Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change and Amendment No. 1 Thereto Relating to the Listing and Trading of Shares of the NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)

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Federal RegisterOct 18, 2012
77 Fed. Reg. 64153 (Oct. 18, 2012)
October 12, 2012.

Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act” or “Exchange Act”) and Rule 19b-4 thereunder, notice is hereby given that, on September 27, 2012, NYSE Arca, Inc. (“Exchange” or “NYSE Arca”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. On October 2, 2012, the Exchange submitted Amendment No. 1 to the proposed rule change. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.

17 CFR 240.19b-4.

In Amendment No. 1, the Exchange amended the filing to specify that a list of components of the Index (as defined below), with percentage weightings, will be available on the Exchange's Web site, and that the Exchange may halt trading in the Shares (as defined below) if the Index value, or the value of the components of the Index, is not available or not disseminated as required.

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 issue under Commentary .01 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) (“Investment Company Units”): NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index 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 NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index Fund (“Fund”) under Commentary .01 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), which governs the listing and trading of Investment Company Units. The Shares will be issued by the ALPS ETF Trust (“Trust”). ALPS Advisors, Inc. will be the Fund's investment adviser (“Adviser”), and Rich Investment Solutions, LLC, will be the Fund's investment sub-adviser (“Sub-Adviser”). The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY”) will serve as custodian, Fund accounting agent, and transfer agent for the Fund. ALPS Distributors, Inc. will be the Fund's distributor (“Distributor”).

NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)(A) provides that an Investment Company Unit is a security that represents an interest in a registered investment company that holds securities comprising, or otherwise based on or representing an interest in, an index or portfolio of securities (or holds securities in another registered investment company that holds securities comprising, or otherwise based on or representing an interest in, an index or portfolio of securities).

An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (“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.

The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1) (“1940 Act”). On June 22, 2012, the Trust filed with the Commission an amendment to its registration statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a), and under the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-148826 and 811-22175) (“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. 812-13430 (May 1, 2008) (“Exemptive Order”).

The Adviser is affiliated with a broker-dealer and will implement and maintain procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material, non-public information regarding the Fund's portfolio. The Sub-Adviser is not affiliated with a broker-dealer. In the event (a) the Sub-Adviser becomes newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b) any new adviser or sub-adviser becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer, it will implement a fire wall and maintain procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material, non-public information regarding the Fund's portfolio.

NYSE Arca will be the “Index Provider” for the Fund. NYSE Arca is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or the Distributor. NYSE Arca is affiliated with a broker-dealer and will implement a fire wall and maintain procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination of material, non-public information regarding the Index.

Description of the Fund

According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will seek investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of the NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index (“Index”). The Index reflects the performance of a portfolio consisting of short over-the-counter (“OTC”) put options that have been written on 20 of the most volatile U.S. stocks that also have market capitalization of at least $5 billion.

In seeking to replicate, before expenses, the performance of the Index, the Fund will generally sell (i.e., write) 90-day OTC “down and in” put options, as described below, in proportion to their weightings in the Index on economic terms which mirror those of the Index. Each option written by the Fund will be covered through investments in three month Treasury bills (“T-bills”) at least equal to the Fund's maximum liability under the option (i.e., the strike price). The Sub-Adviser will seek a correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Index. A figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation.

According to the Registration Statement, while the Fund will not invest in traditional reverse convertible securities (i.e., those which convert into the underlying stock), the down and in put options written by the Fund will have the effect of exposing the Fund to the return of reverse convertible securities (based on equity securities) as if the Fund owned such reverse convertible securities directly.

Index Methodology and Construction

According to the Registration Statement, the Index measures the return of a hypothetical portfolio consisting of OTC put options which have been written on each of 20 stocks and a cash position calculated as described below. The 20 stocks on which options will be written are those 20 stocks from a selection of the largest capitalized (over $5 billion in market capitalization) stocks which also have listed options and which have the highest volatility, as determined by the Index Provider. These stocks will be NMS stocks as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Exchange Act.

