Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating To Listing and Trading of Shares of the PIMCO…
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Self-Regulatory Organizations;
Citation: "79 FR 29231"
Document Number: "Release No. 34-72170; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2014-56"
"Notices"
May 15, 2014.
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
FOOTNOTE 1 15 U.S.C.78s(b)(1). END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 2 15 U.S.C. 78a. END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 3 17 CFR 240.19b-4. END FOOTNOTE
I.
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the
II.
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.
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares ("Shares") of the
FOOTNOTE 4 The Commission has previously approved the listing and trading on the Exchange of other actively managed funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g ., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 60981 (
FOOTNOTE 5 A Managed Fund Share is a security that represents an interest in an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1) ("1940 Act") organized as an open-end investment company or similar entity that invests in a portfolio of securities selected by its investment adviser consistent with its investment objectives and policies. In contrast, an open-end investment company that issues Investment Company Units, listed and traded on the Exchange under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of a specific foreign or domestic stock index, fixed income securities index or combination thereof. END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 6 The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On
The investment manager to the Fund will be
Commentary .06 to Rule 8.600 provides that, if the investment adviser to the investment company issuing Managed Fund Shares is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such investment adviser shall erect a "fire wall" between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer with respect to access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to such investment company portfolio. /7/ In addition, Commentary .06 further requires that personnel who make decisions on the open-end fund's portfolio composition must be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material nonpublic information regarding the open-end fund's portfolio. The Adviser is not registered as a broker-dealer, but is affiliated with a broker-dealer, and will implement a "fire wall" with respect to such broker-dealer regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's portfolio. If
FOOTNOTE 7 An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Advisers Act"). As a result, the Adviser and its related personnel are subject to the provisions of Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as well as compliance with other applicable securities laws. Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent the communication and misuse of non-public information by an investment adviser must be consistent with Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to provide investment advice to clients unless such investment adviser has (i) adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent 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. END FOOTNOTE
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 sub-adviser is a registered broker-dealer, or becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement a fire wall with respect to its relevant personnel or its broker-dealer affiliate regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the portfolio, and will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding such portfolio.
Characteristics of the Fund /8/
FOOTNOTE 8 Many of the investment strategies of the Fund are discretionary, which means that
According to the Registration Statement, in selecting investments for the Fund,
In seeking to identify undervalued currencies,
Fixed Income Instruments
Among other investments described in more detail herein, the Fund may invest in Fixed Income Instruments, which include:
* Securities issued or guaranteed by the
* corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper; /9/
FOOTNOTE 9 With respect to the Fund, while non-emerging markets corporate debt securities (excluding commercial paper) generally must have
* mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities; /10/
FOOTNOTE 10 Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities include collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMO"s), commercial mortgage-backed securities, mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals, stripped mortgage-backed securities and other securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. A to-be-announced ("TBA") transaction is a method of trading mortgage-backed securities. In a TBA transaction, the buyer and seller agree upon general trade parameters such as agency, settlement date, par amount and price. The actual pools delivered generally are determined two days prior to the settlement date. END FOOTNOTE
* inflation-indexed bonds issued both by governments and corporations; /11/
FOOTNOTE 11 Inflation-indexed bonds (other than municipal inflation-indexed bonds and certain corporate inflation-indexed bonds) are fixed income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation (e.g.,
* structured notes, including hybrid or "indexed" securities and event-linked bonds; /12/
FOOTNOTE 12 The Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent, or formulaically related to defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena, or statistics relating to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose a portion or its entire principal invested in the bond or notional amount on a swap. END FOOTNOTE
* bank capital and trust preferred securities; /13/
FOOTNOTE 13 There are two common types of bank capital: Tier I and Tier II. Bank capital is generally, but not always, of investment grade quality. According to the Registration Statement, Tier I securities often take the form of trust preferred securities. Tier II securities are commonly thought of as hybrids of debt and preferred stock, are often perpetual (with no maturity date), callable and, under certain conditions, allow for the issuer bank to withhold payment of interest until a later date. However, such deferred interest payments generally earn interest. END FOOTNOTE
* loan participations and assignments; /14/
FOOTNOTE 14 The Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. END FOOTNOTE
* delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities;
* bank certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers' acceptances;
* repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments and reverse repurchase agreements on Fixed Income Instruments;
* debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises ("Municipal Bonds");
* obligations of non-U.S. governments or their subdivisions, agencies and government-sponsored enterprises; and
* obligations of international agencies or supranational entities.
