Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) and Rule 19b-4 thereunder, notice is hereby given that, on October 23, 2014, NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “Exchange” or “NYSE Arca”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I 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.
15 U.S.C. 78a.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the following under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (“Managed Fund Shares”): PIMCO Low Duration Investment Grade Corporate Bond Active Exchange-Traded Fund. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.com,, at the principal office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant parts of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and the Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (“Shares”) of the following under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600, which governs the listing and trading of Managed Fund Shares: PIMCO Low Duration Investment Grade Corporate Bond Active Exchange-Traded Fund (“Fund”). The Shares will be offered by PIMCO ETF Trust (the “Trust”), a statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and registered with the Commission as an open-end management investment company.
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 (November 10, 2009), 74 FR 59594 (November 18, 2009) (SR-NYSEArca-2009-79) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of five fixed income funds of the PIMCO ETF Trust); 72666 (July 24, 2014), 79 FR 44224 (July 30, 2014) (SR-NYSEArca-2013-122) (order approving proposed rule change relating to use of derivative instruments by the PIMCO Total Return Exchange Traded Fund).
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.
The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On June 17, 2014, the Trust filed an amendment to its registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) (“1933 Act”) and the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-155395 and 811-22250) (the “Registration Statement”). The description of the operation of the Trust and the Fund herein is based, in part, on the Registration Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued an order granting certain exemptive relief to the Trust under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28993 (November 10, 2009) (File No. 812-13571) (“Exemptive Order”).
The investment manager to the Fund will be Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO” or the “Adviser”). PIMCO Investments LLC will serve as the distributor for the Fund (“Distributor”). State Street Bank & Trust Co. will serve as the custodian and transfer agent for the Fund (“Custodian” or “Transfer Agent”).
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. 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 affiliate regarding access to information concerning the composition and/or changes to the Fund's portfolio. If PIMCO elects to hire a sub-adviser for the Fund that is registered as a broker-dealer or is affiliated with a broker-dealer, such sub-adviser 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.
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.
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 a 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
Many of the investment strategies of the Fund are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide from time to time whether to use them or not.
According to the Registration Statement, in selecting investments for the Fund, PIMCO will develop an outlook for interest rates, currency exchange rates and the economy, analyze credit and call risks, and use other investment selection techniques. The proportion of the Fund's assets committed to investment in securities with particular characteristics (such as quality, sector, interest rate or maturity) will vary based on PIMCO's outlook for the U.S. economy and the economies of other countries in the world, the financial markets and other factors.
With respect to the Fund, in seeking to identify undervalued currencies, PIMCO may consider many factors, including but not limited to, longer-term analysis of relative interest rates, inflation rates, real exchange rates, purchasing power parity, trade account balances and current account balances, as well as other factors that influence exchange rates such as flows, market technical trends and government policies. With respect to fixed income investing, PIMCO will attempt to identify areas of the bond market that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO will identify these areas by grouping fixed income investments into sectors such as money markets, governments, corporates, mortgages, asset-backed and international. Sophisticated proprietary software will then assist in evaluating sectors and pricing specific investments. Once investment opportunities are identified, PIMCO will shift assets among sectors depending upon changes in relative valuations, credit spreads and other factors.
Fixed Income Instruments
Among other investments described in more detail herein, the Fund may invest in Fixed Income Instruments, which include any one or more of the following:
- Securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (“U.S. Government Securities”);
- Corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper;
- 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 will include forwards; exchange-traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) options contracts; exchange-traded futures contracts; exchange-traded and OTC swap agreements; exchange-traded options on futures contracts; and OTC options on 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.
Forwards are contracts to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments).
In the future, in the event that there are exchange-traded options on swaps, the Fund may invest in these instruments.
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. PIMCO's Counterparty Risk Committee evaluates the creditworthiness of counterparties on an ongoing basis. In addition to information provided by credit agencies, PIMCO credit analysts evaluate each approved counterparty using various methods of analysis, including company visits, earnings updates, the broker-dealer's reputation, PIMCO's past experience with the broker-dealer, market levels for the counterparty's debt and equity, the counterparty's liquidity and its share of market participation.