Terms relating to the Trust, the Fund, and the Shares referred to, but not defined, herein are defined in the Registration Statement.

The options are of the type known as “down and in” put options. A down and in option is a contract that becomes a typical option (i.e., the option “knocks in” at a predetermined strike price) once the underlying stock declines to a specified price (“barrier price”). These types of options are found in “reverse convertible” securities, which convert into the underlying stock (or settle in cash) only upon a decline in the value of the underlying stock rather than a rise (as is the case with typical convertible instruments).

According to the Registration Statement, each option included in the Index is a “European-style” option (i.e., an option which can only be exercised at its expiration) with a 90-day term. The strike prices of the option positions included in the Index are determined based on the closing prices of the options' underlying stocks as of the beginning of each 90-day period. The barrier price of each such option is 80% of the strike price. At the expiration of each 90-day period, if an underlying stock closes at or below its respective barrier price, a cash settlement payment in an amount equal to the difference between the strike price and the closing price of the stock is deemed to be made, and the Index value is correspondingly reduced. If the underlying stock does not close at or below the barrier price, then the option expires worthless and the entire amount of the premium payment is retained within the Index.

The components of the Index will be OTC down and in puts written on 20 equally weighted stocks selected based on the following screening parameters:

(1) U.S. listing of U.S. companies;

(2) Publicly listed and traded options available;

(3) Listed market capitalization greater than $5 billion;

(4) Top 20 stocks when ranked by 3-month implied volatility;

(5) The underlying company equity securities will have a minimum trading volume of at least 50 million shares for the preceding six months; and

(6) Underlying company equity securities will have a minimum average daily trading volume of at least one million shares and a minimum average daily trading value of at least $10 million for the preceding six months.

The selection of the twenty underlying stocks will occur each quarter (March, June, September, and December) two days prior to the third Friday of the month, in line with option expiration for listed options. The selection of the twenty underlying stocks will not, however, be limited to those with listed options expiring in March, June, September, or December.

The Index value will reflect a cash amount invested in on-the-run 3-month T-Bills plus the premium collected on the short position in the 20 down-and-in puts written by the Index each quarter. The notional amount of each of the 20 down-and-in puts will be equal to 1/20th of the cash amount in the Index at the beginning of each quarter. The cash amount (initially 1,000 for the origination date of the Index) will be incremented by premiums generated each quarter from the 20 down-and-in puts sold, then decremented by cash settlements of any down-and-in puts expiring in-the-money and the distribution amount (as defined below). The cash amount will be invested in T-Bills and will accrete by interest earned on the T-Bills.

The End of Day Index Value will be calculated as follows: End of Day Index Value = Beginning of Quarter Index Value + Premium Generated − Option Values + Accrued Interest − distribution amount, where:

  • Beginning of Quarter Index Value is 1,000 for the origination date of the Index; thereafter, it is the previous quarter-end End of Day Index Value;
  • Premium Generated is the sum of Option Values for each of the 20 down-and-in puts sold by the Index at the end of the previous quarter;
  • Option Value is the value of each of the 20 down-and-in puts written by the Index at the end of each quarter. The notional amount of each down-and-in put sold by the Index for the current quarter is 1/20th of the Beginning of Quarter Index Value;
  • Accrued Interest is the daily interest earned on the cash amount held by the Index and invested in T-Bills;
  • Cash amount of the Index for any quarter is the Beginning of Quarter Index Value plus the Premium Generated for that quarter;
  • Distribution amount for any quarter and paid out at the beginning of the next relevant quarter is 2.5% of the End of Day Index Value for the final day of the relevant quarter. If 2.5% of the End of Day Index Value for the final day of the relevant quarter exceeds the amount of the Premium Generated, then the distribution amount will equal the Premium Generated.
  • A total return level for the Index will be calculated and published at the end of each day. The total return calculation will assume the quarterly index distribution is invested directly in the Index at the beginning of the quarter in which it is paid.