Use of Derivatives by the Fund
The Fund's investments in derivative instruments will be made in accordance with the 1940 Act and consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies. With respect to the Fund, derivative instruments primarily will include forwards, /15/ exchange-traded and over-the-counter ("OTC") options contracts, exchange-traded futures contracts, swap agreements and options on futures contracts and swap agreements. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies.
FOOTNOTE 15 Forwards are contracts to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). END FOOTNOTE
As described further below, the Fund will typically use derivative instruments as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate or currency risk. The Fund may also use derivative instruments to enhance returns. To limit the potential risk associated with such transactions, the Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by
FOOTNOTE 16 To mitigate leveraging risk, the Adviser will segregate or "earmark" liquid assets or otherwise cover the transactions that may give rise to such risk. END FOOTNOTE
The Adviser believes that derivatives can be an economically attractive substitute for an underlying physical security that the Fund would otherwise purchase. For example, the Fund could purchase Treasury futures contracts instead of physical Treasuries or could sell credit default protection on a corporate bond instead of buying a physical bond. Economic benefits include potentially lower transaction costs or attractive relative valuation of a derivative versus a physical bond (e.g., differences in yields).
The Adviser further believes that derivatives can be used as a more liquid means of adjusting portfolio duration as well as targeting specific areas of yield curve exposure, with potentially lower transaction costs than the underlying securities (e.g., interest rate swaps may have lower transaction costs than physical bonds). Similarly, money market futures can be used to gain exposure to short-term interest rates in order to express views on anticipated changes in central bank policy rates. In addition, derivatives can be used to protect client assets through selectively hedging downside (or "tail risks") in the Fund.
The Fund also can use derivatives to increase or decrease credit exposure. Index credit default swaps (CDX) can be used to gain exposure to a basket of credit risk by "selling protection" against default or other credit events, or to hedge broad market credit risk by "buying protection." Single name credit default swaps (CDS) can be used to allow the Fund to increase or decrease exposure to specific issuers, saving investor capital through lower trading costs. The Fund can use total return swap contracts to obtain the total return of a reference asset or index in exchange for paying a financing cost. A total return swap may be much more efficient than buying underlying securities of an index, potentially lowering transaction costs. /17/
FOOTNOTE 17 The Fund will seek, where possible, to use counterparties whose financial status is such that the risk of default is reduced; however, the risk of losses resulting from default is still possible.
The Adviser believes that the use of derivatives will allow the Fund to selectively add diversifying sources of return from selling options. Option purchases and sales can also be used to hedge specific exposures in the portfolio, and can provide access to return streams available to long-term investors such as the persistent difference between implied and realized volatility. Option strategies can generate income or improve execution prices (i.e., covered calls).
Principal Investments of the Fund
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will seek to maximize current income; long-term capital appreciation will be a secondary objective. The Fund will seek to maintain a high and consistent level of dividend income by investing in a broad array of fixed income sectors and utilizing income efficient implementation strategies. The capital appreciation sought by the Fund generally will arise from decreases in interest rates or improving credit fundamentals for a particular sector or security.
