| Page Range | 9294-9301 | |
| FR Document | 2015-03519 |
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 34 (Friday, February 20, 2015)] [Notices] [Pages 9294-9301] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2015-03519] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION [Release No. 34-74278; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2015-04] Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change, as Modified by Amendment No. 1, Relating to the Listing and Trading of Shares of the Innovator IBD[supreg] 50 Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 February 13, 2015. 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 January 30, 2015, 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. On February 12, 2015, the Exchange filed Amendment No. 1 to the proposal.\4\ The Commission is publishing this notice, as modified by Amendment No. 1, to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1). \2\ 15 U.S.C. 78a. \3\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4. \4\ Amendment No. 1 replaces SR-NYSEArca-2015-004 and supersedes such filing in its entirety. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change The Exchange proposes to list and trade the shares of the following under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600 (``Managed Fund Shares''): Innovator IBD[supreg] 50 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 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: \5\ Innovator IBD[supreg] 50 Fund (``Fund''). The Shares will be offered by Academy Funds Trust (the ``Trust''),\6\ an open-end management investment company.\7\ The investment adviser to the Fund will be Innovator Management LLC (the ``Adviser''). Penserra Capital Management LLC will be the Fund's sub- adviser (``Sub-Adviser''). Quasar Distributors, LLC (the ``Distributor'') will be the principal underwriter and distributor of the Fund's Shares. U.S. Bank, N.A. (the ``Administrator'' or ``Custodian'') will serve as the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \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. \6\ The Trust is registered under the 1940 Act. On October 9, 2014 and on December 19, 2014, the Trust filed with the Commission amendments to its registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a) (``Securities Act'') and under the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-146827 and 811-22135) (``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. 31248 (September 9, 2014) (File No. 812-14308) (``Exemptive Order''). \7\ The Commission has approved listing and trading on the Exchange of a number of actively managed funds under Rule 8.600. See, e.g., Securities Exchange Act Release Nos. 63076 (October 12, 2010), 75 FR 63874 (October 18, 2010) (SR-NYSEArca-2010-79) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of Cambria Global Tactical ETF); 63802 (January 31, 2011), 76 FR 6503 (February 4, 2011) (SR- NYSEArca-2010-118) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of the SiM Dynamic Allocation Diversified Income ETF and SiM Dynamic Allocation Growth Income ETF); and 65468 (October 3, 2011), 76 FR 62873 (October 11, 2011) (SR-NYSEArca-2011-51) (order approving Exchange listing and trading of TrimTabs Float Shrink ETF). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.\8\ Commentary .06 to Rule [[Page 9295]] 8.600 is similar to Commentary .03(a)(i) and (iii) to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3); however, Commentary .06 in connection with the establishment of a ``fire wall'' between the investment adviser and the broker-dealer reflects the applicable open-end fund's portfolio, not an underlying benchmark index, as is the case with index-based funds. Neither the Adviser nor the Sub-Adviser is registered as a broker- dealer. The Adviser is not affiliated with a broker-dealer. The Sub- Adviser 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 the event (a) the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser becomes a registered broker-dealer or becomes newly affiliated with a broker- dealer, or (b) any new adviser or any sub-adviser is a registered broker-dealer or becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement 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 Fund's portfolio, and will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding such portfolio. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \8\ 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 Sub-Adviser and their 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 violation, 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Principal Investments According to the Registration Statement, the investment objective of the Fund will be to seek long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances,\9\ the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in companies included in the IBD[supreg] 50 Index (``Index'') and in other assets identified below in this ``Principal Investments'' section. The Fund will generally hold all of the companies included in the Index other than during periods when the Fund is rebalanced due to changes in the constitution of the Index. The Fund, however, will not invest in the Index companies in the same proportion as reflected in the Index. The Fund will be actively managed and will not be an index fund. As a result, the Fund's performance will deviate from the performance of the Index. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \9\ The term ``under normal circumstances'' means, without limitation, the absence of extreme volatility or trading halts in the equity 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Index is a computer-generated stock index published by Investor's Business Daily[supreg] (``IBD[supreg]''). IBD[supreg] uses proprietary fundamental and technical ratings to compile what IBD[supreg] considers the 50 leading growth companies that trade on U.S. national securities exchanges. Companies included in the Index must meet minimum earnings, sales, profit margin, volume and technical requirements. Companies meeting these requirements are included in the Index on a price-weighted basis. This means that stocks with higher prices receive a greater weight in the Index. The Index is rebalanced on the last day of each trading week after the U.S. stock market closes and is published by IBD[supreg] on its Web site, www.investors.com, and in its Monday print edition. According to the Registration Statement, unlike the Index's price- weighted basis, the Fund will invest in the companies included in the Index on a conviction basis. This means that the Fund's portfolio manager will overweight the higher ranked companies in the Index and underweight the lower ranked companies. The Fund's portfolio manager anticipates that these higher ranked companies may each represent as much as approximately 3.5% of the Fund's portfolio at the time of investment while the lower ranked companies may each represent as little as approximately 0.5% of the Fund's portfolio at the time of investment. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest in U.S. exchange- traded equities. Typically, the Fund will hold U.S. exchange-traded common stocks as well as U.S. exchange-traded master limited partnerships (``MLPs''),\10\ real estate investment trusts (``REITs''),\11\ royalty trusts and business development companies (``BDCs''). It will invest primarily in U.S. equity securities but may, to a lesser extent, invest in equity securities of foreign companies in both developed and emerging markets, generally through American depositary receipts (``ADRs'').\12\ The Fund may invest in companies of any size. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \10\ Most MLPs operate in oil and gas related businesses including energy processing and distribution. The remaining MLPs operate in a variety of businesses including coal, timber, other minerals, real estate, and some miscellaneous businesses. \11\ According to the Registration Statement, REITs, which are pooled investment vehicles that invest in real estate or real estate loans or interests, generally can be classified as ``Equity REITs'', ``Mortgage REITs'' and ``Hybrid REITs''. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains from appreciation realized through property sales. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity and Mortgage REITs. \12\ ADRs are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. Depositary receipts may be sponsored or unsponsored. These certificates are issued by depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the United States. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate actions. ADRs are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. ADRs may be sponsored or unsponsored; however, the Fund will not invest in ADRs that are not U.S. exchange-listed. Not more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund in the aggregate invested in exchange-traded equity securities shall consist of equity securities 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non-Principal Investments According to the Registration Statement, while the Fund, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities described above, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in the following securities. The Fund may invest in money market securities (the types of which are discussed below) for liquidity and cash management purposes or if the Adviser or Sub-Adviser determines that securities meeting the Fund's investment objective and policies are not otherwise readily available for purchase. Money market securities include (i) short-term U.S. government securities; (ii) commercial paper \13\ rated in the highest short-term rating category by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (``NRSRO''), such as Standard & Poor's or Moody's, or determined by the Adviser or Sub- [[Page 9296]] Adviser to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase; (iii) short-term bank obligations (certificates of deposit \14\ time deposits \15\ and bankers' acceptances \16\) of U.S. domestic banks, foreign banks and foreign branches of domestic banks, and commercial banks with assets of at least $1 billion as of the end of their most recent fiscal year; (iv) repurchase agreements \17\ involving such securities; and (v) money market mutual funds. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \13\ The commercial paper in which the Fund may invest consists of unsecured short-term promissory notes issued by corporations and other entities. Maturities on these issues vary from a few to 270 days. \14\ Certificates of deposit are interest-bearing instruments with a specific maturity issued by banks and savings and loan institutions in exchange for the deposit of funds. \15\ Time deposits are non-negotiable receipts issued by a bank in exchange for the deposit of funds. \16\ Bankers' acceptances are bills of exchange or time drafts drawn on and accepted by a commercial bank. Corporations use bankers' acceptances to finance the shipment and storage of goods and to furnish dollar exchange. Maturities are generally six months or less. \17\ The Fund will follow certain procedures designed to minimize the risks inherent in such agreements. These procedures include effecting repurchase transactions only with large, well- capitalized and well-established financial institutions whose condition will be continually monitored by the Adviser. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies (other than BDCs), including shares of the following: (1) Exchange- traded funds (``ETFs''),\18\ unit investment trusts, and closed-end investment companies, each of which will be listed and traded on a U.S. national securities exchange, and (2) non-exchange-listed open-end investment companies. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \18\ For purposes of this filing, ETFs include Investment Company Units (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)); Portfolio Depositary Receipts (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.100); and Managed Fund Shares (as described in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600). The ETFs all will be listed and traded in the U.S. on national securities exchanges. While the Fund may invest in inverse ETFs, the Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged ETFs (e.g., 2X or 3X). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Investment Restrictions According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will be classified as a diversified investment company under the 1940 Act.\19\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \19\ The diversification standard is set forth in Section 5(b)(1) of the 1940 Act. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fund intends to qualify as a ``regulated investment company'' for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.\20\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \20\ 26 U.S.C. 851. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will not invest 25% or more of the Fund's net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry or group of industries (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies), except that the Fund may invest 25% or more of its net assets in securities of issuers in the same industry to approximately the same extent that the Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries. The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets.\21\ 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 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.