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 PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Trust's Board of Trustees and in accordance with the 1940 Act (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments. These procedures have been adopted consistent with Section 18 of the 1940 Act and related Commission guidance. In addition, the Fund will include appropriate risk disclosure in its offering documents, including leveraging risk. Leveraging risk is the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, including the Fund's use of derivatives, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. Because the markets for certain securities, or the securities themselves, may be unavailable or cost prohibitive as compared to derivative instruments, suitable derivative transactions may be an efficient alternative for the Fund to obtain the desired asset exposure.
To mitigate leveraging risk, the Adviser will segregate or “earmark” liquid assets or otherwise cover the transactions that may give rise to such risk.
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.
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
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will seek to maximize total return, consistent with prudent investment management. The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of investment grade corporate Fixed Income Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements (the “80% Policy”). The average portfolio duration of the Fund normally will vary from zero to 4 years based on PIMCO's forecast for interest rates.
With respect to the Fund, 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 systems failure, natural or man-made disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of terrorism, riot or labor disruption or any similar intervening circumstance.
Corporate Fixed Income Instruments will be: corporate debt securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including convertible securities and corporate commercial paper, inflation-indexed bonds, bank capital securities, trust preferred securities, and loan participations and assignments.
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.
In furtherance of the Fund's 80% 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 purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. 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).
The Fund may make short sales of securities to: (i) Offset potential declines in long positions in similar securities, (ii) to [sic] increase the flexibility of the Fund; (iii) for [sic] investment return; and (iv) as [sic] part of a risk arbitrage strategy.
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.”
Other (Non-Principal) Investments
The non-principal investments listed below would consist of investments that are not included in the Fund's 80% Policy, as described above. Assets not invested in investment grade corporate Fixed Income Instruments may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments and other instruments, as described below.
The Fund may gain exposure to the real estate sector by investing in OTC real estate-linked derivatives , exchange-traded and OTC real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and exchange traded common, exchange-traded and OTC preferred and exchange-traded and OTC convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries.
Real estate-linked derivatives are derivative instruments that are tied to real estate, such as derivatives (e.g., swaps or options) on real-estate related indices or specific real-estate related companies. The value and risks associated with real estate-linked derivative instruments are generally similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate.
See infra, note 30 and accompanying text.
The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities that are not corporate Fixed Income Instruments. The Fund may invest in floaters and inverse floaters that are not corporate Fixed Income Instruments.
As disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Fund may invest in trade claims, privately placed and unregistered securities, and exchange-traded and OTC-traded structured products, including credit-linked securities, and commodity-linked notes. The Fund may invest in Brady Bonds.
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.
The Funds [sic] may invest in structured products, including instruments such as credit-linked securities. For example, a structured product may combine a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a structured product is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor. The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a structured product may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of exchange-traded structured products would be an [sic] exchange-traded notes or ETNs, such as those listed and traded under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(6).
Credit-linked securities are generally a basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps or interest rate swaps. Like an investment in a bond, investments in credit-linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the trust's receipt of payments from, and the trust's potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the trust invests.
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements on instruments other than corporate Fixed Income Instruments, in addition to repurchase agreements on corporate Fixed Income Instruments mentioned above, 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 on instruments other than corporate Fixed Income Instruments, in addition to reverse repurchase agreements on corporate Fixed Income Instruments mentioned above, subject to the Fund's limitations on borrowings. The Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements.
With respect to the Fund, 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.
The Fund may invest only up to 10% of its total assets in preferred stocks, convertible securities, common stocks and other equity-related securities; such limit will not include real-estate related investments, such as REITs or investments in common, preferred or convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries.
