Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing and Trading of Shares of the T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E, 14980-14987 [2021-05673]

Download as PDF 14980 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.36 J. Matthew DeLesDernier, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2021–05674 Filed 3–18–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011–01–P SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34–91322; File No. SR– NYSEArca–2021–17] Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing and Trading of Shares of the T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E March 15, 2021. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) 1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ‘‘Act’’) 2 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,3 notice is hereby given that, on March 8, 2021, NYSE Arca, Inc. (‘‘NYSE Arca’’ or the ‘‘Exchange’’) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons. I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the following under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E: T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF. The proposed rule change is available on the Exchange’s website at www.nyse.com, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission’s Public Reference Room. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). 2 15 U.S.C. 78a. 3 17 CFR 240.19b–4. 36 1 15 VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant parts of such statements. A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Purpose of, and the Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change 1. Purpose The Exchange has adopted NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E for the purpose of permitting the listing and trading, or trading pursuant to unlisted trading privileges (‘‘UTP’’), of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares, which are securities issued by an actively managed open-end investment management company.4 Commentary .01 to Rule 8.601–E requires the Exchange to file separate proposals under Section 19(b) of the Act before listing and trading any series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares on the Exchange. Therefore, the Exchange is submitting this proposal in order to list and trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) as Active Proxy Portfolio Shares of the T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF (the ‘‘Fund’’) under Rule 8.601–E. Key Features of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares While funds issuing Active Proxy Portfolio Shares will be activelymanaged and, to that extent, will be similar to Managed Fund Shares, Active Proxy Portfolio Shares differ from Managed Fund Shares in the following important respects. First, in contrast to 4 See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 89185 (June 29, 2020), 85 FR 40328 (July 6, 2020) (SR– NYSEArca–2019–95). Rule 8.601–E(c)(1) provides that ‘‘[t]he term ‘‘Active Proxy Portfolio Share’’ means a security that (a) is issued by a investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (‘‘Investment Company’’) organized as an open-end management investment company that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by the Investment Company’s investment adviser consistent with the Investment Company’s investment objectives and policies; (b) is issued in a specified minimum number of shares, or multiples thereof, in return for a deposit by the purchaser of the Proxy Portfolio and/or cash with a value equal to the next determined net asset value (‘‘NAV’’); (c) when aggregated in the same specified minimum number of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares, or multiples thereof, may be redeemed at a holder’s request in return for the Proxy Portfolio and/or cash to the holder by the issuer with a value equal to the next determined NAV; and (d) the portfolio holdings for which are disclosed within at least 60 days following the end of every fiscal quarter.’’ Rule 8.601–E(c)(2) provides that ‘‘[t]he term ‘‘Actual Portfolio’’ means the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Investment Company that shall form the basis for the Investment Company’s calculation of NAV at the end of the business day.’’ Rule 8.601–E(c)(3) provides that ‘‘[t]he term ‘‘Proxy Portfolio’’ means a specified portfolio of securities, other financial instruments and/or cash designed to track closely the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio of a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares as provided in the exemptive relief pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940 applicable to such series.’’ PO 00000 Frm 00116 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Managed Fund Shares, which are actively-managed funds listed and traded under NYSE Arca Rule 8.600–E 5 and for which a ‘‘Disclosed Portfolio’’ is required to be disseminated at least once daily,6 the portfolio for each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares will be publicly disclosed within at least 60 days following the end of every fiscal quarter in accordance with normal disclosure requirements otherwise applicable to open-end management investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ‘‘1940 Act’’).7 The composition of the portfolio of each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares would not be available at commencement of Exchange listing and trading. Second, in connection with the creation and redemption of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares, such creation or redemption may be exchanged for a Proxy Portfolio 5 The Commission has previously approved listing and trading on the Exchange of a number of issues of Managed Fund Shares under NYSE Arca Rule 8.600–E. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 57801 (May 8, 2008), 73 FR 27878 (May 14, 2008) (SR–NYSEArca–2008–31) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of twelve actively-managed funds of the WisdomTree Trust); 60460 (August 7, 2009), 74 FR 41468 (August 17, 2009) (SR–NYSEArca–2009–55) (order approving listing of Dent Tactical ETF); 63076 (October 12, 2010), 75 FR 63874 (October 18, 2010) (SR– NYSEArca–2010–79) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of Cambria Global Tactical ETF); 63802 (January 31, 2011), 76 FR 6503 (February 4, 2011) (SR–NYSEArca–2010–118) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of the SiM Dynamic Allocation Diversified Income ETF and SiM Dynamic Allocation Growth Income ETF). The Commission also has approved a proposed rule change relating to generic listing standards for Managed Fund Shares. Securities Exchange Act Release No. 78397 (July 22, 2016), 81 FR 49320 (July 27, 2016 (SR–NYSEArca–2015–110) (amending NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 to adopt generic listing standards for Managed Fund Shares). 6 NYSE Arca Rule 8.600–E(c)(2) defines the term ‘‘Disclosed Portfolio’’ as the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets held by the Investment Company that will form the basis for the Investment Company’s calculation of net asset value at the end of the business day. NYSE Arca Rule 8.600–E(d)(2)(B)(i) requires that the Disclosed Portfolio will be disseminated at least once daily and will be made available to all market participants at the same time. 7 A mutual fund is required to file with the Commission its complete portfolio schedules for the second and fourth fiscal quarters on Form N–CSR under the 1940 Act. Information reported on Form N–PORT for the third month of a fund’s fiscal quarter will be made publicly available 60 days after the end of a fund’s fiscal quarter. Form N– PORT requires reporting of a fund’s complete portfolio holdings on a position-by-position basis on a quarterly basis within 60 days after fiscal quarter end. Investors can obtain a fund’s Statement of Additional Information (‘‘SAI’’), its Shareholder Reports, its Form N–CSR, filed twice a year, and its Form N–CEN, filed annually. A fund’s SAI and Shareholder Reports will be available free upon request from the Investment Company, and those documents and the Form N–PORT, Form N–CSR, and Form N–CEN may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES and/or cash with a value equal to the next-determined NAV. A series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares will disclose the Proxy Portfolio on a daily basis, which, as described above, is designed to track closely the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio of a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares, instead of the actual holdings of the Investment Company, as provided by a series of Managed Fund Shares. The Commission has previously approved listing and trading on the Exchange of series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E.8 The Shares of the Fund will be issued by T. Rowe Price Exchange-Traded Funds, Inc. (‘‘Issuer’’), a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Maryland that is comprised of multiple separate series, and registered with the Commission as an open-end management investment company.9 The 8 See Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 89185 (June 29, 2020), 85 FR 40328 (July 6, 2020) (SR– NYSEArca–2019–95) (Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 6 and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 6, to Adopt NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E to Permit the Listing and Trading of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares and To List and Trade Shares of the Natixis U.S. Equity Opportunities ETF Under Proposed NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E) (‘‘Natixis Order’’); 89192 (June 30, 2020), 85 FR 40699 (July 7, 2020) (SR–NYSEArca–2019–96) (Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 5 and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 5, to List and Trade Two Series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares Issued by the American Century ETF Trust under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E) (‘‘American Century Order’’); 89191 (June 30, 2020), 85 FR 40358 (July 6, 2020) (SR–NYSEArca–2019–92) (Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 3 and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 3, to List and Trade Four Series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares Issued by T. Rowe Price Exchange-Traded Funds, Inc. under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E) (‘‘T. Rowe Price Approval Order’’); 89438 (July 31, 2020), 85 FR 47821 (August 6, 2020) (SR–NYSEArca–2020–51) (Order Granting Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 2, to List and Trade Shares of Natixis Vaughan Nelson Select ETF and Natixis Vaughan Nelson MidCap ETF under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E). See also, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 88887 (May 15, 2020), 85 FR 30990 (May 21, 2020) (SR-CboeBZX–2019–107) (Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 5 and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 5, to Adopt Rule 14.11(m), Tracking Fund Shares, and to List and Trade Shares of the Fidelity Blue Chip Value ETF, Fidelity Blue Chip Growth ETF, and Fidelity New Millennium ETF). 9 The Issuer is registered under the 1940 Act. On February 8, 2021, the Issuer filed a registration statement on Form N–1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) and under the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333–235450 and 811–23494 (the ‘‘Registration Statement’’). The Issuer filed a seventh amended application for an order under Section 6(c) of the 1940 Act for exemptions from various provisions of the 1940 Act and rules thereunder (File No. 812–14214), dated October 16, 2019 (‘‘Application’’). On December 10, 2019, the Commission issued an order (‘‘Exemptive VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 investment adviser for the Fund will be T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (‘‘Adviser’’). State Street Bank and Trust Co. will serve as the Fund’s transfer agent, custodian, and will conduct certain administrative functions (the ‘‘Transfer Agent’’ or ‘‘Custodian’’). T. Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., a registered broker dealer and an affiliate of the Adviser, will serve as the distributor (‘‘Distributor’’) of the Shares. Commentary .04 to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E provides that, if the investment adviser to the Investment Company issuing Active Proxy Portfolio Shares is registered as a broker-dealer or is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser will erect and maintain a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the investment adviser and personnel of the broker-dealer or broker-dealer affiliate, as applicable, with respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to such Investment Company’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio. Any person related to the investment adviser or Investment Company who makes decisions pertaining to the Investment Company’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or has access to non-public information regarding the Investment Company’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto must be subject to procedures reasonably designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. Commentary .04 is similar to Commentary .03(a)(i) and (iii) to NYSE Arca Rule 5.2–E(j)(3); however, Commentary .04, in connection with the establishment of a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the investment adviser and the brokerdealer, reflects the applicable open-end fund’s portfolio, not an underlying benchmark index, as is the case with index-based funds.10 Commentary .04 is Order’’) under the 1940 Act granting the exemptions requested in the Application (Investment Company Act Release No. 33713, December 10, 2019). Investments made by the Fund will comply with the conditions set forth in the Application and the Exemptive Order. The description of the operation of the Fund herein is based, in part, on the Registration Statement and the Application. The Exchange will not commence trading in Shares of the Fund until the Registration Statement is effective. 10 An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ‘‘Advisers Act’’). As a result, the Adviser and its related personnel will be subject to the provisions of Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as well as compliance with other applicable securities laws. Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent the communication and misuse of non-public information by an PO 00000 Frm 00117 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 14981 also similar to Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600–E related to Managed Fund Shares, except that Commentary .04 relates to establishment and maintenance of a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the investment adviser and personnel of the broker-dealer or broker-dealer affiliate, as applicable, applicable to an Investment Company’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto, and not just to the underlying portfolio, as is the case with Managed Fund Shares. In addition, Commentary .05 to Rule 8.601–E provides that any person or entity, including a custodian, Reporting Authority, distributor, or administrator, who has access to non-public information regarding the Investment Company’s Actual Portfolio or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto, must be subject to procedures reasonably designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the applicable Investment Company Actual Portfolio or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. Moreover, if any such person or entity is registered as a broker-dealer or affiliated with a broker-dealer, such person or entity will erect and maintain a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the person or entity and the broker-dealer with respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to such Investment Company Actual Portfolio or Proxy Portfolio. The Adviser is not registered as a broker-dealer but is affiliated with a broker-dealer and has implemented and will maintain a ‘‘fire wall’’ with respect to such broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio. In the event (a) the Adviser becomes registered as a broker-dealer or newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser or any sub-adviser is a registered broker-dealer or becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement and maintain a fire wall with investment adviser must be consistent with Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to provide investment advice to clients unless such investment adviser has (i) adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations, by the investment adviser and its supervised persons, of the Advisers Act and the Commission rules adopted thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an annual review regarding the adequacy of the policies and procedures established pursuant to subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness of their implementation; and (iii) designated an individual (who is a supervised person) responsible for administering the policies and procedures adopted under subparagraph (i) above. E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 14982 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices respect to its relevant personnel or its broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio, and will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material nonpublic information regarding the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. Any person related to the Adviser or the Fund who makes decisions pertaining to the Fund’s Actual Portfolio or Proxy Portfolio or has access to non-public information regarding the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto is subject to procedures reasonably designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material nonpublic information regarding the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. In addition, any person or entity, including any service provider for the Fund, who has access to non-public information regarding the Fund’s Actual Portfolio or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto, will be subject to procedures reasonably designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. Moreover, if any such person or entity is registered as a broker-dealer or affiliated with a broker-dealer, such person or entity has erected and will maintain a ‘‘fire wall’’ between the person or entity and the broker-dealer with respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund’s Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Description of the Fund According to the Application, for the Fund, the Adviser will identify its Proxy Portfolio, which could be based on a broad-based securities index (e.g., the S&P 500) or the Fund’s recently disclosed portfolio holdings. Although the Adviser may change the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio at any time, the Adviser currently does not expect to make such changes more frequently than quarterly (for example, in connection with the release of the Fund’s portfolio holdings). The Adviser will publish a new Proxy Portfolio for the Fund only before the commencement of trading of the Fund’s Shares on each ‘‘Business Day,’’ 11 and the Adviser will not make intra-day changes to the Proxy Portfolio except to 11 ‘‘Business Day’’ is defined to mean any day that the Exchange is open, including any day when the Fund satisfies redemption requests as required by section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 correct errors in the published Proxy Portfolio. The Fund will disclose the ‘‘Daily Deviation’’ 12 between the Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio daily, as well as ‘‘Empirical Percentiles,’’ 13 which are quantitative summaries of the Daily Deviation data for the last year. The Fund will also disclose its ‘‘Tracking Error.’’ 