\22\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \21\ Under the supervision of the Board, the Adviser determines the liquidity of the Fund's investments. In determining the liquidity of the Fund's investments, the Adviser may consider various factors, including (1) the frequency and volume of trades and quotations; (2) the number of dealers and prospective purchasers in the marketplace; (3) dealer undertakings to make a market; and (4) the nature of the security and the market in which it trades (including any demand, put or tender features, the mechanics and other requirements for transfer, any letters of credit or other credit enhancement features, any ratings, the number of holders, the method of soliciting offers, the time required to dispose of the security, and the ability to assign or offset the rights and obligations of the security). \22\ 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 1933 Act). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fund will not invest in options, futures contracts or swaps agreements. The Fund's investments will be consistent with its investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage. The Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged (e.g., 2X, -2X, 3X or -3X) ETFs. Net Asset Value According to the Registration Statement, the Administrator will calculate the Fund's net asset value (``NAV'') at the close of regular trading (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) every day the New York Stock Exchange (``NYSE'') is open. The NAV for one Fund Share will be the value of that Share's portion of all of the net assets of the Fund. In calculating its NAV, the Fund generally will value its investment portfolio at market price. If market prices are not readily available or the Fund reasonably believes that they are unreliable, such as in the case of a security value that has been materially affected by events occurring after the relevant market closes, the Fund will price those securities at fair value as determined using methods approved by the Fund's Board of Trustees (``Board''). In computing the Fund's NAV, the Fund's securities holdings will be valued based on their last readily available market price. Price information on exchange-listed securities, including common stocks, ETFs, unit investment trusts, closed-end investment companies, ADRs, MLPs, REITs, royalty trusts and BDCs will be valued at market value, which will generally be determined using the last reported official closing or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation or, if no sale has occurred, at the last quoted bid price on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded. Money market mutual funds will be valued at NAV. Other money market securities generally will be valued on the basis of independent pricing services or quotes obtained from brokers and dealers. Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available or determined to not represent the current fair value will be valued based on fair value as determined in good faith in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Creations and Redemptions of Shares According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will issue and sell Shares only in ``Creation Unit'' size at the NAV next determined after receipt, on any business day, of an order in proper form. A Creation Unit consists of 25,000 Shares. The size of a Creation Unit is subject to change. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally will consist of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of equity securities--the ``Deposit Securities''--per each Creation Unit constituting a substantial replication, or a representation, of the securities included in the Fund's portfolio and an [[Page 9297]] amount of cash--the ``Cash Component''--computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the ``Fund Deposit,'' which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. The Cash Component (also referred to as the ``Balancing Amount'') serves the function of compensating for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount (as defined below). The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Fund Shares (per Creation Unit) and the ``Deposit Amount''--an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities. If the Cash Component is a positive number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit exceeds the Deposit Amount), the creator will deliver the Cash Component. If the Cash Component is a negative number (i.e., the NAV per Creation Unit is less than the Deposit Amount), the creator will receive the Cash Component. The Custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (``NSCC''), will make available on each business day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern time), the list of the names and the required number of shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous business day) for the Fund. Such Fund Deposit will be applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect creations of Creation Units of the Fund until such time as the next announced composition of the Deposit Securities is made available. The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities required for a Fund Deposit for the Fund will change as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Sub-Adviser to the Fund with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. In addition, the Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of an amount of cash--i.e., a ``cash in lieu'' amount--to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for transfer, or which may not be eligible for trading by an Authorized Participant (as defined below) or the investor for which it is acting. The Trust also reserves the right to offer an ``all cash'' option for creations of Creation Units for the Fund.\23\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \23\ The Adviser represents that, to the extent the Trust effects the creation or redemption of Shares in cash, such transactions will be effected in the same manner for all Authorized Participants. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to the list of names and numbers of securities constituting the current Deposit Securities of a Fund Deposit, the Administrator, through the NSCC, also will make available on each business day, the estimated Cash Component, effective through and including the previous business day, per outstanding Creation Unit of the Fund. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor to create a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a ``Participating Party,'' i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the ``Clearing Process''), a clearing agency that is registered with the Commission; or (ii) a Depository Trust Company (``DTC'') Participant, and, in each case, must have executed a ``Participant Agreement'' with the Trust, the Distributor and the Administrator with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units. A Participating Party and DTC Participant are collectively referred to as an ``Authorized Participant.'' All orders to create Creation Units must be placed for one or more Creation Unit size aggregations of at least 25,000 Shares. All orders to create Creation Units must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time, an hour earlier than the close of the regular trading session on the Exchange (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) (``Closing Time''), in each case on the date such order is placed in order for the creation of Creation Units to be effected based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund as next determined on such date after receipt of the order in proper form. Redemption of Shares According to the Registration Statement, Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through the Administrator and only on a business day. Orders to redeem Creation Units must be received by the Administrator not later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time. With respect to the Fund, the Administrator, through the NSCC, will make available immediately prior to the opening of business on the Exchange (currently 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time) on each business day, the list of the names and number of shares of the Fund's portfolio securities (``Fund Securities'') that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form on that day. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities which are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for the Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally will consist of Fund Securities--as announced by the Administrator on the business day of the request for redemption received in proper form--plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities (the ``Cash Redemption Amount''), less a redemption transaction fee. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the Shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the differential is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. If it is not possible to effect deliveries of the Fund Securities, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the redeeming beneficial owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In addition, an investor may request a redemption in cash which the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permit. In either case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charge for requested cash redemptions to offset the Trust's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). The Fund may also, in its sole discretion, upon request of a shareholder, provide such redeemer a portfolio of securities which differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities but does not differ in NAV. Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws. An Authorized [[Page 9298]] Participant or an investor for which it is acting subject to a legal restriction with respect to a particular stock included in the Fund Securities applicable to the redemption of a Creation Unit may be paid an equivalent amount of cash. The Trust also reserves the right to offer an ``all cash'' option for redemptions of Creation Units for the Fund. The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund (1) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (2) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted; (3) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Fund or determination of the Shares' NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (4) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the Commission. Availability of Information The Fund's Web site (www.innovatorfunds.com), which will be publicly available prior to the public offering of Shares, will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Fund's 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''),\24\ 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 on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day.\25\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \24\ 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. \25\ 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- On a daily basis, the Adviser, on behalf of 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); the identity of the security, index, or other asset or instrument underlying the holding, if any; 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 (as applicable) required to be delivered in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, will be publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the NYSE via the NSCC. The basket will represent one Creation Unit of the Fund. Investors can also obtain the Fund's Statement of Additional Information (``SAI''), the Fund's Shareholder Reports, and its Form N- CSR and Form 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 and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or downloaded from the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. 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 and U.S. exchange-listed equity securities, including common stocks, ETFs, unit investment trusts, closed-end investment companies, ADRs, MLPs, REITs, royalty trusts and BDCs will be available via the Consolidated Tape Association (``CTA'') high-speed line, and will be available from the national securities exchange on which they are listed. Intra-day and closing price information relating to the investments of the Fund will be available from major market data vendors and from securities exchanges, as applicable. Price information regarding money market mutual funds will be available from on-line sources and from the Web site for the applicable fund. Price information relating to other money market securities will be available from major market data vendors. In addition, the Portfolio Indicative Value, as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(3), based on current information regarding the value of the securities and other assets in the Disclosed Portfolio, will be widely disseminated at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session by one or more major market data vendors.\26\ The dissemination of the Portfolio Indicative Value, together with the Disclosed Portfolio, will allow investors to determine the value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a daily basis and will provide a close estimate of that value throughout the trading day. The Portfolio Indicative Value should not be viewed as a ``real-time'' update of the NAV per Share of the Fund, which will be calculated once per day. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \26\ Currently, it is the Exchange's understanding that several major market data vendors display and/or make widely available Portfolio Indicative Values 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.