The Registration Statement provides the following example. A stock “ABC” trades at $50 per share at the start of the 90-day period, and a down and in 90-day put was written at an 80% barrier (resulting in a strike price of $50 per share and a barrier price of $40 per share) for a premium of $4 per share:

Settlement above the barrier price: If at the end of 90 days the ABC stock closed at any value above the barrier price of $40, then the option would expire worthless and the Index's value would reflect the retention of the $4 per share premium. The Index's value thus would be increased by $4 per share on the ABC option position.

Settlement at the barrier price: If at the end of 90 days ABC closed at the barrier price of $40, then the option would settle in cash at the closing price of $40, and the Index's value would be reduced by $10 per share to reflect the settlement of the option. However, the Index's value would reflect the retention of the $4 per share premium, so the net loss to the Index's value would be $6 per share on the ABC option position.

Settlement below the barrier price: If at the end of 90 days, ABC closed at $35, then the option would settle in cash at the closing price of $35, and the Index's value would be reduced by $15 per share to reflect the settlement of the option. However, the Index's value would reflect the retention of the $4 per share premium, so the net loss to the Index's value would be $11 per share on the ABC option position.

According to the Registration Statement, the Index's value is equal to the value of the options positions comprising the Index plus a cash position. The cash position starts at a base of 1,000. The cash position is increased by option premiums generated by the option positions comprising the Index and interest on the cash position at an annual rate equal to the three month T-Bill rate. The cash position is decreased by cash settlement on options which “knock in” (i.e., where the closing price of the underlying stock at the end of the 90-day period is at or below the barrier price). The cash position is also decreased by a deemed quarterly cash distribution, currently targeted at the rate of 2.5% of the value of the Index. However, if the option premiums generated during the quarter are less than 2.5%, the deemed distribution will be reduced by the amount of the shortfall.

The Fund's Investments

According to the Registration Statement, the Fund, under normal circumstances, will invest at least 80% of its total assets in component securities that comprise the Index and in T- Bills which will be collateral for the options positions. The Fund will invest in the option positions determined by the Index Provider by writing (i.e., selling) OTC 90-day down and in put options in proportion to their weightings in the Index on economic terms which mirror those of the Index. By writing an option, the Fund will receive premiums from the buyer of the option, which will increase the Fund's return if the option does not “knock in” and thus expires worthless. However, if the option's underlying stock declines by a specified amount (or more), the option will “knock in” and the Fund will be required to pay the buyer the difference between the option's strike price and the closing price. Therefore, by writing a put option, the Fund will be exposed to the amount by which the price of the underlying is less than the strike price. Accordingly, the potential return to the Fund will be limited to the amount of option premiums it receives, while the Fund can potentially lose up to the entire strike price of each option it sells. Further, if the value of the stocks underlying the options sold by the Fund increases, the Fund's returns will not increase accordingly.

The term “under normal circumstances” includes, but is not limited to, the absence of extreme volatility or trading halts in the equities or options 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.

Typically, the writer of a put option incurs an obligation to buy the underlying instrument from the purchaser of the option at the option's exercise price, upon exercise by the option purchaser. However, the put options to be sold by the Fund will be settled in cash only. The Fund may need to sell down and in put options on stocks other than those underlying the option positions contained in the Index if the Fund is unable to obtain a competitive market from OTC option dealers on a stock underlying a particular option position in the Index, thus preventing the Fund from writing an option on that stock.

The Fund will transact only with OTC options dealers that have in place an International Swaps and Derivatives Association agreement with the Fund.

Every 90 days, the options included within the Index are cash settled or expire, and new option positions are established. The Fund will enter into new option positions accordingly. This 90-day cycle likely will cause the Fund to have frequent and substantial portfolio turnover. If the Fund receives additional inflows (and issues more Shares accordingly in large numbers known as “Creation Units,” as further defined below) during a 90-day period, the Fund will sell additional OTC down and in put options which will be exercised or expire at the end of such 90-day period. Conversely, if the Fund redeems Shares in Creation Unit size during a 90-day period, the Fund will terminate the appropriate portion of the options it has sold accordingly.