14 The Fund’s Proxy Portfolio will be determined such that at least 80% of its total assets will overlap with the portfolio weightings of the Actual Portfolio. In addition, on each Business Day, before commencement of trading of Shares, the ‘‘Portfolio Overlap’’ will be published on the Fund’s website. The Portfolio Overlap will be the percentage weight overlap between the prior Business Day’s Proxy Portfolio’s holdings compared to the holdings of the Actual Portfolio that formed the basis for the Fund’s calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day.15 The Proxy Portfolio will not include any asset that is ineligible to be in the Actual Portfolio of the Fund. common stocks held by the Fund will be traded on an exchange that is a member of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (‘‘ISG’’) or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. The Fund’s investment objective will be to provide long-term capital growth. The Fund will attempt to create a portfolio with similar characteristics to a broad-based securities index (e.g., the S&P 500) with the potential to provide excess returns relative to such index. The Fund will use a disciplined portfolio construction process whereby it weights each sector and industry approximately the same as the applicable index. Within each sector and industry, the weighting of individual fund holdings can vary significantly from their weighting within the applicable index. The Fund will attempt to outperform such index by overweighting those stocks that are viewed favorably relative to their weighting in such index, and underweighting or avoiding those stocks that are viewed negatively. T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF The Fund’s holdings will conform to the permissible investments as set forth in the Application and Exemptive Order and the holdings will be consistent with all requirements in the Application and Exemptive Order.16 Any foreign Investment Restrictions The Shares of the Fund will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under Rule 8.601–E. The Fund’s holdings will be limited to and consistent with permissible holdings as described in the Application and all requirements in the Application and Exemptive Order.17 The Fund’s investments, including derivatives, will be consistent with its investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage (although certain derivatives and other investments may result in leverage). That is, the Fund’s investments will not be used to seek performance that is the multiple or inverse multiple (e.g., 2X or ¥3X) of the Fund’s primary broadbased securities benchmark index (as defined in Form N–1A). 12 According to the Registration Statement, the Daily Deviation shows the difference in performance between the NAV of the Fund and the NAV of the Proxy Portfolio. 13 According to the Registration Statement, the Empirical Percentiles shows frequency and magnitude of performance differences between the Fund and the Proxy Portfolio over time. 14 According to the Registration Statement, ‘‘Tracking Error’’ is the deviation over the past three months of the daily proxy spread (i.e., the difference, in percentage terms, between the Proxy Portfolio’s per share NAV and that of the fund at the end of the trading day). 15 According to the Registration Statement, ‘‘Portfolio Overlap’’ indicates how much of the Fund’s portfolio securities overlap with the Fund’s Proxy Portfolio as of the end of the prior Business Day. 16 According to the Application and Exemptive Order, the Fund will only invest in exchange-traded common stocks, common stocks listed on a foreign exchange that trade on such exchange synchronously with the Shares (‘‘foreign common stocks’’) in the Exchange’s Core Trading Session (normally 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (‘‘E.T.’’)), ETFs traded on a U.S. exchange, exchange-traded notes (‘‘ETNs’’) traded on a U.S. exchange, U.S. exchange-traded preferred stocks, U.S. exchange-traded American Depositary Receipts (‘‘ADRs’’), U.S. exchange-traded real estate investment trusts, U.S. exchange-traded commodity pools, U.S. exchange-traded metals trusts, U.S. exchange-traded currency trusts and U.S. exchangetraded futures contracts (collectively, ‘‘exchangetraded instruments’’) that trade synchronously with the Fund’s Shares, as well as cash and cash equivalents. For purposes of this filing, cash equivalents are short-term U.S. Treasury securities, PO 00000 Frm 00118 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Purchases and Redemptions The Issuer will offer, issue and sell Shares of the Fund to investors only in specified minimum size ‘‘Creation Units’’ through the Distributor on a continuous basis at the NAV per Share next determined after an order in proper form is received. The NAV of the Fund is expected to be determined as of 4:00 p.m. E.T. on each Business Day. The Issuer will sell and redeem Creation government money market funds, and repurchase agreements. The Fund will not hold short positions or invest in derivatives other than U.S. exchangetraded futures, will not borrow for investment purposes, and will not purchase any securities that are illiquid investments at the time of purchase. 17 See note 9, supra. E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices Units of the Fund only on a Business Day. A Creation Unit will consist of at least 5,000 Shares. Shares will be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units and generally on an in-kind basis. Accordingly, except where the purchase or redemption will include cash under the circumstances specified below, purchasers will be required to purchase Creation Units by making an in-kind deposit of specified instruments (‘‘Deposit Instruments’’), and shareholders redeeming their Shares will receive an in-kind transfer of specified instruments (‘‘Redemption Instruments’’). The names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the Deposit Instruments and the Redemption Instruments for the Fund (collectively, the ‘‘Creation Basket’’) will be the same as the Fund’s designated Proxy Portfolio, except to the extent that the Fund requires purchases and redemptions to be made entirely or in part on a cash basis, as described below. If there is a difference between the NAV attributable to a Creation Unit and the aggregate market value of the Creation Basket exchanged for the Creation Unit, the party conveying instruments with the lower value will also pay to the other an amount in cash equal to that difference (the ‘‘Cash Amount’’). The Fund will adopt and implement policies and procedures regarding the composition of its Creation Baskets. The policies and procedures will set forth detailed parameters for the construction and acceptance of baskets that are in the best interests of the Fund, including the process for any revisions to or deviations from, those parameters. The Fund normally will issue and redeem Creation Units in-kind, but may require purchases and redemptions to be made entirely or in part on a cash basis. In such an instance, the Fund will announce, before the open of trading in the Core Trading Session on a given Business Day, that all purchases, all redemptions or all purchases and redemptions on that day will be made wholly or partly in cash. The Fund may also determine, upon receiving a purchase or redemption order from an Authorized Participant (as defined below), to have the purchase or redemption, as applicable, be made entirely or in part in cash.18 Each Business Day, before the open of trading on the Exchange, the Fund will 18 The Adviser represents that, to the extent that the Fund allows creations and redemptions to be conducted in cash, such transactions will be effected in the same manner for all Authorized Participants transacting in cash. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 cause to be published through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (‘‘NSCC’’) the names and quantities of the instruments comprising the Creation Basket, as well as the estimated Cash Amount (if any) for that day. The published Creation Basket will apply until a new Creation Basket is announced on the following Business Day, and there will be no intra-day changes to the Creation Basket except to correct errors in the published Creation Basket. The Proxy Portfolio will be published each Business Day regardless of whether the Fund decides to issue or redeem Creation Units entirely or in part on a cash basis. All orders to purchase Creation Units must be placed with the Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant, which is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the Commission, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Except as otherwise permitted, no promoter, principal underwriter (e.g., the Distributor) or affiliated person of the Fund, or any affiliated person of such person, will be an Authorized Participant in Shares. Validly submitted orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units on each Business Day will be accepted until the end of the Core Trading Session (the ‘‘Order Cut-Off Time’’), generally 4:00 p.m. E.T., on the Business Day that the order is placed (the ‘‘Transmittal Date’’). All Creation Unit orders must be received by the Distributor no later than the Order Cut-Off Time in order to receive the NAV determined on the Transmittal Date. When the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders for Creation Units to be placed earlier in the Business Day. Availability of Information The Fund’s website (www.troweprice.com), which will be publicly available prior to the public offering of Shares, will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Fund’s website will include on a daily basis, per Share for the Fund, the prior Business Day’s NAV and the ‘‘Closing Price’’ or ‘‘Bid/ Ask Price,’’ 19 and a calculation of the 19 The records relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the Fund or its service providers. The ‘‘Bid/Ask Price’’ is the midpoint of the highest bid and lowest offer based upon the National Best Bid and Offer as of the time of calculation of the Fund’s NAV. The ‘‘National Best Bid and Offer’’ is the current national best bid and national best offer as disseminated by the Consolidated Quotation System or UTP Plan Securities Information PO 00000 Frm 00119 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 14983 premium/discount of the Closing Price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV. 20 The Adviser has represented that the Fund’s website will also provide: (1) Any other information regarding premiums/discounts as may be required for other ETFs under Rule 6c–11 under the 1940 Act, as amended, and (2) any information regarding the bid/ask spread for the Fund as may be required for other ETFs under Rule 6c–11 under the 1940 Act, as amended. The website and information will be publicly available at no charge. The Fund’s website also will disclose the information required under Rule 8.601– E(c)(3).21 The Proxy Portfolio holdings (including the identity and quantity of investments in the Proxy Portfolio) will be publicly available on the Fund’s website before the commencement of trading in Shares on each Business Day. The website also will include information relating to Portfolio Overlap, Daily Deviation, Empirical Percentile and Tracking Error for the Fund, as discussed above. The Exchange notes that the Application provides that the Issuer will comply with Regulation Fair Disclosure, which prohibits selective disclosure of any material non-public information. Typical mutual fund-style annual, semi-annual and quarterly disclosures contained in the Fund’s Commission filings will be provided on the Fund’s website on a current basis.22 Thus, the Fund will publish the portfolio contents of its Actual Portfolio on a periodic basis within at least 60 days following the end of every fiscal quarter. Investors can also obtain the Fund’s prospectus, SAI, shareholder reports, Form N–CSR, Form N–PORT and Form N–CEN. Investors may access complete portfolio schedules for the Fund on Form N–CSR and Form N–PORT. The prospectus, SAI and shareholder reports Processor. The ‘‘Closing Price’’ of Shares is the official closing price of the Shares on the Exchange. 20 The ‘‘premium/discount’’ refers to the premium or discount to NAV at the end of a trading day and will be calculated based on the last Bid/ Ask Price or the Closing Price on a given trading day. 21 See note 4, supra. Rule 8.601–E(c)(3) provides that the website for each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares shall disclose the information regarding the Proxy Portfolio as provided in the exemptive relief pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940 applicable to such series, including the following, to the extent applicable: (i) Ticker symbol; (ii) CUSIP or other identifier; (iii) Description of holding; (iv) Quantity of each security or other asset held; and (v) Percentage weighting of the holding in the portfolio. 22 See note 7, supra. E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 14984 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES will be available free upon request from the Fund, and those documents and the Form N–CSR, Form N–PORT and Form N–CEN may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission’s website at https://www.sec.gov. Information regarding the market price of Shares and trading volume in Shares, will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on brokers’ computer screens and other electronic services. The previous day’s closing price and trading volume information for the Shares will be published daily in the financial section of newspapers. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares and U.S. exchange-traded instruments (excluding futures contracts) will be available via the Consolidated Tape Association (‘‘CTA’’) high-speed line, from the exchanges on which such securities trade, or through major market data vendors or subscription services. Intraday price information for all exchange-traded instruments, which include all eligible instruments except cash and cash equivalents, will be available from the exchanges on which they trade, or through major market data vendors or subscription services. Intraday price information for cash equivalents is available through major market data vendors, subscription services and/or pricing services. Trading Halts With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend trading in the Shares of the Fund.23 Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Rule 7.12–E have been reached. Trading also may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. Trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601– E(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund will be halted. Specifically, Rule 8.601–E(d)(2)(D) provides that the Exchange may consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt trading in a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. Trading may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares inadvisable. These may include: (a) The extent to which trading is not occurring in the securities and/or the financial instruments composing the 23 See NYSE Arca Rule 7.12–E. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 Trading Rules The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange’s existing rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on the NYSE Arca Marketplace in all trading sessions in accordance with NYSE Arca Rule 7.34–E(a). 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 order entry is $0.0001. The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E. The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate trading in the Shares during all trading sessions. A minimum of 100,000 Shares for the Fund will be outstanding at the commencement of trading on the Exchange. In addition, pursuant to Rule 8.601–E(d)(1)(B), the Exchange, prior to commencement of trading in the Shares, will obtain a representation from the Issuer of the Shares that the NAV per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV, Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio for the Fund will be made available to all market participants at the same time. With respect to the Fund, all of the Exchange member obligations relating to product description and prospectus delivery requirements will continue to apply in accordance with Exchange rules and federal securities laws, and the Exchange and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (‘‘FINRA’’) will continue to monitor Exchange members for compliance with such requirements. administered by FINRA on behalf of the Exchange, which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws.24 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. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or the Exchange or both will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and underlying exchange-traded instruments with other markets and other entities that are members of the ISG, and FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or the Exchange or both may obtain trading information regarding trading such securities and exchangetraded instruments from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in such securities and exchange-traded instruments from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.25 The Adviser will make available daily to FINRA and the Exchange the Actual Portfolio of the Fund, upon request, in order to facilitate the performance of the surveillances referred to above. In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the distribution of material, non-public information by its employees. Commentary .03 to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E provides that the Exchange will implement and maintain written surveillance procedures for Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. As part of these surveillance procedures, the Investment Company’s investment adviser will upon request by the Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, make available to the Exchange or FINRA the daily Actual Portfolio holdings of each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. 