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, /18/ at least 65% of its total assets in a multi-sector portfolio of Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by derivatives based on Fixed Income Instruments (the "65% policy"). The average portfolio duration /19/ of the Fund normally will vary from zero to eight years based on
FOOTNOTE 18 The term "under normal circumstances" includes, but is not limited to, the absence of extreme volatility or trading halts in the fixed income markets or the financial markets generally; operational issues causing dissemination of inaccurate market information; or force majeure type events such as a systems failure, natural or man-made disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of terrorism, riot or labor disruption or any similar intervening circumstance. END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 19 Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security's duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. END FOOTNOTE
The Fund, as described further below, will generally allocate its assets among several investment sectors, without limitation, which may include: (i) High yield securities ("junk bonds") and investment grade corporate bonds of issuers located in
The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in high yield securities rated below investment grade but rated at least Caa by
FOOTNOTE 20 Securities rated Ba or lower by Moody's, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds" while securities rated Baa or higher are referred to as "investment grade." Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the Fund's portfolio manager may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. To the extent that the Fund invests in unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio manager's creditworthiness analysis than if that Fund invested exclusively in rated securities. In determining whether a security is of comparable quality the Adviser will consider, for example, whether the issuer of the security has issued other rated securities; whether the obligations under the security are guaranteed by another entity and the rating of such guarantor (if any); whether and (if applicable) how the security is collateralized; other forms of credit enhancement (if any); the security's maturity date; liquidity features (if any); relevant cash flow(s); valuation features; other structural analysis; macroeconomic analysis; and sector or industry analysis. END FOOTNOTE
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. /21/
FOOTNOTE 21
PIMCO will have broad discretion to identify countries that it would consider to qualify as emerging markets. In making investments in emerging market securities, the Fund will emphasize those countries with relatively low gross national product per capita and with the potential for rapid economic growth. Emerging market countries are generally located in
The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. /22/ The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities denominated in foreign currencies. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets.
FOOTNOTE 22
In furtherance of the 65% policy, or with respect to the Fund's other investments, the Fund may invest in derivative instruments, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described herein.
The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, although this 25% limitation does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by Federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities.
The Fund may engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis and forward basis and invest in foreign currency futures and options contracts. The Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time.
The Fund may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls).
Other (Non-Principal) Investments of the Fund
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred stocks, convertible securities and other equity-related securities. /23/
FOOTNOTE 23 Convertible securities are generally preferred stocks and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. Equity-related investments may include investments in small-capitalization ("small-cap"), mid-capitalization ("mid-cap") and large-capitalization ("large-cap") companies. With respect to each [sic] Fund, a small-cap company will be defined as a company with a market capitalization of up to
The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities, which are securities that pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or that reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or calendar quarter). The Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments ("floaters") and inverse floating rate debt instruments ("inverse floaters") and may engage in credit spread trades.
As disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Fund may also invest in trade claims, /24/ privately placed and unregistered securities, and structured products, including credit-linked securities, commodity-linked notes and structured notes. The Fund may invest in
FOOTNOTE 24 Trade claims are non-securitized rights of payment arising from obligations that typically arise when vendors and suppliers extend credit to a company by offering payment terms for products and services. If the company files for bankruptcy, payments on these trade claims stop and the claims are subject to compromise along with the other debts of the company. Trade claims may be purchased directly from the creditor or through brokers. END FOOTNOTE
The Fund may purchase or sell securities which the Fund is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). The Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to purchase the security at the Fund's cost plus interest within a specified time. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and which may not be terminated within seven days at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the agreements will be considered illiquid securities. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. /25/ Reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls may be considered borrowing for some purposes. The Fund will segregate or "earmark" assets determined to be liquid by
FOOTNOTE 25 A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a security by the Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. A dollar roll is similar except that the counterparty is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund but only securities that are "substantially identical." END FOOTNOTE
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest, without limit, for temporary or defensive purposes, in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, if
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in, to the extent permitted by Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, other affiliated and unaffiliated funds, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including other exchange traded funds, provided that the Fund's investment in units or shares of investment companies and other open-end collective investment vehicles will not exceed 10% of the Fund's total assets. The Fund may invest securities lending collateral in one or more money market funds to the extent permitted by Rule 12d1-1 under the 1940 Act, including series of
Investment Restrictions
The Fund's investments, including investments in derivative instruments, will be subject to all of the restrictions under the 1940 Act, including restrictions with respect to investments in illiquid securities, that is, the limitation that a fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment), including Rule 144A securities deemed illiquid by the Adviser, in accordance with Commission guidance. /26/ The Fund will monitor its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, an adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will consider taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate liquidity if, through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets are held in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets as determined in accordance with Commission staff guidance. /27/
FOOTNOTE 26 In reaching liquidity decisions, the Adviser may consider the following factors: The frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers; dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace trades (e.g., the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers, and the mechanics of transfer). END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 27 The Commission has stated that long-standing Commission guidelines have required open-end funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. /28/
FOOTNOTE 28 The diversification standard is set forth in Section 5(b)(1) of the 1940 Act (15 U.S.C. 80e). END FOOTNOTE
The Fund's portfolio will include a minimum of 13 non-affiliated issuers.