Secondary Investment Strategies

The Fund may invest its remaining assets in money market instruments, including repurchase agreements or other funds which invest exclusively in money market instruments, convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index), forward foreign currency exchange contracts, and in swaps, options (other than options in which the Fund principally will invest), and futures contracts. Swaps, options (other than options in which the Fund principally will invest), and futures contracts (and convertible securities and structured notes) may be used by the Fund in seeking performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash flows. The Fund will not invest in money market instruments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines. The Adviser anticipates that it may take approximately three business days (i.e., each day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open) for additions and deletions to the Index to be reflected in the portfolio composition of the Fund.

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity. The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) Short-term obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable certificates of deposit (“CDs”), fixed time deposits, and bankers' acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase “Prime-1” by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or “A-1+” or “A-1” by Standard & Poor's or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (iv) repurchase agreements; and (v) money market mutual funds. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Banker's acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.

Repurchase agreements are agreements pursuant to which securities are acquired by the Fund from a third party with the understanding that they will be repurchased by the seller at a fixed price on an agreed date. These agreements may be made with respect to any of the portfolio securities in which the Fund is authorized to invest. Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans secured by the underlying securities. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with (i) member banks of the Federal Reserve System having total assets in excess of $500 million and (ii) securities dealers (“Qualified Institutions”). The Adviser will monitor the continued creditworthiness of Qualified Institutions. The Fund also may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date, and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing.

Swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party (“Counterparty”) based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate, index, or asset. In return, the Counterparty agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate, index, or asset. Swap agreements will usually be done on a net basis, the Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap will be accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in an account at the Trust's custodian bank.

The Fund may utilize U.S. listed exchange-traded futures. According to the Registration Statement, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has eliminated limitations on futures trading by certain regulated entities, including registered investment companies, and consequently registered investment companies may engage in unlimited futures transactions and options thereon provided that the investment adviser to the company claims an exclusion from regulation as a commodity pool operator. In connection with its management of the Trust, the Adviser has claimed such an exclusion from registration as a commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1) (“CEA”). Therefore, it is not subject to the registration and regulatory requirements of the CEA, and there are no limitations on the extent to which the Fund may engage in non-hedging transactions involving futures and options thereon, except as set forth in the Registration Statement.

Swaps, options (other than options in which the Fund principally will invest), and futures contracts will not be included in the Fund's investment, under normal market circumstances, of at least 80% of its total assets in component securities that comprise the Index and in T-Bills, as described above.

The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds). Under the 1940 Act, the Fund's investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company, (ii) 5% of the Fund's total assets with respect to any one investment company, and (iii) 10% of the Fund's total assets of investment companies in the aggregate.

The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment), including Rule 144A securities. The Fund will monitor its portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current circumstances, an adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and will consider taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate liquidity if, through a change in values, net assets, or other circumstances, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets are held in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets as determined in accordance with Commission staff guidance.

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 intends to qualify for and to elect to be treated as a separate regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gain it distributes to its shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a company must annually distribute at least 90% of its net investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest, and net capital gains) and meet several other requirements relating to the nature of its income and the diversification of its assets. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.

The Fund will not invest in non-U.S. equity securities. The Fund's investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage.

As described above, the Index components must be based upon 20 equally weighted U.S. listed U.S. companies and have publicly listed and traded options. In addition, the underlying companies will have a market capitalization greater than $5 billion. Furthermore, the underlying company equity securities will have a minimum trading volume of at least 50 million shares for each of the preceding six months and a minimum average daily trading value of at least $10 million for the preceding six months. As such, the Exchange believes that the Index is sufficiently broad based in scope and, as such, is less susceptible to potential manipulation in view of the market capitalization and liquidity criteria.

