amendment No. 2, on an accelerated basis.
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\48\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).
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VI. Conclusion
It is therefore ordered, pursuant to Section 19(b)(2) of the
Exchange Act,\49\ that the proposed rule change (SR-NYSEArca-2017-110),
as modified by Amendment No. 2, be, and it hereby is, approved on an
accelerated basis.
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\49\ Id.
\50\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\50\
Eduardo A. Aleman,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-26915 Filed 12-13-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P