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 the Fund, a small-cap company will be defined as a company with a market capitalization of up to $1.5 billion, a mid-cap company will be defined as a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion and a large-cap company will be defined as a company with a market capitalization above $10 billion. Not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the aggregate invested in equity securities (other than non-exchange-traded investment company securities) shall consist of equity securities, including stocks into which a convertible security is converted, whose principal market is not a member of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (“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 invested in futures contracts or exchange-traded options contracts 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.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in structured notes, including hybrid or “indexed” securities and event-linked bonds.
The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated below BBB- (with a minimum level of B- at purchase) by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services (“S&P”), or equivalently rated by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody's”) or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality (except that within such limitation, the Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities rated below B-).
With respect to the Fund, 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 the 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.
Investment Restrictions
If PIMCO believes that economic or market conditions are unfavorable to investors or that market conditions are not normal, PIMCO may temporarily invest up to 100% of the Fund's assets in certain defensive strategies, including holding a substantial portion of the Fund's assets in cash, cash equivalents or other highly rated short-term securities, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. As noted above, the Fund may invest without limit, for temporary or defensive purposes, in such instruments, if PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so.
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 its 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 PIMCO Funds.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in mortgage-related and other asset backed securities, although this 20% limitation does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by Federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 10% of its total assets. The Fund may engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time or through forward currency contracts (“forwards”).
The Fund will limit its investments in currencies to those currencies with a minimum average daily foreign exchange turnover of USD $1 billion as determined by the Bank for International Settlements (“BIS”) Triennial Central Bank Survey. As of the most recent BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey, at least 52 separate currencies had minimum average daily foreign exchange turnover of USD $1 billion. For a list of eligible currencies, see www.bis.org.
The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities and instruments of issuers economically tied to emerging market countries.
PIMCO will generally consider an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if the security's “country of exposure” is an emerging market country, as determined by the criteria set forth in the Registration Statement. Alternatively, such as when a “country of exposure” is not available or when PIMCO believes the following tests more accurately reflect which country the security is economically tied to, PIMCO may consider an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if the issuer or guarantor is a government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), if the issuer or guarantor is organized under the laws of an emerging market country, or if the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO will generally consider such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indices of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries. While emerging markets corporate debt securities (excluding commercial paper) generally must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding and significant par value traded to be considered as an eligible investment for the Fund, at least 80% of issues of such securities held by the Fund must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding at the time of investment.
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 illiquid assets; that is, the limitation that the Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets (calculated at the time of investment), including Rule 144A securities deemed illiquid by the Adviser, consistent with Commission guidance. The Fund will monitor its respective portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, an adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will consider taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate liquidity if, through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets are held in illiquid assets. Illiquid assets include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets as determined in accordance with Commission staff guidance.
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).
The Commission has stated that long-standing Commission guidelines have required open-end funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March 11, 2008), 73 FR 14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote 34. See also, Investment Company Act Release No. 5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December 31, 1970) (Statement Regarding “Restricted Securities”); Investment Company Act Release No. 18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20, 1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N-1A). A fund's portfolio security is illiquid if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course of business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to it by the fund. See Investment Company Act Release No. 14983 (March 12, 1986), 51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act); Investment Company Act Release No. 17452 (April 23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A under the Securities Act).
The Fund will be diversified within the meaning of the 1940 Act.
The diversification standard is set forth in Section 5(b)(1) of the 1940 Act (15 U.S.C. 80e).
The Fund intends to qualify annually and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. 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 a regulatory authority having jurisdiction from time to time.
26 U.S.C. 851.
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 (October 30, 1975), 40 FR 54241 (November 21, 1975).
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'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.
Net Asset Value and Derivatives Valuation Methodology for Purposes of Determining Net Asset Value
The net asset value (“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 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (“E.T.”) (the “NYSE Close”)) on each day NYSE Arca is open (“Business Day”). Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a portfolio asset or the NAV determined earlier that day.
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. Domestic and 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. Prices obtained from independent pricing services use information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Short-term debt instruments having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less will generally be valued at amortized cost.
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 will generally be valued as of the respective local region's market close.