Pricing Fund Shares

According to the Registration Statement, the Fund's OTC put options on equity securities will be valued pursuant to a third-party option pricing model. Debt securities will be valued at the mean between the last available bid and ask prices for such securities or, if such prices are not available, at prices for securities of comparable maturity, quality, and type. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available, including restricted securities, will be valued by a method that the Fund's Board of Trustees believe accurately reflects fair value. Securities will be valued at fair value when market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable, such as when a security's value or meaningful portion of the Fund's portfolio is believed to have been materially affected by a significant event. Such events may include a natural disaster, an economic event like a bankruptcy filing, trading halt in a security, an unscheduled early market close, or a substantial fluctuation in domestic and foreign markets that has occurred between the close of the principal exchange and the NYSE. In such a case, the value for a security is likely to be different from the last quoted market price. In addition, due to the subjective and variable nature of fair market value pricing, it is possible that the value determined for a particular asset may be materially different from the value realized upon such asset's sale.

Creations and Redemptions

Creation of Shares

The Trust will issue and sell Shares of the Fund only in Creation Units of 100,000 Shares each on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at its net asset value (“NAV”) next determined after receipt, on any business day, of an order in proper form. Creation Units of the Fund generally will be sold for cash only, calculated based on the NAV per Share multiplied by the number of Shares representing a Creation Unit (“Deposit Cash”), plus a transaction fee.

The Custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (“NSCC”), will make available on each business day, prior to the opening of business on NYSE Arca (currently 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time (“E.T.”)), the amount of the Deposit Cash to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit of the Fund.

To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and 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 (“Clearing Process”); or (ii) a Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) participant, and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with the Distributor, 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, whether through a Participating Party or a DTC participant, must be received by the Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. E.T.) in each case on the date such order is placed in order for 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

Fund Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at the NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Fund through BNY and only on a business day. The Fund will not redeem Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit.

With respect to the Fund, BNY, through the NSCC, will make available prior to the opening of business on NYSE Arca (currently 9:30 a.m. E.T.) on each business day, the amount of cash that will be paid (subject to possible amendment or correction) in respect of redemption requests received in proper form on that day (“Redemption Cash”).

The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally will consist of the Redemption Cash, as announced on the business day of the request for redemption received in proper form, less a redemption transaction fee.

Initial and Continued Listing

The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rules 5.2(j)(3) and 5.5(g)(2), except that the Index is comprised of options based on “US Component Stocks” rather than US Component Stocks themselves. The Exchange represents that, for initial and/or continued listing, the Fund will be in compliance with Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange 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 will be calculated daily and made available to all market participants at the same time.

NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) defines the term “US Component Stock” to mean an equity security that is registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act or an American Depositary Receipt, the underlying equity security of which is registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act.

Availability of Information

The Fund's Web site ( www.alpsetfs.com ), which will be publicly available prior to the public offering of the 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 (“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.

The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be determined using the mid-point of the highest bid and the lowest offer on the Exchange as of the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV. The records relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the Fund and its service providers.

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 will disclose for each portfolio security and other financial instrument of the Fund the following information: ticker symbol (if applicable), name of security and financial instrument, number of securities or dollar value of financial instruments held in the portfolio, and percentage weighting of the security and financial instrument in the portfolio. The Fund's portfolio holdings, including information regarding its option positions, will be disclosed each day on the Fund's Web site. The Web site information will be publicly available at no charge.

The NAV per Share for the Fund will be determined once daily as of the close of the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. E.T., each day the NYSE is open for trading. NAV per Share will be determined by dividing the value of the Fund's portfolio securities, cash and other assets (including accrued interest), less all liabilities (including accrued expenses), by the total number of Shares outstanding.