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 24 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. 25 For a list of the current members of ISG, see www.isgportal.org. Proxy Portfolio and/or Actual Portfolio; or (b) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. In addition, if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV, Proxy Portfolio or Actual Portfolio with respect to a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares is not disseminated to all market participants at the same time, the Exchange shall halt trading in such series until such time as the NAV, Proxy Portfolio or Actual Portfolio is available to all market participants at the same time. PO 00000 Frm 00120 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices The Exchange believes that the ability to access the information on an as needed basis will provide it with sufficient information to perform the necessary regulatory functions associated with listing and trading series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares on the Exchange, including the ability to monitor compliance with the initial and continued listing requirements as well as the ability to surveil for manipulation of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. The Exchange will utilize its existing procedures to monitor the Fund’s compliance with the requirements of Rule 8.601–E. For example, the Exchange will continue to use intraday alerts that will notify Exchange personnel of trading activity throughout the day that may indicate that unusual conditions or circumstances are present that could be detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market. The Exchange will require from the Issuer of Shares, upon initial listing and periodically thereafter, a representation that it is in compliance with Rule 8.601–E. The Exchange notes that Commentary .01 to Rule 8.601–E requires the Issuer of Shares to notify the Exchange of any failure to comply with the continued listing requirements of Rule 8.601–E. In addition, the Exchange will require the Issuer to represent that it will notify the Exchange of any failure to comply with the terms of applicable exemptive and no-action relief. As part of its surveillance procedures, the Exchange will rely on the foregoing procedures to become aware of any non-compliance with the requirements of Rule 8.601–E. With respect to the Fund, all statements and representations made in this filing regarding (a) the description of the portfolio or reference asset, (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 on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the Issuer, prior to commencement of trading in the Shares of the Fund, that it will advise the Exchange of any failure by the Fund 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 Fund is not in compliance with the applicable listing requirements, the Exchange will commence delisting procedures under NYSE Arca Rule 5.5– E(m). VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 2. Statutory Basis The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent with Section 6(b) of the Act,26 in general, and furthers the objectives of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,27 in particular, in that it is 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 a national market system, and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.28 With respect to the proposed listing and trading of Shares of the Fund, 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 8.601–E. One-hundred percent of the value of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio (except for cash, cash equivalents and Treasury securities) at the time of purchase will be listed on U.S. or foreign securities exchanges (or, in the limited case of futures contracts, U.S. futures exchanges). The listing and trading of such securities is subject to rules of the exchanges on which they are listed and traded, as approved by the Commission. The Fund’s holdings will conform to the permissible investments as set forth in the Application and Exemptive Order and the holdings will be consistent with all requirements in the Application and Exemptive Order.29 The Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or both, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and underlying exchange-traded instruments 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 such securities and exchange-traded instruments from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in such securities and exchangetraded instruments from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Any foreign common stocks held by the Fund will be traded on an 26 15 U.S.C. 78f(b). U.S.C. 78f(b)(5). 28 The Exchange represents that, for initial and continued listing, the Fund will be in compliance with Rule 10A–3 under the Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Rule 5.3–E. 29 See note 9, supra. 27 15 PO 00000 Frm 00121 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 14985 exchange that is a member of the ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. The daily dissemination of the identity and quantity of Proxy Portfolio component investments, together with the right of Authorized Participants to create and redeem each day at the NAV, will be sufficient for market participants to value and trade shares in a manner that will not lead to significant deviations between the Bid/Ask Price and NAV of shares of a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. The Fund’s investments, including derivatives, will be consistent with its investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage (although certain derivatives and other investments may result in leverage). That is, the Fund’s investments will not be used to seek performance that is the multiple or inverse multiple (e.g., 2X or ∧3X) of the Fund’s primary broad-based securities benchmark index (as defined in Form N–1A). With respect to the Fund, the proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in that the Exchange will obtain a representation from the Issuer, prior to commencement of trading in the Shares, that the NAV per Share of the Fund will be calculated daily and that the NAV, Proxy Portfolio and Actual Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time. Investors can also obtain the Fund’s SAI, shareholder reports, and its Form N–CSR, Form N–PORT and Form N– CEN. The Fund’s SAI and shareholder reports will be available free upon request from the Fund, and those documents and the Form N–CSR, Form N–PORT and Form N–CEN may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission’s website. Commentary .03 to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E provides that the Exchange will implement and maintain written surveillance procedures for Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. As part of these surveillance procedures, the Investment Company’s investment adviser will, upon request by the Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, make available to the Exchange or FINRA the daily portfolio holdings of each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. The Exchange believes that the ability to access the information on an as needed basis will provide it with sufficient information to perform the necessary regulatory functions associated with listing and trading series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares on the Exchange, including the ability to monitor E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES 14986 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices compliance with the initial and continued listing requirements as well as the ability to surveil for manipulation of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. With respect to the Fund, the Adviser will make available daily to FINRA and the Exchange the portfolio holdings of the Fund upon request in order to facilitate the performance of the surveillances referred to above. The Exchange will utilize its existing procedures to monitor Issuer compliance with the requirements of Rule 8.601–E. For example, the Exchange will continue to use intraday alerts that will notify Exchange personnel of trading activity throughout the day that may indicate that unusual conditions or circumstances are present that could be detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market. The Exchange will require from the Issuer of the Shares, upon initial listing and periodically thereafter, a representation that it is in compliance with Rule 8.601–E. The Exchange notes that Commentary .01 to Rule 8.601–E requires the Issuer of Shares to notify the Exchange of any failure to comply with the continued listing requirements of Rule 8.601–E. In addition, the Exchange will require the Issuer to represent that it will notify the Exchange of any failure to comply with the terms of applicable exemptive and no-action relief. The Exchange will rely on the foregoing procedures to become aware of any non-compliance with the requirements of Rule 8.601–E. In addition, with respect to the Fund, a large amount of information will be publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares and U.S. exchange-traded instruments (excluding futures contracts) will be available via the CTA high-speed line, from the exchanges on which such securities trade, or through major market data vendors or subscription services. Intraday price information for all exchange-traded instruments, which include all eligible instruments except cash and cash equivalents, will be available from the exchanges on which they trade, or through major market data vendors or subscription services. Intraday price information for cash equivalents is available through major market data vendors, subscription services and/or pricing services. The website for the Fund will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded, and additional data relating to NAV and other applicable quantitative information, updated on a daily basis. Trading in VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Rule 7.12–E have been reached or because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. Trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601– E(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to the Proxy Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares. The Proxy Portfolio holdings (including the identity and quantity of investments in the Proxy Portfolio) will be publicly available on the Fund’s website before the commencement of trading in Shares on each Business Day. The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under Rule 8.601–E. The Fund’s holdings will conform to the permissible investments as set forth in the Application and Exemptive Order and the holdings will be consistent with all requirements in the Application and Exemptive Order.30 Any foreign common stocks held by the Fund will be traded on an exchange that is a member of the ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. The components of the Fund’s Actual Portfolio will (a) be listed on an exchange and the primary trading session of such exchange will trade synchronously with the Exchange’s Core Trading Session, as defined in Rule 7.34–E(a); (b) with respect to exchangetraded futures, be listed on a U.S. futures exchange; or (c) consist of cash and cash equivalents. The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of activelymanaged exchange-traded product that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the Issuer, prior to commencement of trading in the Shares of the Fund, that it will advise the Exchange of any failure by the Fund 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 Fund is not in compliance with the applicable listing requirements, the Exchange will 30 See PO 00000 note 9, supra. Frm 00122 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 commence delisting procedures under NYSE Arca Rule 5.5–E(m). As noted above, with respect to the Fund, the Exchange has in place surveillance procedures relating to trading in the Fund’s 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, with respect to the Fund, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Proxy Portfolio and quotation and last sale information for the Shares. B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement on Burden on Competition The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange believes the proposed rule change would permit listing and trading of another type of actively-managed ETF that has characteristics different from existing actively-managed and index ETFs and would introduce additional competition among various ETF products to the benefit of investors. C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the proposed rule change. III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act 31 and Rule 19b–4(f)(6) thereunder.32 Because the proposed rule change does not: (i) Significantly affect the protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative for 30 days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as the Commission may designate, if consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest, the proposed rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b–4(f)(6) thereunder.33 31 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii). CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6). 33 In addition, Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii) requires a selfregulatory organization to give the Commission written notice of its intent to file the proposed rule change, along with a brief description and text of the proposed rule change, at least five business days 32 17 E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 52 / Friday, March 19, 2021 / Notices A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b–4(f)(6) 34 normally does not become operative for 30 days after the date of the filing. However, pursuant to Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii),35 the Commission may designate a shorter time if such action is consistent with the protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange has asked the Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that the proposal may become operative immediately upon filing. The proposed rule change is substantially similar to other Active Proxy Portfolio Shares that the Commission previously approved under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601–E 36 and does not raise any novel regulatory issues. Accordingly, the Commission waives the operative delay and designates the proposed rule change operative upon filing.37 At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings under Section 19(b)(2)(B) 38 of the Act to determine whether the proposed rule change should be approved or disapproved. IV. Solicitation of Comments Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods: Electronic Comments • Use the Commission’s internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/ rules/sro.shtml); or • Send an email to rule-comments@ sec.gov. Please include File Number SR– NYSEArca-2021–17 on the subject line. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Paper comments: • Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities and Exchange prior to the date of filing of the proposed rule change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission. The Exchange has complied with this requirement. 34 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6). 35 17 CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6)(iii). 36 See note 8, supra. 37 For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, the Commission also has considered the proposed rule’s impact on efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 78c(f). 38 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B). VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:13 Mar 18, 2021 Jkt 253001 Commission, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549–1090. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION All submissions should refer to File Number SR–NYSEArca-2021–17. 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–NYSEArca-2021–17 and should be submitted on or before April 9, 2021. [Release No. 34–91326; File No. SR– CboeBZX–2021–019) For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.39 J. Matthew DeLesDernier, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2021–05673 Filed 3–18–21; 8:45 am] Self-Regulatory Organizations; Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To List and Trade Shares of the VanEck Bitcoin Trust, Under BZX Rule 14.11(e)(4), Commodity-Based Trust Shares March 15, 2021. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the ‘‘Act’’),1 and Rule 19b–4 thereunder,2 notice is hereby given that on March 1, 2021, Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the ‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘BZX’’) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’) the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons. I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the ‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘BZX’’) is filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (‘‘Commission’’) a proposed rule change to list and trade shares of the VanEck Bitcoin Trust (the ‘‘Trust’’),3 under BZX Rule 14.11(e)(4), Commodity-Based Trust Shares. The shares of the Trust are referred to herein as the ‘‘Shares.’’ The text of the proposed rule change is also available on the Exchange’s website (https://markets.cboe.com/us/ equities/regulation/rule_filings/bzx/), at the Exchange’s Office of the Secretary, and at the Commission’s Public Reference Room. II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of BILLING CODE 8011–01–P 1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). CFR 240.19b–4. 3 The Trust was formed as a Delaware statutory trust on December 17, 2020 and is operated as a grantor trust for U.S. federal tax purposes. The Trust has no fixed termination date. 2 17 39 17 PO 00000 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12). Frm 00123 Fmt 4703 14987 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\19MRN1.SGM 19MRN1