With respect to specific derivatives:
- Currency spot and forward rates from major market data vendors will generally be determined as of the NYSE Close.
- Exchange-traded futures will generally be 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, is determined by the applicable index calculation agent, which generally values 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 or at the settlement price of the applicable exchange.
- OTC FX options will generally be valued by pricing vendors.
- All other swaps such as interest rate swaps, inflation swaps, swaptions, credit default swaps, and CDX/CDS will generally be valued by pricing services.
Exchange-traded equity securities (including common stocks, exchange-traded investment companies, exchange-traded convertible securities, REITs and preferred securities, and exchange-traded structured products) 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, exchange-traded equity securities will generally be 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. Equity securities traded OTC will be valued based on price quotations obtained from a broker-dealer who makes markets in such securities or other equivalent indications of value provided by a third-party pricing service. Money market instruments, trade claims, OTC REITs, privately placed and unregistered securities, OTC structured products, OTC real-estate linked derivatives, credit-linked securities, commodity-linked notes, Brady Bonds, variable and floating rate securities that are not corporate Fixed Income Instruments; floaters and inverse floaters that are not corporate Fixed Income Instruments and other types of debt securities will generally be valued on the basis of independent pricing services or quotes obtained from brokers and dealers.
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 NYSE is open will also be valued at fair value.
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 PIMCO the responsibility for applying the valuation methods. In the event that market quotes are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to one of the valuation methods, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based upon recommendations provided by PIMCO.
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 PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund's securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be re-evaluated in light of such significant events.
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 of Trustees 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 its 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 4:00 p.m. E.T. futures holdings, estimated prices from Reuters will be used if any cumulative futures margin impact is greater than $0.005 to the NAV due to futures movement after the fixed income futures market closes (3:00 p.m. E.T.) and up to the NYSE Close (generally 4:00 p.m. E.T.). Swaps traded on exchanges such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”) or the Intercontinental Exchange (“ICE-US”) will be priced using the applicable exchange closing price where available.
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 the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the NYSE is closed. As a result, to the extent that the Fund holds foreign (non-U.S.) securities, the NAV of the Fund's Shares may change when an investor cannot purchase, redeem or exchange shares.
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, one or more major market data vendors will disseminate every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association (“CTA”) or other widely disseminated means an updated Portfolio Indicative Value (“PIV”) for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor.
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 and other assets are 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 their 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, they 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 in the applicable Disclosed Portfolio will include information that market participants can use to value these positions intraday. On a daily basis, the Fund will disclose 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
For the Fund, the Adviser believes there will be minimal, if any, impact to the arbitrage mechanism 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 of the Fund trade will continue to be disciplined by arbitrage opportunities created by the ability to purchase or redeem creation Shares of the Fund at their NAV, which should ensure that Shares of the Fund will not trade at a material discount or premium in relation to its 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 be substituted with a “cash in lieu” amount (as described below) 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 of 50,000 Shares or multiples thereof. The size of a Creation Unit is subject to change. The Fund will offer and issue Shares at their NAV per Share generally in exchange for a basket of debt securities held by that Fund (the “Deposit Securities”) together with a deposit of a specified cash payment (the “Cash Component”), or in lieu of Deposit Securities, the Fund may permit a “cash-in-lieu” amount for any reason at the Fund's sole discretion. Alternatively, the Fund may issue Creation Units in exchange for a specified all-cash payment (“Cash Deposit”) (together with Deposit Securities and Cash Component, the “Fund Deposit”). Similarly, Shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units, generally in-kind for a portfolio of debt securities held by the Fund and/or for a specified amount of cash (collectively, “Redemption Instruments”).
The NAV of the Fund's Shares generally will be calculated once daily Monday through Friday as of the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m. E.T. (the “NAV Calculation Time”) on any Business Day. NAV per Share will be calculated by dividing the Fund's net assets by the number of the Fund's Shares outstanding. For more information regarding the valuation of Fund investments in calculating the Fund's NAV, see the Registration Statement.