The Fund intends to qualify annually and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. /29/ The Fund will not concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction from time to time. /30/
FOOTNOTE 29 26 U.S.C. 851. END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 30 See Form N-1A, Item 9. The Commission has taken the position that a fund is concentrated if it invests more than 25% of the value of its total assets in any one industry. See, e.g., Investment Company Act Release No. 9011 (
The Fund's investments, including derivatives, will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and the Fund's use of derivatives may be used to enhance leverage. However, the Fund's investments will not be used to seek performance that is the multiple or inverse multiple (i.e., 2Xs and 3Xs) of the Fund's broad-based securities market index (as defined in Form N-1A). /31/
FOOTNOTE 31 The Fund's broad-based securities market index will be identified in a future amendment to the Registration Statement following the Fund's first full calendar year of performance. END FOOTNOTE
The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. Consistent with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii), the Fund's Reporting Authority will implement and maintain, or be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the actual components of the Fund's portfolio. The Exchange represents that, for initial and/or continued listing, the Fund will be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 /32/ under the Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares will be outstanding at the commencement of trading on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the net asset value ("NAV") per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time.
FOOTNOTE 32 17 CFR 240.10A-3. END FOOTNOTE
Net Asset Value and Derivatives Valuation Methodology for Purposes of Determining Net Asset Value
The NAV of the Fund's Shares will be determined by dividing the total value of the Fund's portfolio investments and other assets, less any liabilities, by the total number of Shares outstanding.
The Fund's Shares will be valued as of the close of regular trading (normally
For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available will be valued at market value. Market value will generally be determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or pricing services.
Fixed Income Instruments, including those to be purchased under firm commitment agreements/delayed delivery basis, will generally be valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or independent pricing services. Foreign fixed income securities will generally be valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or pricing services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those assets. Short-term debt instruments having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.
As discussed in more detail below, derivatives will generally be valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or pricing services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those assets. Local closing prices will be used for all instrument valuation purposes. Foreign currency-denominated derivatives are generally valued using market inputs as of the respective local region's market close.
With respect to specific derivatives:
* Currency spot and forward rates will be generally determined as of the NYSE Close.
* Exchange traded futures will be generally valued at the settlement price of the relevant exchange.
* A total return swap on an index will be valued at the publicly available index price. The index price, in turn, will be determined by the applicable index calculation agent, which generally will value the securities underlying the index at the last reported sale price.
* Equity total return swaps will generally be valued using the actual underlying equity at local market closing, while bank loan total return swaps will generally be valued using the evaluated underlying bank loan price minus the strike price of the loan.
* Exchange-traded non-equity options, (for example, options on bonds, Eurodollar options and U.S. Treasury options), index options, and options on futures will generally be valued at the official settlement price determined by the relevant exchange, if available.
* OTC and exchange traded equity options will generally be valued on a basis of quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or pricing services.
* OTC FX options will generally be valued by pricing vendors.
* All other swaps such as interest rate swaps, inflation swaps, swaptions, credit default swaps, CDX/CDS will generally be valued by pricing services.
Exchange-traded equity securities will be valued at the official closing price or the last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation. If no sales or closing prices are reported during the day, equity securities are generally valued at the mean of the last available bid and ask quotation on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded, or using other market information obtained from quotation reporting systems, established market makers, or pricing services. Investment company securities that are not exchange-traded will be valued at NAV.