Agencies

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 52 (Friday, March 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14980-14987]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05673]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-91322; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2021-17]


Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing 
and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule Change Relating to Listing 
and Trading of Shares of the T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF 
Under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E

March 15, 2021.
    Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) \1\ of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (the ``Act'') \2\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\3\ notice is hereby 
given that, on March 8, 2021, NYSE Arca, Inc. (``NYSE Arca'' or the 
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 
``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in Items I and II 
below, which Items have been prepared by the self-regulatory 
organization. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit 
comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
    \2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a.
    \3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance 
of the Proposed Rule Change

    The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the following 
under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E: T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF. 
The proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's website at 
www.nyse.com, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the 
Commission's Public Reference Room.

II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

    In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization 
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the 
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the 
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at 
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared 
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most 
significant parts of such statements.

A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the 
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change

1. Purpose
    The Exchange has adopted NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E for the purpose of 
permitting the listing and trading, or trading pursuant to unlisted 
trading privileges (``UTP''), of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares, which 
are securities issued by an actively managed open-end investment 
management company.\4\ Commentary .01 to Rule 8.601-E requires the 
Exchange to file separate proposals under Section 19(b) of the Act 
before listing and trading any series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares 
on the Exchange. Therefore, the Exchange is submitting this proposal in 
order to list and trade shares (``Shares'') as Active Proxy Portfolio 
Shares of the T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF (the ``Fund'') 
under Rule 8.601-E.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 89185 (June 29, 
2020), 85 FR 40328 (July 6, 2020) (SR-NYSEArca-2019-95). Rule 8.601-
E(c)(1) provides that ``[t]he term ``Active Proxy Portfolio Share'' 
means a security that (a) is issued by a investment company 
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (``Investment 
Company'') organized as an open-end management investment company 
that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by the Investment 
Company's investment adviser consistent with the Investment 
Company's investment objectives and policies; (b) is issued in a 
specified minimum number of shares, or multiples thereof, in return 
for a deposit by the purchaser of the Proxy Portfolio and/or cash 
with a value equal to the next determined net asset value (``NAV''); 
(c) when aggregated in the same specified minimum number of Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares, or multiples thereof, may be redeemed at a 
holder's request in return for the Proxy Portfolio and/or cash to 
the holder by the issuer with a value equal to the next determined 
NAV; and (d) the portfolio holdings for which are disclosed within 
at least 60 days following the end of every fiscal quarter.'' Rule 
8.601-E(c)(2) provides that ``[t]he term ``Actual Portfolio'' means 
the identities and quantities of the securities and other assets 
held by the Investment Company that shall form the basis for the 
Investment Company's calculation of NAV at the end of the business 
day.'' Rule 8.601-E(c)(3) provides that ``[t]he term ``Proxy 
Portfolio'' means a specified portfolio of securities, other 
financial instruments and/or cash designed to track closely the 
daily performance of the Actual Portfolio of a series of Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares as provided in the exemptive relief pursuant 
to the Investment Company Act of 1940 applicable to such series.''
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Key Features of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares
    While funds issuing Active Proxy Portfolio Shares will be actively-
managed and, to that extent, will be similar to Managed Fund Shares, 
Active Proxy Portfolio Shares differ from Managed Fund Shares in the 
following important respects. First, in contrast to Managed Fund 
Shares, which are actively-managed funds listed and traded under NYSE 
Arca Rule 8.600-E \5\ and for which a ``Disclosed Portfolio'' is 
required to be disseminated at least once daily,\6\ the portfolio for 
each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares will be publicly disclosed 
within at least 60 days following the end of every fiscal quarter in 
accordance with normal disclosure requirements otherwise applicable to 
open-end management investment companies registered under the 
Investment Company Act of 1940 (the ``1940 Act'').\7\ The composition 
of the portfolio of each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares would 
not be available at commencement of Exchange listing and trading. 
Second, in connection with the creation and redemption of Active Proxy 
Portfolio Shares, such creation or redemption may be exchanged for a 
Proxy Portfolio