\27\ 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \27\ 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. Eastern Time 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 [[Page 9299]] 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 Adviser, as the 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 \28\ 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 NAV per Share will be calculated daily and that the NAV and the Disclosed Portfolio as defined in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 8.600(c)(2) will be made available to all market participants at the same time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \28\ 17 CFR 240.10A-3. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.\29\ 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \29\ 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 and underlying exchange-traded equity securities (including common stocks, ETFs, unit investment trusts, closed-end investment companies, ADRs, MLPs, REITs, royalty trusts and BDCs) with other markets and other entities that are members of the Intermarket Surveillance Group (``ISG''), and FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares, underlying exchange-traded equity securities, from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and underlying exchange-traded equity securities from markets and other entities that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.\30\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \30\ 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 exchange-traded equity securities shall consist of equity securities 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. 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 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 Equity Trading Permit 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 Portfolio Indicative Value will not be calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the Portfolio Indicative Value is disseminated; (5) the requirement that Equity Trading Permit 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. Eastern Time each trading day. 2. Statutory Basis The basis under the Act for this proposed rule change is the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \31\ 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \31\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 applicable federal securities laws. FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, will communicate as needed regarding trading in the Shares and underlying exchange-traded equity securities (including common stocks, ETFs, unit investment trusts, closed-end investment companies, ADRs, MLPs, REITs, royalty trusts and BDCs) with other markets and other entities that are members of ISG, and FINRA, on behalf of the Exchange, may obtain trading information regarding trading in the Shares and underlying exchange-traded equity securities from such markets and other entities. In addition, the Exchange may obtain information regarding trading in the Shares and underlying exchange-traded equity securities with other 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 the Fund in the aggregate invested in exchange-traded equity securities shall consist of equity securities 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 [[Page 9300]] agreement. Neither the Adviser nor the Sub-Adviser is registered as a broker-dealer. The Adviser is not affiliated with a broker-dealer. The Sub-Adviser 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 the event (a) the Adviser or the Sub-Adviser becomes a registered broker-dealer or becomes newly affiliated with a broker- dealer, or (b) any new adviser or any sub-adviser is a registered broker-dealer or becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement 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 Fund's portfolio, and will be subject to procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material non-public information regarding such portfolio. The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid assets. The Fund will not invest in leveraged or inverse leveraged (e.g., 2X, -2X, 3X or -3X) ETFs. The Fund's investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage. 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 will be publicly available regarding the Fund and the Shares, thereby promoting market transparency. Quotation and last sale information for the Shares will be available via the CTA high-speed line. In addition, the Portfolio Indicative Value will be widely disseminated by the Exchange at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session. The Fund's Web site will include a form of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded, as well as additional quantitative information updated on a daily basis. On each business day, before commencement of trading in Shares in the Core Trading Session on the Exchange, the Fund will disclose on its Web site the Disclosed Portfolio that will form the basis for the Fund's calculation of NAV at the end of the business day. On a daily basis, the Adviser, on behalf of 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); the identity of the security, index, or other asset or instrument underlying the holding, if any; 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. Moreover, prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its Equity Trading Permit 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. 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 Portfolio Indicative Value, 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 that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's holdings, the Portfolio Indicative Value, the Disclosed Portfolio, and quotation and last sale information for the Shares. B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the 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 primarily holds equity securities and that will enhance competition 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 CommentsUse the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or Send an email to [email protected]. Please include File Number SR-NYSEArca-2015-04 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-2015-04. 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 [[Page 9301]] communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549 on official business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for inspection and copying at the principal office of the Exchange. All comments received will be posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying information from submissions. You should submit only information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2015-04, and should be submitted on or before March 13, 2015. For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.\32\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \32\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jill M. Peterson, Assistant Secretary. [FR Doc. 2015-03519 Filed 2-19-15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8011-01-P
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| FR Citation | 80 FR 9294 |