If a foreign security's value has materially changed after the close of the security's primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security will be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board. Foreign securities that do not trade when the
Securities and other assets for which market quotes are not readily available will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or persons acting at their direction. The Board has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to
Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/ask information, broker quotes), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board has delegated to
When the Fund uses fair value pricing to determine its NAV, securities will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board or persons acting at their direction believe reflects fair value. Fair value pricing may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust's policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund's NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that the Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold.
For the Fund's
Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar will be converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. As a result, the NAV of the Fund's Shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside
Derivatives Valuation Methodology for Purposes of Determining Portfolio Indicative Value
On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in Fund Shares on NYSE Arca, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the identities and quantities of the portfolio instruments and other assets held by the Fund that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
In order to provide additional information regarding the intra-day value of Shares of the Fund, the NYSE Arca or a market data vendor will disseminate every 15 seconds through the facilities of the
A third party market data provider will calculate the PIV for the Fund. For the purposes of determining the PIV, the third party market data provider's valuation of derivatives is expected to be similar to its valuation of all securities. The third party market data provider may use market quotes if available or may fair value securities against proxies (such as swap or yield curves).
With respect to specific derivatives:
* Foreign currency derivatives may be valued intraday using market quotes, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
* Futures may be valued intraday using the relevant futures exchange data, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
* Interest rate swaps may be mapped to a swap curve and valued intraday based on the swap curve, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
* CDX/CDS may be valued using intraday data from market vendors, or based on underlying asset price, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
* Total return swaps may be valued intraday using the underlying asset price, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
* Exchange listed options may be valued intraday using the relevant exchange data, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
* OTC options may be valued intraday through option valuation models (e.g., Black-Scholes) or using exchange traded options as a proxy, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider.
A third party market data provider's valuation of forwards will be similar to its valuation of the underlying securities, or another proxy as determined to be appropriate by the third party market data provider. The third party market data provider will generally use market quotes if available. Where market quotes are not available, it may fair value securities against proxies (such as swap or yield curves). The Fund's disclosure of forward positions will include information that market participants can use to value these positions intraday.
Disclosed Portfolio
The Fund's disclosure of derivative positions will include information that market participants can use to value these positions intraday. The Fund's disclosure of derivative positions in the Disclosed Portfolio will include information that market participants can use to value these positions intraday. On a daily basis, the Fund will disclose on the Fund's Web site the following information regarding each portfolio holding, as applicable to the type of holding: Ticker symbol, CUSIP number or other identifier, if any; a description of the holding (including the type of holding, such as the type of swap); the identity of the security, commodity, index or other asset or instrument underlying the holding, if any; for options, the option strike price; quantity held (as measured by, for example, par value, notional value or number of shares, contracts or units); maturity date, if any; coupon rate, if any; effective date, if any; market value of the holding; and the percentage weighting of the holding in the Fund's portfolio.
Impact on Arbitrage Mechanism
The Adviser believes there will be minimal, if any, impact to the arbitrage mechanism for the Fund as a result of the use of derivatives. Market makers and participants should be able to value derivatives as long as the positions are disclosed with relevant information. The Adviser believes that the price at which Shares trade will continue to be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities created by the ability to purchase or redeem creation Shares at their NAV, which should ensure that Shares will not trade at a material discount or premium in relation to their NAV.
The Adviser does not believe there will be any significant impacts to the settlement or operational aspects of the Fund's arbitrage mechanism due to the use of derivatives. Because derivatives generally are not eligible for in-kind transfer, they will typically be substituted with a "cash in lieu" amount when the Fund processes purchases or redemptions of block-size Creation Units (as described below) in-kind.
Creations and Redemptions of Shares
According to the Registration Statement, Shares of the Fund that trade in the secondary market will be "created" at NAV by Authorized Participants only in block-size creation units ("Creation Units") of 100,000 Shares or multiples thereof. /33/ The Fund will offer and issue Shares at their NAV per Share generally in exchange for a basket of debt securities held by the Fund (the "
FOOTNOTE 33 The NAV of the Fund's Shares generally will be calculated once daily Monday through Friday as of the close of trading on the
An "Authorized Participant" refers to a
Except when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares will not be redeemable by the Fund. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur will be based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received. Requirements as to the timing and form of orders are described in the Authorized Participant agreement.