[[Page 14981]]

and/or cash with a value equal to the next-determined NAV. A series of 
Active Proxy Portfolio Shares will disclose the Proxy Portfolio on a 
daily basis, which, as described above, is designed to track closely 
the daily performance of the Actual Portfolio of a series of Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares, instead of the actual holdings of the 
Investment Company, as provided by a series of Managed Fund Shares.
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    \5\ The Commission has previously approved listing and trading 
on the Exchange of a number of issues of Managed Fund Shares under 
NYSE Arca Rule 8.600-E. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release 
Nos. 57801 (May 8, 2008), 73 FR 27878 (May 14, 2008) (SR-NYSEArca-
2008-31) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of twelve 
actively-managed funds of the WisdomTree Trust); 60460 (August 7, 
2009), 74 FR 41468 (August 17, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-55) (order 
approving listing of Dent Tactical ETF); 63076 (October 12, 2010), 
75 FR 63874 (October 18, 2010) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-79) (order 
approving Exchange listing and trading of Cambria Global Tactical 
ETF); 63802 (January 31, 2011), 76 FR 6503 (February 4, 2011) (SR-
NYSEArca-2010-118) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of 
the SiM Dynamic Allocation Diversified Income ETF and SiM Dynamic 
Allocation Growth Income ETF). The Commission also has approved a 
proposed rule change relating to generic listing standards for 
Managed Fund Shares. Securities Exchange Act Release No. 78397 (July 
22, 2016), 81 FR 49320 (July 27, 2016 (SR-NYSEArca-2015-110) 
(amending NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 to adopt generic listing 
standards for Managed Fund Shares).
    \6\ NYSE Arca Rule 8.600-E(c)(2) defines the term ``Disclosed 
Portfolio'' as the identities and quantities of the securities and 
other assets held by the Investment Company that will form the basis 
for the Investment Company's calculation of net asset value at the 
end of the business day. NYSE Arca Rule 8.600-E(d)(2)(B)(i) requires 
that the Disclosed Portfolio will be disseminated at least once 
daily and will be made available to all market participants at the 
same time.
    \7\ A mutual fund is required to file with the Commission its 
complete portfolio schedules for the second and fourth fiscal 
quarters on Form N-CSR under the 1940 Act. Information reported on 
Form N-PORT for the third month of a fund's fiscal quarter will be 
made publicly available 60 days after the end of a fund's fiscal 
quarter. Form N-PORT requires reporting of a fund's complete 
portfolio holdings on a position-by-position basis on a quarterly 
basis within 60 days after fiscal quarter end. Investors can obtain 
a fund's Statement of Additional Information (``SAI''), its 
Shareholder Reports, its Form N-CSR, filed twice a year, and its 
Form N-CEN, filed annually. A fund's SAI and Shareholder Reports 
will be available free upon request from the Investment Company, and 
those documents and the Form N-PORT, Form N-CSR, and Form N-CEN may 
be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission's website at 
www.sec.gov.
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    The Commission has previously approved listing and trading on the 
Exchange of series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares under NYSE Arca 
Rule 8.601-E.\8\
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    \8\ See Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 89185 (June 29, 
2020), 85 FR 40328 (July 6, 2020) (SR-NYSEArca-2019-95) (Notice of 
Filing of Amendment No. 6 and Order Granting Accelerated Approval of 
a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 6, to Adopt 
NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E to Permit the Listing and Trading of Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares and To List and Trade Shares of the Natixis 
U.S. Equity Opportunities ETF Under Proposed NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E) 
(``Natixis Order''); 89192 (June 30, 2020), 85 FR 40699 (July 7, 
2020) (SR-NYSEArca-2019-96) (Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 5 and 
Order Granting Accelerated Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as 
Modified by Amendment No. 5, to List and Trade Two Series of Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares Issued by the American Century ETF Trust 
under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E) (``American Century Order''); 89191 
(June 30, 2020), 85 FR 40358 (July 6, 2020) (SR-NYSEArca-2019-92) 
(Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 3 and Order Granting Accelerated 
Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 3, 
to List and Trade Four Series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares 
Issued by T. Rowe Price Exchange-Traded Funds, Inc. under NYSE Arca 
Rule 8.601-E) (``T. Rowe Price Approval Order''); 89438 (July 31, 
2020), 85 FR 47821 (August 6, 2020) (SR-NYSEArca-2020-51) (Order 
Granting Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by 
Amendment No. 2, to List and Trade Shares of Natixis Vaughan Nelson 
Select ETF and Natixis Vaughan Nelson MidCap ETF under NYSE Arca 
Rule 8.601-E). See also, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 88887 
(May 15, 2020), 85 FR 30990 (May 21, 2020) (SR-CboeBZX-2019-107) 
(Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 5 and Order Granting Accelerated 
Approval of a Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 5, 
to Adopt Rule 14.11(m), Tracking Fund Shares, and to List and Trade 
Shares of the Fidelity Blue Chip Value ETF, Fidelity Blue Chip 
Growth ETF, and Fidelity New Millennium ETF).
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    The Shares of the Fund will be issued by T. Rowe Price Exchange-
Traded Funds, Inc. (``Issuer''), a corporation organized under the laws 
of the State of Maryland that is comprised of multiple separate series, 
and registered with the Commission as an open-end management investment 
company.\9\ The investment adviser for the Fund will be T. Rowe Price 
Associates, Inc. (``Adviser''). State Street Bank and Trust Co. will 
serve as the Fund's transfer agent, custodian, and will conduct certain 
administrative functions (the ``Transfer Agent'' or ``Custodian''). T. 
Rowe Price Investment Services, Inc., a registered broker dealer and an 
affiliate of the Adviser, will serve as the distributor 
(``Distributor'') of the Shares.
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    \9\ The Issuer is registered under the 1940 Act. On February 8, 
2021, the Issuer filed a registration statement on Form N-1A under 
the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) and under the 1940 Act 
relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-235450 and 811-23494 (the 
``Registration Statement''). The Issuer filed a seventh amended 
application for an order under Section 6(c) of the 1940 Act for 
exemptions from various provisions of the 1940 Act and rules 
thereunder (File No. 812-14214), dated October 16, 2019 
(``Application''). On December 10, 2019, the Commission issued an 
order (``Exemptive Order'') under the 1940 Act granting the 
exemptions requested in the Application (Investment Company Act 
Release No. 33713, December 10, 2019). Investments made by the Fund 
will comply with the conditions set forth in the Application and the 
Exemptive Order. The description of the operation of the Fund herein 
is based, in part, on the Registration Statement and the 
Application. The Exchange will not commence trading in Shares of the 
Fund until the Registration Statement is effective.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Commentary .04 to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E provides that, if the 
investment adviser to the Investment Company issuing Active Proxy 
Portfolio Shares is registered as a broker-dealer or is affiliated with 
a broker-dealer, such investment adviser will erect and maintain a 
``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and personnel of the 
broker-dealer or broker-dealer affiliate, as applicable, with respect 
to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to 
such Investment Company's Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio. Any 
person related to the investment adviser or Investment Company who 
makes decisions pertaining to the Investment Company's Actual Portfolio 
and/or Proxy Portfolio or has access to non-public information 
regarding the Investment Company's Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy 
Portfolio or changes thereto must be subject to procedures reasonably 
designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public 
information regarding the Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or 
changes thereto. Commentary .04 is similar to Commentary .03(a)(i) and 
(iii) to NYSE Arca Rule 5.2-E(j)(3); however, Commentary .04, in 
connection with the establishment of a ``fire wall'' between the 
investment adviser and the broker-dealer, reflects the applicable open-
end fund's portfolio, not an underlying benchmark index, as is the case 
with index-based funds.\10\ Commentary .04 is also similar to 
Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600-E related to Managed Fund Shares, except 
that Commentary .04 relates to establishment and maintenance of a 
``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and personnel of the 
broker-dealer or broker-dealer affiliate, as applicable, applicable to 
an Investment Company's Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or 
changes thereto, and not just to the underlying portfolio, as is the 
case with Managed Fund Shares.
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    \10\ An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be 
registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the ``Advisers 
Act''). As a result, the Adviser and its related personnel will be 
subject to the provisions of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act 
relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers 
to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the fiduciary nature of the 
relationship to clients as well as compliance with other applicable 
securities laws. Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent the 
communication and misuse of non-public information by an investment 
adviser must be consistent with Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. 
In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act makes it unlawful 
for an investment adviser to provide investment advice to clients 
unless such investment adviser has (i) adopted and implemented 
written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent 
violations, by the investment adviser and its supervised persons, of 
the Advisers Act and the Commission rules adopted thereunder; (ii) 
implemented, at a minimum, an annual review regarding the adequacy 
of the policies and procedures established pursuant to subparagraph 
(i) above and the effectiveness of their implementation; and (iii) 
designated an individual (who is a supervised person) responsible 
for administering the policies and procedures adopted under 
subparagraph (i) above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, Commentary .05 to Rule 8.601-E provides that any 
person or entity, including a custodian, Reporting Authority, 
distributor, or administrator, who has access to non-public information 
regarding the Investment Company's Actual Portfolio or the Proxy 
Portfolio or changes thereto, must be subject to procedures reasonably 
designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public 
information regarding the applicable Investment Company Actual 
Portfolio or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. Moreover, if any 
such person or entity is registered as a broker-dealer or affiliated 
with a broker-dealer, such person or entity will erect and maintain a 
``fire wall'' between the person or entity and the broker-dealer with 
respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or 
changes to such Investment Company Actual Portfolio or Proxy Portfolio.
    The Adviser is not registered as a broker-dealer but is affiliated 
with a broker-dealer and has implemented and will maintain a ``fire 
wall'' with respect to such broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to 
information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's 
Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio.
    In the event (a) the Adviser becomes registered as a broker-dealer 
or newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser or any 
sub-adviser is a registered broker-dealer or becomes affiliated with a 
broker-dealer, it will implement and maintain a fire wall with