The term “Authorized Participant” refers to a “Participating Party” (a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC; or a Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) Participant who has executed a Participant Agreement (an agreement with the Distributor and Transfer Agent with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units) [sic].
On any given Business Day, purchases and redemptions of Creation Units will be made in whole or in part on a cash basis if an Authorized Participant deposits or receives (as applicable) cash in lieu of some or all of the Fund Deposit or Redemption Instruments, respectively, solely because such instruments are, in the case of the Fund Deposit, not available in sufficient quantity. In determining whether the Fund will be selling or redeeming Creation Units on a cash or in-kind basis, the key consideration will be the benefit which would accrue to Fund investors. In many cases, investors may benefit by the use of all cash purchase orders because the Adviser would execute trades rather than market makers, and the Adviser may be able to obtain better execution in bond transactions due to its size, experience and potentially stronger relationships in the fixed income markets.
Such purchase or redemption transactions are “custom orders.” On any given Business Day, if the Fund accepts a custom order, the Adviser represents that the Fund will accept custom orders from all other Authorized Participants on the same basis.
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 will be described in the Authorized Participant agreement. PIMCO will make available on each Business Day via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), prior to the opening of business (subject to amendments) on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., E.T.), the identity and the required amount of each Deposit Security and the amount of the Cash Component (or Cash Deposit) to be included in the current “Fund Deposit” (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day). Creations and redemptions must be made by an Authorized Participant.
The Deposit Securities and Cash Component or, alternatively, the Cash Deposit, will constitute the Fund Deposit, which will represent the investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
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 of the Fund, 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”), 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 (9:30 a.m. E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T.) on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on the Trust's Web site the Disclosed Portfolio as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2) that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the Business Day.
The Bid/Ask Price of Shares 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.
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.
The Fund's disclosure of derivative positions in the applicable Disclosed Portfolio will include information that market participants can use to value these positions intraday. On a daily basis, the Fund will disclose 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.
In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities, if applicable, required to be delivered in exchange for the Fund's Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, will be publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchange via the NSCC. The basket represents one Creation Unit of the Fund. The NAV of Shares of the Fund will normally be determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. E.T.) on each Business Day. Authorized Participants may refer to the basket composition file for information regarding Fixed Income Instruments, and any other instrument that may comprise the Fund's basket on a given day.
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 Fund'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. Intra-day and closing price information regarding exchange-traded equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into stocks, closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds, exchange-traded structured products (including ETNs), exchange-traded REITs, and other equity-related securities, will be available from the exchange on which such securities are traded. Intra-day and closing price information regarding exchange-traded options (including options on futures) and futures will be available from the exchange on which such instruments are traded. Intra-day and closing price information regarding Fixed Income Instruments and other forms of debt securities also will be available from major market data vendors. Price information relating to forwards, spot currency, OTC options and swaps will be available from major market data vendors. Price information regarding, money market instruments, OTC REITs, private activity bonds, trade claims, privately placed and unregistered securities, OTC real estate-linked derivatives, OTC structured products, credit-linked securities, commodity-linked notes, Brady Bonds, variable and floating rate securities that are not corporate Fixed Income Instruments and floaters and inverse floaters that are not corporate Fixed Income Instruments will be available from major market data vendors. Price information regarding other investment company securities will be available from on-line information services and from the Web site for the applicable investment company security. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic services. Information regarding the previous day's closing price and trading volume information for the Shares will be published daily in the financial section of newspapers. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares will be available via the CTA high-speed line. Exchange-traded options quotation and last sale information for options cleared via the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”) is available via the Options Price Reporting Authority (“OPRA”). Price information relating to equity securities traded OTC will be available from major market data vendors. In addition, the PIV, as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (c)(3), will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session. The dissemination of the PIV, together with the Disclosed Portfolio, may allow investors to determine an approximate value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a daily basis and to provide an estimate of that value throughout the trading day.
Currently, it is the Exchange's understanding that several major market data vendors display and/or make widely available PIVs taken from CTA or other data feeds.