FOOTNOTE 34
Additional information regarding the Trust, the Fund and the Shares, including investment strategies, risks, creation and redemption procedures, fees, portfolio holdings, disclosure policies, distributions and taxes is included in the Registration Statement. All terms relating to the Fund that are referred to but not defined in this proposed rule change are defined in the Registration Statement.
Availability of Information
The Trust's Web site (www.pimcoetfs.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 Trust's Web site will include additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis, including, for the Fund, (1) daily trading volume, the prior business day's reported closing price, NAV and mid-point of the bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such NAV (the "Bid/Ask Price"), /35/ and a calculation of the premium and discount of the Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, and (2) data in chart format displaying the frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four previous calendar quarters. On each Business Day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session (
FOOTNOTE 35 The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be determined using the mid-point of the highest bid and the lowest offer on the Exchange as of the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV. The records relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the Fund and its service providers. END FOOTNOTE
FOOTNOTE 36 Under accounting procedures followed by the Fund, trades made on the prior business day ("T") will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current business day ("T+1"). Accordingly, the Fund will be able to disclose at the beginning of the business day the portfolio that will form the basis for the NAV calculation at the end of the business day. END FOOTNOTE
As noted above, on a daily basis, the Fund will disclose on the Fund's Web site the following information regarding each portfolio holding, as applicable to the type of holding: Ticker symbol, CUSIP number or other identifier, if any; a description of the holding (including the type of holding, such as the type of swap); the identity of the security, commodity, index or other asset or instrument underlying the holding, if any; for options, the option strike price; quantity held (as measured by, for example, par value, notional value or number of shares, contracts or units); maturity date, if any; coupon rate, if any; effective date, if any; market value of the holding; and the percentage weighting of the holding in the Fund's portfolio. The Web site information will be publicly available at no charge.
Price information for the debt securities and other financial instruments held by the Fund will be available through major market data vendors. /37/
FOOTNOTE 37 Supplementally, major market data vendors may include, but are not limited to:
In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities, if applicable, required to be delivered in exchange for the Fund's Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, will be publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the NSCC. The basket represents one Creation Unit of Shares of the Fund. The NAV of the Fund will normally be determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily
Investors can also obtain the Trust's SAI, the Fund's Shareholder Reports, and the Fund's Forms N-CSR and Forms N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust's SAI and Shareholder Reports will be available free upon request from the Trust, and those documents and the Form N-CSR, Form N-PX and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov.
FOOTNOTE 38 Currently, the Exchange understands that several major market data vendors display and/or make widely available PIVs taken from the CTA or other data feeds. END FOOTNOTE
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. /39/ Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached. Trading also may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable. These may include: (1) The extent to which trading is not occurring in the securities and/or the financial instruments comprising the Disclosed Portfolio of the Fund; or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present. Trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted.
FOOTNOTE 39 See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12. END FOOTNOTE
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
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject to the existing trading surveillances, administered by the
FOOTNOTE 40 FINRA surveils trading on the Exchange pursuant to a regulatory services agreement. The Exchange is responsible for FINRA's performance under this regulatory services agreement. END FOOTNOTE
The surveillances referred to above generally focus on detecting securities trading outside their normal patterns, which could be indicative of manipulative or other violative activity. When such situations are detected, surveillance analysis follows and investigations are opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of all relevant parties for all relevant trading violations.
FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded equities, exchange-traded options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts with other markets that are members of the ISG and FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded equities, exchange-traded options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded equities, exchange-traded options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. /41/ FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, is able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income securities held by the Funds [sic] reported to FINRA's Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine ("TRACE").