[[Page 14982]]

respect to its relevant personnel or its broker-dealer affiliate 
regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or 
changes to the Fund's Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio, and will 
be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination 
of material non-public information regarding the Fund's Actual 
Portfolio and/or Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. Any person related 
to the Adviser or the Fund who makes decisions pertaining to the Fund's 
Actual Portfolio or Proxy Portfolio or has access to non-public 
information regarding the Fund's Actual Portfolio and/or the Proxy 
Portfolio or changes thereto is subject to procedures reasonably 
designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public 
information regarding the Fund's Actual Portfolio and/or the Proxy 
Portfolio or changes thereto.
    In addition, any person or entity, including any service provider 
for the Fund, who has access to non-public information regarding the 
Fund's Actual Portfolio or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto, will 
be subject to procedures reasonably designed to prevent the use and 
dissemination of material non-public information regarding the Fund's 
Actual Portfolio and/or the Proxy Portfolio or changes thereto. 
Moreover, if any such person or entity is registered as a broker-dealer 
or affiliated with a broker-dealer, such person or entity has erected 
and will maintain a ``fire wall'' between the person or entity and the 
broker-dealer with respect to access to information concerning the 
composition and/or changes to the Fund's Actual Portfolio and/or Proxy 
Portfolio.
Description of the Fund
    According to the Application, for the Fund, the Adviser will 
identify its Proxy Portfolio, which could be based on a broad-based 
securities index (e.g., the S&P 500) or the Fund's recently disclosed 
portfolio holdings. Although the Adviser may change the Fund's Proxy 
Portfolio at any time, the Adviser currently does not expect to make 
such changes more frequently than quarterly (for example, in connection 
with the release of the Fund's portfolio holdings). The Adviser will 
publish a new Proxy Portfolio for the Fund only before the commencement 
of trading of the Fund's Shares on each ``Business Day,'' \11\ and the 
Adviser will not make intra-day changes to the Proxy Portfolio except 
to correct errors in the published Proxy Portfolio.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ ``Business Day'' is defined to mean any day that the 
Exchange is open, including any day when the Fund satisfies 
redemption requests as required by section 22(e) of the 1940 Act.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Fund will disclose the ``Daily Deviation'' \12\ between the 
Proxy Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio daily, as well as ``Empirical 
Percentiles,'' \13\ which are quantitative summaries of the Daily 
Deviation data for the last year. The Fund will also disclose its 
``Tracking Error.'' \14\ The Fund's Proxy Portfolio will be determined 
such that at least 80% of its total assets will overlap with the 
portfolio weightings of the Actual Portfolio.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \12\ According to the Registration Statement, the Daily 
Deviation shows the difference in performance between the NAV of the 
Fund and the NAV of the Proxy Portfolio.
    \13\ According to the Registration Statement, the Empirical 
Percentiles shows frequency and magnitude of performance differences 
between the Fund and the Proxy Portfolio over time.
    \14\ According to the Registration Statement, ``Tracking Error'' 
is the deviation over the past three months of the daily proxy 
spread (i.e., the difference, in percentage terms, between the Proxy 
Portfolio's per share NAV and that of the fund at the end of the 
trading day).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, on each Business Day, before commencement of trading 
of Shares, the ``Portfolio Overlap'' will be published on the Fund's 
website. The Portfolio Overlap will be the percentage weight overlap 
between the prior Business Day's Proxy Portfolio's holdings compared to 
the holdings of the Actual Portfolio that formed the basis for the 
Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the prior Business Day.\15\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ According to the Registration Statement, ``Portfolio 
Overlap'' indicates how much of the Fund's portfolio securities 
overlap with the Fund's Proxy Portfolio as of the end of the prior 
Business Day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Proxy Portfolio will not include any asset that is ineligible 
to be in the Actual Portfolio of the Fund.
T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research ETF
    The Fund's holdings will conform to the permissible investments as 
set forth in the Application and Exemptive Order and the holdings will 
be consistent with all requirements in the Application and Exemptive 
Order.\16\ Any foreign common stocks held by the Fund will be traded on 
an exchange that is a member of the Intermarket Surveillance Group 
(``ISG'') or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive 
surveillance sharing agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \16\ According to the Application and Exemptive Order, the Fund 
will only invest in exchange-traded common stocks, common stocks 
listed on a foreign exchange that trade on such exchange 
synchronously with the Shares (``foreign common stocks'') in the 
Exchange's Core Trading Session (normally 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Eastern time (``E.T.'')), ETFs traded on a U.S. exchange, exchange-
traded notes (``ETNs'') traded on a U.S. exchange, U.S. exchange-
traded preferred stocks, U.S. exchange-traded American Depositary 
Receipts (``ADRs''), U.S. exchange-traded real estate investment 
trusts, U.S. exchange-traded commodity pools, U.S. exchange-traded 
metals trusts, U.S. exchange-traded currency trusts and U.S. 
exchange-traded futures contracts (collectively, ``exchange-traded 
instruments'') that trade synchronously with the Fund's Shares, as 
well as cash and cash equivalents. For purposes of this filing, cash 
equivalents are short-term U.S. Treasury securities, government 
money market funds, and repurchase agreements. The Fund will not 
hold short positions or invest in derivatives other than U.S. 
exchange-traded futures, will not borrow for investment purposes, 
and will not purchase any securities that are illiquid investments 
at the time of purchase.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Fund's investment objective will be to provide long-term 
capital growth.
    The Fund will attempt to create a portfolio with similar 
characteristics to a broad-based securities index (e.g., the S&P 500) 
with the potential to provide excess returns relative to such index. 
The Fund will use a disciplined portfolio construction process whereby 
it weights each sector and industry approximately the same as the 
applicable index. Within each sector and industry, the weighting of 
individual fund holdings can vary significantly from their weighting 
within the applicable index. The Fund will attempt to outperform such 
index by overweighting those stocks that are viewed favorably relative 
to their weighting in such index, and underweighting or avoiding those 
stocks that are viewed negatively.
Investment Restrictions
    The Shares of the Fund will conform to the initial and continued 
listing criteria under Rule 8.601-E. The Fund's holdings will be 
limited to and consistent with permissible holdings as described in the 
Application and all requirements in the Application and Exemptive 
Order.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ See note 9, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Fund's investments, including derivatives, will be consistent 
with its investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage 
(although certain derivatives and other investments may result in 
leverage). That is, the Fund's investments will not be used to seek 
performance that is the multiple or inverse multiple (e.g., 2X or -3X) 
of the Fund's primary broad-based securities benchmark index (as 
defined in Form N-1A).
Purchases and Redemptions
    The Issuer will offer, issue and sell Shares of the Fund to 
investors only in specified minimum size ``Creation Units'' through the 
Distributor on a continuous basis at the NAV per Share next determined 
after an order in proper form is received. The NAV of the Fund is 
expected to be determined as of 4:00 p.m. E.T. on each Business Day. 
The Issuer will sell and redeem Creation

[[Page 14983]]