Trading Halts
With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend trading in the Shares of the Fund. 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.
See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12.
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. E.T. in accordance with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core, and Late Trading Sessions). The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03, the minimum price variation (“MPV”) for quoting and entry of orders in equity securities traded on the NYSE Arca Marketplace is $0.01, with the exception of securities that are priced less than $1.00 for which the MPV for order entry is $0.0001.
The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. Consistent with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(d)(2)(B)(ii), the 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 under the Act, as provided by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares for the Fund will be outstanding at the commencement of trading on the Exchange. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares of the Fund 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.
Surveillance
The Exchange represents that trading in the Shares will be subject to the existing trading surveillances, administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) on behalf of the Exchange, which are designed to detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws. The Exchange represents that these procedures are adequate to properly monitor Exchange trading of the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and federal securities laws applicable to trading on the Exchange.
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.
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 options, exchange-traded equities (including common stocks, exchange-traded investment companies, exchange- traded convertibles and preferred securities, exchange-traded REITs, and exchange-traded structured products, including ETNs), futures and options on futures with other markets or other entities that are members of the ISG, and FINRA may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded options, exchange-traded equities, futures and options on futures from such markets or entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded options, exchange-traded equities, futures and options on futures from markets or other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place 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 Fund reported to FINRA's Trade Reporting and Compliance Engine (“TRACE”). FINRA also can access data obtained from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board relating to municipal bond trading activity for surveillance purposes in connection with trading in the Shares.
For a list of the current members of ISG, see 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.
Not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the aggregate invested in equity securities (other than non-exchange-traded investment company securities) 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 invested in futures contracts or exchange-traded options contracts 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 and the Disclosed Portfolio 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 4:00 p.m. E.T. each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Act for this proposed rule change is the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) that an exchange have rules that are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.
The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the initial and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600. The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and 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 options, exchange-traded equities (including common stocks, exchange-traded investment companies, exchange-traded convertibles and preferred securities, exchange-traded REITs, and exchange-traded structured products, including ETNs), futures and options on futures with other markets or other entities that are members of the ISG, and FINRA may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded options, exchange-traded equities, futures and options on futures from such markets or entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares, exchange-traded options, exchange-traded equities, futures and options on futures from markets or other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place 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 Fund reported to FINRA's TRACE. FINRA also can access data obtained from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board relating to municipal bond trading activity for surveillance purposes in connection with trading in the Shares. While emerging markets corporate debt securities (excluding commercial paper) generally must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding and significant par value traded to be considered as an eligible investment for the Fund, at least 80% of issues of such securities held by the Fund must have $200 million or more par amount outstanding at the time of investment. Furthermore, not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the aggregate invested in equity securities (other than non-exchange-traded investment company securities) 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 invested in futures contracts or exchange-traded options contracts 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.
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's investments will be subject to all of the restrictions under the 1940 Act, including restrictions with respect to investments in illiquid assets, that is, the limitation that a fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets (calculated at the time of investment), including Rule 144A securities deemed illiquid by the Adviser. PIMCO's Counterparty Risk Committee will evaluate the creditworthiness of swaps counterparties on an ongoing basis.
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. Exchange-traded options quotation and last sale information for options cleared via the OCC is available OPRA. Price information for the debt securities and other financial instruments held by the Fund, including the intra-day closing settlement price for the Fixed Income Instruments, including Municipal Bonds, and derivatives thereon, and other financial instruments held by the Fund, will be available through major market data vendors. The Fund's investments, including derivatives, will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective. 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. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purpose of the Act. The Exchange notes that the proposed rule change will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of actively-managed exchange-traded product that, 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. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register or within such longer period up to 90 days (i) as the Commission may designate if it finds such longer period to be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule change should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Electronic Comments
- Use the Commission's Internet comment form ( http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ); or
- Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR-NYSEArca-2014-85 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-2014-85. 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 Room, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing will also be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2014-85 and should be submitted on or before December 5, 2014.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.
Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-26944 Filed 11-13-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P