Investors can also obtain the Trust'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 are 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 will be published daily in the financial section of newspapers. Quotation and last-sale information for the Shares will be available via the Consolidated Tape Association (“CTA”) high-speed line. The value of the Index and the values of the OTC put options components in the Index (which will each be weighted at 1/20 of the Index value) will be published by one or more major market data vendors every 15 seconds during the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session of 9:30 a.m. E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. A list of components of the Index, with percentage weightings, will be available on the Exchange's Web site. Each of the stocks underlying the OTC put options in the Index also will underlie standardized options contracts traded on U.S. options exchanges, which will disseminate quotation and last-sale information with respect to such contracts. In addition, the Intraday Indicative Value 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 Intraday Indicative Value will allow investors to determine the value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a daily basis and to provide a close 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 Intraday Indicative Values taken from the CTA or other data feeds.

Additional information regarding the Trust 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.

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 comprising the Fund's portfolio holdings and/or the financial instruments of the Fund; or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are present.

See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12, Commentary .04.

If the Intraday Indicative Value, the Index value, or the value of the components of the Index is not available or is not being disseminated as required, the Exchange may halt trading during the day in which the disruption occurs; if the interruption persists past the day in which it occurred, the Exchange will halt trading no later than the beginning of the trading day following the interruption. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the Fund that the NAV for the Fund will be calculated daily and will be made available to all market participants at the same time. Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV for the Fund is not being disseminated to all market participants at the same time, it will halt trading in the Shares until such time as the NAV is available to all market participants.

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 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 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.

Surveillance

The Exchange intends to utilize its existing surveillance procedures applicable to derivative products (which include Investment Company Units) to monitor trading in the Shares. 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 applicable federal securities laws.

The Exchange's current trading surveillance focuses on detecting securities trading outside their normal patterns. When such situations are detected, surveillance analysis follows and investigations are opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of all relevant parties for all relevant trading violations.

The Exchange may obtain information via the Intermarket Surveillance Group (“ISG”) from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement.

For a list of the current members of ISG, see www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all components of the 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.

In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.

Suitability

Currently, NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a) (Diligence as to Accounts) provides that an Equity Trading Permit (“ETP”) Holder, before recommending a transaction in any security, must have reasonable grounds to believe that the recommendation is suitable for the customer based on any facts disclosed by the customer as to its other security holdings and as to its financial situation and needs. Further, the rule provides, with a limited exception, that prior to the execution of a transaction recommended to a non-institutional customer, the ETP Holder must make reasonable efforts to obtain information concerning the customer's financial status, tax status, investment objectives, and any other information that such ETP Holder believes would be useful to make a recommendation.

Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders of the suitability requirements of NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a) in an Information Bulletin (“Bulletin”). Specifically, ETP Holders will be reminded in the Information Bulletin that, in recommending transactions in these securities, they must have a reasonable basis to believe that (1) the recommendation is suitable for a customer given reasonable inquiry concerning the customer's investment objectives, financial situation, needs, and any other information known by such member, and (2) the customer can evaluate the special characteristics, and is able to bear the financial risks, of an investment in the Shares. In connection with the suitability obligation, the Information Bulletin will also provide that members must make reasonable efforts to obtain the following information: (1) The customer's financial status; (2) the customer's tax status; (3) the customer's investment objectives; and (4) such other information used or considered to be reasonable by such member or registered representative in making recommendations to the customer.

In addition, FINRA has issued a regulatory notice relating to sales practice procedures applicable to recommendations to customers by FINRA members of reverse convertibles, as described in FINRA Regulatory Notice 10-09 (February 2010) (“FINRA Regulatory Notice”). As described above, while the Fund will not invest in traditional reverse convertible securities, the down and in put options written by the Fund will have the effect of exposing the Fund to the return of reverse convertible securities as if the Fund owned such reverse convertible securities directly. Therefore, the Bulletin will state that ETP Holders that carry customer accounts should follow the FINRA guidance set forth in the FINRA Regulatory Notice.