Units of the Fund only on a Business Day. A Creation Unit will consist 
of at least 5,000 Shares.
    Shares will be purchased and redeemed in Creation Units and 
generally on an in-kind basis. Accordingly, except where the purchase 
or redemption will include cash under the circumstances specified 
below, purchasers will be required to purchase Creation Units by making 
an in-kind deposit of specified instruments (``Deposit Instruments''), 
and shareholders redeeming their Shares will receive an in-kind 
transfer of specified instruments (``Redemption Instruments''). The 
names and quantities of the instruments that constitute the Deposit 
Instruments and the Redemption Instruments for the Fund (collectively, 
the ``Creation Basket'') will be the same as the Fund's designated 
Proxy Portfolio, except to the extent that the Fund requires purchases 
and redemptions to be made entirely or in part on a cash basis, as 
described below.
    If there is a difference between the NAV attributable to a Creation 
Unit and the aggregate market value of the Creation Basket exchanged 
for the Creation Unit, the party conveying instruments with the lower 
value will also pay to the other an amount in cash equal to that 
difference (the ``Cash Amount'').
    The Fund will adopt and implement policies and procedures regarding 
the composition of its Creation Baskets. The policies and procedures 
will set forth detailed parameters for the construction and acceptance 
of baskets that are in the best interests of the Fund, including the 
process for any revisions to or deviations from, those parameters.
    The Fund normally will issue and redeem Creation Units in-kind, but 
may require purchases and redemptions to be made entirely or in part on 
a cash basis. In such an instance, the Fund will announce, before the 
open of trading in the Core Trading Session on a given Business Day, 
that all purchases, all redemptions or all purchases and redemptions on 
that day will be made wholly or partly in cash. The Fund may also 
determine, upon receiving a purchase or redemption order from an 
Authorized Participant (as defined below), to have the purchase or 
redemption, as applicable, be made entirely or in part in cash.\18\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ The Adviser represents that, to the extent that the Fund 
allows creations and redemptions to be conducted in cash, such 
transactions will be effected in the same manner for all Authorized 
Participants transacting in cash.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Each Business Day, before the open of trading on the Exchange, the 
Fund will cause to be published through the National Securities 
Clearing Corporation (``NSCC'') the names and quantities of the 
instruments comprising the Creation Basket, as well as the estimated 
Cash Amount (if any) for that day. The published Creation Basket will 
apply until a new Creation Basket is announced on the following 
Business Day, and there will be no intra-day changes to the Creation 
Basket except to correct errors in the published Creation Basket. The 
Proxy Portfolio will be published each Business Day regardless of 
whether the Fund decides to issue or redeem Creation Units entirely or 
in part on a cash basis.
    All orders to purchase Creation Units must be placed with the 
Distributor by or through an Authorized Participant, which is a member 
or participant of a clearing agency registered with the Commission, 
which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service 
providers that allows the Authorized Participant to place orders for 
the purchase and redemption of Creation Units. Except as otherwise 
permitted, no promoter, principal underwriter (e.g., the Distributor) 
or affiliated person of the Fund, or any affiliated person of such 
person, will be an Authorized Participant in Shares.
    Validly submitted orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units on 
each Business Day will be accepted until the end of the Core Trading 
Session (the ``Order Cut-Off Time''), generally 4:00 p.m. E.T., on the 
Business Day that the order is placed (the ``Transmittal Date''). All 
Creation Unit orders must be received by the Distributor no later than 
the Order Cut-Off Time in order to receive the NAV determined on the 
Transmittal Date. When the Exchange closes earlier than normal, the 
Fund may require orders for Creation Units to be placed earlier in the 
Business Day.
Availability of Information
    The Fund's website (www.troweprice.com), which will be publicly 
available prior to the public offering of Shares, will include a form 
of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Fund's 
website will include on a daily basis, per Share for the Fund, the 
prior Business Day's NAV and the ``Closing Price'' or ``Bid/Ask 
Price,'' \19\ and a calculation of the premium/discount of the Closing 
Price or Bid/Ask Price against such NAV. \20\ The Adviser has 
represented that the Fund's website will also provide: (1) Any other 
information regarding premiums/discounts as may be required for other 
ETFs under Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act, as amended, and (2) any 
information regarding the bid/ask spread for the Fund as may be 
required for other ETFs under Rule 6c-11 under the 1940 Act, as 
amended. The website and information will be publicly available at no 
charge. The Fund's website also will disclose the information required 
under Rule 8.601-E(c)(3).\21\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \19\ The records relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by 
the Fund or its service providers. The ``Bid/Ask Price'' is the 
midpoint of the highest bid and lowest offer based upon the National 
Best Bid and Offer as of the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV. 
The ``National Best Bid and Offer'' is the current national best bid 
and national best offer as disseminated by the Consolidated 
Quotation System or UTP Plan Securities Information Processor. The 
``Closing Price'' of Shares is the official closing price of the 
Shares on the Exchange.
    \20\ The ``premium/discount'' refers to the premium or discount 
to NAV at the end of a trading day and will be calculated based on 
the last Bid/Ask Price or the Closing Price on a given trading day.
    \21\ See note 4, supra. Rule 8.601-E(c)(3) provides that the 
website for each series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares shall 
disclose the information regarding the Proxy Portfolio as provided 
in the exemptive relief pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 
1940 applicable to such series, including the following, to the 
extent applicable:
    (i) Ticker symbol;
    (ii) CUSIP or other identifier;
    (iii) Description of holding;
    (iv) Quantity of each security or other asset held; and
     (v) Percentage weighting of the holding in the portfolio.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Proxy Portfolio holdings (including the identity and quantity 
of investments in the Proxy Portfolio) will be publicly available on 
the Fund's website before the commencement of trading in Shares on each 
Business Day.
    The website also will include information relating to Portfolio 
Overlap, Daily Deviation, Empirical Percentile and Tracking Error for 
the Fund, as discussed above.
    The Exchange notes that the Application provides that the Issuer 
will comply with Regulation Fair Disclosure, which prohibits selective 
disclosure of any material non-public information.
    Typical mutual fund-style annual, semi-annual and quarterly 
disclosures contained in the Fund's Commission filings will be provided 
on the Fund's website on a current basis.\22\ Thus, the Fund will 
publish the portfolio contents of its Actual Portfolio on a periodic 
basis within at least 60 days following the end of every fiscal 
quarter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \22\ See note 7, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Investors can also obtain the Fund's prospectus, SAI, shareholder 
reports, Form N-CSR, Form N-PORT and Form N-CEN. Investors may access 
complete portfolio schedules for the Fund on Form N-CSR and Form N-
PORT. The prospectus, SAI and shareholder reports

[[Page 14984]]

will be available free upon request from the Fund, and those documents 
and the Form N-CSR, Form N-PORT and Form N-CEN may be viewed on-screen 
or downloaded from the Commission's website at https://www.sec.gov.
    Information regarding the market price of Shares and trading volume 
in Shares, will be continually available on a real-time basis 
throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic 
services. The previous day's closing price and trading volume 
information for the Shares will be published daily in the financial 
section of newspapers.
    Quotation and last sale information for the Shares and U.S. 
exchange-traded instruments (excluding futures contracts) will be 
available via the Consolidated Tape Association (``CTA'') high-speed 
line, from the exchanges on which such securities trade, or through 
major market data vendors or subscription services. Intraday price 
information for all exchange-traded instruments, which include all 
eligible instruments except cash and cash equivalents, will be 
available from the exchanges on which they trade, or through major 
market data vendors or subscription services. Intraday price 
information for cash equivalents is available through major market data 
vendors, subscription services and/or pricing services.
Trading Halts
    With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all 
relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend 
trading in the Shares of the Fund.\23\ Trading in Shares of the Fund 
will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Rule 
7.12-E have been reached. Trading also may be halted because of market 
conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make 
trading in the Shares inadvisable. Trading in the Shares will be 
subject to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E(d)(2)(D), which sets forth 
circumstances under which Shares of the Fund will be halted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \23\ See NYSE Arca Rule 7.12-E.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Specifically, Rule 8.601-E(d)(2)(D) provides that the Exchange may 
consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt 
trading in a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares. Trading may be 
halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of 
the Exchange, make trading in the series of Active Proxy Portfolio 
Shares inadvisable. These may include: (a) The extent to which trading 
is not occurring in the securities and/or the financial instruments 
composing the Proxy Portfolio and/or Actual Portfolio; or (b) whether 
other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the 
maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present.
    In addition, if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV, Proxy 
Portfolio or Actual Portfolio with respect to a series of Active Proxy 
Portfolio Shares is not disseminated to all market participants at the 
same time, the Exchange shall halt trading in such series until such 
time as the NAV, Proxy Portfolio or Actual Portfolio is available to 
all market participants at the same time.
Trading Rules
    The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus 
rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing 
rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on 
the NYSE Arca Marketplace in all trading sessions in accordance with 
NYSE Arca Rule 7.34-E(a). 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 order entry is $0.0001.
    The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing 
criteria under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E. The Exchange has appropriate 
rules to facilitate trading in the Shares during all trading sessions.
    A minimum of 100,000 Shares for the Fund will be outstanding at the 
commencement of trading on the Exchange. In addition, pursuant to Rule 
8.601-E(d)(1)(B), the Exchange, prior to commencement of trading in the 
Shares, will obtain a representation from the Issuer of the Shares that 
the NAV per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV, Proxy 
Portfolio and the Actual Portfolio for the Fund will be made available 
to all market participants at the same time.
    With respect to the Fund, all of the Exchange member obligations 
relating to product description and prospectus delivery requirements 
will continue to apply in accordance with Exchange rules and federal 
securities laws, and the Exchange and the Financial Industry Regulatory 
Authority, Inc. (``FINRA'') will continue to monitor Exchange members 
for compliance with such requirements.
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 FINRA on behalf of 
the Exchange, which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules 
and applicable federal securities laws.\24\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The surveillances referred to above generally focus on detecting 
securities trading outside their normal patterns, which could be 
indicative of manipulative or other violative activity. When such 
situations are detected, surveillance analysis follows and 
investigations are opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of 
all relevant parties for all relevant trading violations.
    FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or the Exchange or both will 
communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and underlying 
exchange-traded instruments with other markets and other entities that 
are members of the ISG, and FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or the 
Exchange or both may obtain trading information regarding trading such 
securities and exchange-traded instruments from such markets and other 
entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding 
trading in such securities and exchange-traded instruments from markets 
and other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange 
has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.\25\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \25\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see 
www.isgportal.org.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Adviser will make available daily to FINRA and the Exchange the 
Actual Portfolio of the Fund, upon request, in order to facilitate the 
performance of the surveillances referred to above.
    In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the 
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
    Commentary .03 to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E provides that the Exchange 
will implement and maintain written surveillance procedures for Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares. As part of these surveillance procedures, the 
Investment Company's investment adviser will upon request by the 
Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, make available to the 
Exchange or FINRA the daily Actual Portfolio holdings of each series of 
Active Proxy Portfolio Shares.