FOOTNOTE 41 For a list of the current members of ISG, see http://www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all components of the Disclosed Portfolio for the Fund may trade on markets that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. END FOOTNOTE
Not more than 10% of the net assets of a [sic] Fund in the aggregate shall consist of equity securities, including stocks into which a convertible security is converted, whose principal market is not a member of the ISG or is a market with which the Exchange does not have a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
Furthermore, not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the aggregate shall consist of futures contracts or exchange-traded options contracts whose principal market is not a member of ISG or is a market with which the Exchange does not have a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.
In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its Equity Trading Permit ("ETP") Holders in an Information Bulletin ("Bulletin") of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss the following: (1) The procedures for purchases and redemptions of Shares in Creation Unit aggregations (and that Shares are not individually redeemable); (2) NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty of due diligence on its ETP Holders to learn the essential facts relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) the risks involved in trading the Shares during the Opening and Late Trading Sessions when an updated PIV will not be calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the PIV is disseminated; (5) the requirement that ETP Holders deliver a prospectus to investors purchasing newly issued Shares prior to or concurrently with the confirmation of a transaction; and (6) trading information. In addition, the Bulletin will reference that the Fund is subject to various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement. The Bulletin will discuss any exemptive, no-action, and interpretive relief granted by the Commission from any rules under the Act. The Bulletin will also disclose that the NAV for the Shares will be calculated after
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Act for this proposed rule change is the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) /42/ that an exchange have rules that are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.
FOOTNOTE 42 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5). END FOOTNOTE
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and federal securities laws applicable to trading on the Exchange. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded equities, exchange-traded options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts with other markets that are members of the ISG and FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded equities, exchange-traded options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded equities, exchange-traded options, futures contracts and options on futures contracts from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Not more than 10% of the net assets of a [sic] Fund in the aggregate shall consist of equity securities, including stocks into which a convertible security is converted, whose principal market is not a member of the ISG or is a market with which the Exchange does not have a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. Furthermore, not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the aggregate shall consist of futures contracts or exchange-traded options contracts whose principal market is not a member of ISG or is a market with which the Exchange does not have a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, is able to access, as needed, trade information for certain fixed income securities held by the Funds [sic] reported to FINRA's TRACE.</p>
The Fund's investments, including derivatives, will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and the Fund's use of derivatives may be used to enhance leverage. However, the Fund's investments will not be used to seek performance that is the multiple or inverse multiple (i.e., 2Xs and 3Xs) of the Fund's broad-based securities market index (as defined in Form N-1A). The Fund will not invest more than 50% of its total assets in high yield securities rated below investment grade but rated at least Caa by Moody's, S&P or Fitch, or if unrated, determined by
The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in that the Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares that the NAV per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio will be made available to all market participants at the same time. In addition, a large amount of information is publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. Moreover, the PIV will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Exchange's Core Trading Session. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on the Trust's Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic services, and quotation and last sale information will be available via the CTA high-speed line. The Trust's Web site will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund and additional data relating to NAV and other applicable quantitative information. Moreover, prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in an Information Bulletin of the special characteristics and risks associated with trading the Shares. Trading in Shares of the Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12 have been reached or because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in the Shares inadvisable, and trading in the Shares will be subject to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(D), which sets forth circumstances under which Shares of the Fund may be halted. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the PIV, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares.
The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may obtain information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. The Adviser is not a broker-dealer but is affiliated with a broker-dealer and has implemented a "fire wall" with respect to such broker-dealer regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's portfolio. In addition, the Fund's Reporting Authority will implement and maintain, or be subject to, procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding the actual components of the Fund's portfolio.
B.
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purpose of the Act. The Exchange notes that the proposed rule change will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that, under normal circumstances, will invest principally in fixed income securities and that will enhance competition with respect to such products among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace.
C.
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the
(A) By order approve or disapprove the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule change should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Electronic Comments
* Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
* Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR-NYSEArca-2014-56 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
* Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary,
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2014-56. This file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission's Public Reference Section,
For the Commission, by the
FOOTNOTE 43 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12). END FOOTNOTE
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-11724 Filed 5-20-14;
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
| Copyright: | (c) 2014 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. |
| Wordcount: | 12559 |
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