The Exchange notes that NASD Rule 2310 relating to suitability, referenced in the FINRA Regulatory Notice, has been superseded by FINRA Rule 2111. See FINRA Regulatory Notice 12-25 (May 2012).

As disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Fund is designed for investors who seek to obtain income through selling options on select equity securities which the Index Provider determines to have the highest volatility. Because of the high volatility of the stocks underlying the options sold by the Fund, it is possible that the value of such stocks will decline in sufficient magnitude to trigger the exercise of the options and cause a loss which may outweigh the income from selling such options. The Registration Statement states that, accordingly, the Fund should be considered a speculative trading instrument and is not necessarily appropriate for investors who seek to avoid or minimize their exposure to stock market volatility. The Exchange's Information Bulletin regarding the Fund, described below, will provide information regarding the suitability of an investment in the Shares, as stated in the Registration Statement.

Information Bulletin

Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in the 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 Units (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 Intraday Indicative Value will not be calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the Intraday Indicative Value 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 Exchange 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 Exchange 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 listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) and Commentary .01 thereto and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.5(g)(2). The Exchange has in place surveillance procedures that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities laws. The Exchange may obtain information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. The 20 stocks on which options will be written will be from a selection of the largest capitalized (over $5 billion in market capitalization) stocks which also have listed options and which have the highest volatility, as determined by the Index Provider, and will be NMS stocks as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the Exchange Act. Each option written by the Fund will be covered through investments in three month T-Bills at least equal to the Fund's maximum liability under the option (i.e., the strike price). The Fund will not invest in non-U.S. equity securities and the Fund's investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to enhance leverage. FINRA has issued a regulatory notice relating to sales practice procedures applicable to recommendations to customers by FINRA members of reverse convertibles, as described in the FINRA Regulatory Notice, and ETP Holders that carry customer accounts should follow the FINRA guidance set forth therein. 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. The Information Bulletin will state that ETP Holders that carry customer accounts should follow FINRA guidance set forth in the FINRA Regulatory Notice.

The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in that, if the Intraday Indicative Value, the Index value, or the value of the components of the Index is not available or is not being disseminated as required, the Exchange may halt trading during the day in which the disruption occurs; if the interruption persists past the day in which it occurred, the Exchange will halt trading no later than the beginning of the trading day following the interruption. The Exchange will obtain a representation from the Fund that the NAV for the Fund will be calculated daily and will be made available to all market participants at the same time. Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV for the Fund is not being disseminated to all market participants at the same time, it will halt trading in the Shares until such time as the NAV is available to all market participants. The Fund's portfolio holdings, including information regarding its option positions, will be disclosed each day on the Fund's Web site. The Web site information will be publicly available at no charge. 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. Quotation and last-sale information for the Shares will be available via the CTA high-speed line. The value of the Index and the values of the OTC put options components in the Index (which will each be weighted at 1/20 of the Index value) will be published by one or more major market data vendors every 15 seconds during the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session of 9:30 a.m. E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. A list of components of the Index, with percentage weightings, will be available on the Exchange's Web site. Each of the stocks underlying the OTC put options in the Index also will underlie standardized options contracts traded on U.S. options exchanges, which will disseminate quotation and last-sale information with respect to such contracts. In addition, the Intraday Indicative Value will be disseminated by one or more major market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session.

The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of an additional type of exchange-traded product that will enhance competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may obtain information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance sharing agreement. In addition, as noted above, investors will have ready access to information regarding the Fund's portfolio holdings, the Intraday Indicative Value, and quotation and last-sale information for the Shares.

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

The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.

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 (i) as the Commission may designate up to 90 days of such date 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-2012-108 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

  • Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-108. This file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's Internet Web site ( http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in the Commission's Public Reference Section, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090, on official business days between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing will also be available for inspection and copying at the NYSE's principal office and on its Internet Web site at www.nyse.com. 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-2012-108 and should be submitted on or before November 8, 2012.

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

Kevin M. O'Neill,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2012-25598 Filed 10-17-12; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8011-01-P