[[Page 14985]]

The Exchange believes that the ability to access the information on an 
as needed basis will provide it with sufficient information to perform 
the necessary regulatory functions associated with listing and trading 
series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares on the Exchange, including the 
ability to monitor compliance with the initial and continued listing 
requirements as well as the ability to surveil for manipulation of 
Active Proxy Portfolio Shares.
    The Exchange will utilize its existing procedures to monitor the 
Fund's compliance with the requirements of Rule 8.601-E. For example, 
the Exchange will continue to use intraday alerts that will notify 
Exchange personnel of trading activity throughout the day that may 
indicate that unusual conditions or circumstances are present that 
could be detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market. 
The Exchange will require from the Issuer of Shares, upon initial 
listing and periodically thereafter, a representation that it is in 
compliance with Rule 8.601-E. The Exchange notes that Commentary .01 to 
Rule 8.601-E requires the Issuer of Shares to notify the Exchange of 
any failure to comply with the continued listing requirements of Rule 
8.601-E. In addition, the Exchange will require the Issuer to represent 
that it will notify the Exchange of any failure to comply with the 
terms of applicable exemptive and no-action relief. As part of its 
surveillance procedures, the Exchange will rely on the foregoing 
procedures to become aware of any non-compliance with the requirements 
of Rule 8.601-E.
    With respect to the Fund, all statements and representations made 
in this filing regarding (a) the description of the portfolio or 
reference asset, (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 on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a 
representation from the Issuer, prior to commencement of trading in the 
Shares of the Fund, that it will advise the Exchange of any failure by 
the Fund 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 Fund is not in compliance with the applicable 
listing requirements, the Exchange will commence delisting procedures 
under NYSE Arca Rule 5.5-E(m).
2. Statutory Basis
    The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is consistent 
with Section 6(b) of the Act,\26\ in general, and furthers the 
objectives of Section 6(b)(5) of the Act,\27\ in particular, in that it 
is 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 
a national market system, and, in general, to protect investors and the 
public interest.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \26\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
    \27\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
    \28\ The Exchange represents that, for initial and continued 
listing, the Fund will be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 under the 
Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Rule 5.3-E.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With respect to the proposed listing and trading of Shares of the 
Fund, 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 8.601-E. One-
hundred percent of the value of the Fund's Actual Portfolio (except for 
cash, cash equivalents and Treasury securities) at the time of purchase 
will be listed on U.S. or foreign securities exchanges (or, in the 
limited case of futures contracts, U.S. futures exchanges). The listing 
and trading of such securities is subject to rules of the exchanges on 
which they are listed and traded, as approved by the Commission.
    The Fund's holdings will conform to the permissible investments as 
set forth in the Application and Exemptive Order and the holdings will 
be consistent with all requirements in the Application and Exemptive 
Order.\29\ The Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, or both, 
will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and 
underlying exchange-traded instruments 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 such securities and exchange-traded instruments from 
such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain 
information regarding trading in such securities and exchange-traded 
instruments from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or 
with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance 
sharing agreement. Any foreign common stocks held by the Fund will be 
traded on an exchange that is a member of the ISG or with which the 
Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ See note 9, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The daily dissemination of the identity and quantity of Proxy 
Portfolio component investments, together with the right of Authorized 
Participants to create and redeem each day at the NAV, will be 
sufficient for market participants to value and trade shares in a 
manner that will not lead to significant deviations between the Bid/Ask 
Price and NAV of shares of a series of Active Proxy Portfolio Shares.
    The Fund's investments, including derivatives, will be consistent 
with its investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage 
(although certain derivatives and other investments may result in 
leverage). That is, the Fund's investments will not be used to seek 
performance that is the multiple or inverse multiple (e.g., 2X or 
[caret]3X) of the Fund's primary broad-based securities benchmark index 
(as defined in Form N-1A).
    With respect to the Fund, the proposed rule change is designed to 
promote just and equitable principles of trade and to protect investors 
and the public interest in that the Exchange will obtain a 
representation from the Issuer, prior to commencement of trading in the 
Shares, that the NAV per Share of the Fund will be calculated daily and 
that the NAV, Proxy Portfolio and Actual Portfolio will be made 
available to all market participants at the same time. Investors can 
also obtain the Fund's SAI, shareholder reports, and its Form N-CSR, 
Form N-PORT and Form N-CEN. The Fund's SAI and shareholder reports will 
be available free upon request from the Fund, and those documents and 
the Form N-CSR, Form N-PORT and Form N-CEN may be viewed on-screen or 
downloaded from the Commission's website.
    Commentary .03 to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E provides that the Exchange 
will implement and maintain written surveillance procedures for Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares. As part of these surveillance procedures, the 
Investment Company's investment adviser will, upon request by the 
Exchange or FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, make available to the 
Exchange or FINRA the daily portfolio holdings of each series of Active 
Proxy Portfolio Shares. The Exchange believes that the ability to 
access the information on an as needed basis will provide it with 
sufficient information to perform the necessary regulatory functions 
associated with listing and trading series of Active Proxy Portfolio 
Shares on the Exchange, including the ability to monitor

[[Page 14986]]

compliance with the initial and continued listing requirements as well 
as the ability to surveil for manipulation of Active Proxy Portfolio 
Shares. With respect to the Fund, the Adviser will make available daily 
to FINRA and the Exchange the portfolio holdings of the Fund upon 
request in order to facilitate the performance of the surveillances 
referred to above.
    The Exchange will utilize its existing procedures to monitor Issuer 
compliance with the requirements of Rule 8.601-E. For example, the 
Exchange will continue to use intraday alerts that will notify Exchange 
personnel of trading activity throughout the day that may indicate that 
unusual conditions or circumstances are present that could be 
detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market. The 
Exchange will require from the Issuer of the Shares, upon initial 
listing and periodically thereafter, a representation that it is in 
compliance with Rule 8.601-E. The Exchange notes that Commentary .01 to 
Rule 8.601-E requires the Issuer of Shares to notify the Exchange of 
any failure to comply with the continued listing requirements of Rule 
8.601-E. In addition, the Exchange will require the Issuer to represent 
that it will notify the Exchange of any failure to comply with the 
terms of applicable exemptive and no-action relief. The Exchange will 
rely on the foregoing procedures to become aware of any non-compliance 
with the requirements of Rule 8.601-E.
    In addition, with respect to the Fund, a large amount of 
information will be publicly available regarding the Fund and the 
Shares, thereby promoting market transparency.
    Quotation and last sale information for the Shares and U.S. 
exchange-traded instruments (excluding futures contracts) will be 
available via the CTA high-speed line, from the exchanges on which such 
securities trade, or through major market data vendors or subscription 
services. Intraday price information for all exchange-traded 
instruments, which include all eligible instruments except cash and 
cash equivalents, will be available from the exchanges on which they 
trade, or through major market data vendors or subscription services. 
Intraday price information for cash equivalents is available through 
major market data vendors, subscription services and/or pricing 
services.
    The website for the Fund will include a form of the prospectus for 
the Fund that may be downloaded, and additional data relating to NAV 
and other applicable quantitative information, updated on a daily 
basis. Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit 
breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Rule 7.12-E have been reached or 
because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the 
Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. Trading in the Shares 
will be subject to NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E(d)(2)(D), which sets forth 
circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In 
addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to the Proxy 
Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares. The 
Proxy Portfolio holdings (including the identity and quantity of 
investments in the Proxy Portfolio) will be publicly available on the 
Fund's website before the commencement of trading in Shares on each 
Business Day. The Shares will conform to the initial and continued 
listing criteria under Rule 8.601-E.
    The Fund's holdings will conform to the permissible investments as 
set forth in the Application and Exemptive Order and the holdings will 
be consistent with all requirements in the Application and Exemptive 
Order.\30\ Any foreign common stocks held by the Fund will be traded on 
an exchange that is a member of the ISG or with which the Exchange has 
in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \30\ See note 9, supra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The components of the Fund's Actual Portfolio will (a) be listed on 
an exchange and the primary trading session of such exchange will trade 
synchronously with the Exchange's Core Trading Session, as defined in 
Rule 7.34-E(a); (b) with respect to exchange-traded futures, be listed 
on a U.S. futures exchange; or (c) consist of cash and cash 
equivalents.
    The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a 
free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the 
public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of 
an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that 
will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of 
investors and the marketplace. The Exchange will obtain a 
representation from the Issuer, prior to commencement of trading in the 
Shares of the Fund, that it will advise the Exchange of any failure by 
the Fund 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 Fund is not in compliance with the applicable 
listing requirements, the Exchange will commence delisting procedures 
under NYSE Arca Rule 5.5-E(m).
    As noted above, with respect to the Fund, the Exchange has in place 
surveillance procedures relating to trading in the Fund's 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, with 
respect to the Fund, investors will have ready access to information 
regarding the Proxy Portfolio and quotation and last sale information 
for the Shares.

B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition

    The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will 
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate 
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. The Exchange believes the 
proposed rule change would permit listing and trading of another type 
of actively-managed ETF that has characteristics different from 
existing actively-managed and index ETFs and would introduce additional 
competition among various ETF products to the benefit of investors.

C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed 
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others

    No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the 
proposed rule change.

III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for 
Commission Action

    The Exchange has filed the proposed rule change pursuant to Section 
19(b)(3)(A)(iii) of the Act \31\ and Rule 19b-4(f)(6) thereunder.\32\ 
Because the proposed rule change does not: (i) Significantly affect the 
protection of investors or the public interest; (ii) impose any 
significant burden on competition; and (iii) become operative for 30 
days from the date on which it was filed, or such shorter time as the 
Commission may designate, if consistent with the protection of 
investors and the public interest, the proposed rule change has become 
effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act and Rule 19b-
4(f)(6) thereunder.\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \31\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A)(iii).
    \32\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \33\ In addition, Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii) requires a self-
regulatory organization to give the Commission written notice of its 
intent to file the proposed rule change, along with a brief 
description and text of the proposed rule change, at least five 
business days prior to the date of filing of the proposed rule 
change, or such shorter time as designated by the Commission. The 
Exchange has complied with this requirement.

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[[Page 14987]]

    A proposed rule change filed under Rule 19b-4(f)(6) \34\ normally 
does not become operative for 30 days after the date of the filing. 
However, pursuant to Rule 19b-4(f)(6)(iii),\35\ the Commission may 
designate a shorter time if such action is consistent with the 
protection of investors and the public interest. The Exchange has asked 
the Commission to waive the 30-day operative delay so that the proposal 
may become operative immediately upon filing. The proposed rule change 
is substantially similar to other Active Proxy Portfolio Shares that 
the Commission previously approved under NYSE Arca Rule 8.601-E \36\ 
and does not raise any novel regulatory issues. Accordingly, the 
Commission waives the operative delay and designates the proposed rule 
change operative upon filing.\37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \34\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6).
    \35\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f)(6)(iii).
    \36\ See note 8, supra.
    \37\ For purposes only of waiving the 30-day operative delay, 
the Commission also has considered the proposed rule's impact on 
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See 15 U.S.C. 
78c(f).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    At any time within 60 days of the filing of such proposed rule 
change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule 
change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or 
appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or 
otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission 
takes such action, the Commission shall institute proceedings under 
Section 19(b)(2)(B) \38\ of the Act to determine whether the proposed 
rule change should be approved or disapproved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2)(B).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IV. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule 
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of 
the following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an email to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2021-17 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-2021-17. 
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-NYSEArca-2021-17 and should 
be submitted on or before April 9, 2021.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \39\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-05673 Filed 3-18-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P

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